Path Of Exile 2: Ascent To Power Walkthrough

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Ascent to Power

Path of Exile 2's intricate class system hinges 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 challenging quest, including the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Initiating Ascent to Power

Once you unlock the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the available location nodes. Before reaching "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'll generally be found near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door, leading to Balbala's prison. Defuse three seals to trigger the boss fight.

Conquering Balbala the Traitor

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

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

• Slash Attack: A basic attack; easily blocked or dodged.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged version of the slash attack; dodge or block. Each dagger causes Poison buildup.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with explosive AoE; dodge only. Preceded by a 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 (coin), creating a yellow AoE. Step over it to prevent clone summoning. A teleport and slam attack follows if you step on the AoE.
• Teleport Slam: After clone summoning, Balbala teleports and slams, creating a fiery AoE; dodge. Voice cue: "Tithe!"
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Balbala vanishes (voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!"), summoning poisonous mist. Find and attack her to cancel the channeling. She'll then yell "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" before a slam attack.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise pattern; dodge accordingly.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated quickly, Balbala unleashes a destructive blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.

Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, to be given to Zarka, revealing the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

From the Ardura Caravan, navigate to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan's movement. Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala provides instructions.

The Trials are procedurally generated. Each room presents unique challenges: timed challenges, traps, and elite enemies. Before entering, use a Relic for a boon.

The Trials introduce "Honor" and "Sacred Water":

• Killing enemies drops Sacred Water, used for boons, keys, and Honor recovery.
• Taking damage reduces Honor.
• Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial.
• Remaining Honor is exchanged for Sacred Water after the Trial.
• Sacred Water buys keys for chests.

Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor. Energy Shield builds are advantageous.

Each Trial section offers 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: Tier 1 - Rattlecage; Tier 2 - Terracota Sentinels; Tier 3 - Ashar; Tier 4 - Zarokh.

Balancing boons and curses while preserving Honor is crucial. Rattlecage is particularly challenging; prioritize Fire Resistance.

Finalizing Ascent to Power

After defeating Rattlecage, choose your first Ascendancy at the altar. This choice is permanent.

For Cruel difficulty, a workaround exists due to a bug:

1. Talk to Zarka.
2. Defeat Balbala in Cruel difficulty (ensure the Barya indicates "Number of Trials 2").
3. Return to Normal difficulty and enter the Trials using the two-trial Barya.
4. Complete two Trial runs, defeating a boss in each, to gain two additional Ascendancy Points.

Remember, reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial. Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty runs grant Ascendancy Points (2 each). You'll need to complete the Trial of Chaos in Act 3 (Normal and Cruel) for the remaining 4 points (total 8).