Ascent to Power: Path of Exile 2 Sets Conquest Saga Alight

Path of Exile 2: A Comprehensive Guide to the Ascent to Power Quest

Path of Exile 2's intricate Ascendancy system significantly impacts gameplay. Unlocking your first Ascendancy requires completing the Ascent to Power quest in Act 2. This guide details starting the quest, defeating Balbala the Traitor, completing the Trials of the Sekhemas, and maximizing Ascendancy points.

Starting Ascent to Power

After unlocking 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 within Traitor's Passage, typically near its 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, alongside Poison and Ignition. Exploit her Cold Damage vulnerability.

Balbala's Attacks and Counters:

• Slash Attack: Basic attack; block or dodge. May inflict Burning or Poison.
• Throwing Attack: Ranged attack; dodge or block. Each dagger causes Poison buildup.
• Whirling Dash: Fast lunge with AoE explosion (1.5-second delay). Cannot be blocked, only dodged. Voice cue: "Face Me!" or "Na'kai!"
• Teleport Dagger Attack: Teleports and throws daggers creating AoE. Dodge only. Voice cue: "Atul!"
• Summon Shadow Clone: Throws a Barya (coin), creating a yellow AoE. Step over it to prevent summoning a Balbala clone. Teleport Slam follows if you step on it.
• Teleport Slam: After summoning a clone, teleports and slams with fiery AoE. Voice cue: "Tithe!"
• Summon Poison Mist/Vanish: Vanishes (voice cues: "Visions of Jarah!" or "Mists of Sulamith!"), summoning poisonous mist. Quickly find and attack her to cancel. Counterclockwise circling from her last position helps. "Sands of Wrath!" or "Darakatha!" follows upon discovery.
• Explosive Blade Rain: Throws explosive daggers in a counterclockwise cone. 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, to be given to Zarka. She'll then reveal the Trials of the Sekhemas.

Completing the Trials of the Sekhemas

From the Ardura Caravan, navigate to the Trials of the Sekhemas node. The first time, you'll need to command the caravan to move to the Sekhemas map.

Balbala (as an NPC) explains the trial's objective. The procedurally generated dungeon features various challenges: timed challenges, traps, and 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: Currency obtained by killing enemies; used for boons, keys, and Honor recovery.
• Keys: Earned with remaining Sacred Water at the end; open chests.

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

Each Trial section offers boons (positive effects) and curses (negative effects). 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).

Balance boon/curse choices to preserve Honor. Rattlecage is challenging; prioritize Fire Resistance. Stunning him is effective.

Completing 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, a workaround is needed due to a bug:

1. Talk to Zarka.
2. Defeat Balbala in Cruel (Barya should indicate "Number of Trials 2").
3. Return to Normal difficulty and access the Trials using the "Two Trials" Barya.
4. Complete two Trials consecutively, defeating a boss in each.
5. Gain 2 additional Ascendancy Points.

Only the first Normal and Cruel difficulty runs grant 2 Ascendancy Points each. The Trial of Chaos in Act 3 (Normal and Cruel) awards the remaining 4 points (total 8). Reaching 0 Honor fails the Trial, but the first attempt doesn't consume the Barya. Subsequent attempts do.