The Return of the Ancients update reshaped the endgame in Path of Exile 2, and Atlas Masters now sit at the center of it. Three NPCs, Jado, Doryani, and Hilda, each control a 12-node tree split into four rows of three options. You can have four nodes active at a time per Master, and you can swap them whenever you want, so the system rewards tailoring your map setup to whatever you plan to farm.
Quick answer: Unlock all three Masters, then run In the Wrong Hands (Jado), Stitch the Flesh and Improved Calibration (Doryani), and Mighty Prey with Patient Battue (Hilda) as your reliable starting nodes. Pick Jado for Uniques, Doryani for flexible survivability and loot, and Hilda for harder boss fights with bigger rewards.
How Atlas Masters work in Path of Exile 2 0.5
Atlas Masters add a decision layer before each map run. Instead of leaving difficulty and rewards entirely to chance, you assign passives that change how monsters spawn, what loot drops, and how map layouts behave. Each Master focuses on a different style, and all three can be unlocked and used at once through a quick selection button.
Every Master tree holds 12 passive nodes arranged in four rows, with three choices in each row. You select four nodes total at any one time, which means you commit to one option per row. The trees feed off quests and Atlas objectives, so progress in the endgame gradually opens up the lower rows with stronger effects.
Jado's Spycraft: unlock and all passives
Jado is built around finding Uniques and manipulating map contents. To unlock him, head to the Sealed Vault on the upper levels of Ziggurat Refuge and complete the map. He then asks you to recover artifacts, which opens the first row. Grinding further unlocks the next three rows. Choose Jado when your goal is pulling as many Unique items as possible.
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
| Trove Seekers | 100% increased amount of Rare Chests. Strongboxes have 100% increased chance to be Unique. |
| In The Wrong Hands | Powerful Map Bosses drop an additional unique item. |
| Unexpected Missions | Corrupted Waystones open Maps with 1 additional random Modifier, and open a Random Map Area when used on Basic Maps. |
| Unforeseen Threats | 5% chance upon completing Maps for a nearby Anomaly Map to be revealed. |
| Mysterious Gifts | Rare Strongbox Monsters have a 5% chance to drop a Cryptic Key. Unique Monsters have a 1% chance to drop a Cryptic Key. |
| Eastern Knowledge | Verisium Remnants have a 10% chance to be rolled an additional time, keeping the rarest outcome. |
| Partial Translations | 20% chance for double effect of Explicit Modifiers on Tablets. |
| Stolen Relics | Unique Strongboxes may be the Legacy of the Order, dropping a Twilight Reliquary Key. |
| Long Days | 20% more chance of Random Extra Content. |
| Keen Appraisal | 50% increased Exceptional Items found. |
| Untold Histories | 35% increased chance to find Lineage Supports. Pinnacle Bosses take 35% less Damage and have 50% increased chance to drop Lineage Supports. |
| Ancient Activations | Powerful Map Bosses have a 5% chance to add Ancient Modifiers to a nearby Map. |
Doryani's Science: unlock and all passives
Doryani is the all-rounder, mixing survivability, damage, and loot. Clear a corrupted Nexus to unlock him and gain access to the first row, then unlock the rest as you progress. His tree suits many farming styles, with options that make maps safer as well as options that crank up danger for better drops.
