Path of Exile 2 Ascendancy: Trial of the Sekhemas
Here's how to Ascend your class in Path of Exile 2 by completing the Trial of the Sekhemas
Trying to figure out how to complete the Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2? As you progress through Path of Exile 2, you'll soon feel the need to Ascend and take your character class to the next level. This can be done via the Trial of Sekhemas, one of the Ascendancy Trials included in Path of Exile 2's Early Access. Completing this trial will let you unlock new abilities for your class, but it won't be easy, and requires you to step off the beaten path of the campaign and survive a gauntlet of fierce challenges.
In this guide we'll explain exactly what you need to do to complete the Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2 and put your character on the path to unlocking their Ascendancy class.
In this guide:Starting the Trial of the Sekhemas
As of Path of Exile 2's Early Access, two Ascendancy Trials are available, and The Trial of the Sekhemas is the easier one to reach, becoming accessible in Act 2. The Trial of Chaos, an alternate method of ascending, only becomes available in Act 3.
You can access the Trial of the Sekhemas after you've begun Act 2's "The Trial of Corruption" main quest. This quest sees you entering Traitor's Passage. If you fully explore this area, you'll eventually come upon a wall dubbed the Ancient Seal that's covered in parchment.
Go through the wall to enter a room with Runic Seals on the ground. Remove them and you'll free the djinn boss Balbala, the Traitor. Balbala's a fast opponent who chucks throwing knives out in returning arcs, summons a minion to fight alongside her, and creates fiery runes on the ground that explode when you step over them. Fighting her requires a fair bit of dodging and dexterity, but once you've made short work of Balbala, pick up the Balbala's Barya object. Taking it starts the side quest "Ascent to Power".
You can now return to the Ardura Caravan that serves as Chapter 2's hub. Chat with Zarka and open your map to teleport to the Trial of the Sekhemas point of interest. Be sure that you're at least level 22 to contend with the monsters here. Once you enter and proceed through the first chamber, you'll locate a Relic Altar. Put Balbala's Barya onto this altar to properly kick off the Trial of the Sekhemas.
Trial of the Sekhemas mechanics
The Trial of the Sekhemas features the following mechanics that differ from Path of Exile 2's base game:
- You'll have to survive a series of challenges in seven rooms, with a boss encounter awaiting you in an eighth room. This is mildly reminiscent of a Roguelike experience - the first room you enter will always be randomly generated, but after you pass this first room, you'll see a Trial map that shows all of the other challenges that await you. Every time you complete a room, you'll receive rewards to aid you on the remainder of your journey.
- On the Trial map, you can choose from the following routes: Escape Trial, Gauntlet Trial, Ritual Trial, Chalice Trial, and Hourglass Trial. The Escape Trial requires you to activate a series of Death Crystals before a timer reaches zero. The Gauntlet Trial takes place in a room replete with traps; you'll need to fight through and pull either one or two levers to unlock the door. The Ritual Trial requires you to defeat multiple Ritual Casters that spawn at portals. The Chalice Trial is relatively straightforward and requires you to defeat rare monsters to fill up a Chalice. And the Hourglass Trial is a simple matter of surviving against enemy waves until the timer runs out.
- Dying is not the only threat during the Trial of the Sekhemas. You'll notice that you now have a bar at the bottom of the screen labeled Honour. This is a new stat unique to the Trial - each time you get hit while progressing through the rooms, your Honour will be reduced, and if your Honour hits zero, the Trial will fail. Alas, Honour does not restore with consumables in the same way that Life and Mana do, so get ready to dodge as best you can.
- Prior to starting the Trial of the Sekhemas, you'll be given a chance to equip various relics at the Relic Altar. Think of these as Roguelike modifiers that can make the Trial easier. The first time you start the Trial, you'll obviously have nothing at your disposal, but you'll unlock Relics when fighting the Trial's final boss that will help with future runs.
- Balbala's Barya, the item you use to unlock the Trial the first time, is considered a Coin. This first Coin can be used as many times as it takes you to complete the Trial of the Sekhemas; just speak with Balbala at the Relic Altar. If you've already completed the Trial once and want to run it again, however, you'll need a new Coin - and these Coins are one-time items that disappear if you fail the Trial. You can find additional Coins later in the game as rare drops, known as Djinn Barya.
Trial of the Sekhemas boss
At the end of all of the Trial of the Sekhemas' rooms, you'll face Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker. This giant is slow, tanky, and has a pair of rocky fists that slam the ground at regular intervals, letting loose bursts of lava and small volcanoes. This fight is a battle of attrition, and you'll have to time your dodges well to avoid getting scorched. The best strategy for fighting Rattlecage is to strafe around the arena, keep your distance, and constantly chip away at his health bar while watching out for those AoE lava attacks. When his health is halfway depleted, lava will temporarily rain down from the sky, and there unfortunately aren't any easy visual signs telling you where it's going to hit in advance.
Once Rattlecage is defeated, the Trial of the Sekhemas will be completed, and you can enter the rewards room. Go up to the Altar of Ascendancies to select your Ascendancy class. You only gain two Skill points to use on the Ascendancy's Passive Skill Tree - meaning that you'll need to go back and rerun the Trial if you want to unlock more points. Get ready to grind, in other words, and be aware that the Trial increases in difficulty each time you complete it.
That concludes our look at the Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2. For more on the mechanics that power Grinding Gear Games' epic ARPG, see our guides to the Passive Skill Tree, Attributes, and crafting. We've also got a look at the best character class for beginners, as well as a list of what to do first if you're just getting started with Path of Exile 2's early game.