This article guides you through the steps required to begin your journey into Ascendancy, including where to go, which bosses to defeat, and how to POE2 Currency prepare for the increasing difficulty of each trial.
Unlocking Your First Ascendancy: The Trial of the Sehkemas

The first step toward gaining an Ascendancy class in Path of Exile 2 occurs in Act 2. To unlock it, you must defeat Balbala, The Traitor, a key story boss located in the Traitor's Passage. After her defeat, she will drop Balbala's Barya Coin, an essential item that acts as your ticket into the Trial of the Sehkemas.

This trial is designed as a gauntlet of seven rooms, each with unique mechanics and environmental hazards. These rooms test your build in different ways—some by inflicting elemental damage, others by applying movement or combat limitations. Along the way, you’ll face waves of enemies and environmental traps that can quickly drain your resources if you’re unprepared.

What makes this trial especially tense is the Honour system. Instead of using your regular life pool, the trial introduces an Honour meter, which decreases each time you take damage. When Honour reaches zero, the trial ends in failure and must be restarted from the beginning. Monitoring your Honour bar and playing defensively are key to completing the full trial successfully.

Upon clearing all seven rooms and besting the final challenge, you’ll gain access to the Altar of Ascendancies. This is where you choose your Ascendancy subclass and receive your first two Ascendancy points, unlocking powerful passive skills that can drastically alter your gameplay strategy.
Ascending Further: The Trial of Chaos

After gaining your first subclass and initial points, the next phase of Ascendancy progression awaits in Act 3. Here, you must confront another trial—the Trial of Chaos—located within the Temple of Chaos. This area becomes accessible only after defeating Xyclucian, the Chimera, in the Chimeral Wetlands. After the boss is defeated, he drops the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum, which serves as Path of Exile 2 Currency your key to the next trial.