Grinding Gear Games has once again expanded the dark, labyrinthine world of POE currency Path of Exile with Secrets of the Atlas, the latest expansion that transforms the endgame while weaving a new story thread into the Atlas itself. With new mechanics, unique bosses, items, leagues, and significant endgame revisions, this expansion marks a major step forward for players seeking fresh challenges in Wraeclast’s ever-evolving world.

This article provides a comprehensive breakdown of everything Secrets of the Atlas introduces—from narrative developments and gameplay systems to sweeping endgame changes and quality-of-life improvements.

A New Story Thread in the Atlas

At the heart of this expansion lies a mysterious new narrative centered on tears in reality that have begun appearing across the Atlas. These distortions are linked to an enigmatic figure known as the Originator, who has become entangled within the very essence of the Atlas. Players are tasked with investigating these rifts to uncover hidden truths and rescue what remains of lost memories.

During this journey, you will meet Eagon, a man of mysterious lineage who seeks the truth about his past. His investigations have revealed glimpses of Zana, a familiar figure to long-time players, trapped within these tears. By working alongside Eagon, players use his custom-built gauntlet to connect with Threads of Consciousness, strange thread-like manifestations of Zana’s memories that open dangerous portals.

These areas are unlike standard Maps. They are warped reflections of Zana’s memories, filled with Memory-influenced monsters carrying Memory Petals. Defeating these foes allows players to absorb and unleash unique combat abilities. Each map in a Thread culminates in an altar where players choose modifiers that carry forward, stacking challenges for subsequent encounters. The final map combines all previous modifiers and ends with a powerful boss battle—familiar figures twisted into dreamlike horrors by Zana’s distorted recollections. Victory over these foes unlocks deeper access to her memories, ultimately leading to three new Pinnacle bosses.

The Mercenaries of Trarthus League

Alongside the new story content, players can dive into the Mercenaries of Trarthus Challenge League, where they face off against hardened warriors for unique rewards. Upon meeting a mercenary, you are challenged to a duel. Before the fight begins, you can examine your opponent to gauge their strengths. Winning the duel provides three choices:

Hire the mercenary,

Take one of their items, or

Exile them permanently.

Some of the league’s exclusive rewards include new Uniques and items tied specifically to these duels, providing incentives to master the system.

New Items, Orbs, and Features

As expected, Secrets of the Atlas introduces a wealth of new items and mechanics:

Support Gem – Focused Channelling: A powerful Intelligence/Dexterity gem that enhances channeled spells, ramping damage over time at the cost of higher mana expenditure.

Shaper’s Exalted Orb and Elder’s Exalted Orb: Rare orbs that add Shaper or Elder influence, respectively, while granting powerful new modifiers.

Orb of Remembrance & Orb of Unravelling: Items that manipulate Memory Strands attached to equipment, either randomizing their number or consuming them to upgrade item modifiers.

Orb of Intention: Alters Memory-influenced maps, increasing Memory Strand drops but reducing overall loot.

In addition, over 20 new unique items, five new Divination Cards, and dozens of foiled map and unique options have been added, deepening the loot chase for veterans.

Quality-of-life improvements also feature heavily in this patch. Players can now pause the game in more scenarios, including during lag or disconnection (with certain high-stakes fights exempt). The Rogue Harbour is more accessible, guild management has improved, and new chat notifications keep players informed of rare events.

Major Endgame Changes

The endgame of Path of Exile has seen sweeping revisions in Secrets of the Atlas:

Atlas Memories removed: Existing memories and related items are gone, replaced with new mechanics.

Red-tier Kirac Missions reintroduce popular encounters from past memories.

Breach Splinters are now automatically collected and dropped at the end of encounters.

Scarab drops have been rebalanced, with higher stack sizes but lower frequency in high-tier maps.

Map pool adjustments: Several classic maps like Acid Caverns, Canyon, and Waterways return to the Atlas, while others like Burial Chambers and Fields are removed.

Pantheon system adjustments: Some bosses tied to Pantheon upgrades have changed.

Additionally, Tier 17 maps have seen adjustments to pack size, monster modifiers, and item rarity scaling, balancing difficulty and rewards.

Atlas Passive Tree Overhaul

The Atlas Passive Tree has also been updated with new clusters, keystones, and replacements:

New Notables like Lethal Extraction and Miner’s Strike shift focus on Syndicate intelligence gathering and resource appearances.

Memory-focused nodes such as Traumatic Experience and Remembered Kindness alter the likelihood of encountering different Incarnations within memory threads.

A new Keystone, Refiner’s Bargain, converts item drops and resources into cheap Path of exile currency new forms like Thaumaturgic Dust or Lifeforce crops, opening creative farming opportunities.

Settlers of Kalguur Integrated into Core

The beloved Settlers of Kalguur mechanic has now been added permanently to the game. Players can earn gold from slain monsters to pay workers, respec their passive tree, or trade on the black market. Workers can mine ores from maps, while shipping resources to Karui or Kalguuran ports yields powerful Tattoos and Runegrafts that enhance the Passive Skill Tree.

The Recombinator crafting system has also been refined, giving players more control over merging modifiers, albeit with new risks of item destruction.

Betrayal System Rework

The expansion introduces a full Betrayal rework, reshaping how players interact with the Immortal Syndicate.

The Mastermind boss fight is now separate from Safehouse mechanics, with fewer immunity phases and improved rewards.

Catarina can now drop Allflame Embers, special map fragments that add packs of unusual monsters.

Veiled Orbs are renamed Veiled Exalted Orbs, while Veiled Chaos Orbs make a return.

Safehouse rewards have been rebalanced, with leaders now guaranteed to be executed instead of offering more flexible options.

Crafting Bench recipes tied to unveiling items are now unlocked via new recipe objects in maps, streamlining progression.

Final Thoughts

Secrets of the Atlas is one of the most ambitious Path of Exile expansions in recent memory. By introducing new narrative arcs tied to Zana, deepening the endgame with Memory Threads, adding unique mercenary challenges, expanding itemization, and overhauling beloved systems like Betrayal, this update reshapes how players experience Wraeclast’s unforgiving endgame.

For veterans, the expansion offers a wealth of new strategies, bosses, and loot to chase. For newcomers reaching the Atlas, it’s the perfect time to dive in, as the game’s systems are now more interconnected and rewarding than ever.