Masters of the Atlas — All 36 Nodes and When to Run Each Master
The Masters of the Atlas, added in 0.5, are an ascendancy for your Atlas rather than your character. An ascendancy decides where a build goes; a Master decides what a single map is for. There are three of them — Doryani, Hilda and Jado — and each one reaches into a different layer of the map: Doryani reads the modifiers rolled onto it, Hilda reshapes the monsters living in it, and Jado goes after the objects sitting in it. This page collects the shared mechanics, all 36 nodes, and the judgement calls behind picking one before you open a portal.
Rules all three share
- Every Master has 12 nodes, laid out in 4 tiers of 3.
- A row unlocks each time you complete a mission for that Master, and you take only one of the three on the row that opened.
- So the ceiling is 4 selected nodes per Master — effectively one per tier.
- Only one Master is active per map.
- All three can be allocated at the same time; you only choose which one is switched on right before you open the map, and you can switch at any point.
Two of those rules — the cap on selections, and the freedom to switch — decide most of the practical questions. First, four picks is not enough to be well-rounded, so a Master is a tool for pushing one thing hard, not for a general buff. The other two nodes on a tier are given up entirely for that run, which means it is easier to decide what the run is for and then take the matching node than to weigh three nodes against each other in the abstract. Second, because you can change your mind right up until the map opens, there is no reason to settle on a “main” Master. The choice attaches to the map in front of you, not to the character.
Exact node values can change between patches — check the in-game Atlas screen.
Deciding which Master to switch on
In practice it works better to look at how the map was rolled than to memorise the three themes.
- A map loaded with waystone and tablet modifiers wants Doryani. His central node counts the number of explicit modifiers on the map and converts that count into reward, so a thin map barely moves the needle. On a heavily stacked map, neither of the other two keeps up.
- Hilda is the only one who charges you up front. The danger arrives before the loot does, so switching her on before your defences hold just costs you portals. Confirm you can clear maps without dying, then turn her on.
- Jado does not empower monsters. Nothing in his tree makes packs hit harder, which makes him the safest of the three to switch on — though Unexpected Missions does add one random modifier to the map, so that much difficulty comes back. He pays out when the thing you want is an object in the map: chests, tablets, lineage supports.
- Pinnacle runs invert some of this. Doryani’s Head of the Snake grants a Pinnacle revive plus an extra-unique chance, and Hilda’s Gutting and Skinning adds an extra-unique chance. Jado’s Untold Histories, on the other hand, makes Pinnacle bosses take 35% less damage, which actively works against a run where kill speed matters.
- When in doubt, Doryani is the safe default. He carries an extra-revival node on tier 1 and another on tier 4, which makes him the natural pick for a run where you are still learning the content.
Doryani’s Science — turning rolled modifiers into a multiplier
Doryani looks at the state of the map, not at what is walking around inside it. The more explicit modifiers you put on it with waystones and tablets, the more rarity and monster effectiveness you get back, which ties him directly to how much currency you are willing to spend opening a map. He pairs badly with running cheap maps and scales hard when you burn waystones and tablets freely.
Unlocking him starts with a Corruption Nexus — clearing one opens the Doryani’s Science questline. The exact number of Nexuses to cleanse and the final step aren’t confirmed by reliable sources, so this page won’t state them.
The axis that rewards stacked modifiers
Evolutionary Pressure is the node that defines him: per explicit modifier on the map you gain +1% item rarity and +2% monster effectiveness, and rare monsters get +3% modifier chance. Because it scales with the count, it grows with every extra tablet layered on and every extra affix on the waystone. Tier 2 carries two nodes that extend this axis, and they share a tier, so you only get one. Improved Calibration makes the modifiers themselves hit harder, adding +25% effect of the waystone’s prefix or suffix modifiers as the map opens. Careful Procurement instead gives magic monster packs an additional modifier 35% of the time, turning raw pack density straight into drops. Take the former on runs where you load the waystone heavily, the latter on dense layouts.
The axis that buys you a mistake
Doryani also does something neither of the others do: he hands out extra revivals. Tier 1’s Stitch the Flesh gives one on ordinary maps and tier 4’s Head of the Snake gives one on Pinnacle bosses. While you’re learning new content, or in a stretch where losing waystones hurts, those two are often worth more than a drop-rate node. Head of the Snake also carries a 25% extra-unique chance on Pinnacle bosses and a 5% chance for a Powerful Map Boss kill to reveal a Citadel, which makes it a reasonable permanent fixture on Pinnacle runs.
