Path of Exile 2 focuses on leveling up and offers players the thrill of taking down foes with just a few clicks. Power in the game comes from two main sources: your gear and the skill tree.
As you progress, you’ll enhance your passive skill tree, which provides various boosts and enhancements. Eventually, you’ll have the opportunity to choose an Ascendancy class. This choice grants additional passive skills catered to a specific playstyle, enhancing your character’s abilities. Here’s how to earn more Ascendancy points in the game.
What Is Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2?
Ascendancy is a crucial feature in Path of Exile 2 that allows you to refine your character from a standard class to something more specialized. Each class has two Ascendancy paths to choose from after completing your first Trial of Ascendancy. You’ll encounter this after defeating Balabala the Traitor in Traitor’s Passage during Act 2.
Once you defeat the boss, a quest will guide you to complete the Trials of Sekhemas, the first Trial in the game. These Trials can be challenging; they require you to overcome multiple rooms and defeat a final boss. Additionally, there’s a unique mechanic called the Honour system that plays a key role.
Preparing for the Trial of Sekhemas
While the suggested level for the Trial of Sekhemas is 22, it’s advisable to level up further before attempting it. The final boss is quite tough, and maintaining at least 50% Honour is crucial before entering the last room. To preserve your Honour, eliminate basic enemies swiftly, as any damage you take will lower the Honour bar.
You’ll find the Honour bar displayed at the bottom of the screen during the Trial. It diminishes whenever you receive damage; if it reaches zero, you’ll fail the Trial and have to start over.
Upon successfully completing the Trial of Sekhemas, you can select an Ascendancy Path and earn two Ascendancy points. To initiate the first Trial, you’ll need an item called Balbala’s Barya, which drops from the boss.
Each Ascendancy Trial requires a similar item for access. Balbala’s Barya can be used indefinitely until you succeed in the Trial of Sekhemas. You can also find other coins while playing, but those are limited and will be lost if you fail the Trial.
In the early access phase, you can access two Trials:
- Trial of Sekhemas (Act 2)
- Trial of Chaos (Act 3)
Ascendancy Classes After Completing the Trial of Sekhemas
After finishing the Trial of Sekhemas, you can unlock various Ascendancy classes, which are as follows:
| Class | Ascendancy |
|---|---|
| Sorceress | Stormweaver, Chronomancer |
| Warrior | Titan, Warbringer |
| Ranger | Deadeye, Pathfinder |
| Witch | Blood Mage, Infernalist |
| Monk | Invoker, Acolyte of Chayula |
| Mercenary | Witchhunter, Gemling Legionnaire |
How to Earn More Ascendancy Points in Path of Exile 2
Completing the Trial of Sekhemas grants you two Ascendancy points, but that’s just the beginning. To obtain additional points, you’ll need to face the Trial of Chaos found in Act 3.
The Trial of Chaos is quite difficult, yet it rewards you with another two Ascendancy points. Early access currently ends in Act 3, so after completing the campaign and both Trials, you should have a total of four Ascendancy points.
Next, you can challenge the Trials of Ascendancy in Cruel difficulty. Since Path of Exile 2 is still in early access, there isn’t much to explore after you finish the campaign on Standard difficulty.
While farming the map will yield more Trial coins, re-running the same Trial at the same difficulty won’t grant additional Ascendancy points. You’ll need to attempt them at a higher difficulty. However, farming remains advantageous for acquiring gear and weapons.
To access the end-game content, you’ll need to replay Acts I to III in Cruel difficulty, including all Trials. Completing them on this level will add four more Ascendancy points to your total. You’ll require Djinn Barya coins for the Trial of Sekhemas and Inscribed Ultimatum coins for the Trial of Chaos.
In the early access phase, you can earn a maximum of eight Ascendancy points. More points will become available in future updates once the remaining Acts launch. The eight points you earn now will significantly enhance your power and create a solid build for endgame farming.
