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POE 326 BEST T165 ATLAS TREES FARMING STRATEGIES BUILDS

PoE 3.26 Best T16.5 Atlas Trees, Farming Strategies & Builds

7/3/2025 9:40:06 AM

T16.5 is an informal community term in Path of Exile that refers to Tier 16 corrupted 8-mod maps with significant juice, difficulty, and rewards — essentially halfway between standard T16 and the new Tier 17 (T17) maps introduced in Path of Exile.

Advantages of Path of Exile T16.5 Map

While technically still a T16, the 8 mods (especially if they’re rippy) make the map as dangerous — or sometimes more dangerous — than an entry-level T17. Thus, players nickname it T16.5 to reflect its position in difficulty/reward between T16 and T17.

Much easier to sustain map pool
Comparable rewards (currency, div cards, etc.)
Less punishing than full T17 when you don't have a min-maxed build
Doesn’t require a perfect 100M DPS / tanky character
Still supports full Scarab juice, influence farming, and Atlas passives

PoE 3.26 Best T16.5 Atlas - Abyss Farming Strategy

This Abyss farming strategy revolves around T16.5 maps (8-mod corrupted T16s with Atlas passive scaling), without requiring Risk Scarabs or a mirror-tier character. It’s designed for strong but not invincible builds, like a Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder, and focuses on reliable profit through Abyss hordes, currency drops, and Abyss jewel flipping. You don’t need full Risk Scarab juice or perfect mapping gear. By skipping over-tuned content and focusing on efficient Abyss horde clicking, this strategy delivers stable income with lower investment and stress.

Profit Estimate: 15–20 Divines per hour
Content Type: T16.5 mapping (just below T17 difficulty)
Build Used: Poisonous Concoction Pathfinder (28–30M DPS)
Risk Level: Low to Moderate (depending on mod selection)

Atlas Passive Tree

The setup selectively targets Abyss mechanics for optimal loot density while skipping parts that aren’t profitable:

Abyss wheels with monster quantity and Abyss Jewel modifier rolls
Eater of Worlds Altars for shrine-based currency and monster scaling
Scarab wheels (for free scarabs)
Cartography wheels (to sustain T16.5 map pool)
Singular Focus — makes map drops always your favorite maps
Memory Modifier Wheel — chance to drop originator maps (very important)

Gear

Scarab Setup
2x Abyss Scarabs
1x Edifice Scarab
Multitude / Escalation Scarabs (map sustain tools)

Supplementary Systems

Auto-Pricing Abyss Jewels
Use an auto-pricing tab at ~70c
Manually check pings or spam for hidden value
Occasionally find jewels worth multiple divs

Map Sustain Strategy

T16.5 self-sustaining via Singular Focus

Use multiple favorite maps (City Square, Jungle Valley, Basilica, etc.) instead of just one — better odds for originator map drops

Hire Rank 5 Mappers (King's March)

Offload 8-mod or hard-to-run maps to AI mappers
Offload corrupted mods you can’t run: "cannot leech", "-max res", "no regen", etc.
Can also hand them Guardian maps for passive farming of fragments/div cards

PoE 3.26 Best T16.5 Atlas Tree - 8-Mod Strategy

What makes 8-mod T16.5 maps so powerful is the fact that they inherit the dangerous affixes of T17 maps—such as Awakened Desolations or Unstable Tentacles—while offering significantly more loot per run. A fully juiced 8-mod T16.5 map can rival or exceed the returns from T17 farming, and the difference becomes crystal clear when comparing the actual results. In testing across 20 maps each, the 8-mod setup consistently doubled the amount of currency drops, map returns, and high-value items like Divines, Exalts, and stacked decks. On top of that, it delivered more T17 drops than the non-8-mod setup.

Scarab Setup

For T16.5 8-mod farming:

1x Cartography Scarab of Escalation
1x Scarab of Corruption (to force corruption)
3x Scarabs of Multitudes (more monster packs)
Optional: Delirium Scarab of Delusions (for Deli fog)

If you don’t want corrupted drops, swap Scarab of Corruption for:

Scarab of the Horde or Scarab of Monstrous Lineage (boost magic packs)

Atlas Tree Setup

Favor Altars (Red or Blue) — synergizes well with scarab monster packs
Ritual + Shrines — extra mobs and map sustain potential
Blight — for wide-open maps with high lane count
Singular Focus — to target favorite maps and boost self-sustain
Avoid Abyss, Legion, or Breach wheels (unless synergized in a separate strat)

Favor maps like:

Mesa
City Square
Jungle Valley
Basilica
...due to high density and/or div card potential.

PoE 3.26 Best T16.5 Build - Mercenary

T16.5 Abyss farming is one of the best POE 3.26 T16.5 atlas strategies for high-end currency generation. What sets this version apart isn’t just the map tier or the juicy scarab setup—but the fact that your mercenary can literally carry the entire map for you. With the right mercenary setup, you don’t even need high personal DPS. Your only job is to survive, open Abyss chests, and scoop up loot while your mercenary clears everything in your path—fast and efficiently.

Gear Setup

The twist is the mercenary. This strategy centers around a Kineticis Mercenary who uses Kinetic Blast of Clustering (plus Barrage variant), equipped with powerful unique gear that turns them into a boss-slaying, screen-clearing machine. With GMP, Return Projectiles, and Elemental Damage With Attacks, this merc feels like a full-blown player character.

Key uniques used include:

Obliteration wand for chain explosions,
Fleshling helmet and Vaal Caress for more projectiles,
Windshriek boots for curse-on-hit with Vulnerability,
Coiling Whisper ring to devour enemy souls via curses,
And of course, the crown jewel: Headhunter.

Atlas Tree and Strategy

The strategy also tweaks the Atlas tree from FB’s version, prioritizing map sustain. Full investment into map duplication and Singular Focus ensures a steady stream of T16.5 Canyon and T17 Abomination maps. The strict filter used hides all irrelevant map drops to maintain focus and clarity during fast-paced farming.

The main focus is running scarabs like: