So i've gone through this thread after originally answering to one of your questions and to me it seems like you're fixed on one aspect of the game while having no grasp on its core mechanics. What i suggest now, just ignore the temple (unless you want to leech for some currency) and focus solely on completing other content first. This will give you good idea what to can do the game overall and will help you understand how to progress.
As of 0.4, there are following types of extra content:
- abyss
- breach
- expedition
- ritual
- simulacrum
And ascendancy trials:
- trial of chaos
- trial of shekhema
And the burning monolith pinnacle.
Maps can also have these extra mechanics:
- shrines
- strongboxes (including unique ones)
- essences
- rogue exiles
- runed monoliths
- azmeri spirits
There are unique map locations you want to complete at least once (for atlas points):
- untainted paradise
-castaway
- fractured lake
- 2 more (dont remember their names)
Each of these gives you 2 pts to the atlas, got to be completed once
Last 30 pts for your atlas are obtained via cleansing corruption on corrupted nexuses (red-glowing zones on your map)
Finally, some maps have deadly bosses, there are 2 types of these:
- citadel bosses, drop fragments required for the burning monolith endgame content
- deadly bosses where you need to do certain stuff (like finding some weird chimes on prior maps or moving wisps towards the boss location) which drop lineage gems (some of them are chase gems worth hundreds of divs)
I recommend trying all of these, and specifically not following any guide further as long as you dont have the basic grasp of what does what because any guide should be... well, just a guide, not something you follow blindly.
Edit: added essences to the list