Legion: Monoliths & Splinters

The Legion mechanic in Path of Exile 2 offers a unique blend of timed combat, strategic target prioritization, and rewarding loot. Encountering a Monolith in any zone transforms the area into a battleground where you must quickly assess and unleash ancient armies.

Understanding Monolith Encounters

When you activate a Monolith, a frozen army of various Legion factions will appear around it. Your primary goal is to damage and "unfreeze" as many enemies as possible within a strict time limit. Once the timer expires, all unfrozen enemies will become active and hostile. The more enemies you unfreeze, the greater the potential rewards.

Key Factions and Their Rewards:

Eternal Empire: Often drops currency items, maps, and general loot. Look for their distinctive gold and red banners.
Karui: Known for dropping unique items, especially those with combat-focused modifiers. Their warriors are typically adorned with tribal markings.
Vaal: Frequently drops Vaal skill gems, Sacrifice Fragments, and corrupted items. Identify them by their dark, ancient aesthetic.
Templar: Provides access to powerful rare items, often with strong defensive or utility modifiers. Their soldiers wear ornate armor.
Maraketh: Specializes in dropping Legion-specific unique items and Timeless Splinters. They are agile and often carry bows or dual weapons.

Strategic Prioritization During the Freeze Phase

The time limit is crucial. You cannot defeat every enemy, so intelligent targeting is key. Here's a breakdown of what to prioritize:

Generals: These are the most valuable targets. Each Legion faction has a unique General (e.g., General Rhamm for the Eternal Empire, General Marceus for the Karui). Unfreezing a General guarantees a significant drop of Timeless Splinters for their respective faction, and often a unique item or valuable rare. Generals are easily identifiable by their larger size, unique models, and often a glowing aura.
War Hoards: These are static objects that, when unfrozen, will drop a large pile of items. They are often surrounded by regular enemies. Prioritize these for raw loot volume.
Rare and Magic Enemies: These enemies have a higher chance to drop better loot than normal monsters. They are also often surrounded by a small group of their faction's normal monsters, making them efficient targets for area-of-effect (AoE) skills.
Timeless Splinter Piles: Sometimes, you'll see small piles of splinters on the ground near enemies. These are quick and easy to unfreeze for a few extra splinters.

Pro Tip: Use movement skills like Flame Dash, Whirling Blades, or Leap Slam to quickly traverse the battlefield and reach high-priority targets. AoE skills are incredibly effective for unfreezing large groups of enemies simultaneously.

The Combat Phase: Unleashing the Legion

Once the timer expires, all unfrozen enemies become active. This can be an overwhelming encounter, especially if you unfroze many powerful foes. Be prepared for intense combat.

Positioning: Try to group enemies together for efficient AoE damage. Avoid being surrounded.
Defensive Layers: Ensure your defenses are robust. Legion enemies can hit hard, especially Generals. Consider using defensive flasks like Granite Flasks or Basalt Flasks.
Focus Fire: If a General is still alive, prioritize them. They often have powerful abilities and can be a significant threat.

Timeless Splinters and Emblems

The core reward from Legion encounters are Timeless Splinters. Each of the five Legion factions drops its own type of splinter:

Timeless Eternal Empire Splinter
Timeless Karui Splinter
Timeless Vaal Splinter
Timeless Templar Splinter
Timeless Maraketh Splinter

Collecting 100 of any single type of Timeless Splinter will combine them into a corresponding Timeless Emblem (e.g., 100 Timeless Eternal Empire Splinters become a Timeless Eternal Emblem). These Emblems are crucial for accessing the endgame Legion content: the Domain of Timeless Conflict.

The Domain of Timeless Conflict

To access the Domain of Timeless Conflict, you must place at least two different Timeless Emblems into your Map Device. You can use up to five Emblems (one of each type) for the most challenging and rewarding encounters. The more Emblems you use, the more powerful the enemies and the greater the potential for unique drops, including the highly sought-after Timeless Jewels.

Inside the Domain, you'll face a massive, continuous battle against the combined forces of the Legion factions you brought in. The goal is to defeat waves of enemies and eventually the Generals of each faction. This is where you'll find the best Legion-specific loot, so come prepared for a grueling fight!