In the expansive world of Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), one of the highly anticipated features by fans is the inclusion of Waystones. These mystical objects play a pivotal role in the game's exploration and progression, granting players the ability to fast travel between key locations and unlocking new ways to navigate through the dangerous landscapes of Wraeclast.

In this article, we'll dive deep into the mechanics of Waystones in PoE 2, how to acquire them, and the methods for upgrading them as you venture through the game's expansive and ever-changing world.

What Are Waystones in Path of Exile 2?

Waystones serve as fast-travel points and checkpoints within the game's world. They act similarly to waypoint systems that allow players to quickly access previously discovered areas, cutting down on time spent backtracking and enabling more efficient exploration. The addition of Waystones is a significant evolution of the previous Path of Exile mechanics, where fast travel was limited to specific points, usually within the acts or specific zones.

While Waystones are essential for quick navigation, they also have unique upgrade paths and requirements that will evolve throughout the game's story and your progression.

How to Get Waystones in Path of Exile 2

1. Progressing Through the Story

Waystones are primarily earned as you progress through the main story of Path of Exile 2. As you encounter major narrative events and defeat key bosses, Waystones will be unlocked in key locations that you can later use for fast travel.

For instance, after completing certain story chapters or defeating powerful bosses, you'll unlock access to Waystones in the areas you've explored. These are often linked to major game milestones, such as defeating a regional boss or completing a storyline quest.

2. Exploring Dungeons and Special Zones

While story progression is a major way to unlock Waystones, exploration plays a large part as well. As you delve into dungeons, ancient ruins, and other special zones within PoE 2, you will often come across Waystone shrines or relics.

These shrines are usually found within more dangerous areas, and activating them requires a bit of effort. They may be guarded by tough enemies or located in hard-to-reach places, but activating these shrines provides you with a fast travel point for later use.

In addition to the quest-based Waystones, these exploration-based stones are scattered throughout the world, ensuring that no area feels like a slog to revisit, especially as the game world grows increasingly vast.

3. Rewards from NPCs

In addition to the standard questline and exploration-based methods, certain NPCs in the game offer Waystones or POE 2 Currency as rewards. These can be linked to side quests, faction interactions, or even crafting services. For example, if you assist a faction with a particular goal, they might reward you with access to a Waystone that will serve as an important strategic location to make your journey easier.

4. Waystone Relics and Crafting

As PoE 2 leans into its crafting mechanics, Waystones may also be obtained via relic crafting. Relics are powerful objects that can be obtained and enhanced through different crafting systems within the game. Occasionally, relics come with Waystone fragments or even pre-constructed Waystones as their base, which can be further upgraded and used to fast travel between various parts of the world.

How to Upgrade Waystones in Path of Exile 2

Waystones are not static objects; they can be upgraded as you progress through the game. Upgrading Waystones will improve their functionality, making them more useful for different stages of the game.

1. Leveling Up Your Waystones

Waystones can be leveled up by accumulating Waystone Fragments, which are found in various areas or can be crafted. These fragments work similarly to gems or orbs in PoE, providing power boosts to your Waystone when combined in specific recipes.

To level up your Waystone, follow these steps:

Collect Waystone Fragments: As you explore, gather fragments from dropped enemies, quest rewards, or purchase from vendors.

Combine Fragments: Visit specialized crafting benches or NPCs to combine these fragments. Each combination will unlock new features, including increased teleportation distances, faster cooldown times, or access to previously unreachable zones.

Upgrade Via Relic Crafting: Some Waystones can also be upgraded through relic crafting, where combining specific relics and upgrading them through different crafting mechanics can grant your Waystone additional powers or even unlock new map connections.

Upgrading your Waystones makes them increasingly useful, allowing you to travel to more areas in less time, which is especially valuable as the game world opens up and the number of available locations increases.

2. Activating Master Crafters

In PoE 2, Master Crafters play a major role in the progression of your gear and items. These crafters can also be used to upgrade Waystones, though the process is a little more involved than simply gathering fragments.

Seek Out Master Crafters: These NPCs are often located in specific towns or settlements. They will require you to provide them with specific resources, including powerful items, currency, or completed side quests. Once you've met their conditions, they'll offer an upgrade service for your Waystones.

Apply Specialized Crafting Mods: Upgrading your Waystones with the help of a Master Crafter can add specialized mods such as extended range, no cooldown activation, or even the ability to unlock Waystones in non-linear fashion, enabling you to skip certain areas entirely.

Upgrading Waystones through Master Crafters provides an excellent opportunity to further personalize your fast-travel system and tailor it to your preferred playstyle.

3. Gem Slotting for Enhanced Teleportation

In addition to crafting fragments and using Master Crafters, PoE 2 introduces the concept of gem slotting within Waystones. Gems can be slotted into Waystones to provide additional bonuses when using the fast travel system.

Slotting Gems: Gems can be obtained by defeating powerful bosses, completing special quests, or through crafting. When a gem is slotted into a Waystone, it grants you passive bonuses such as reduced travel time, more efficient resource gathering upon arrival, or enhanced loot drops in certain zones.

Leveling Gems: Some gems can be leveled up over time by using them in a variety of different zones or by completing specific objectives. Higher-level gems provide more powerful bonuses, allowing you to fine-tune your Waystone usage to meet your needs.

4. Unlocking Additional Waystone Modifiers

As you progress through PoE 2, you'll encounter modifiers that can further upgrade the Waystones. These modifiers include:

Linked Waystones: After a certain point, you can connect multiple Waystones to form a network of travel hubs. This means you won't have to go through all the intermediate locations to get to the final destination, improving efficiency and speed.

Enhanced Warping: Some upgrades make Waystones more efficient by reducing their cooldown times. This is especially helpful in later stages when you need to quickly navigate across large areas to farm or chase down endgame content.

Conclusion

Waystones are more than just a simple fast-travel system in Path of Exile 2. They represent a dynamic and evolving part of the game's exploration and progression systems. Whether through leveling up your Waystones, enhancing them with fragments and gems, or using Master Crafters to add specific bonuses, they become an integral tool for navigating the vast and dangerous world of Wraeclast. When you need resources, you can get them through Poe2 trade.

Mastering the Waystone mechanics in PoE 2 will be key to saving time and streamlining your journey, ensuring that you can focus on the challenges that truly matter: defeating powerful foes, uncovering hidden lore, and progressing through the ever-expanding content.

As you journey deeper into the game, remember that the Waystone system is designed to grow with you, so make sure to upgrade and experiment to discover the best combinations for your playstyle.