The Atlas

"You have broken the ninth shard. Now the sea gate answers."

When the campaign ends at Act IX, the council's envoys hand you the Atlas. From now on, your path from level 68 to 100 runs through maps: instanced, generated areas that you open with the map device (Maps, The map device).

What the Atlas gives you

Maps of sixteen tiers, from tier 1 (area level 68) to tier 16 (area level 83) (Maps).
The Atlas table, where you choose your Atlas Focus (Atlas Focus), buy further Writs and assemble the Sigil.
The Citadel approach: a short chain of fixed areas (the Hive, the Souleater Mountains and the Citadel's outer gate) that ends sealed and teaches you the Seal rule.
Four faction progressions, Lion, Falcon, Cobra and Naga, that run inside ordinary maps (The four factions).

The shape of the endgame

Open maps and gain levels.
Pick a Focus and meet its faction's encounters inside your maps (Lion Caches (Drume), Falcon Rifts (Oberon), Cobra Reliquaries (Scarlett Etzel), Naga Tide Shrines (Timira)).
Build Standing with the faction and earn Tokens (Standing and Tokens).
Reach Stage III and fight at the faction's Hold (Faction Holds).
Win a Writ and face the faction's pinnacle boss at area level 85 (Pinnacles and Writs).
Collect all four Seals, assemble the Sigil, and fight Voruun Hale, the Unburied King at area level 86 (Seals and the Sigil of the Unburied King, Voruun Hale, the Unburied King).

The four factions can be done in any order. Each is a complete story on its own. Nothing in a map is locked behind a story gate; only Holds and pinnacles are fixed nodes.

Levelling. Between level 69 and 85, the four holds are cleared naturally while you gain levels. The last levels, 85 to 100, are slow by design.

Status: maps, the device, Focus and the four mechanics work. The Holds, pinnacles and Voruun Hale are being built (coming soon).