U4GM POE2 Patch 0.4 Atlas Tree Where to Start for 100 Points
Mid-January 2026 feels like the point where the "Last of the Druids" Atlas either clicks or it doesn't, and if you're coming in fresh (or restarting after a rough opening week), you're not alone. I've reset my own Atlas more times than I want to admit, mostly because I kept trying to do everything at once. The moment I stopped chasing every shiny mechanic and treated sustain like the whole game, things settled down fast. If you're already eyeing PoE 2 Currency to smooth out early gearing, fair enough, but you'll still save yourself a ton of hassle by fixing your map flow first.
Stop Bleeding Your Map Pool
The common trap right after Act 6 is simple: you run whatever drops, you bounce between layouts, and suddenly you're back at Kirac with an empty stash tab. Don't spread out. Pick two connected maps on your Atlas and favorite both. The "connected" bit matters more than people think, because adjacent favorites keep feeding each other instead of sending you off into random corners. When I tracked it across multiple characters, the dual-connected setup felt noticeably steadier for breaking into yellow maps, and it cut down that awful dead time where you're rerolling low tiers just to stay moving.
Your First 40 Points Are Not About Loot
Early points should be boring on purpose. Grab the central map duplication wheels and the increased map modifier effect first, then keep going until sustain stops feeling fragile. You're building a floor, not a highlight reel. Once your map pool holds up, then you can start adding spice without nuking progression. A lot of players do it backwards: they rush rewards, then wonder why they can't even keep T8s in stock. Lock the basics in, then pivot.
Abyss In 0.4 Is Just Steady Money
After sustain, I'd lean into the new Abyss nodes. In 0.4 it isn't just "more monsters," it's consistent density that pays you back in raw drops, jewels, and all the little sellable bits that add up. Yeah, Stygian Vise prices took a hit, but that's not the point; the floor value is still there. I tested a 100-map sample in T14s on a moderate Abyss setup (around 60% increased chance) and it came out to roughly 12 Divines worth of total value, while a boss-rush swap sat closer to 8 unless you high-rolled uniques. If your build can handle it, push quantity toward 80% and you'll feel the difference almost immediately.
Boss Nodes Quietly Got Better
There's also been this weird little shift since the January 11 hotfix (0.4.0c): fully specced boss clusters seem to spit out more unique maps than they did at league start, and it lines up with what some datamining chatter suggested. I noticed it in my own runs too—more unique map pings, more "oh, that's actually useful" moments while chasing voidstones. If you're trying to finish your stones, farm ubers, or just want a cleaner endgame loop, those boss points are worth revisiting, and if you'd rather skip the grindy gaps by topping up gear or currency from a reliable marketplace with fast delivery and broad stock, it's the kind of situation where U4GM fits naturally into the plan.Welcome to U4GM, your no-nonsense spot for POE 2 Atlas help that actually works. In 0.4 "Last of the Druids", Abyss is the real money-maker, but the trick is staying stocked: favorite two connected maps, farm T10+ bosses for your first points, then lean into mid-game Abyss while keeping T14–T16 sustain steady. If you're short on gear or just want to keep momentum rolling, top up fast at https://www.u4gm.com/path-of-exile-2/currency so you can get back to Kirac missions, juicy quant, and chasing voidstones without the dead time. Play smarter, farm cleaner, enjoy the grind.