Path of Exile 2: Guide to Dominance

Mastering Path of Exile 2's Ascension: A Comprehensive Guide to Ascent to Power

Path of Exile 2's intricate class system heavily relies on the Ascension system. Unlocking your first Ascendancy requires completing the "Ascent to Power" quest in Act 2. This guide details how to initiate and complete this quest, including tackling the Trials of the Sekhemas.

How to Start Ascent to Power

Once you unlock the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the available location nodes. Before visiting "Traitor's Passage," speak with Zarka. She'll direct you to Balbala, a trapped Djinn, to gain power.

Balbala's location is randomized due to PoE2's procedural generation, but she's usually found near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to Balbala's prison. Defuse three seals to trigger the encounter.

How to Defeat Balbala the Traitor

Balbala resists Fire Damage and inflicts Physical, Chaos, and Fire damage, along with Poison and Ignition. Exploit her Cold Damage vulnerability.

Here's a breakdown of her attacks and counter-strategies:

• Slash Attack: A basic attack; easily blocked or dodged.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged attack; dodge or block. Each dagger causes Poison buildup.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with AoE explosions; dodge only. Voice cue: "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!"
• Teleport Dagger Attack: Teleports and throws daggers creating AoE; dodge only. Voice cue: "Atul!"
• Summon Shadow Clone: Throws a Barya, creating a yellow AoE. Step over it to prevent clone summoning. Teleport Slam follows if you step on the AoE. Voice cue: "Tithe!"
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Vanishes (voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!") summoning poisonous mist. Find and attack her to cancel. Counterclockwise circling from her last position helps. Voice cue upon discovery: "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" followed by an AoE slam.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counterclockwise cone; dodge accordingly.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated quickly, Balbala summons a blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.

Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, which you take to Zarka. She'll reveal the Trials of the Sekhemas.

How to Complete the Trials of the Sekhemas

From the Ardura Caravan, travel to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan to move to the Sekhemas map. Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar. Balbala (as an NPC) explains the trial.

The procedurally generated dungeon presents various challenges per room: timed challenges, traps, and elite enemies. Before entering, use a Relic for a boon.

The trial introduces "Honor" and "Sacred Water":

• Killing enemies drops Sacred Water, used for boons, keys, and Honor recovery.
• Taking damage reduces Honor.
• 0 Honor results in failure.
• Remaining Honor is exchanged for Sacred Water at the end.
• Sacred Water buys chests (Bronze, Silver, Gold).
• Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor.

Each completed section grants a boon and a curse. Trial types include:

• Chalice Trial: Defeat two bosses.
• Escape Trial (timed): Defuse Death Crystals before time runs out.
• Gauntlet Trial: Avoid traps and find levers.
• Hourglass Trial (timed): Survive enemy waves until time runs out.
• Ritual Trial: Find and kill Summoners and their summoned beasts.
• Boss Trial: Rattlecage (Tier 1), Terracota Sentinels (Tier 2), Ashar (Tier 3), Zarokh (Tier 4).

Balance boon/curse choices to preserve Honor. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a significant challenge; prioritize Fire Resistance. Stun him and avoid lava cracks.

Completing Ascent to Power

Defeating Rattlecage unlocks the final altar, where you choose your first Ascendancy. This choice is permanent.

Cruel Difficulty: To gain two additional Ascendancy points in Act 2 Cruel, follow these steps (due to a current bug):

1. Talk to Zarka.
2. Defeat Balbala in Cruel (Barya should show "Number of Trials 2").
3. Return to Act 2 Normal and enter the Trials.
4. Use the "Two Trials" Barya for Cruel difficulty.
5. Complete two Trials, defeating a boss in each.
6. You'll gain two more Ascendancy Points.

Remember, reaching 0 Honor means failure. Only the first Normal and Cruel runs grant Ascendancy Points. You'll also need to complete the Trial of Chaos in Act 3 (Normal and Cruel) for the remaining 4 points (total 8).