Path of Exile 2 endgame systems guide: What to do once you beat the campaign

Path of Exile 2 has a vast endgame system after you're done with the story content. You're looking at hundreds of hours worth of farming currencies, gear pieces, and leveling up, just to push through all 16 tiers of maps and defeat the ultimate boss, Arbiter of Ash. However, the journey is fairly long, and the requirement for time investment is heavy.

Hence, it is always recommended to know every task you should be completing beforehand or just have general knowledge of the endgame in case you are stuck.

Everything you can do in the endgame of Path of Exile 2

To summarize, here is a list of tasks you can start doing after completing the acts in Path of Exile 2:

Maps and farming Waystones
Third and Fourth Ascendancy
Currency farming (Ritual and Breach)
Completing Citadels
Defeating Arbiter of Ash

Maps and farming Waystones:

After completing the campaign, you will be put in a different social hub called the Ziggurat Refuge. Speak with Doryani, as asked by the game, and you will be given something called Waystone Tier 1. These are currencies used to run maps, which will cover almost 80% of your endgame playtime.

Waystones in Path of Exile 2 (Image via GGG)

Interact with the Waystation, and select a node on the map. Next, slot in the Waystone to modify the node, and enter. Similarly, you must go through 16 tiers of Waystone and maps, which will also help you level your character up.

Here is a full guide on the Atlas map system and Waystones in Path of Exile 2.

Third and fourth Ascendancy:

The first two Ascendancies on your character should be done within the campaign, ideally within the first three acts.

However, the moment you are done with the six acts of the campaign, your next goal should be the third ascendancy for your character. This can be done either in the Sanctum or Ultimatum using a Level 63+ three-trial Djinn Barya or Level 70+ ten-room Inscribed Ultimatum, respectively.

Ascendancy for Witch, Infernalist (Image via GGG)

The fourth and final ascendancy can be run at Level 75, using either a 4-trial Djinn Barya, or a Level 75+ ten-room Inscribed Ultimatum. Both the Djinn Barya and Ultimatum are keys to their respective Ascendancy trial and can be obtained randomly from maps.

Sanctum can be found in the Trials of Sekhemas of Act II map, and the Ultimatum can be found in the Temple of Chaos of Act III Chimeral Wetlands map.

Currency farming (Ritual and Breach):

Currencies, such as Exalted Orbs and Divine Orbs, are the premium ones that go around the market for high-tier trading. You can utilize a few in-game maps and other mechanics to farm for your purse.

Currencies in Path of Exile 2 (Image via GGG)

Breach and Ritual are two major league mechanics that are available currently (December 2024) for farming rare gear pieces. These gears can be traded with other players in exchange for Exalted Orbs or Divine Orbs. High-tier Waystone, and maps will drop high-tier gear pieces.

There are also Delirium mirrors and Essences, but the currencies from them are not profitable right now. You can still collect Essences and Distilled fragments, and sell them for an Exalt each.

Note that Exalted Orbs also help add extra modifiers to a rare item, be it a weapon, armor piece, or Waystones.

Completing Citadels and defeating Arbiter of Ash:

Arbiter of Ash is the pinnacle endgame boss for anyone looking for an Uber fight in Path of Exile 2 early access. You can find this boss by locating The Burning Monolith on the map.

Unfortunately, The Burning Monolith appears randomly on the map. Based on my experience, The Burning Monolith was slightly south of the "Ziggurat Refuge" on the map, shown in the image below.

The Burning Monolith on the map (Image via GGG)

Next, your task is to find three Citadels throughout the map. The locations of these are random too, including the Stone, Iron, and Copper Citadels. Each of them looks like a pyramid and requires a Tier 15 Waystone to unlock. Once all three bosses have been defeated on three Citadels, use the dropped Fragments to open The Burning Monolith.

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