Doryani’s 12 nodes
| Tier | Node | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stitch the Flesh | Your maps have an additional revival |
| 1 | Refined Formula | +150% Expedition explosive radius, +100% placement range, but only 1 explosive |
| 1 | Evolutionary Pressure | Per explicit map modifier: +1% item rarity, +2% monster effectiveness; rares +3% modifier chance |
| 2 | Improved Calibration | Waystones get +25% effect of prefix OR suffix modifiers when opening maps |
| 2 | Disengaged Safeties | Map areas are Irradiated |
| 2 | Careful Procurement | Magic monster packs have 35% chance for an additional modifier |
| 3 | Volatile Connection | 15% chance areas are Cleansed or Corrupted |
| 3 | Mechanical Guardians | Non-unique strongboxes guarded by a dormant Construct (Construct-only mods, activates on open, +2% quantity per mod) |
| 3 | Hidden Patterns | 10% chance on map completion to make nearby maps accessible |
| 4 | Dam the River | Azmeri Spirits only possess monsters after reaching max empowerment |
| 4 | Remnants of Greatness | Map bosses have 20% chance to guard a Precursor Terraformer (change a biome group) |
| 4 | Head of the Snake | Pinnacle bosses 25% chance for an extra unique, a single revive, and 5% chance a Powerful Map Boss reveals a Citadel |
Tier 3 belongs to neither axis, so it comes down to what the run is doing. Hidden Patterns earns its slot while you’re opening up the Atlas, and Mechanical Guardians earns it on a route where you stop for strongboxes. Volatile Connection, which randomises the area state, is skippable unless you specifically want that area content — as is tier 2’s Disengaged Safeties, which does much the same job a tier earlier.
Hilda’s Hunting — paying in danger first
Hilda makes maps more threatening and, in exchange, multiplies bosses and empowers rare and unique monsters. Where the other two only add upside, Hilda charges the cost before the payout arrives, so knowing when to switch her on is itself a skill check. Maps get noticeably harder, so she is best saved for after your defences are settled.
Unlocking her means travelling. Head to Hilda’s Campsite, southwest of the Atlas start, speak to her, and kill the 4 Great Beasts she marks.
Three ways boss density goes up
The reason one map can throw several bosses at you is that two nodes stack. Tier 1’s Mighty Prey upgrades Map Bosses into Powerful Map Bosses 25% of the time, and tier 4’s Patient Battue replaces ordinary rares with random Map Bosses outright — 3 rares at 5%, 1 rare at 25%. Promotion plus replacement turns a single map into a boss rush. Tier 2’s Soul Eaters then makes the order you fight in matter: Map Bosses gain +2% effectiveness per 100 Power of monsters slain in the area, so clearing the trash before the boss becomes a deliberate choice rather than a habit.
Two nodes that steer Azmeri possession
Hilda has a pair of nodes that decide where Azmeri Spirits land. Will of the Draíocht stops them possessing rare monsters, and tier 3’s Call of the Spirits makes possessed unique monsters release Spirits when they die. What possession falls back to once rares are excluded is worth checking in game — the node text does not say that blocking rares pushes possession onto uniques. That pairs naturally with Lethal Adaptation (+40% effectiveness of unique monsters with modifiers), which pushes the same direction.
Hilda’s 12 nodes
| Tier | Node | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Breeding Season | +15% rare monsters, +25% rare monster modifier chance |
| 1 | Mighty Prey | 25% chance to upgrade Map Bosses to Powerful Map Bosses |
| 1 | Scarred Lands | +15% Runic Monster Markers, +20% rare Expedition monsters |
| 2 | Dangerous Game | Rogue Exiles 20% chance to flee to an adjacent map and upgrade their gear |
| 2 | Soul Eaters | Map Bosses +2% effectiveness per 100 Power of monsters slain in the area |
| 2 | Will of the Draíocht | Azmeri Spirits cannot possess rare monsters |
| 3 | Call of the Spirits | Possessed unique monsters release Spirits on death |
| 3 | Ancient Inscriptions | +25% tablet modifier effect per type of tablet affecting the map |
| 3 | Lethal Adaptation | +40% effectiveness of unique monsters with modifiers |
| 4 | Patient Battue | 5% chance 3 rares, 25% chance 1 rare, replaced by a random Map Boss |
| 4 | Gutting and Skinning | Pinnacle bosses scavenge for 5% extra unique, uniques 1% for a unique |
| 4 | Claimed Territories | Overlord’s Influence / Overlord’s Domain passives 45% chance to add twice the content |
There are reasons to run Hilda even when bosses aren’t the target. Breeding Season adds 15% more rare monsters and raises their modifier chance, and Scarred Lands pushes Runic Monster Markers and rare Expedition monsters for rune and Expedition routes. Ancient Inscriptions scales with the number of types of tablet affecting the map, so it only grows if you deliberately mix different tablets rather than stacking one kind. Claimed Territories does nothing unless you already have Overlord’s Influence or Overlord’s Domain allocated — check the tree before you take it.
