Quick answer: how Citadels work in PoE2 (0.5)
Citadels are special Atlas maps that gate PoE2's pinnacle bosses. There are three original Citadels — Iron (Count Geonor), Copper (Jamanra, the Abomination), and Stone (Doryani, Royal Thaumaturge). Each guardian drops one Crisis Fragment (Ancient, Faded, or Weathered). Collect all three, take them to The Burning Monolith near the centre of your Atlas, and you unlock the Arbiter of Ash — the citadel-gated pinnacle boss.
In Return of the Ancients (0.5), GGG added two more Citadels with two new bosses whose keys open the brand-new pinnacle, the Arbiter of Divinity. So a full endgame Atlas now hides five Citadels, not three.
This guide covers exactly how to find Citadels fast, what each one drops, and how to convert that into a pinnacle kill — without wasting 30 maps wandering the fog. If you'd rather skip straight to the loot, Timesaver.gg's PoE2 boss-carry service clears any Citadel or pinnacle for you on your own character.
What is a Citadel in Path of Exile 2?
A Citadel is a unique, fixed structure that appears on your endgame Atlas as you reveal new map areas. Unlike a normal map node, a Citadel contains an upgraded version of a campaign boss and is the only repeatable way to farm the Crisis Fragments that unlock the Arbiter of Ash.
The three original Citadels each sit in a distinct biome and broadcast a coloured beam of light through the Atlas fog once you get close enough:
| Citadel | Guardian boss | Biome / look | Beam in fog |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Citadel | Count Geonor | Black walled city, forest/grass, wooden houses | Blue |
| Copper Citadel | Jamanra, the Abomination | Green metal tents, desert | Orange |
| Stone Citadel | Doryani, Royal Thaumaturge | Huge Vaal/Aztec-style pyramids | Red |
Each guardian is a tuned-up, far deadlier version of the Act boss you already beat in the campaign — same identity, endgame stat budget. Killing one guarantees at least one Crisis Fragment (Ancient, Faded, or Weathered), and you need one of each to access the pinnacle. (Source: PoE Wiki — Citadel; maxroll.gg Citadel Farming.)
Three hard numbers to anchor on: 3 original Citadels · 3 Crisis Fragments needed · 1 Burning Monolith. Get those and the Arbiter of Ash door is open.
How do you find Citadels on the Atlas?
This is the #1 frustration — players run 20+ maps and never see one. Citadels spawn at fixed points of interest on the Atlas in 0.5, but they're hidden under fog until you explore toward them. The reliable method:
- Reveal maximum new Atlas area every map. Don't re-run the same cluster. Each completed map peels back fog around it — Citadels only become visible once nearby fog is cleared.
- Use Towers aggressively. Towers reveal a large radius of surrounding Atlas at once. maxroll's mapping team is blunt about it: "Towers excel at revealing large areas." Prioritise pathing toward and completing Towers — they're the fastest fog-clearers and they let you slot tablets to juice the region.
- Watch the fog for coloured beams. Once you're within range, a Citadel projects a blue (Iron), orange (Copper), or red (Stone) beam straight up. Scan the edges of revealed territory for those columns of light.
- Follow coastlines and open edges. They tend to grant the most new Atlas information per map, expanding your reveal radius faster than landlocked nodes.
The 0.5 patch made this far less random than Early Access. As GGG put it in the 0.5.0 patch notes: "The Infinite Atlas now has fixed points of interest… containing specific content so that all players can follow the type of content they wish to pursue." Translation: Citadels are findable on purpose now — you just have to push outward, not in circles.
Why can't I get full Atlas points?
A super common companion question. If your Atlas passive points feel capped before you've maxed them, you're almost certainly missing the Towers on the outer walls of the Atlas — each one grants points and many players overlook the perimeter entirely. Sweep the outer ring of your Atlas before assuming you're stuck.
The three Crisis Fragments (and how to get more)
Each Citadel boss drops one of the three Crisis Fragments. You need the full set to spawn the Arbiter:
- Ancient Crisis Fragment
- Faded Crisis Fragment
- Weathered Crisis Fragment
A kill guarantees one fragment, but you can pull extra fragments from a single Citadel boss by stacking Waystone Drop Chance — that stat raises the odds of bonus Crisis Fragment drops, so a well-specced Atlas tree turns one Citadel clear into multiple Arbiter attempts. (Source: mobalytics.gg Arbiter of Ash guide.)
If you're short one fragment, you don't have to farm the matching Citadel — Crisis Fragments are tradeable, so you can buy the missing piece from another player on the official Trade site. Stocking up on PoE2 currency first makes that a one-click fix instead of a five-map detour.
How do you fight the Arbiter of Ash?
Once you hold all three Crisis Fragments:
- Open your Atlas and find The Burning Monolith — a black-and-red structure that always spawns very close to the Atlas origin (centre). Click the red skull button to travel there.
- Place the Ancient, Faded, and Weathered Crisis Fragments into the Monolith.
- Enter and kill the Arbiter of Ash to roll for its boss-unique loot table.
