Path Of Exile 2: Ascent To Power Walkthrough

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• How To Start Ascent To Power In Path Of Exile 2

• How To Beat Balbala the Traitor In Path Of Exile 2

• How To Complete Trials Of The Sekhemas In Path Of Exile 2

• How To Complete Ascent To Power In Path Of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 boasts a deeply engaging class system, heavily reliant 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 strategies for the Trials of the Sekhemas.

How To Start Ascent To Power In Path Of Exile 2

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 seek Balbala, a trapped Djinn, to gain power.

Balbala's location is randomized due to the game's procedural generation, but she's generally found near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to Balbala's prison. Defuse three seals to trigger the encounter cutscene and the boss fight.

How To Beat Balbala the Traitor In Path Of Exile 2

Balbala resists Fire Damage and inflicts Physical, Chaos, and Fire damage, along with Poison and Ignition. Exploit her Cold Damage vulnerability for an advantage. While not overly complex, mastering her mechanics may take a few attempts.

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

• Slash Attack: A basic attack easily blocked or dodged. Energy Shield works, but save it for more damaging attacks. May inflict Burning or Poison.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged version of the slash attack; dodge or block. Each dagger hit applies Poison.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with an explosive AoE that detonates after 1.5 seconds. Unblockable, but dodgeable. 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 yellowish AoE. Step over it to prevent a Balbala clone from spawning. Stepping on it triggers a teleport and slam attack.
• Teleport Slam: After the summoning circle, Balbala teleports and yells "Tithe!", creating a fiery AoE to dodge.
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Balbala vanishes ("Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!") summoning poisonous mist. Find and attack her to cancel the channeling. Circle counter-clockwise from her last position. Discovery triggers an AoE slam ("Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!") to dodge.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise conical pattern. Dodge in the opposite direction.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated quickly, Balbala summons a devastating blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.

Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, which you take to Zarka to unlock the Trials of the Sekhemas.

How To Complete Trials Of The Sekhemas In Path Of Exile 2

With the Barya, travel to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan to move from its starting position. Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala explains the trial.

The Trials are procedurally generated dungeons with varied challenges in each room: timed challenges, traps, and elite enemies. Before entering, use a Relic to receive a boon.

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

• Killing enemies drops Sacred Water, used to buy boons, keys, and recover Honor.
• Taking damage reduces Honor.
• Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial.
• Remaining Honor is exchanged for Sacred Water at the end.
• Sacred Water buys keys to open chests.
• Honor is preserved between trials (useful in Cruel difficulty).

Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor, giving Energy Shield builds an advantage.

Each Trial section offers a path with challenges, followed by a backroom with boons, merchants, or Honor/Sacred Water recovery. Each completed section grants a boon and a curse.

Trial types:

• Chalice Trial: Defeat two boss monsters along a blood path.
• Escape Trial (timed): Defuse Death Crystals before time runs out.
• Gauntlet Trial: Avoid traps and find levers to escape.
• Hourglass Trial (timed): Survive enemy waves until time runs out.
• Ritual Trial: Find and kill summoners and their summoned beasts to deactivate portals.
• Boss Trial: Tier 1 - Rattlecage; Tier 2 - Terracotta Sentinels; Tier 3 - Ashar; Tier 4 - Zarokh.

Successfully navigating the Trials requires balancing boons and curses to preserve Honor. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a challenging boss; high Fire Resistance is recommended. Stun him frequently.

How To Complete Ascent To Power In Path Of Exile 2

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

For Cruel difficulty, a workaround is needed due to a bug:

1. Talk to Zarka.
2. Defeat Balbala in Cruel (ensure the coin shows "Number of Trials 2").
3. Return to Act 2 Normal and enter the Trials using the coin.
4. Complete two Trials in Cruel difficulty, defeating a boss in each.
5. Gain 2 additional Ascendancy Points.

Note: This is a workaround for a bug. Only the first Normal and Cruel runs grant Ascendancy Points (2 each). Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial, but the first attempt doesn't consume the Barya. Subsequent attempts do. You also need to complete the Trial of Chaos in Act 3 (Normal and Cruel) for the remaining 4 Ascendancy Points.