Struggling to get your head around mapping? Here are the facts you need to get started.
When playing Path of Exile for the first time, you are going to soon realize that there is a lot you need to learn. There are the likes of PoE orbs, PoE currency, mobs, looting, and of course mapping that you need to brush up on during your playthrough. In this article, we will be taking a look at mapping in particular, and what you need to know about it to get started.
What is Mapping?
In Path of Exile, the map system is a feature that you can use once you have completed Act 10. This is endgame content, so you will have to have finished all of the stories acts in order to gain access to the maps. You will find that when you get to Act 8 there will be maps appearing, but you’ll need to have reached the Templar Laboratory in Act 10 before we can access them.
Using Maps
If you are going to use maps, then you will first need to head over to the Map Device. You can find this in the Templar’s Laboratory that we mentioned earlier, and Act 7’s Chamber of Sins. By doing so, you will open up six different portals. Each one will lead you to a certain location, depending on which map item you’ve used on the device previously. Since there are six portals, you will be able to go into each map a total of six times before access is lost.
Given that we have the likes of PoE Trade, loot plays a massive factor. That does of course present the issue of what we need to do with all of the loot that we get. Since we can’t store it or sell it, we are going to have to leave the map instead. This explains why we have portals in the first place so that if you do happen to come across PoE items that you want, you can head back and forth. So, when you do head back out, go to your stash and store them, or find your nearest vendor to sell the loot that you have found. There will be a lot of loot for you to choose from here, so you need to make sure that you are selective in what you are taking. Although six portals might seem generous at first, they can soon run out when you are going in and out.
Map Tiers
You will also notice that there are different tiers of maps as well. Between levels 68-72 you will have maps that are tier 1-5. At levels 73-77 they are equal to tier 6-10. Finally, levels 78-84 are for tier 11-17.
You will only have access to lower-tier map drops to start out with. You will need to play through the maps that you have before you are given access to the higher-tier maps. On this Path of Exile maps, you will find magic and rare enemies, that are blue and yellow in color respectively. These have the chance of dropping +1 tier maps, and you can potentially get +2 tier maps from map bosses.
Although you are going to want to dive into higher-tier maps, you should be as patient as possible before accessing them. The reason for this is that there is a big spike in difficulty when transitioning to higher-tier maps. As you can imagine, the higher tier that you go for, the harder the difficulty is going to be. You can also use Vaal Orbs which can modify the maps as well. This adds mods to them and offers you the chance of getting a rerolled map a +1.
Overall, the map system is very complex. So firstly, you should invest in some maps to get the hang of it. If you have to part with an Exalted Orb here and there to get your gear up to scratch, then by all means do so. There’s much more research to be done for you to make the most of maps, but it is also considered to be something that you should experience yourself to get to grips with it. By doing so, you will get the feel of how maps work and how you can adapt your own methods of playing to get the most out of them.
Are you trying out mapping in Path of Exile for the first time? How are you finding the experience? Let us know in the comments section below!