Path of Exile 2 Ascendancy: Trial of Chaos

Wondering how to complete the Trial of Chaos in Path of Exile 2? As you level your character in Path of Exile 2, you will unlock 'Ascendancy' trials that allow you to choose a specialized Ascendancy class for your character, complete with powerful new abilities. One such Ascendancy Trial is the Trial of Chaos, which takes place in the Temple of Chaos in Act 3.

Beware that the Trial of Chaos is notoriously difficult, so it's important to know what you're getting into. In this guide, we'll show you how to complete the Trial of Chaos in Path of Exile 2 and progress your character's Ascendancy.

Starting the Trial of Chaos

During Path of Exile 2's Early Access phase, only two Ascendancy Trials are available: the Trial of the Sekhemas and the Trial of Chaos. The first is unlocked in Act 2 of the campaign, while the latter becomes accessible in Act 3. Although you may enter the trials as soon as you unlock their respective maps, they'll still be available as endgame activities since they come with high-level challenges.

The Temple of Chaos is located in Act 3's Vaal Jungle, on the Chimeral Wetlands map, which you'll come across during the 'Legacy of the Vaal' main quest. To access the Temple, you must find and defeat the boss named Xyclucian the Chimera, as you'll need its 'Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum' loot drop. Xyclucian is also located in the Chimeral Wetlands.

Once you have the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum, the Trials of Chaos questline will begin. The first step is to find the Temple of Chaos' entrance, which will be situated somewhere on the map's border (the exact location is randomized).

Inside the Temple of Chaos, you'll see an offering altar - it looks like a stone pillar with a red-glowing core (see header image). Place the Inscribed Ultimatum on this altar to open the door to the Trial of Chaos, which will appear right next to the altar. Shortly after entering, you'll meet the Trialmaster, who will ask you to choose one of three challenge modifiers. We'll explain that in more detail below, but in short: you must pick a modifier to make the challenge more difficult, and then you'll enter the first trial round.

Trial of Chaos mechanics

The Trial of Chaos features the following mechanics that differ from Path of Exile 2's base game:

• To complete the Temple of Chaos, you'll have to survive four rounds of challenges, with a boss encounter awaiting in the fourth round. The challenges and the boss encounter are randomized. While completing the fourth round is enough to obtain the Ascendancy points, you can come back to the Trial of Chaos to complete more rounds later on (as mentioned before, this extends into endgame). Characters of level 60 or higher can try seven rounds in total, while characters of level 75 and higher may try 10.
• Before starting a new round, you have to pick a challenge modifier. Just before you begin the Trial of Chaos, the Trialmaster will ask you to choose between one of three Tribulations to either affect you, the hazards, or the monsters inside the Temple. For example, monsters may always land critical hits or your area-of-effect attacks may become smaller. Make sure you choose a Tribulation you can handle! Although it partially depends on the Path of Exile 2 class you've chosen, I find it easier to make the enemies tougher rather than weaken my defences. Stay away from modifiers reducing your life and mana recovery, and consider picking something like 'Monster Speed' (monsters attack faster), 'Lessened Reach' (less AoE and projectile speed), or 'Chaotic Monsters' (monsters deal more Chaos damage). Beware that each new round adds another Tribulation into the mix.



• Complete the Trialmaster's Challenge. Each round has an objective, also known as the Trialmaster's Challenge. You can see this objective in the top right of the screen. For example, you may have to 'defeat all monsters', 'collect Soul Cores', or 'survive until the timer expires'. Defeating monsters is straightforward enough, but the Soul Core challenge is slightly more complex; you'll have to flip switches to reach the Soul Cores and then move them back to the altar as quickly as possible.



• Choose whether or not to continue. After successfully completing a trial round, you'll be given the choice to quit and claim your current rewards, or try another round at the risk of losing it all. If you're here for the randomized Trial of Chaos rewards, don't be too greedy! If you're trying to complete the Temple of Chaos for the Ascendancy points, however, it's best to push to round 4 if you think you might make it.
• Collect Vaal Orbs and Soul Cores. The Trial of Chaos may reward you with these unique items. Vaal Orbs can be used to 'corrupt' an item, thereby randomly altering the item's stats and effects, which can make it better or worse. The item can no longer be changed after that. Soul Cores, on the other hand, can be placed in equipment sockets, adding unique buffs to that item.

Trial of Chaos bosses

Upon entering round 4, you will encounter the first trial boss. There are a total of three bosses in the Trial of Chaos, and they'll only appear in round 4, 7, and 10, but the order of their appearance is random. So, if you're only doing the first four rounds, you'll face one of these bosses:

• Uxmal, the Beastlord. A highly mobile boss with the appearance of a chimera. Uxmal's most dangerous attacks include fire-breathing and poison-spewing, so be wary whenever you're standing in front of him. Rather annoyingly, Uxmal will constantly fly away throughout the battle, so it's best to unleash your attacks quickly whenever you have him in your sight.
• Chetza, the Feathered Plague. This giant bird has a powerful arsenal of physical attacks, but they're fairly easy to avoid. Its main attack is a ground slam using its beak, thereby inflicting bleed in an area-of-effect. Chetza will also summon a 'plagueling' minion about halfway through the fight, but you can easily stay ahead of it. It's best to circle around this boss to avoid damage from both the beak and the minion. Luckily, Chetza is quite susceptible to elemental damage and ailments; fire spells work particularly well against this boss.
• Bahlak, the Sky Seer. Another bird-like boss, but this one comes with a variety of elemental attacks. Watch out for his powerful area-of-effect abilities, especially the one where he summons a massive whirlwind. It's far easier to defeat this boss with a ranged character, but if you're stuck with melee, be ready to dodge often.

Once you've defeated the Trial of Chaos bosses, don't forget to use your hard-earned Ascendancy points! If you already did the Trial of the Sekhemas, you should have a total of four Ascendancy points by now.

That concludes our overview of the Trial of Chaos in Path of Exile 2. If you're new to the game, you might want to look at our list of things to do first in Path of Exile 2, and make sure you understand the character attributes. Don't forget to use the Path of Exile 2 crafting system to get better gear, and use the gemcutting system to obtain new skills.