Path of Exile 2: Conquer the Ascent of Power

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the 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 conquer this quest, including the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Starting "Ascent to Power"

In Act 2, after unlocking the Ardura Caravan and exploring two location nodes, speak to Zarka before visiting "Traitor's Passage." She'll direct you to Balbala, a trapped Djinn, to gain power.

Balbala's location is randomized within Traitor's Passage, typically near the end. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to her prison. Defuse three seals to trigger the encounter.

Defeating Balbala the Traitor

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

Here's a breakdown of her attacks and counters:

• Slash Attack: A basic attack; block or dodge. May inflict Burning or Poison.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged version of the slash attack; dodge or block. Multiple daggers inflict Poison.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with an explosive AoE after 1.5 seconds. Dodge only; voice cue: "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!"
• Teleport Dagger Attack: Teleports and throws daggers creating an AoE. Dodge only; voice cue: "Atul!"
• Summon Shadow Clone: Throws a Barya (coin) summoning a clone; quickly step over the yellow AoE to avoid the clone and a teleport slam attack.
• Teleport Slam: After the clone summoning, a fiery AoE; dodge; voice cue: "Tithe!"
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Vanishes and summons poison mist; voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!" Quickly find and attack her to cancel; voice cues upon discovery: "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!"
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise pattern; dodge accordingly.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated promptly, Balbala summons a destructive blade storm. Prioritize eliminating clones.

Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, to be given to Zarka. She'll then reveal the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

From the Ardura Caravan, navigate to the Trials of the Sekhemas node (initially requiring caravan movement). Unlock the Waypoint and speak to Balbala (now an NPC) for instructions.

The Trials are procedurally generated dungeons with various challenges: timed challenges, traps, and elite enemies. Before each Trial, offer a Relic for a boon.

Key Mechanics:

• Honor: A resource bar depleted by damage. Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial.
• Sacred Water: Currency obtained by killing enemies; used for boons, keys, and Honor recovery.
• Keys: Earned from remaining Sacred Water; open chests for rewards.

Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor, giving Energy Shield builds an advantage. Each Trial section grants a boon and a curse.

Trial Types:

• 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: Tiered bosses: Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, and Zarokh.

Successfully completing the Trials, particularly defeating Rattlecage (focus on Fire Resistance), unlocks the final altar where you choose your first Ascendancy. The choice is permanent.

Completing "Ascent to Power" in Cruel Difficulty

To obtain additional Ascendancy points in Cruel difficulty (currently bugged):

1. Talk to Zarka and defeat Balbala (ensure the Barya indicates "Number of Trials 2").
2. Return to Normal difficulty and access the Trials using the "Two Trials" Barya.
3. Complete two Trials consecutively, defeating a boss in each.
4. This grants 2 additional Ascendancy points.

Note: Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty runs grant Ascendancy points (2 each). The Trial of Chaos in Act 3 Normal and Cruel grants the remaining 4 points (total 8). Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial but doesn't consume the Barya on the first attempt. Subsequent attempts consume the Barya.