Complete Guide to Path of Exile 2 Endgame: Pinnacle Bosses, Trials, and How to Face the Ultimate Challenges

Pinnacle Bosses

Path of Exile 2's Early Access builds upon and reintroduces several types of content from its predecessor, Path of Exile. There are 7 different endgame content systems, each featuring a variety of encounters, rewards, and deadly Pinnacle challenges. This guide will cover what we know so far about how to challenge these powerful endgame activities.

Endgame Content

The Pinnacle Content is divided into 3 categories:

Atlas Specific Encounters

• Breach – Xesht: We That Are One
• Ritual – King in the Mists
• Expedition – Olroth; Undead Commander of the Knights of the Sun
• Delirium – Simulacrum (Omniphobia and Kosis)

Endgame Trials

• The Trial of the Sekhemas – Zarohk, The Eternal
• The Trial of Chaos – Trialmaster

Pinnacle Boss of Path of Exile 2

To fight the Arbiter, you must collect 3 fragments and place them into the burning monolith.

To gain access to the Fortress housing this Boss, explore the surrounding regions of the Atlas to discover enhanced versions of act bosses, called Uber Act Bosses.

There are 3 different Citadels:

• Stone Citadel – Doryani – Ancient Crisis Fragment
• Copper Citadel – Jamanra – Faded Crisis Fragment
• Iron Citadel – Count Geonor – Weathered Crisis Fragment

Each Uber Act Boss drops a number of Fragments, with the amount scaling based on the "Waystone Drop Chance" multiplier on the Waystone used to enter their Citadel. Collect 1 of each and travel to The Burning Monolith to initiate the Arbiter encounter.

All of the Pinnacle Content includes Progression systems to scale them further into the Endgame after completing the Pinnacle Encounter. 

Atlas Content

The bosses for each of the 4 pieces of Atlas Content are essential for increasing the rewards from their respective mechanics. You need to defeat them at 4 different levels of difficulty to unlock all 8 points for each Atlas Passive Tree.

Here are the differences at higher levels of difficulty:

• Difficulty 0: Pinnacle Bosses drop exclusive Unique Items
• Enhanced Boss Abilities
• Increased Rarity of Items
• Additional Unique Items

Breach

"Xesht, We That Are One and the Breach Atlas Passive Tree"

Xesht, We That Are One, is the Pinnacle Boss for the Breach Content. When defeating Breach Monsters or opening Clasped Hands, there is a chance they will drop Breach Splinter(s). Combine 300 of these to form a Breachstone. This can then be placed into the Realmgate to travel to a Breach Domain, where you have a limited amount of time to slay enemies and find a path to the final boss.

Expedition

"Olroth; Undead Commander of the Knights of the Sun and the Expedition Passive Tree"

Olroth, Undead Commander of the Knights of the Sun, is a Boss you can find when excavating Logbook Dig Sites. These Logbooks drop from the Expedition encounters in your Waystones. Each Logbook requires you to place a massive sequence of Explosives to unearth monsters, reward chests, and additional underground secrets. One of these secrets is the dwelling of Olroth, the Pinnacle Boss for the Expedition mechanic.

Delirium

"Omniphobia; One of the terrifying bosses you can encounter during the Simulacrum."

Simulacrums pit you against increasingly difficult waves of enemies as well as powerful Delirium Bosses. The only boss we have seen so far is Omniphobia, Fear Manifest. To acquire a Simulacrum, you must defeat monsters during the Delirium encounters at your Waypoints, each of which can drop Simulacrum Splinter(s). Combine 300 Simulacrum Splinters to create a Simulacrum, which you can place into the Realmgate to be transported to the mysterious realm. You will need to defeat 15 waves of enemies to complete the encounter, with loot rewarded at the end of each wave. If you feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of enemies, you can leave at any time.

Ritual

"The King in the Mist and the Ritual Atlas Passive Tree"

The King in the Mist is the Pinnacle Boss encounter tied to the Ritual mechanic. A familiar figure for Path of Exile players, but the exact way we encounter him and the details of the fight remain unknown.

It could be similar to its predecessor in Path of Exile, with an itemized entrance to the encounter available for Tribute in the Ritual pages seen during Waypoints.

The Trial of the Sekhemas

"Zarokh, The Eternal is the Pinnacle Boss for the Trials of the Sekhemas"

The Trials of the Sekhemas works quite differently from its Atlas counterparts in terms of progression. Instead of an Atlas Passive Tree, it features Unique Relics and Jewels that drop from the final Pinnacle Boss of the encounter. Based on the Unique Relic showcased, we can say with high confidence that Zarohk, The Eternal, awaits you at the end of the Trial.

Here's what we know about the difficulty and rewards:

• Pinnacle Boss drops exclusive Unique Items, specifically Unique Jewels.
• Unique Relics
• These are exclusive to the Trials of the Sekhemas and add an extra layer of challenge to the Trial.
  • The Last Flame Incense Relic sets your Honour to 1, meaning you cannot take a single hit for the entire duration of the Trial. If you're skilled enough to complete this challenge, you earn Temporalis.

The Trial of Chaos

"The Ancient Sekhema landmarks host the Trialmaster's cruel games"

The Trial of Chaos is the sequel to the Path of Exile mechanic Ultimatum. The cunning Trialmaster pits you against 10 increasingly difficult challenges. If you're skilled enough to complete all the encounters, you will face Bahlak, The Sky Seer.

Bahlak drops essential keys to enter the Trialmaster's Tower. Collect 3 keys to enter the Tower and face the Trialmaster.

Here's what we know about the difficulty and rewards:

• Pinnacle Boss drops exclusive Unique Items
• Soul Cores
• Soul Cores are an alternative to the Runes you can socket into your Weapons and Armor. They provide much stronger bonuses such as Critical Damage Bonus, Elemental Penetration, and Increased Rarity of Items Found.

Pinnacle Boss Content

"The Burning Monolith, home to the Arbiter of Ash"

Hidden within a Fortress, protected by a massive maze, and locked behind 3 different keys that you must find and recover, lies the final Pinnacle Boss of Path of Exile 2, The Arbiter. Explore the surrounding regions of the Atlas to discover Citadels, home to powerful Uber Act Bosses and their Lieutenants. After defeating them, you are rewarded with one of the three keys needed to gain access to the sealed Fortress.

Here are the differences at different levels of difficulty:

• Difficulty 0: Pinnacle Bosses drop exclusive Unique Items
• Enhanced Boss Abilities
• Increased Rarity of Items
• Additional Unique Items

Summary

Path of Exile 2's Endgame launches with 7 distinct types of content, each featuring a Pinnacle Boss encounter:

1. Xesht, We That Are One guards the Breach domains.
2. Olroth, Undead Commander of the Knights of the Sun can be unearthed during your Expeditions.
3. Omniphobia, Kosis, and potentially more manifestations await you in the challenging Simulacrum.
4. The King of the Mist returns to guard the Wildwood from your presence.
5. Zarohk, The Eternal awaits you in the heart of the Trials of the Sekhemas.
6. The Trialmaster lingers in his Tower, waiting for your challenge.
7. The Arbiter of Ash is the final Pinnacle Boss encounter in Path of Exile 2's Early Access.

All of these bosses have a difficulty level that can be enhanced to increase the potential rewards from your encounter with them.
Atlas Mechanics scale up to Difficulty Level 4 via the Atlas Passive trees.
Trials drop items such as Relics to make them even more challenging.
The final Pinnacle Boss content has 4 additional levels of Difficulty.