The "Infinite Atlas" feels like a Chore. Here is a blueprint for a "Map Mastery" system.

Introduction
I've been playing the Early Access extensively, and while I appreciate the pivot away from the initial Tower system and the new boss-rush mechanics, there is a fundamental design philosophy in the endgame that still feels off to me: The Infinite Atlas.

Currently, once you are ~1000 nodes deep, the Atlas stops feeling like an exploration mechanic and starts feeling like a daunting, endless chore. We are constantly pushed outward, constrained by what the game wants us to run next, rather than having the agency to master specific content.

I am not asking for the PoE 1 Atlas back (which had its own issues). I am proposing a middle ground. The Infinite Atlas should remain as a place to explore, but we shouldn't be forced to expand forever just to play.

The Proposal: Maps as Progression (The "Active Atlas Node" System)
My core suggestion is to treat Map progression exactly like Character progression. You scout for a base, you craft gear for it, you equip it, and you master it.

The gameplay loop I envision looks like this:

Traverse: Explore the Infinite Atlas to find a specific "Map Node" with great inherent stats (a good Base).

Craft: Invest heavily to craft that specific Node into a powerhouse using permanent upgrades.

Run: Run this specific Node repeatedly using a key system.

Replace: When your character outgrows the Node or you brick it, you return to Step 1 to find a better base.

Here is how the mechanics could work:

1. Uniquely Rolled Atlas Nodes (The Base Hunt)
Every node discovered on the Infinite Atlas should be unique. Instead of generic nodes, they should have inherent properties rolled on generation (e.g., "Area has +50% Gold Find" or "Players have +10% Max Res").

Goal: This makes exploration exciting again. You aren't just clearing fog; you are hunting for the perfect "Map Base" to build your endgame around.

2. Node Inventory & Map Sigils (Map "Gear")
Clicking an Atlas Node should open a "Node Inventory." Just like a character sheet, it has slots for different mechanics (Breach Slot, Delirium Slot, etc.).

Map Sigils: We introduce a new item class called "Map Sigils." These drop from monsters and act like gear for your map.

Example: A "Legendary Breach Sigil." You can craft it, trade it, and roll modifiers on it (e.g., "Breaches spawn 2 Bosses").

3. Permanent Fusion (The Risk)
To use a Sigil, you must Permanently Fuse it into your Atlas Node's inventory.

Once fused, it cannot be removed.

You can continue to craft it to improve it, but if you roll a build-breaking mod (like "Reflect"), you have effectively "bricked" that Node.

Goal: This reintroduces the risk/reward of corruption. You might have a perfect base, but a greedy craft could force you to abandon it and scout a new one.

4. Waystones as Activation Keys
Waystones remain, but their function shifts from "consumable map" to "activation currency."

Activation: You insert a Waystone to run your fully-decked-out Atlas Node.

Tier Scaling: To activate high-tier Sigils (e.g., T16 mods), you need a T16 Waystone.

Dynamic Downgrade: If you use a T10 Waystone on a T16 Node, the game doesn't stop you; it just dynamically downgrades the Sigil effects to T10 power.

Free Runs: You can run the Node without a Waystone to farm XP or test builds, but all Sigils are deactivated (only base map traits apply).

Why this is better (The Tedium Fix)
The biggest issue right now is the "prep time" friction. To run a fully juiced strategy currently, you have to roll maps for every single run. It involves managing many different currencies per map.

My proposal shifts this to "Front-Loaded Investment"
You spend a lot of time and currency crafting your Atlas Node once. Maybe it costs 50 Divines to get it perfect. But once it is finished, you just slot in a Waystone and go. You can run that perfect setup 100 times without re-rolling anything.

This respects player time, gives the Infinite Atlas a purpose (base hunting), and, crucially, significantly improves the feeling of endgame progression. It means your map setup evolves alongside your character, giving you tangible, long-lasting investment points outside of the passive tree. The flexibility of this system also makes a wider variety of character builds viable, as players can craft an environment that removes a specific weakness or maximizes a specific strength that their build relies on. This is the Map Mastery we need.

Thoughts?

More complex. Abusable. Numbers way off even by GGG standards.

And you make it boring.

We don't have many good layouts. And people will hunt the same iir iiq mods on the same nodes.

And why everything has to be borderline stupid gamba slot machine, where you know what you need and how to do it, and it entirely up to RNG to decide it?

Not sure why you think it is entirely up to RNG, with 0.3 crafting changes, you can deterministically craft 7/10 gear, and it's not even that hard.

However the endgame is set up, we should actually be incentivized to clear all of it.

A system where we ignore the majority of what's there as we beeline to the few things we care about is a bad system.