Navigating maps in ARPGs

I am once again playing Grim Dawn, a game I keep coming back to. It is definitely one of the more enjoyable ARPGs I have had the pleasure of playing over the years.

I am curious about the way you navigate a new map that is under the fog of war. Do you traverse it horizontally or vertically or just pick a path until it ends and then go back and explore all the parts you missed. Which is the most efficient method of exploration of a new map? I am often struck by how much backtracking I inevitably do and I am wondering if I might not be optimizing the path one should use to navigate these maps.

I am playing a Ritualist this time and yes I love pet classes but unlike my Conjurer that had only 3 pets I now have 12 pets and I am completely engulfed in their presence and feel quite safe. Although the skeletons tend to die like houseflies. The Conjurer pets while numbering far fewer were far more sturdy. I do love how the skeletons have crossbows, shields, various weapons and armour.  They are not simply clad in their rattling bones and look so fragile that even a gust of wind might take them down, they look fairly well equipped and I am secure in their midst.

When I first played a Ritualist and a Cabalist a few years ago I tried desperately to obtain the mace form the warden and I am ashamed to confess I never had the tenacity to actually kill him dozens of times to obtain it. I only managed it like 6-7 times before giving up and just buying a weapon from the Rovers with reputation. This time however in the first act itself lo and behold he drops it as easily as a fan throwing her panty at Tom Jones. That was a nice boost to my skeleton summoning.

I am back as the 'taken' and making my way across the very dark, hopeless and stark world of Grim Dawn with my stable of pets and once again reading all the lore which I have already read and still enjoy reading. I must have the memory of a goldfish because I still come across bits I don't recall even when exhausting every dialogue option with the many denizens of this post apocalyptic world. As always I enjoy killing that 'son of a Slith' who damaged the water pumps because he forced me to go down and deal with that snake infested den and have never chosen to spare him for treasure on any character.

I am watching this Turkish series on Netflix and even though I have quite an unreasonable fear of snakes called Shahmaran, it's surprisingly good. The snakes really bother me. However I haven't reached the last episode yet.