You’ve made it to the end of Path of Exile 2, and now you're up against the Burning Monolith, where the hardest challenge in the game is waiting.
If you're up for the Arbiter of Ash, you’ll need to track down some rare items and defeat a few mighty bosses along the way.
It may be difficult, but the rewards make it all worth it. This guide has everything you need to know about unlocking and using the Burning Monolith.
How To Find & Unlock the Burning Monolith
The Burning Monolith is a special spot in the Atlas of Worlds where you can take on one of the toughest endgame bosses.
However, you won't unlock it just by playing through the campaign or checking off standard map objectives.
Finding the Citadels is one of the trickiest parts of unlocking the Burning Monolith.
Since the Atlas is randomly generated, each player's experience will be different, and the Citadels don’t have fixed spots.
Players will need to switch things up with different exploration styles to find them.
One option is to target the areas marked with Corrupted Nodes, which are often found around the Atlas' outer edges.
Unlocking these nodes opens up new spots, and clearing them along with nearby Towers gives you a better shot at discovering a Citadel.
Another option is to head in one direction on the Atlas and keep going until a Citadel appears.
Citadels often hang out in clusters, meaning others could be close by once you spot one.
If you’re not up for the hunt, you can also buy Crisis Fragments from other players in the trading system but expect to pay a premium for their rarity.
Whether you choose one way or another, finding Citadels can be pretty time-consuming and tricky.
It's better to take this on when your character is strong enough to handle the tough bosses guarding the Fragments.
The Citadels house powerful bosses and their lieutenants, who must be defeated to collect the Crisis Fragments required to open the Monolith.
Here's a rundown of what you can expect at each Citadel.
- Iron Citadel (Ezomyte Infiltration)
- Copper Citadel (Faridun Foray
- Stone Citadel (Vaal Incursion)
If you fail to defeat either the lieutenants or the main boss, they will move to another part of the Atlas, and you'll need to go after them again.
Once all three Crisis Fragments are collected, use them at the altar in the Burning Monolith to reveal the path to the Arbiter of Ash.
Insert the three fragments to open the door and get into the boss fight. Make sure your build’s all tuned up before you keep going.
The Arbiter of Ash is by far the hardest boss in PoE 2, with millions of HP and powerful moves.
To survive the intense battle, you’ll need a high-damage output build and can hold up in the heat of battle.
After defeating the Arbiter, you’ll receive some of the most sought-after loot in the game.