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
| Stitch the Flesh | Your Maps have an additional Revival. |
| Refined Formula | 150% increased Expedition Explosive Radius, 100% increased Placement Range, but Expeditions have only one Explosive. |
| Evolutionary Pressure | Per Explicit Modifier on the Map: 1% increased Rarity of Items dropped by Monsters, 2% increased Monster Effectiveness, and Rare Monsters have 3% increased chance of Monster Modifiers. |
| Improved Calibration | Waystones have 25% more effect of Prefix Modifiers or 25% more effect of Suffix Modifiers when opening Maps. |
| Disengaged Safeties | Map Areas are Irradiated. |
| Careful Procurement | Magic Monster Packs have 35% chance to have an additional Modifier. |
| Volatile Connection | 15% chance areas are Cleansed or Corrupted. |
| Mechanical Guardians | Non-Unique Strongboxes are guarded by a dormant Construct and only roll Modifiers that apply to it. Opening the box activates the Construct, with 2% increased Item Quantity per Modifier. |
| Hidden Patterns | 10% chance when completing a Map to make nearby Maps accessible. |
| Dam the River | Azmeri Spirits only possess monsters after reaching maximum empowerment. |
| Remnants of Greatness | Map Bosses have 20% chance to guard a Precursor Terraformer, used to change the biome of a nearby group of maps. |
| Head of the Snake | Pinnacle Bosses have 25% chance to drop an additional Unique and gain a single Revive. Powerful Map Bosses have 5% chance to reveal a nearby Citadel when defeated. |
Hilda's Hunting: unlock and all passives
Hilda specializes in tougher elite fights with higher payouts. From Ziggurat Refuge, travel left and find her campsite just before the Withered Willow. She tasks you with hunting a great beast marked on the map. Defeat it and speak with her to unlock the first row. Pick Hilda when you want map bosses and Pinnacle bosses to hit harder and reward more.
| Passive | Effect |
|---|---|
| Breeding Season | 15% increased Rare Monsters. Rare Monsters have 25% increased chance of Monster Modifiers. |
| Mighty Prey | 25% chance to upgrade Map Bosses to Powerful Map Bosses. |
| Scarred Lands | 15% increased number of Runic Monster Markers. 20% increased number of Rare Expedition Monsters. |
| Dangerous Game | Rogue Exiles have 20% chance to flee to an adjacent Map and upgrade their Equipment. |
| Soul Eaters | Map Bosses have 2% increased Effectiveness per 100 Power of Monsters slain in the Area. |
| Will of the Draíocht | Azmeri Spirits cannot Possess Rare Monsters. |
| Call of the Spirits | Possessed Unique Monsters release Spirits on death. |
| Ancient Inscriptions | 25% increased effect of Explicit Modifiers on Tablets for each type of Tablet affecting the Map area. |
| Lethal Adaptation | 40% increased Effectiveness of Unique Monsters with Modifiers. |
| Patient Battue | 25% chance one Rare Monster is replaced by a random Map Boss. 5% chance three additional Rare Monsters are replaced by a random Map Boss. |
| Gutting and Skinning | Pinnacle Bosses may be scavenged for a 5% chance to drop an additional Unique. 1% chance Unique Monsters may be scavenged for a Unique item. |
| Claimed Territories | Overlord's Influence and Overlord's Domain Atlas Passive Skills have 45% chance to add twice as much content. |
One of Hilda's standout late options, Will of the Draíocht, turns a Pinnacle boss fight into a single-portal challenge. Clear it and you are guaranteed two exclusive Unique items from that boss, making it a high-risk, high-reward pick for confident players.
Best Atlas Master passives to use
Because you fill one slot per row, the strongest setups take a single high-value node from each of the four rows. These picks lean toward consistent loot and efficiency rather than niche effects.
| Master | Row 1 | Row 2 | Row 3 | Row 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jado's Spycraft | In The Wrong Hands | Eastern Knowledge | Partial Translations | Untold Histories or Ancient Activations |
| Doryani's Science | Stitch the Flesh | Improved Calibration | Volatile Connection | Remnants of Greatness |
| Hilda's Hunting | Mighty Prey | Will of the Draíocht | Call of the Spirits | Patient Battue |
For Doryani, Stitch the Flesh gives an extra Revival, which is the safety net that keeps dangerous maps from ending your run early. Pairing it with Improved Calibration squeezes more value from your Waystone rolls. On the loot-hunting side, Jado's In The Wrong Hands adds a guaranteed extra Unique from Powerful Map Bosses, and Hilda's Mighty Prey feeds that pipeline by turning regular Map Bosses into Powerful ones a quarter of the time.
Since you can switch Masters and nodes before each map, the practical approach is to keep all three unlocked and rotate between them as your farming target changes. A boss-rush session leans on Hilda, a Unique-hunting session leans on Jado, and a steady currency grind sits comfortably with Doryani.