Path Of Exile 2: Ascent To Power Walkthrough

Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Ascent to Power Quest – A Comprehensive 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 conquer this challenging quest, including the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Starting the Ascent to Power Quest

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 within Traitor's Passage is randomized due to PoE2's procedural generation, but she'll generally be found near the 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. While not overly difficult, mastering her mechanics might take a few attempts.

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

Slash Attack: A basic attack easily blocked or dodged. Conserve Energy Shield for more dangerous 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. Dodging is crucial. Preceded by a voice cue ("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: A Barya (coin) creates a yellow AoE. Quickly 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!") summoning poisonous mist. Quickly locate and attack her to cancel the channeling. She'll then yell "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!", performing an AoE slam.
Explosive Blade Rain: In prolonged fights, Balbala throws explosive daggers in a counterclockwise conical pattern. Dodge accordingly.
Blade Storm: Failing to quickly eliminate the Shadow Clone allows Balbala to summon a devastating blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.

Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, which you'll take to Zarka. She'll then reveal the location of the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

Travel from the Ardura Caravan to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to direct the caravan to the Sekhemas map. Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala provides instructions.

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 results in failure.
Remaining Honor is exchanged for Sacred Water after the Trial.
Sacred Water buys keys for chests.
Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor.

Each Trial section offers boons and curses. 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: Kill summoners and their summoned beasts.
Boss Trial: Tiered bosses (Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, Zarokh).

Successfully navigating the Trials requires balancing boons, curses, and Honor preservation. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is particularly challenging; prioritize Fire Resistance to counter him.

Finishing Ascent to Power

Defeating Rattlecage grants access to the final altar where you choose your first Ascendancy. This choice is permanent.

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

Talk to Zarka.
Defeat Balbala in Cruel, obtaining a Barya indicating "Number of Trials 2."
Return to Normal difficulty and enter the Trials.
Use the "Two Trials" Barya to access Cruel difficulty Trials.
Complete two runs to gain 2 additional Ascendancy Points.

Remember, reaching 0 Honor means failure. 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 (totaling 8).