Path of Exile 2: How to Find a Corrupted Nexus

One of the very first problems players in Path of Exile 2 will run into as soon as they enter the endgame is having to find a Corrupted Nexus to earn points for their Atlas passive tree.

The very first Corrupted Nexus is easy to find because it is guaranteed to spawn near the Ziggurat Refuge-the starting point of the Atlas. However, the remaining Nexus maps are completely random. Luckily, there are ways to tell where some of them are in the fog of war. Here's the breakdown.

What is a Corrupted Nexus in PoE 2

A Corrupted Nexus is a special map in the Atlas that contains corrupted monsters and a Beyond boss. This map only appears in zones and biomes affected by coalesced corruption. A Corrupted Nexus can be identified via a neon red corruption icon. It has a brighter shade of red compared to regular corruption maps, making it easy to identify if it is visible on-screen. Players can only enter a Corrupted Nexus using a Waystone with at least 4 modifiers.

Completing a Corrupted Nexus is a requirement for earning Atlas points in Path of Exile 2. The way it works is simple. Clear a Corrupted Nexus with a Tier 1 (or above) Waystone to earn the first 2 Atlas points, then clear another Corrupted Nexus using a T2+ Waystone to earn 2 more Atlas points, and so on. Players are forced to repeat this cycle 15 times to earn a total of 30 Atlas points, the remaining 10 points being locked behind special maps.

Three possible Beyond bosses can appear in a Corrupted Nexus. They are:

The Skittermind

The Eater of Flesh

The Pale Angel

How to Find a Corrupted Nexus in PoE 2

Finding a Corrupted Nexus is difficult because these maps are quite rare. It's not uncommon to go two or three entire screens before running into another zone of corruption with a Nexus. Understandably, this can be quite frustrating for players looking to advance their Atlas and earn those crucial points.

There are two tricks players can use to instantly find the direction they need to advance on the Atlas to find a Corrupted Nexus. Search the fog of war for two key indicators:

A black stone spire with visible corruption coming out of it. This is a Corrupted Nexus. It may appear as a black miasma when fully zoomed out.

A tower with red corruption surrounding it (pictured above). This is impossible to see when you're navigating the Atlas normally. But zooming in all the way while looking at towers in Fog of War will let you see if there is any corruption surrounding them. If you do find a corrupted tower, there is a very high chance that there will be a Corrupted Nexus nearby as well.

How to Cleanse a Corrupted Nexus in PoE 2

Players can easily cleanse a Corrupted Nexus by defeating the Beyond boss in this map. Doing so will immediately convert all nearby corrupted maps to cleansed maps. Cleansed maps have their unique monster types and bosses. Additionally, cleansed maps are the only way to get Fracturing Orb drops, one of the most valuable currencies in the game.

If you're focusing on obtaining the right PoE 2 currency and PoE 2 items, acquiring Fracturing Orbs and improving your gear is a good investment for future progression.