It's a genuine DPS-and-survival check. The single biggest killer at this stage isn't the mechanic you fear — it's damage-over-time ignite. The community consensus from players dying here repeatedly: run an ignite-clearing charm before you walk in. One veteran's summary of their Citadel deaths: they'd died to ignite more than anything else this season, and a single ignite charm fixed it. If you keep eating floor and don't know why, that's the first thing to slot.
For the full Arbiter mechanic breakdown — phases, telegraphs, and what to dodge — see our dedicated PoE2 Arbiter of Ash guide.
What about the new Arbiter of Divinity?
In 0.5, completing your first Tower triggers a new endgame arc. Straight from GGG's patch notes: "Upon completing your first Tower, you'll activate a new core endgame progression arc: The Origins of Divinity." That arc adds two new Citadels and two new bosses whose keys open the new pinnacle, the Arbiter of Divinity — a separate, tougher fight from the Arbiter of Ash. You'll also see Patriarch and Matriarch encounters (beam-marked, Citadel-style) tied to unlocking it.
So the modern 0.5 endgame ladder looks like:
| Pinnacle | Gated by | How to access |
|---|---|---|
| Arbiter of Ash | 3 Crisis Fragments | Iron + Copper + Stone Citadels → Burning Monolith |
| Arbiter of Divinity | New citadel keys | The two new 0.5 Citadels + the Origins of Divinity arc |
GGG also confirmed that all pinnacle bosses now have deterministic quest versions — "all Pinnacle Bosses now have quest versions that can be accessed deterministically" — so you get one guided, guaranteed attempt at each before you have to farm the repeatable (infinite) version.
Best Atlas setup for Citadel farming
You don't need a "build guide" — you need a mapping mindset tuned for discovery and survival:
- Spec Towers + reveal range on the Atlas tree. More fog cleared per map = Citadels surface faster.
- Run higher Waystone tiers near suspected Citadels. Higher tier = better Citadel boss rewards and more Crisis Fragment rolls (with Waystone Drop Chance stacked).
- Bring defences, not just DPS. Citadel bosses one-shot squishy characters. Cap your resistances, carry an ignite/freeze charm, and have a panic button.
- Pre-buy your missing fragment. If you're 1 of 3, trade for it rather than re-farming a whole Citadel.
If the bottleneck is your character — not your knowledge — that's exactly what a carry is for. Timesaver.gg's pro players will clear any Citadel boss or pinnacle (Arbiter of Ash included) on your own account, fragments and loot to you, no grind required.
Get to the loot faster with Timesaver.gg
Citadels are a time sink: find them, gear up to survive them, then repeat for fragments. If you'd rather skip the grind and just get the kill + the drops, we've got you:
- PoE2 Leveling & Boss Carries — pro players clear Citadels, the Arbiter of Ash, and pinnacle bosses on your character. Skip the grind. ⚡
- PoE2 Currency (all orbs) — divine · chaos · exalted and more, instant delivery, best rate — fund your gear or buy missing Crisis Fragments outright.
- PoE2 Divine Orbs — instant delivery · trusted · best rate.
- PoE2 Exalted Orbs — fast & secure crafting staples.
All deliveries are handled by trusted pro players — timesaver.gg, the fastest way from "stuck in the fog" to "pinnacle cleared."
FAQ
How many Citadels are there in PoE2 0.5? Five. The three original Citadels — Iron (Count Geonor), Copper (Jamanra), and Stone (Doryani) — gate the Arbiter of Ash, and 0.5 added two new Citadels that gate the new Arbiter of Divinity pinnacle.
Why can't I find any Citadels? You're not revealing enough new Atlas area. Stop re-running the same cluster, push outward into the fog, prioritise Towers (they reveal large areas), and watch for the coloured beams — blue (Iron), orange (Copper), red (Stone).
How many Crisis Fragments do I need for the Arbiter of Ash? Three: one Ancient, one Faded, and one Weathered. Each original Citadel boss guarantees one fragment; stacking Waystone Drop Chance can drop extras.
Where is the Burning Monolith? It always spawns very close to the centre/origin of your Atlas. Once you hold all three Crisis Fragments, click the red skull button to travel there and insert them.
Can I buy Crisis Fragments instead of farming them? Yes — Crisis Fragments are tradeable on the official Trade site, so you can buy a missing fragment from another player rather than re-farming the matching Citadel.
Why do I keep dying at Citadels? The most common culprit is damage-over-time ignite, not the boss's big telegraphs. Run an ignite-clearing charm and cap your resistances before you engage.
What's the difference between the Arbiter of Ash and the Arbiter of Divinity? The Arbiter of Ash is the original citadel-gated pinnacle (3 Crisis Fragments → Burning Monolith). The Arbiter of Divinity is the new 0.5 pinnacle, unlocked through the Origins of Divinity arc and the two new Citadels — a separate, harder fight.
Mechanics verified against pathofexile.com 0.5.0 patch notes, PoE Wiki, and maxroll.gg as of the Return of the Ancients league. Always check current league context — GGG patches PoE2 frequently.
