Shaping the Mountains: What Does It Mean in Game?

Shaping the Mountains is a notable passive on the Atlas passive skill tree of the original Path of Exile. It gives the maps you find a chance to drop one tier higher and adds more rare monsters to your maps. It is not a node on the Path of Exile 2 Atlas, which uses Waystones and a different tree, but the name still comes up when players move between the two games.

How It Works

In Path of Exile 1 the Atlas passive tree is the endgame tree you fill with points earned by completing maps. Shaping the Mountains is one of the notables in the map-tier area of that tree. According to PoEDB, its current effects are:

• Tier upgrade: maps of tier 1 to 15 that you find have a 15% chance to be one tier higher.
• More rares: 10% increased number of rare monsters in your maps.
• Ruthless version: in Ruthless mode the tier chance is lower (8%), the node does not add rare monsters, and monsters deal 15% extra physical damage as fire.

The tier chance stacks with other "maps found are one tier higher" sources from the Atlas tree and from Voidstones. That is why players who are climbing toward high-tier maps usually take it together with the smaller tier nodes next to it.

The node arrived with the reworked Atlas passive tree in patch 3.17. Its second line changed in patch 3.28: before that it gave a 10% chance, on completing a map, to gain a free use of a random Map Crafting option, so older guides describe a different effect than the extra rare monsters it gives now.

Where You'll See It

• Path of Exile 1 Atlas tree: in the map-tier notables that most atlas strategies pick up early, when sustaining higher tiers is the main problem.
• Atlas planners and build guides: farming strategies often list it under "map sustain" nodes.
• Path of Exile 2 discussions: PoE2 players sometimes search for it when they want the same result, higher-tier Waystones, but the node does not exist in PoE2.

The Path of Exile 2 Equivalent

In Path of Exile 2, maps are opened with Waystones, which also come in numbered tiers. Tier progression works differently: according to PoE2DB's game data, the final powerful boss of a map is what has a chance to drop a higher-tier Waystone, and that chance gets smaller as the tier goes up. Modifiers on the Waystone can raise it again. The PoE2 Atlas tree has been rebuilt several times during early access and its map-sustain nodes have changed between patches, so check the live tree in game before planning around a specific node.

Tips

• PoE1: take it while sustain is the problem. Once you have enough high-tier maps, some players move the points to league mechanics instead.
• PoE1: combine sources. The 15% works best alongside Voidstones and the other tier nodes because the chances add together.
• PoE1: the extra rares cut both ways. More rare monsters mean more loot and experience but also more danger for weaker characters.
• PoE2: invest in Waystone modifiers. Since the map boss drives higher-tier drops, rolling modifiers on Waystones and killing the boss every run matters more than any single passive.
• Check the game version of any guide. A PoE1 Atlas guide will not match the PoE2 Atlas.

FAQ

Is Shaping the Mountains in Path of Exile 2?

No. It is a Path of Exile 1 Atlas passive. PoE2 has its own Atlas tree and Waystone system.

Does it affect tier 16 maps?

No. The tier upgrade only applies to maps of tier 1 to 15, because those are the tiers that can still be raised by one.

How do I get higher-tier Waystones in PoE2?

Run maps, kill the final boss each time, and use Waystone modifiers to raise the chance of a higher-tier drop. Atlas tree options change between patches, so check the current tree.

The official site for both games is pathofexile.com.