Completing the Trials of Ascendancy allows you to choose an Ascendancy Class and gain additional Ascendancy Passives. This guide shows how to Ascend in Path of Exile 2, and how to unlock all 8 Ascendancy Passives in the Trial of the Sekhemas and the Trial of Chaos. There are multiple Trials hidden throughout the campaign and you can choose in which to gain your Ascendancy Class and additional Passive skill points. Ascendancies are powerful, build-defining subclasses that grant you an additional passive tree in which you can spend Ascendancy Passives. Your build is defined by the combination of your Character Class and Ascendancy Class. Each of the 12 classes (6 in early access) has a choice of 3 Ascendancies (2 in early access).
There are 3 Trials of Ascendancy and you can unlock your Ascendancy Class through a Trial of your choice. In order to Ascend you must locate a quest item key, travel to the Trial's entrance and then complete the trial by navigating through its challenges and defeating the final boss. Your first completion of any Trial of Ascendancy unlocks your Ascendancy Class and grants you 2 Ascendancy passive points.
There are three Trials of Ascendancy:
Here is a summary of how to get each set of 2 Ascendancy Passives in Path of Exile 2:
The Level 60+ Djinn Barya is a randomized drop that is obtainable in the end of Act 3 Cruel (Act 6) and in any endgame Waystone (Tier 1+) Map, or similar level activity.
The Level 75+ Djinn Barya and the Level 75+ Inscribed Ultimatum are randomized drops that are obtainable from endgame Waystone (Tier 8+) Map, or similar level activities. You can also trade with other players for these endgame Trial keys.
The most efficient route is to get your Ascendancy Class unlocked and the first two Passive Points in Act 2 via the Trial of Sekhemas. Follow that with Act 3's Quest for Trial of Chaos to unlock Ascendancy Points 3 and 4. Then, use a Djinn Barya Level 60+ to unlock Points 5 and 6 in the Trial of Sekhemas. Finally, unlock Passives 7 and 8 in a Level 75+ Trial of Sekhemas.
During the Trial of Sekhemas in Act 2 you face a series of challenge rooms and bosses in a Roguelike dungeon. Each room has a challenge you must overcome such as navigating traps, surviving waves of enemies or completing a time trial. Rooms also feature boons to aid in your survival, opportunities to heal or keys for a treasure trove at the end of the Trial of Sekhemas. Your primary goal is to reach the final boss, defeat it and claim your Ascendancy Class or passive unlocks. But the Trial of the Sekhemas, like all Trials, also has the potential to provide long term loot and endgame content.
To learn more about the Trial of the Sekhemas in the Endgame and how to farm it for profit check out our guide here.
During the quest The Trail of Corruption you find yourself Ascending the Traitor's Passage. Within this zone filled with interconnected caves is a sealed door, plastered with warding glyphs. Imprisoned within you can release a character that grants you access to the Trial of the Sekhemas — for a price.
If you are struggling to find the sealed door there is a pillar of stone with relevant lore explaining the imprisonment nearby which you may be able to see on your minimap. Within you can claim a key,from imprisoned Djinn, Balbala The Traitor.Once you have defeated Balbala, the Traitor you can claim the Quest item Balbala's Barya. This coin is the key to the Trial of the Sekhemas.With the coin key you are able to travel to the location of the Trial of the Sekhemas and you can do so via the Desert Map in Ardura Caravan.
You gain access to the Trial of the Sekhemas earlier in the campaign, making it the best choice for getting your Ascendancy class and first 2 passive points as soon as possible. Waiting until a later trial in Act 3 or 4 would leave you without that notable power for a considerable length of time. Outside of the (perfectly legitimate) reason of personal preference, not claiming your Ascendancy in Act 2 is only advisable if you have reason to fear the Trial of the Sekhemas. In the case of an underperforming build it may still be better to attempt the Trial of the Sekhemas but to do so later in Act 2 — after you have gained some levels and gear improvements to make the Trial considerably easier.
In Act 3 while exploring the Vaal Jungle you can discover Temple of Chaos. To gain access you must obtain a key from The Trialmaster. In the Trial of Chaos you overcome a series of consecutive challenges and then a randomized boss in order to reach the end and unlock an Ascendancy, gain your Ascendancy Passives and claim the other rewards.
To learn more about the Trial of Chaos in the Endgame and how to farm it for profit check out our guide here.
The entrance to the Trial of Chaos is located in Act 3 in the Chimeral Wetlands. Stick to an outer edge of the zone and look for a narrow passage with stone stairs.
To obtain the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum required to access the Trial for the first time you must defeat the unique boss Xyclucian, the Chimera.
Once you have the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum you can attempt the Trial of Chaos with it as many times as needed until you succeed.
The Act 3 Quest encounter with the Trial of Chaos is your best option for obtaining your second set of Ascendancy Passives after you unlock your Ascendancy in Act 2 through the Trial of the Sekhemas. It is possible to do a Trial of the Sekhamas with 2 floors instead, but this can only be done with a random Djinn Barya key drop that has the modifier: "Number of Trials: 2". There is no way to guarantee you get a Djinn Barya in a timely fashion, and it also poses a risk of losing the key on failure. As such, you should use the repeatable option of the Trial of Chaos Quest in Act 3 to get your 3rd and 4th Ascendancy passives, even if you prefer another Trial for Ascending.
While it has been revealed that there will be a third Trial of Ascendancy in Act 4 it is currently not implemented and little is known about it. Early access only contains Acts 1, 2, and 3 so it is likely this third Trial will be added alongside Act 4 at an unknown point in Early Access.
