by Joshua Mar 15,2025
Path of Exile 2 boasts a remarkably complex and engaging class system within the ARPG genre, heavily reliant on the Ascension system. Unlocking your first Ascendancy requires completing the Ascent to Power quest during Act 2. This guide details how to initiate this mission and provides crucial advice for conquering the Trials of the Sekhemas.
After unlocking the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the two available location nodes. Before visiting the third location, Traitor's Passage, speak with Zarka. She'll direct you to seek Balbala, the trapped Djinn, to gain power.
Due to PoE2's procedurally generated maps, Balbala's location is randomized, generally appearing near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to Balbala the Traitor's prison. Defuse three seals to trigger the cutscene and initiate the boss fight.
Balbala resists Fire Damage and inflicts Physical, Chaos, and Fire damage, also causing Poisoning and Ignition. Exploit her weakness: Cold Damage.
While not overly complex, Balbala might require a few attempts to master her mechanics. Here's a breakdown of her abilities and counter strategies:
Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, which must be given to Zarka, revealing the location of the Trials of the Sekhemas.
With the Djinn Barya, travel from the Ardura Caravan to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan to move from the Sekhemas' map.
Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala explains the trial. This procedurally generated dungeon presents various challenges in each room: timed challenges, traps, and rare enemies. Before entering, use a Relic to receive a boon.
The Trials introduce "Honor" and "Sacred Water":
Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor. Energy Shield builds have an advantage.
Each trial section offers pathways, culminating in a backroom with boons, merchants, or Honor/Sacred Water recovery. Completing a section grants a boon and a curse.
Trial types include:
Balancing boons and curses, and prioritizing Honor preservation, is crucial. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a particularly challenging boss. Maximize Fire Resistance and utilize stunning to defeat him.
Defeating Rattlecage unlocks the final stage: choosing your first Ascendancy at the altar. This choice is permanent.
For Cruel difficulty, a workaround exists due to a bug:
This isn't the intended method. Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty runs grant Ascendancy Points (2 each). The Trial of Chaos in Act 3 Normal and Cruel yields the remaining 4 points (total 8). Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial but doesn't consume the Djinn Barya on the first attempt. Subsequent attempts consume it.
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