Atlas of Worlds Strategy (Path of Exile Heist League 5.12)

 Despite reading the wiki and other good resources, I still found the POE atlas/map dropping to be extremely confusing. I've written a summarized version that might of help to someone!

How do map drops work

• A map can drop anywhere from T1 to T#(your current map tier). e.g. if you are on a T5 map, monsters can drop T1-T5 maps.
• Magic/rare monsters can drop an additional one level higher, and bosses can drop two levels higher. e.g. the boss of a T5 map could drop anywhere from T1-T7 maps.
• Your completion bonus also gives you a chance at increasing the tier of the map, but this does not increase the maximum possible. e.g. if you have a 100% completion bonus (from 100 completed maps) and kill the boss of a T5 map, it can only drop T2-T7 maps (T1 is impossible because there's a guaranteed chance to upgrade the map).
• The only maps that can drop are ones that you have already completed or adjacent undiscovered maps.
• There is a 2x weighting for incomplete maps and a 4x weighting for adjacent maps multiplicatively; this means that an adjacent, incomplete map has a 8x chance to drop compared to other maps.
• Note that none of these rules apply to buying maps from Zana or from her missions, which can give you random maps disconnected from your completed maps.

How do Watchstones work?

• Watchstones increase the tier of all maps in their region (typically by +3 per stone) and also change the layout slightly, often revealing brand new maps.
• Maps of lower tiers are totally independent from their higher tier versions; e.g. Park T1 and Park T4 are essentially unrelated. You will not be able to drop incomplete, adjacent T5 maps from Park T1.
• A map that is not visible on the Atlas due to a Watchstone:

1.  Is removed from the global, completed random drop pool (you will not have that map drop anymore for any reason)
2. Is not considered adjacent to any map, and thus can only drop previously completed maps

What should I do with my Watchstone (assuming I want 100% completion of all non-unique maps)?

• Slot it in a region where you have completed all non-unique maps.
• If you have multiple regions that qualify, choose the lowest tiered region (e.g. watchstone a T1-T4 region first before a T5-T8 region.
• If you still have ties, choose randomly.

But what about Conquerors?

• Getting Watchstones ASAP is critical to advancing the Atlas. As soon as you can comfortably handle beating a Conqueror and higher-tiered maps, you should hunt these out. Ignore the general rules above; go ahead and slot multiple watchstones into a single region so you can do the maps and defeat the Conqueror, then move the Watchstones back to return to regular map completion.

How do I get a specific, incomplete map to drop?

• You must grind for this on maps adjacent to the incomplete map.
• Your best bet are maps that are at least the same tier as the map you want (e.g. if you want a T7, you should grind adjacent maps that are at least T7 and not a T6) since any monster can drop the map (not just rares/bosses).

How do I stop all these low-level maps from dropping?

• Put a Watchstone in that region to prevent maps of those lower tiers from dropping.

What if I don't have enough Watchstones?

• See: "But what about Conquerors?"

Wasteland 3 Random Tips Collection

     Tips:

• Barter is actually useful. You will be short on money for most of the game and being able to upgrade your weapons and armor earlier will help in combat.
• Be smart about ammo usage; Energy Cells are especially expensive.
• Major Tomcat is an additional companion that you get at the beginning of the game. It does not take the place of a normal animal companion (just dismiss it, charm the animal you want, then talk to Major Tomcat again to recruit them) and does a surprising amount of damage. He's also quite tanky.
• For exploration, you definitely want Mechanics, Nerd Stuff and Lockpicking maxed out. It's best to put them on separate characters to make it easier.
• First Aid comes up fairly often in skill checks, but isn't required to be as high; 5-7 will get you through most of the game.
• Survival, Weird Shit and Explosives can safely be ignored; there are few situations where anything is truly gated behind either of these.
• Toaster Repair isn't really necessary. Usually it gives you more money, but you can eventually collect four Tarjan Tokens. It does unlock the best armor in the game, but only requires a Toaster Repair level of 7.
• When you use medical items in your inventory ("use on self") it uses the highest First Aid skill of your party members. It also gives any additional buffs that that character has (e.g. Overhealing).
• When you equip a weapon from your inventory and it's not your active weapon it will not be loaded. Remember this before you get into a fight!
• SMGs do more damage than rifles, but are shorter ranged, have lower penetration and use more ammo.
• World Encounters are surprisingly dangerous; don't sleep on how difficult they can be. Don't forget that your vehicle is very strong though, and running over enemies is very effective.
• Every world encounter map also has a chest that you can loot after the battle is done. Some battles even have two chests!
• World encounters scale with you. Towards end game you will be fighting enemies that have 2000+ health and will deal 2-3 attacks per turn for 200-400 damage per hit. If you are surprised at the start of combat that's often a party wipe.
• Cyborg chickens can be dropped off at Ranger HQ in the yard by the chicken coop. If you collect them all there's a special follower you can recruit.
• Tarjan Tokens can be traded in at the Bizarre fortune-telling machine for permanent perks. It's a random chance though, and each perk can only be gotten once.
• When you level up skills and have equipment that boosts that skill, it will cost you more as though your skill level was actually higher. Or more simply: it's more expensive to upgrade skills that are boosted through equipment. Make sure to take off the equipment first before increasing the skill.
• Every skill has one book in the world that will upgrade it once. To be most efficient, only level your skills to 9 and then use the book (or wait to find it).
• Brawling is very underpowered until rank 10, at which point you get a perk that reduces your attacks to 1 AP. Brawling is quite strong at that point, but I wouldn't say it is overpowered. Being forced to close with the enemy means you will often be focus fired and killed. However, it's useful having a melee character in your party who can be built to be tanky and draw fire from your squishier back line.
• Armor is an important mechanic in the game and something you probably don't pay a ton of attention to early on. Later you can run into situations where enemies will soak 50-75% of your damage. You should either use energy weapons (which ignore armor) or break the armor. All of the precise shots (strike abilities) can be used to drop armor by -75%. Brawling attacks also reduce armor by 1 per combo (for teammates as well!), but this is less useful in the late game when enemies have 30-40 armor.
• When opening with a sneak attack, consider moving all your characters as close as possible. It's a common rookie mistake to open fire at long range with a sniper, but then the rest of your characters waste most of their AP closing the gap. This effectively allows the enemy to attack you first.
• Skilling up two different weapons is almost always a waste. You're better off using the two weapon slots for a high damage, low-penetration weapon and a lower damage, high-penetration weapon.
• Make sure your characters use a broad range of ammo types to avoid running low. It's tempting to create a bunch of riflemen, but that's both boring and suboptimal. In particular, make sure you have at least one Ranger using a shotguns and one using a pistol.
• You will hit the final mission somewhere between level 26-28, mostly varying based on your Charisma.