Hilda on a Pinnacle run
On a Pinnacle attempt, Gutting and Skinning is the reason to bring her: a 5% chance to scavenge an extra unique from a Pinnacle boss, and a 1% chance on ordinary uniques. The catch is that maps run under Hilda are more dangerous by design, so a reasonable split is to keep the boss-density nodes on for the maps leading up to the fight and prioritise survivability for the Pinnacle attempt itself.
Jado’s Spycraft — going after the objects, not the monsters
Jado, of the Order of the Djinn, is the only Master who barely touches monsters at all. Instead he multiplies and manipulates the farming targets themselves: chests, tablets, unique items, lineage supports. Combat doesn’t get harder, and clearing trash faster doesn’t feed him either — with bosses and unique monsters as the exception. In The Wrong Hands, Mysterious Gifts, and Ancient Activations all require a kill to trigger. He is the Master for runs where the question is what you’ll pick up along the way.
Unlocking him starts with an Anomaly Map near the Atlas start — completing one opens the Jado’s Spycraft questline — after which you defeat 4 deadly Map Bosses across the maps he sends you to. The areas involved include the Sealed Vault, the Jade Isles, Sacred Reservoir, and Derelict Mansion.
Jado’s 12 nodes
| Tier | Node | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trove Seekers | +100% rare chests, +100% chance strongboxes are unique |
| 1 | In The Wrong Hands | Powerful Map Bosses drop an additional unique item |
| 1 | Unexpected Missions | Corrupted waystones open a random map area on basic maps, with 1 extra random modifier |
| 2 | Unforeseen Threats | 5% chance on map completion to reveal a nearby Anomaly Map |
| 2 | Mysterious Gifts | Rare strongbox monsters 5% / unique monsters 1% chance to drop a Cryptic Key |
| 2 | Eastern Knowledge | Verisium Remnants 10% chance to be rolled again, keeping the rarest outcome |
| 3 | Partial Translations | 20% chance for double effect of tablet modifiers |
| 3 | Stolen Relics | Unique strongboxes may be the Legacy of the Order, dropping a Twilight Reliquary Key |
| 3 | Long Days | +20% chance of random extra content |
| 4 | Keen Appraisal | +50% Exceptional items found |
| 4 | Untold Histories | +35% chance to find Lineage Supports, but Pinnacle bosses take 35% less damage; +Pinnacle lineage drops |
| 4 | Ancient Activations | Powerful Map Bosses 5% chance to add Ancient modifiers to a nearby map |
The target decides the picks
Jado’s nodes read less like a package and more like several separate farming routes that happen to share a tree. Pick the target first, then follow that one line down.
- Chests and uniques: tier 1 is either Trove Seekers or In The Wrong Hands. Trove Seekers doubles rare chest count and doubles the chance a strongbox is unique, which is the spine of the chest route; In The Wrong Hands pulls an extra unique out of every Powerful Map Boss. Tier 3’s Stolen Relics continues the same line, turning unique strongboxes into the Legacy of the Order with a Twilight Reliquary Key attached.
- Tablet farming: Partial Translations, a 20% chance to double tablet modifier effect, which noticeably lifts the expected value of any run where you stack tablets.
- Expedition and rune farming: Eastern Knowledge, rerolling Verisium Remnants 10% of the time and keeping the rarer result.
- Bad layouts: Unexpected Missions lets corrupted waystones swap a basic map for a random map area, with an extra random modifier thrown in — a reroll button for layouts you don’t want to walk.
- Opening up the Atlas: Unforeseen Threats reveals a nearby Anomaly Map 5% of the time on completion, which compounds with a route built around chaining anomaly maps.
The trap in lineage farming
If lineage supports are the goal, tier 4’s Untold Histories is close to mandatory: +35% chance to find them, plus a higher chance for Pinnacle bosses to drop lineage. The problem is bolted onto the same node — Pinnacle bosses take 35% less damage. It is easy to switch it on for the lineage chance and then find the Pinnacle fight taking far longer than it should, so turn it off on runs where you need a quick Pinnacle kill. If you’re planning several Pinnacle attempts, the cleanest answer is to separate the collecting runs from the killing runs entirely.