Path Of Exile 2: Ascent To Power Walkthrough

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Ascent to Power Quest – A Complete Guide

Path of Exile 2's Ascendancy system adds significant depth to its already complex class 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 strategies for the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Starting Ascent to Power

After unlocking the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the first two location nodes. Before visiting the third, "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 generally found near Traitor's Passage's 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, 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. Save your Energy Shield for more dangerous attacks. Can inflict Burning or Poison.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged version of the slash attack; dodge or block. Each dagger causes Poison buildup.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with an explosive AoE. Cannot be blocked, but can be dodged. The voice cue is "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!".
• Teleport Dagger Attack: Balbala teleports and throws daggers creating an AoE. Dodge to avoid damage. Voice cue: "Atul!".
• Summon Shadow Clone: Balbala throws a Barya (coin), creating a yellow AoE. Step over it to prevent clone summoning. Stepping on it triggers a teleport and slam attack.
• Teleport Slam: After the summoning circle, Balbala teleports and yells "Tithe!", creating a fiery AoE. Dodge!
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Balbala vanishes (voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!") and summons poisonous mist. Quickly locate and attack her to cancel the channeling. She'll yell "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" upon being found, followed by an AoE slam.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counterclockwise conical pattern. Dodge in the opposite direction.
• 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 you must take 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 (note: initially, you'll command the caravan's movement). Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala will explain the trial.

The Trials are procedurally generated dungeons with various challenges (timed challenges, traps, elite enemies). Before entering, you can 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 to open chests.

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

Each Trial section offers a boon and a curse. Examples of trials include:

• Chalice Trial: Defeat two boss monsters.
• 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 deactivating portals.
• Boss Trial: Tiered boss fights (Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, Zarokh).

Balancing boons and curses is crucial for Honor preservation. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a particularly challenging boss; prioritize Fire Resistance.

Completing Ascent to Power

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

Cruel Difficulty: To gain additional Ascendancy points, complete the quest again in Cruel difficulty (a workaround for a bug). You'll need to complete two Trial runs to earn 2 extra points. 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). Remember, reaching 0 Honor results in failure. The Djinn Barya is consumed after the first run on each difficulty.