If your Cowardly Fate (or any Fate fragment) gets stuck, fails to slot, or otherwise glitches during the Trial of Chaos in Path of Exile 2, you’re not alone. Several common issues and practical workarounds have emerged from player reports and community feedback:
Known Glitches and Symptoms:
You can’t slot your Fate fragment into the Trialmaster door—the interface vanishes or doesn’t accept the item, even though you have all required fragments.
The door is stuck in an opening animation and never lets you proceed.
After attempting to insert a Fate prematurely (only having one or two), it may become locked in the door and you can’t retrieve it.
Game disconnects, stuck arenas, and instance/server errors can prevent progress or leave your Fate “trapped.”
Workarounds and Tips:
Relog and Re-enter
Log out completely to the main menu, then log back in and return to the trial using any active portals or from the map device. This often resets the instance and can “unstick” both the Fate and the door, allowing you to slot your fragments again.
Complete All Trial Rounds, Then Return
If the door won’t accept the Fates after a full run, run back from the first room of the trial, traveling through each floor/area in order. Returning this way rather than by portal has sometimes triggered the door interface to function.
“Restart at Checkpoint” Option
Use the “Restart at Checkpoint” feature in the in-game escape menu if available. This can reset your position and sometimes unclog a stuck door, slot, or inventory bug.
Party and Teleport Tricks
Join a public party or invite a friend, then use teleport to hideout or another map and attempt to rejoin the trial instance. This forces the server to reset your character’s location and can help in rare cases of being stuck mid-trial.
Fragment Locked in Door?
If you slotted a Fate by mistake (with fewer than three), and it appears stuck in the door interface, it’s usually not lost forever. When you rerun the trial and reach the door again with all required Fates, your previously-slotted Fate will still be there. Just bring the remaining fragments—you do not have to find the same Fate again.
If All Else Fails:
Sometimes, ongoing bugs require abandoning the current instance and starting a fresh trial run. Your spent keys may be lost, but your remaining Fates should persist in inventory or in the door if previously inserted.
If you continue to face issues, gather info (screenshots, bug report numbers) and submit them to the official forums or support—the devs are aware of multiple door and fragment placement glitches.
Extra Advice:
Always check your inventory before attempting the door.
Avoid logging out, portaling, or using leaps/slams to skip trial transitions unless necessary, as these actions are sometimes related to bugs.
Be patient with disappearing or “inactive” UI; many cases resolve by simply leaving and re-entering the trial instance.
Most Cowardly Fate placement glitches can be solved by relogging, progressing naturally through the trial, or waiting until you have all three Fates at the door. Fragments “stuck” in the door are usually not lost—you can safely collect your missing Fates and return to finish the job. Persistent problems may require a new instance or support ticket, but your hard-earned Fates should still be usable once the glitch is bypassed.