Path of Exile 2: Mastering the Ascent to Power
Path of Exile 2's Ascendancy system significantly impacts character builds. 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 challenging encounters.
Starting Ascent to Power
After unlocking the Ardura Caravan in Act 2, explore the available location nodes. Before the third node ("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 procedural generation, but she's generally found near the end. Locate the Ancient Seal Door leading to her prison. Defuse three seals to initiate 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. While not overly complex, mastering her mechanics may require a few attempts.
Balbala's Abilities and Counters:
- Slash Attack: A basic attack; easily blocked or dodged. Save 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 after 1.5 seconds. Cannot be blocked, but can be dodged. Voice cue: "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!"
- Teleport Dagger Attack: Balbala teleports and throws daggers creating an AoE. Dodge only counter. Voice cue: "Atul!"
- Summon Shadow Clone: Throws a Barya (coin), creating a yellow AoE. Step over it quickly to prevent clone summoning. Failure results in a teleport and slam attack.
- Teleport Slam: After clone summoning, Balbala teleports and slams, creating a fiery AoE. Voice cue: "Tithe!"
- 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!" before a dodge-able AoE slam.
- Explosive Blade Rain: (Late-game) Throws explosive daggers in a counter-clockwise conical pattern. Dodge accordingly.
- Blade Storm: (If Shadow Clone survives) A swirling blade storm; prioritize eliminating clones to prevent this.
Defeating Balbala yields Balbala's Barya, to be given to Zarka, revealing the Trials of the Sekhemas.
Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas
From the Ardura Caravan, navigate to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. (Note: The first time, you'll need to command the caravan's movement.) Unlock the Waypoint and approach the altar where Balbala provides instructions.
The Trials are procedurally generated. Each room presents unique challenges: timed challenges, traps, or elite enemies. Before entering, 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: Earned from remaining Sacred Water at the Trial's end; open chests (Bronze, Silver, Gold).
Energy Shield drain doesn't affect Honor. Energy Shield builds are advantageous.
Each Trial section offers boons and curses. Examples 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: Tiered bosses (Rattlecage, Terracota Sentinels, Ashar, Zarokh).
Balancing boons and curses while preserving Honor is crucial. 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. This choice is permanent.
Cruel Difficulty: The Cruel difficulty quest is currently bugged. To gain additional Ascendancy points:
- Talk to Zarka.
- Defeat Balbala in Cruel, obtaining a Barya indicating "Number of Trials 2."
- Return to Normal difficulty and access the Trials using the "Two Trials" Barya.
- Complete two Trials consecutively to gain 2 additional Ascendancy Points.
Only the first Normal and Cruel runs grant Ascendancy points (2 each). The Trial of Chaos in Act 3 (Normal and Cruel) grants the remaining 4 points (totaling 8). Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial, but the first Normal attempt doesn't consume the Barya. Subsequent attempts do.
