Path of Exile 2: How to find and clear Citadels on the Atlas

Citadels in Path of Exile 2 are special map nodes that players must complete to access the pinnacle boss. These nodes come with intense difficulty and unique bosses that cannot be found in the rest of the Atlas. However, encountering a Citadel is not an easy task — since the spawn rates of these nodes are quite low — and the difficulty scaling is rather high.

This article lists the basics of a Citadel in Path of Exile 2.

How long will it take to find a Citadel in Path of Exile 2?

Citadels have a rare chance to spawn in the Atlas map. Since the spawn rate and location are randomized for all three Citadels — you may get one Citadel very early — and the rest two can take a lot of farming. The only choice is to keep clearing away map nodes alongside Towers on the Atlas, and hoping to find a Citadel somewhere on the road.

Stone Citadel on the map (Image via GGG)

Hence, there isn't any fixed time for finding a Citadel. Look for a Pyramid-like structure on the map, and hover over it to see which Citadel it is. There are three Citadels you need to find, and the primary reason behind finding these structures has been stated below.

Note that Citadels require only Tier 15 Waystone to enter. So, you are not going to interact with one of them before the late endgame anyway.

What is a Citadel and how to clear it in Path of Exile 2?

A Citadel is a special node on the Atlas map that holds a challenging boss from each Act finale. There are three Citadels currently for the three bosses, which are as follows:

Iron Citadel: Count Geonor
Copper Citadel: Jamanra, the Abomination
Stone Citadel: Doryani

The order in which you can find them is random — as they can appear in any branch of the Atlas map — at any given time. Defeating these Citadel bosses drop a Fragment. Collecting three Fragments from three bosses will allow you to unlock "The Burning Monolith" for the Arbiter of Ash Pinnacle boss fight.

Defeating these bosses also grants 2 skill points per boss, which can be invested for passive nodes on the Atlas Boss skill tree.

Boss Skill tree on the Atlas of Path of Exile 2 (Image via GGG)

Regarding each tileset for the Citadels, they are the same as their Act counterpart. Iron Citadel takes place within the Ogham Manor of Act I, while Copper Citadel takes place in the Dreadnought Vanguard of Act II, and the Stone Citadel spawns players inside the Black Chambers of Act III.

Three Fragments to open The Burning Monolith (Image via GGG)

Both the mob groups and the boss mechanics in Citadels are the same as in the Act version. You can refer to our guide on Geonor boss, Jamanra boss, and Doryani boss for a better understanding of each fight.

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt