In the second half of Path of Exile 2, taking an Ascendancy is a crucial component in personalizing your character design. Your character build—or one you got online from a PoE 2 build guide—will determine whether you survive or die in this intricate, Diablo-inspired action role-playing game. You have complete control over your character’s class, equipment, talents, and passive buffs that impact all of the aforementioned. Because of how deep it goes and how configurable every part of your character is, it may get confusing.
Additionally, you will have the option to select an Ascendancy class at some point during the second act of the game. At first, this extra twist in character creation may be confusing, but it’s an essential component in developing your character further. Without further ado, here is all the information you require to select and unlock an Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2.
What Are Ascendancies and Why Are They Important in Path of Exile 2?
A Path of Exile 2 Ascendancy is essentially a subclass, to put it briefly. A few special abilities and benefits are unlocked with each Ascendancy and can only be bought with Ascendancy Points, which you can obtain by finishing certain trials. Even though they unlock nodes along a tree similarly to skill points, they are a completely different resource that you must locate if you want to get some of the most potent abilities in your class.
Each main class in the game’s early access edition has two Ascendancies, which are shown in the table below. Before the game’s official release, more might be added. If you’re struggling to decide, consider the skills that each one offers and base your choice on which one seems more applicable to the PoE 2 build you’ve been using.
| Class | Ascendancies |
|---|---|
| Sorceress | Stormweaver, Chronomancer |
| Warrior | Titan, Warbringer |
| Ranger | Deadeye, Pathfinder |
| Witch | Blood Mage, Infenalist |
| Mercenary | Witchhunter, Gemling Legionnaire |
| Monk | Invoker, Acolyte of Chayula |
Despite the fancy name, if you know how RPG classes generally operate, Ascendancy is a fairly simple concept to grasp. On the other hand, unlocking and advancing one is another story.
How to Unlock Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2
After you finish the Trial of Sekhemas, a dungeon in Act Two of Path of Exile 2, you will be able to access Ascendancies. However, to obtain Balbala’s Barya, you must first defeat Balbala in Traitor’s Pass. The Ardura Caravan contains an optional dungeon. Balbala is located in the dungeon’s Six Sisters section, and before you may battle her, you must rescue her from the Prison of the Disgraces.
You will battle Balbala, a swift and extremely mobile boss, in a small arena. When she teleports behind you, constantly keep your finger on the dodge button and run away. Simply stay away from her AoEs and remove her ads as soon as she calls for them. You can pick up Balbala’s Barya once she eventually falls.
Once you’ve completed that, you may begin the quest “Ascent to Power,” which starts when you enter the desert region and head to the Trial of Sekhemas to begin battling this challenging dungeon. The main objective is to finish the full dungeon without dying or depleting your Honor, a special resource that you will only be able to use in this dungeon. For more information, see our guide to the Trial of Sekhemas.
The Altar of Ascension is located after the dungeon; interact with it to select and unlock your Ascendancy class. Essentially, you will be awarded two Ascendancy Points, which you can use to open two nodes on your preferred skill tree instead.
How to Complete the Trial of Chaos for Additional Ascendancy Points
You can also earn more Ascendancy Points by finishing the Trial of Chaos in Act Three, which will unlock an Ascendancy class if you missed the Trial of Sekhemas in Act Two. This one can be unlocked by defeating Xyclucian in the Chimeral Wetlands, then using the Chimeral Imbued Ultimatum to open the Trial of Chaos here. You can complete the Trial of Chaos to earn more Ascendancy Points even if you have already completed the Trial of the Sekhemas.
How to Earn More Ascendancy Points to Enhance Your Build
You will require additional Ascendancy Points to continue moving up your selected Ascendancy skill tree. In PoE 2, you can increase your Ascendancy Points by finishing more trials of the Trial of the Sekhemas and the Trial of Chaos, which are typically harder and have more floors.
Note: As with regular skill points, you can respec Ascendancy Points whenever you choose by talking to the Hooded One. But it costs a lot more to respect Ascendancies.
However, you will have to locate additional Trial Coins to unlock the dungeons once more to accomplish that. There is currently no known method to farm these because they appear to drop at random throughout the game’s high-level zones. A Trial Coin will probably fall into your lap soon if you just stick around endgame locations, eliminate foes, and defeat bosses.
You should then have everything you need to begin your Ascendancy quest. Deciding which talents are optimal for your Path of Exile 2 build is the more difficult aspect.
