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 intricate class system relies heavily 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 conquer this challenging quest, including strategies for the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Initiating Ascent to Power

Once you unlock the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the available location nodes. Before reaching "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 typically found near the end of Traitor's Passage. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to Balbala's prison. Deactivate three seals to trigger the boss fight.

Defeating Balbala the Traitor

Balbala resists Fire Damage and inflicts Physical, Chaos, and Fire damage, alongside Poison and Ignition. Exploit her Cold Damage vulnerability for optimal results.

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. May 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 is dodgeable. The voice cue "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!" precedes this attack.
• 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, yelling "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: Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise conical pattern. Dodge accordingly.
• Blade Storm: If the Shadow Clone isn't quickly eliminated, Balbala summons a destructive blade storm. Prioritize clone elimination.

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

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

From the Ardura Caravan, navigate to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. Initially, you'll need to command the caravan's movement.

At the altar, Balbala will explain the trial's mechanics. The procedurally generated dungeon features various challenges: 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 for boons, keys, and Honor recovery.
• Taking damage reduces Honor.
• Reaching 0 Honor results in failure.
• Remaining Honor is exchanged for Sacred Water after completion.
• Sacred Water buys keys for chests.

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

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: Find and kill Summoners and their summoned beasts.
• Boss Trial: Rattlecage (Tier 1), Terracota Sentinels (Tier 2), Ashar (Tier 3), Zarokh (Tier 4).

Successfully navigating the Trials requires balancing boons and curses to preserve Honor. Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, is particularly challenging. High Fire Resistance is recommended.

Finalizing Ascent to Power

After defeating Rattlecage, choose your first Ascendancy at the altar. This choice is permanent.

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

1. Talk to Zarka.
2. Defeat Balbala in Cruel difficulty (ensure the coin shows "Number of Trials 2").
3. Return to Act 2 Normal Difficulty and access the Trials using the coin.
4. Complete two Trials in Cruel difficulty to gain 2 additional Ascendancy Points.

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. Reaching 0 Honor results in failure, but the first attempt doesn't consume the Djinn Barya. Subsequent attempts do.