The Burning Monolith: Path of Exile 2's Endgame Challenge
The Burning Monolith, a unique map location in Path of Exile 2's Atlas of Worlds, resembles the Realmgate and is typically found near the starting area of your mapping journey. However, accessing it presents a significant challenge.
Accessing the Burning Monolith requires three Crisis Fragments, each obtained by conquering a Citadel—an exceptionally rare and difficult-to-locate map node within the Atlas.
Conquering the Burning Monolith in Path of Exile 2
The Burning Monolith is the lair of the Arbiter of Ash, the game's most formidable pinnacle boss. Your first attempt to activate the Monolith's door initiates "The Pinnacle of Flame" quest, comprising three sub-quests: Ezomyte Infiltration (Iron Citadel), Faridun Foray (Copper Citadel), and Vaal Incursion (Stone Citadel). Completing these Citadels yields the three necessary Crisis Fragments. Once you possess all three, activate the altar within the Burning Monolith to unlock the Arbiter of Ash encounter.
Ensure your character build is exceptionally strong before engaging the Arbiter of Ash. This boss boasts devastating attacks, millions of HP, and is the toughest pinnacle boss in the game.
Locating Citadels in Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile 2 features three Citadels: Iron, Copper, and Stone. Each Citadel houses a unique map boss; defeating them awards the corresponding Crisis Fragment. The primary difficulty lies in discovering their locations.
Citadels are single-attempt challenges.
The Atlas is procedurally generated, making Citadel locations unique to each player. No consistent method for locating them exists, though community observations offer some tentative strategies:
- Select a direction on the Atlas and explore systematically until you locate a Citadel. Utilizing Towers provides a broader map overview.
- Follow corruption trails. Scan the Atlas periphery for corrupted nodes. Prioritize clearing these, unlock nearby Towers, and repeat. This strategy complements the first.
- Citadels often cluster together. Finding one increases the likelihood of discovering the others nearby.
Citadel hunting is a late-game endeavor, best undertaken when your build is optimized and boss encounters are routine.
Alternatively, Crisis Fragments can be purchased through online trading platforms or the Currency Exchange. However, their rarity often commands a high price, potentially offsetting the effort of hunting them yourself.
