Path Of Exile 2: Ascent To Power Walkthrough

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Ascent to Power

Path of Exile 2's intricate Ascendancy system is key to character progression. This guide details how to unlock your first Ascendancy by completing the Ascent to Power quest in Act 2, including strategies for overcoming the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Initiating Ascent to Power

In Act 2, after unlocking the Ardura Caravan and exploring two location nodes, speak to Zarka before reaching Traitor's Passage. She'll direct you to Balbala, a trapped Djinn, to gain power.

Balbala's location is randomized within Traitor's Passage, typically near the end. Locate the Ancient Seal Door, leading to Balbala's prison. Deactivate 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.

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

• Slash Attack: A basic attack; easily blocked or dodged.
• Throwing Attack (Ranged): Similar to the slash attack; dodge or block. Each dagger causes Poison buildup.
• Whirling Dash Attack: A fast lunge with an explosive AoE; dodge only. The voice cue is "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!".
• Teleport Dagger Attack: Balbala teleports and throws daggers creating an AoE; dodge only. Voice cue: "Atul!".
• Summon Shadow Clone: A yellow AoE appears where Balbala throws a Barya; step over it to prevent clone summoning. A teleport and slam attack follows if you step in it.
• 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!") and summons poisonous mist. Find her quickly to interrupt the channeling. She'll yell "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" upon being found, unleashing a dodging AoE.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise cone; dodge accordingly.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't eliminated, Balbala summons a damaging blade storm. Focus on quickly eliminating clones.

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

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

Travel to the Trials of the Sekhemas node via the Ardura Caravan (note that the first time, you'll need to command the caravan to move to the Sekhemas map). Balbala will explain the trial's mechanics.

The Trials are procedurally generated. Each room presents a challenge: timed challenges, traps, or elite enemies. Before starting, 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 restore Honor.
• Keys: Earned with remaining Sacred Water; open chests for rewards.

Trial types:

• 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: Kill summoners and summoned beasts to deactivate portals.
• Boss Trial: Defeat various bosses (Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, Zarokh) across tiers.

Choose a path that preserves Honor and mitigates curses. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is a challenging final boss; prioritize Fire Resistance.

Finalizing Ascent to Power

Defeating Rattlecage unlocks the final altar, where you choose your first Ascendancy (this choice is permanent).

Cruel Difficulty: To gain additional Ascendancy points in Cruel difficulty, complete the following (due to a current bug):

1. Talk to Zarka and defeat Balbala (ensure the coin shows "Number of Trials 2").
2. Return to Normal difficulty and access the Trials using the coin.
3. Complete two Trials consecutively, defeating a boss in each. This grants 2 additional Ascendancy Points.

Remember, reaching 0 Honor fails the trial, but the first Normal difficulty attempt won't consume the Djinn Barya. Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty 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.