Strategy
This guide covers how to optimise your Atlas tree in 0.5, including the new biome nodes added in a recent patch. The headline advice is simple and applies to almost everyone: rush the generic loot multipliers first. Nodes like increased rare monsters, increased magic monsters, item rarity/quantity, and especially Talisman effect apply to every single map you run, so they give the broadest return for the fewest points. You should still fully clear the Atlas eventually, but when you’re starting out, prioritising those universal multipliers gets your returns up fastest.
Beyond the generic multipliers, the right specialisation depends on which league mechanic you intend to farm. Strongboxes and essences are strong at league start but fall off later (research strongboxes still drop a lot of raw currency, so they stay decent). The bigger lever this patch is the biome system — cities effectively give you two biomes, and the biome modifier pools are very powerful for juicing.
Atlas Tree & Setup
Mechanic-specific priorities:
- Ritual — focus pack size above all (more pack size = more favor), then rarity. Take summoning circles where available; they can spawn inside ritual for extra favor.
- Breach (raw loot) — monster weakness/effects and rarity for maximum drops. For a high-blood focus, take pack size instead.
- Abyss — rarity for the Ulaman currency strat, or monster weakness for the Amanu strat. Take Rogue Exiles wherever possible — they pair extremely well with abyss jewels.
- Delirium — a boss-rush mechanic; prioritise the boss nodes (and combine with breach for more juice).
- Temple — little matters here, take what you like.
Biomes: desert, mountain, grass, swamp, forest, and water. Cities grant a second biome on top of the city itself (My cities → grass/swamp, Vaal cities → forest/water, Faridun cities → desert/mountain). Highlights: desert gives rare effect, increased rares, and rare modifiers — excellent for natural rare-monster juicing like breach or the Amanu abyss strat. Mountain gives tablet effect, shrines, and strongboxes — good for tablet/mechanic farming.
Investment & Returns
- Investment: low (just Atlas points + standard tablets/maps). Returns: mid and consistent — this is a foundation layer that multiplies whatever mechanic you stack on top, rather than a single high-ceiling strat.
Step-by-step
- Rush the generic loot multipliers (rares, magic monsters, rarity/quantity, Talisman effect).
- Pick the mechanic you want to farm and take its priority nodes (see above).
- Choose biome nodes that match that mechanic (e.g. desert for rare-monster strats).
- On cities, exploit the second biome for extra modifiers.
- Fully clear the rest of the Atlas over time.
Risks
- Strongbox/essence value is patch- and league-timing dependent — strong early, weaker later.
- Over-investing into a single mechanic’s nodes before you have the generic multipliers can slow your overall returns.
- Biome and node specifics shift between patches; confirm current values against the source video.
Credits & Source
Method credited to Fubgun. See the source video for the full node-by-node walkthrough: How To Fully Optimize Your Atlas Tree For Biomes In 0.5.0.