PoE Shadow Shaping

Shadow Shaping

Shadow Shaping is an atlas passive skill and Atlas keystone.

• Maps found cannot be your Favoured Maps
• Maps found in your Maps have +1% chance to have a special Implicit Modifier for each different Map you have Favoured

AI Guides

In Path of Exile, controlling and optimizing map drops is a crucial part of maximizing your endgame progression. The Shadow Shaping Atlas Keystone offers players a powerful tool for influencing the types of maps that drop during their runs, introducing a mix of restriction and reward that can significantly impact mapping efficiency. By preventing favored maps from dropping and adding a chance for special implicit modifiers on maps, Shadow Shaping encourages strategic planning and customization of your Atlas.

What is Shadow Shaping?

Shadow Shaping is an Atlas Passive Skill and Keystone designed to give players more control over the types of maps they find while running other maps. This keystone introduces two major effects:

1. Favored Maps Restriction: Shadow Shaping prevents any maps you have marked as favored from dropping. This forces the Atlas to drop other maps, potentially increasing the variety or targeting specific maps you desire.

2. Special Implicit Modifiers: For each different map you have favored, there is a +1% chance that any map you find will have a special implicit modifier. These modifiers can range from adding extra encounters like Abysses, Breaches, or Rogue Exiles, to including league-specific mechanics such as Expedition or Ultimatum.

Key Features of Shadow Shaping:

• No Favored Maps Drop: This keystone ensures that your favored maps will not drop during your runs, allowing you to influence which other maps are more likely to appear.
• Implicit Modifier Chance: Maps found while Shadow Shaping is active have an increased chance to roll a special implicit modifier, which adds additional encounters or challenges to the map.

Mechanics and Strategic Implications

Shadow Shaping offers a unique blend of control and randomness, allowing players to customize their map drops while also introducing the possibility of powerful implicit modifiers.

1. Favored Map Control: By preventing favored maps from dropping, Shadow Shaping gives you the ability to control the variety of maps you find. This can be particularly useful for targeting specific map drops or ensuring a steady flow of diverse maps for progression. For example, if you’re farming a specific map for its unique layout or rewards, you can favor all maps except the one you want, significantly increasing the chances of dropping that specific map through other means.

2. Implicit Modifier Boost: The implicit modifiers added by Shadow Shaping can make maps far more lucrative and challenging. These modifiers can include additional encounters like Breaches, Abysses, or Ritual Altars, adding layers of difficulty and reward to your runs. The chance to roll these modifiers increases with the number of different maps you have favored, incentivizing players to diversify their favored map selection.

3. Strategic Map Favoring: Shadow Shaping encourages a strategic approach to map favoring. By carefully selecting which maps to favor—and which to block—you can influence your Atlas in a way that supports your farming goals. For example, favoring a wide variety of maps increases the chance of finding maps with valuable implicit modifiers, while focusing on a narrow selection can help target specific map drops.

4. Map Drop Randomization: The keystone appears to randomize dropped maps within their current tier until a non-favored map is selected. This means that even though favored maps won’t drop, you might still find maps at the same tier as your favored maps, but these will be different maps not restricted by the favored map ban. This randomness can occasionally result in drops that are not directly connected to the map you’re running, adding a layer of unpredictability to your mapping experience.

Practical Application

To effectively utilize Shadow Shaping, players should consider the following strategies:

• Optimize Map Drops: Use Shadow Shaping to block maps you don’t want or need, allowing the Atlas to focus on dropping maps you’re targeting. This can be especially useful when farming specific maps for their layouts, divination cards, or other unique features.
• Favor Diverse Maps: Favor a variety of different maps to maximize the chance of rolling special implicit modifiers. These modifiers can add significant value to your maps, making them more rewarding and challenging.
• Plan for Map Progression: If you’re working on completing your Atlas or pushing specific map tiers, use Shadow Shaping to block completed maps, forcing drops of maps you still need. This can help accelerate Atlas completion or sustain map pools in higher tiers.

Possible Implicit Modifiers

Shadow Shaping can add a range of special implicit modifiers to your maps, enhancing your encounters with additional challenges and rewards. Some possible implicit modifiers include:

• Area contains The Sacred Grove (Harvest encounter)
• Area contains an additional Legion Encounter
• Area contains an additional Expedition Encounter
• Area contains an additional Smuggler’s Cache (Heist encounter)
• Area contains an additional Ultimatum Encounter
• Areas contain Ritual Altars
• Area contains 2 additional Abysses
• Area contains 3 additional Breaches
• Area contains 3 additional Harbingers
• Area contains 3 additional Essences
• Area contains 4 additional Strongboxes
• Area is inhabited by 5 additional Tormented Spirits
• Area contains 5 additional Shrines
• Area is inhabited by 10 additional Rogue Exiles

These modifiers can greatly increase the value and difficulty of your maps, providing opportunities for enhanced rewards and more complex gameplay.

Conclusion

Shadow Shaping is a versatile and strategic Atlas Keystone in Path of Exile that offers players significant control over their map drops while introducing the possibility of powerful implicit modifiers. By preventing favored maps from dropping and boosting the chances of finding maps with special modifiers, this keystone can help players tailor their mapping experience to suit their goals, whether that’s targeting specific maps, maximizing rewards, or adding layers of challenge to their runs.

For players who enjoy strategic planning and map manipulation, Shadow Shaping provides the tools to optimize their Atlas and make every map drop more meaningful. With careful map favoring and an eye for valuable modifiers, Shadow Shaping can turn your Atlas into a well-oiled machine, delivering the maps and encounters that best support your endgame ambitions in Path of Exile.