Atlas Navigation & Bookmark System Scaling for Endgame

Dear GGG-Team,

I'd like to share some feedback on the Atlas navigation and bookmark system that became apparent to me during extensive endgame play. The post turned out a bit longer than initially planned, but I hope the detail helps illustrate both the challenges and potential solutions more clearly.

TL;DR: The current 16-bookmark limit and lack of atlas overview/filtering makes endgame atlas management increasingly difficult as the atlas expands. While we don't have insider insights into GGG's development priorities, this issue however appears critical for long-term player retention - especially with full release planned for late 2026.

Current State & The Problem
First, I want to acknowledge that the bookmark system added in 0.2.0e was a great QoL addition. Having any bookmark system is definitely better than none. However, as someone who's reached level 95+ and is into endgame atlas progression, I'm experiencing significant organizational challenges that I believe warrant attention before full release.

The Atlas Management Challenge
At high levels, the atlas becomes increasingly difficult to manage:

1. Infinite Expansion: The atlas continues expanding infinitely as you progress, with no natural boundaries

2. Limited Bookmarks: 16 bookmarks sounds reasonable initially, but becomes restrictive when you need to track:

-Overrun maps
-Omen Maps
-Rare Mod Maps
-Other Unique Maps
-Maps with +1 modifiers
-Iron, Stone and Copper Citadel positions
-Hideout locations

3. No Zoom/Overview Function: You cannot zoom out to see your entire discovered atlas at once. Navigation requires dragging/scrolling, which becomes tedious across a massive atlas.

4. Resource Management Complexity: At T16+2 with irradiated maps, careful resource management is essential - these maps are expensive to run, so you need to be selective about tablet usage and juicing. Being unable to easily locate and compare these valuable maps (a quick comparison feature would be incredibly helpful here) makes optimization difficult.

Real Gameplay Example
When I'm farming efficiently, I typically run different tablet and map mod setups for different activities:

- Abyss Farming on Overrun maps
- Simply map conquering/discovering
- Logbook farming
- Boss Farming
- Specific unique maps
- Etc.

Since Precursor Tablets have 10 uses, optimal play means setting up your tablets once and then running 10+ maps with that specific configuration before switching to a different farming strategy. This creates a practical workflow problem: I need to bookmark multiple sets of 10+ maps for each farming activity, but with only 16 total bookmarks available, this becomes impossible.

The result? I'm constantly deleting and re-marking locations, losing track of valuable maps I've already discovered. Without search, filtering, or categorization tools, I spend more time scrolling around the atlas trying to relocate maps than actually playing the game.

Proposed Solutions
Here are some potential ideas that could enhance endgame atlas management:

Short-term

- Increase Bookmark Limit: Raise significantly or make unlimited
- Bookmark Categories/Folders: Allow players to organize bookmarks by type (Farming, Progression, Bosses, Corruption, etc.)
- Bookmark Color Coding: Let players assign colors to bookmarks for quick visual identification
- Atlas Zoom Out: Add ability to zoom out far enough to see entire discovered atlas at once

Medium-term Solutions

- Search Function: Search for maps by name, tier, modifiers, or map type
- Filtering System: Filter visible maps by:

-Modifiers
-Map type (Unique, Boss, Standard, Overrun)
-Tower/Citadel/Special locations

- Map List View: Optional list/menu view showing discovered maps with sortable columns (similar to PoE1's atlas stash tabs)
- Pin/Favorite System: Separate from bookmarks - pin important maps that always show at screen edge regardless of zoom level

Other Potential Improvements

Atlas "Regions" or "Sectors": Introduce organizational structure to infinite atlas (e.g., name sectors based on progression level or discovery order)
Custom Area Pins: Allow players to mark certain areas on their map
Community Best Practices Review: Ask the community and research what other publishers have implemented that's perceived as best practice for endgame map management


Why This Matters for Release
Path of Exile 2's full release is planned for late 2026. The endgame atlas experience will be one of the core systems that retains players long-term.
Currently:

- New players (T1-T10): Bookmark system works fine, no issues
- Mid-game players (T10-T14): Starting to feel constraints but manageable
- Endgame players (T15-T16+): System breaks down, becomes frustrating

As more players reach endgame and especially after full release, this friction point will affect an increasing portion of the playerbase. Addressing navigation issues during Early Access is far easier than retrofitting solutions post-release - and making significant changes to core endgame systems after launch could face substantial player backlash. Players will be far more understanding of iterations now than later.

Additionally, content creators and streamers at endgame will likely highlight these pain points in their content, which could shape negative first impressions of the endgame experience for potential players evaluating whether to purchase.

Conclusion
The atlas bookmark system was a needed step forward, and I appreciate the team's responsiveness to feedback. However, the system doesn't scale well to the complexity and size of endgame atlas management. With 10+ months until full release, there's still opportunity to iterate on this system and create a truly robust endgame navigation experience.

Thanks for reading.