Path of Exile 2: How to get into the Burning Monolith

The Burning Monolith stands a permanent fixture on the Atlas (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

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The Burning Monolith represents the gateway to the ultimate challenge in Path of Exile 2 — a grueling fight against The Arbiter of Ash. Designed as a maze that grants access to the worthy, it is a permanent fixture on the Atlas of Worlds, acting as a beacon and challenge simultaneously.

Like most challenges and league mechanics in Path of Exile 2, the Burning Monolith and all of its associated features follow a specific set of rules for spawning. Beyond that, players who wish to venture into that lair of the Arbiter of Ash need a solid build to withstand the onslaught. With that said, this article will discuss how to locate and enter the Burning Monolith.

The rules to enter the Burning Monolith are quite simple

The Citadels of the Atlas, flanked by Precursor Towers (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

As a gateway to the hardest encounter in the current state of Path of Exile 2, the Burning Monolith is the last structure that players will chase. Ironically enough, it is one of the earliest locations players can find in the Atlas of Worlds. It can be found near the Ziggurat, where the Atlas progression begins for everyone.

This characteristic is shared with the Realmgate and the Reliquary Vault, as these three structures always spawn near the entrance to the endgame. The Realmgate is the convergence zone for all extra-Atlas encounters like Breachstones and Simulacrums, while the Reliquary is currently unusable since Reliquary Keys don't exist. As for the Monolith, you will need three Fragments to enter.

These three Fragments can be obtained from three distinct Citadels scattered across the Atlas of Worlds. Each Citadel plays host to one of three bosses that you have already encountered during the campaign, but are significantly difficult to overcome. The Iron, Copper, and Stone Citadels drop the Ancient, Faded, and Weathered Crisis Fragments, respectively.

Also Read: Path of Exile 2: How to anoint an Amulet

You can slot these Fragments into the Burning Monolith's pop-up menu to unlock the fight against the Arbiter of Ash. Fragment drops from Citadels can be increased by amping up the Waystone drop chance. Furthermore, investing in quantity bonuses can also affect the final drops, increasing your chances of fighting the Arbiter and also helping in making a profit.

Now that we know how to get into the Burning Monolith, let's shift our focus to finding Citadels. For the last few weeks, the Path of Exile community has been hard at work finding out the optimal method to fish out Citadel spawns. While many theories and speculations have circulated, a consensus has been reached.

You might find Citadels at the edges of the map, and the chances to spawn these structures increase as you move away from the Ziggurat. A good tactic is to find a cardinal direction and make a beeline for the edges, trying to hit as many Lost Precursor Towers to scope out the area ahead. Once the upcoming 0.1.1 patch lands, Citadels might become much easier to find.

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Edited by Ashmita Bhatt