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.
Starting 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'll generally be found near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to her prison. Defuse three seals to initiate the encounter.
Defeating 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 counters:
- 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 an AoE explosion (1.5-second delay). Dodging is crucial. 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), creating a yellow AoE. Step over it to prevent clone summoning. A teleport slam follows if you step on it. Voice cue: "Tithe!"
- Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Vanishes (voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!") and summons poison mist. Quickly find and attack her to cancel the channeling. She'll then yell "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" before a dodging-required AoE slam.
- Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise conical pattern. Dodge accordingly.
- Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated quickly, Balbala summons a destructive blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.
Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, which must be given to Zarka. She'll then reveal the Trials of the Sekhemas.
Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas
Travel to the Trials of the Sekhemas node from the Ardura Caravan. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan to move to the Sekhemas' map. Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala provides instructions.
The Trials are procedurally generated. Each room presents challenges: timed events, traps, or elite enemies. Before each trial, use a Relic for a boon.
Key Mechanics:
- Honor: A resource bar depleted by damage. Reaching 0 Honor fails the trial.
- Sacred Water: Earned by killing enemies; used to buy boons, keys, and recover Honor.
- Keys: Obtained with remaining Sacred Water at the end of the trial; open chests.
Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor. Energy Shield builds are advantageous.
Each trial 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: Tiered bosses (Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, Zarokh).
Balancing boons and curses while preserving Honor is crucial. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a particularly challenging boss; prioritize Fire Resistance.
Completing Ascent to Power
Defeating Rattlecage grants access to the final altar where you choose your first Ascendancy. This choice is permanent.
Cruel Difficulty:
To gain two additional Ascendancy points in Cruel difficulty, follow these steps (due to a current bug):
- Talk to Zarka.
- Defeat Balbala in Cruel difficulty (ensure the Barya indicates "Number of Trials 2").
- Return to Act 2 Normal Difficulty and enter the Trials of the Sekhemas.
- Access the Trials using the "Two Trials" Barya.
- Complete two consecutive Trials, defeating a boss in each.
- You'll receive two more Ascendancy Points.
Remember, reaching 0 Honor fails the trial. Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty runs grant Ascendancy Points. You'll need to complete the Trial of Chaos in Act 3 Normal and Cruel for the remaining 4 points (total 8).
