Crisis Fragment Chronicles: What They Do and Why You Need Them

Crisis Fragments in Path of Exile 2 are crucial endgame items known as Pinnacle Keys that unlock some of the game’s most challenging content, specifically the fight against the Arbiter of Ash in The Burning Monolith. There are three types of Crisis Fragments—Faded, Ancient, and Weathered—each obtained by defeating bosses in special map areas called Citadels. Collecting all three is necessary to access the pinnacle boss encounter, making these fragments indispensable for players aiming to tackle the toughest challenges in the game.

Each Crisis Fragment acts as a key to open the gates of The Burning Monolith, where the Arbiter of Ash awaits. This boss fight is considered one of the ultimate tests of skill and character power, offering high-risk, high-reward gameplay. Beyond unlocking this fight, Crisis Fragments also provide significant Atlas passive skill points when their associated Citadel bosses are defeated, allowing further customization and power scaling of your character.

Obtaining Weathered Crisis Fragment requires progressing through the Atlas to unlock Tier 15 Waystones, as Citadels only appear in high-tier maps. The fragments drop from the final bosses of these Citadels, which are unique and challenging encounters. Increasing your Waystone Drop Chance through crafting and passive tree investment improves the number of fragments you can farm per run, making farming more efficient.

Players have two main choices once they acquire Crisis Fragments: use them to unlock and fight the Arbiter of Ash or sell them on the player market. Due to their rarity and demand, fragments often command high prices, sometimes hundreds of Exalted Orbs, making them valuable currency for funding other builds or gear upgrades.

Crisis Fragments are essential keys that grant access to pinnacle endgame content in Path of Exile 2. They serve both as progression milestones and valuable trade commodities. Collecting all three fragments by conquering Citadels unlocks the Arbiter of Ash fight, offering players the ultimate challenge and rewards, while also providing opportunities for strategic trading and character advancement.