Achieving your third character Ascension in Path of Exile 2 requires defeating a formidable foe: Ashar the Sand Mother. This gigantic scorpion poses a significant challenge during the Trial of Sekhemas, where your character’s strength will be tested to determine if they deserve Ascension. Defeating Ashar will allow you to unlock special class abilities through a new Ascendancy.
To access the Trial of Sekhemas, you must first conquer the boss known as Balbala the Traitor during your main story quests. Upon defeating Balbala, you’ll receive an item called Balbala’s Barya, which you can use at the Trial of Sekhemas node on your map. When you place the Balbala’s Barya item on the altar at the Trial of Sekhemas, you will unlock various challenges in the area, including its Ascendancy bosses.
How to Initiate the Ashar the Sand Mother Boss Fight
Defeat Other Bosses and Face Higher Level Challenges
Before confronting Ashar, you must first defeat two Ascendancy bosses within the Trial of Sekhemas. This area in Path of Exile 2 requires you to gather a unique resource called Honour, which is obtained from defeating enemies in a specific Trial tier. Additionally, you need a Djinn Barya with a minimum level of 60 to access the arena where Ashar will appear.
Honour serves as both a currency and a health resource on the Trial of Sekhemas levels. If you run out of Honour, you will fail that Trial and will not be able to face any Ascendancy boss.
Gathering enough Honour on the third floor of the Trial chambers will allow you to reach Ashar’s fight area. Before you take on Ashar the Sand Mother, ensure that you have more Honour than necessary to access the boss room. Since Honour is linked to your total health, having more before the encounter will enhance your chances of survival against the boss.
When you’re prepared, interact with the altar located on the Trial of Sekhemas’ third floor once you have accumulated sufficient Honour. This will open up the door ahead, leading to stairs that bring you to Ashar’s combat area. The arena will shake as Ashar erupts from the ground, ready to challenge your path to Ascendancy.
Strategies for Defeating Ashar the Sand Mother
Evade Pressure Plates and Melee Attacks
Ashar the Sand Mother is a surprisingly swift opponent, using its claws and tail to launch melee strikes. An effective tactic for this battle is to dodge forward close to Ashar to get behind it, which creates space and helps you avoid its frontal melee attacks. Staying behind where the tail can’t reach you will minimize damage from Ashar’s powerful moves.
Depending on your setup in Path of Exile 2, you might find it manageable to maneuver around Ashar consistently. However, be cautious not to tread on the various pressure plates in the arena. Stepping on any of these can unleash hazardous area-of-effect attacks, like insect swarms, poisonous gas, or dart traps that inflict fire and poison damage.
One of the best ways to tackle the Trial of Sekhemas bosses is to equip gear with Honour Resistance to reduce damage taken. Selecting beneficial Boons while avoiding severe Afflictions can help your character maintain a strong standing during the Trial boss battle.
As you counter Ashar’s various attacks, refer to the table below to learn about its most dangerous maneuvers and how to avoid them:
| Attack | Description | How to Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Poison Blast | Ashar launches poisonous projectiles from its tail toward the player, often firing multiple. | Roll sideways as projectiles approach to evade damage. |
| Claw Strike | Ashar performs a quick jab with one of its raised claws, dealing damage to everything in its path. | Move to the side after it pulls back its claw, as this motion can be predicted. |
| Stinger Swipe | Ashar gathers energy and sweeps its tail in a large arc, hitting anything in a wide radius. | Dodge forward as the tail is about to strike to avoid damage and counterattack. |
| Toxic Slam | Ashar lunges forward with its stinger in an attempt to stab the target in front of it. | This attack cannot be dodged; move behind Ashar to prevent damage. |
| Desert Flip | Ashar plants its claws and flips forward while launching Poison Blast projectiles. | Move sideways when Ashar plants its claws, then dodge the incoming projectiles. |
Once Ashar completes the Desert Flip attack, it will burrow underground and pop up again, creating areas of Quicksand where it emerges. Stepping on Quicksand applies a debuff that hampers movement, making dodging Ashar’s attacks much more difficult. Accumulating multiple stacks of this debuff can be perilous, as it significantly limits your ability to evade Ashar’s powerful strikes.
Maintaining your speed, avoiding pressure plates, and sticking closely to Ashar is key to dodging its lethal melee attacks. Capitalize on opportunities to attack when Ashar recoils from its strikes to whittle down its health over time. Players who defeat Ashar the Sand Mother in Path of Exile 2 will earn their third set of Ascendancy Points, enabling further enhancement of their character.
