Ascension trials

The Altar of Ascendancy at the Trial of Chaos.

The Ascension Trials are sets of major challenges designed to test players at key levels of character progression allowing them to unlock an ascendancy class that advances their power through powerful abilities. These trials are encountered scattered throughout the campaign and each are associated with a major culture from Wraeclast. Every trial offers uniquely different challenges, providing players with alternative choices to achieve ascension.

The Trial of the Sekhemas and the Trial of Chaos are currently the only two Ascension Trials available in early access.

Ascension requirements

Ascension Trials are unlocked at certain points of progression during the campaign and endgame. Players can begin their quest to ascend as early as in Act 2 of the campaign. When successfully completing a required trial, players will gain access to the Altar of Ascendancy to select their Ascendancy class and gain ascendancy points to allocate.

In order to fully ascend a character, a player must complete 4 tiers of Ascension Trials, receiving 2 ascendancy points for each for a total of 8. It is possible to repeat the same type of trial for all 8 points. It is also possible to earn multiple sets of points in a single run as long as each condition is satisfied.

Quest tokens

During the campaign, players will be given the option to complete different Ascension Trials via optional storyline quests. The main story will grant special trial entry tokens (Balbala's BaryaBalbala's BaryaArea Level: 22
Number of Trials: 1"Why are you standing there gawking at me?
We must go to the Trial of the Sekhemas!"Take this item to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Right-click to listen to Balbala. and Chimeral Inscribed UltimatumChimeral Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: 40
Number of Trials: 4Mortals spend their lives wondering which
fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement
in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos.) in Acts 2 and 3 respectively. These tokens have a fixed area level and are not consumed if the trial is failed, allowing an infinite number of re-attempts. While these quests are intended to be completed when obtained, players can do so in any order.

Act 2	Act 3	Act 4
Trial of the Sekhemas Balbala's BaryaArea Level: 22 Number of Trials: 1"Why are you standing there gawking at me? We must go to the Trial of the Sekhemas!"Take this item to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Right-click to listen to Balbala. (Area Level 22+) 1 Floor	Trial of Chaos Chimeral Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: 40 Number of Trials: 4Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 39+) 4 Rounds	TBA

Regular tokens

Players can also gain access to the ascension trials through regular trial tokens (Djinn BaryaDjinn BaryaArea Level: #
Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas.
I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. and Inscribed UltimatumInscribed UltimatumArea Level: #
Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which
fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement
in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos.). These tokens are tradeable and can drop anywhere as long as they meet area level requirements.

Each trial tier requires the token to be a specific area level or above. The token will also display whether the character will gain ascendancy points from completing a trial using that token. Currently, regular tokens must be used to obtain ascendancy points 5 to 8, and can also be used to obtain points 1-4 if not already obtained.

Ascension 1 (2 total points)	Ascension 2 (4 total points)	Ascension 3 (6 total points)	Ascension 4 (8 total points)
Trial of the Sekhemas Balbala's BaryaArea Level: 22 Number of Trials: 1"Why are you standing there gawking at me? We must go to the Trial of the Sekhemas!"Take this item to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Right-click to listen to Balbala. or Djinn BaryaArea Level: # Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas. I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. (Area Level 22+) 1 Floor ----- or ----- Trial of Chaos Chimeral Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: 40 Number of Trials: 4Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. or Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: # Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 39+) 4 Rounds	Trial of the Sekhemas Djinn BaryaArea Level: # Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas. I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. (Area Level 45+) 2 Floors ----- or ----- Trial of Chaos Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: # Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 60+) 7 Rounds	Trial of the Sekhemas Djinn BaryaArea Level: # Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas. I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. (Area Level 60+) 3 Floors ----- or ----- Trial of Chaos Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: # Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 75+) 10 Rounds	Trial of the Sekhemas Djinn BaryaArea Level: # Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas. I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. (Area Level 75+) 4 Floors ----- or ----- Trial of Chaos Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: # Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 75+) 10 Rounds + Defeat The Trialmaster Requires Keys: Deadly FateFight enough battles, and it becomes all but inevitable.Can be placed in the door at the end of the Trial of Chaos to challenge the Trialmaster.Cowardly FateThe ignoblest of choices.Can be placed in the door at the end of the Trial of Chaos to challenge the Trialmaster.Victorious FateThere is always a chance, however small, that you might actually succeed.Can be placed in the door at the end of the Trial of Chaos to challenge the Trialmaster.
In any order: Trial of the Sekhemas Balbala's BaryaArea Level: 22 Number of Trials: 1"Why are you standing there gawking at me? We must go to the Trial of the Sekhemas!"Take this item to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Right-click to listen to Balbala. or Djinn BaryaArea Level: # Number of Trials: #"Take me to the Trial of the Sekhemas. I will serve."Take this item to the Relic Altar at the Trial of the Sekhemas. (Area Level 22+) 1 Floor ----- and ----- Trial of Chaos Chimeral Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: 40 Number of Trials: 4Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. or Inscribed UltimatumArea Level: # Number of Trials: #Mortals spend their lives wondering which fate shall be theirs. Chaos takes amusement in knowing the answer: all of them.Take this item to The Temple of Chaos to participate in a Trial of Chaos. (Area Level 39+) 4 Rounds

Note that points 3-4 from the second ascension can be obtained by either doing the 2nd tier of the trial you completed, or the first tier of a different trial (typically much easier and available earlier on). For example, if the first trial completed was the quest version/Tier 1 Trial of the Sekhemas, the second trial can either be a Tier 2 Trial of the Sekhemas (harder), or the quest version/Tier 1 Trial of Chaos (easier).

Respecialization

To change your ascendancy class, you must complete an Ascension Trial of at least the highest difficulty you've already completed (e.g.: if you have 4 Ascendancy points, you need to complete a Trial of Sekhemas with 2 floors or a Trial of Chaos with 7 trials), then use the Altar of Ascendancy with all your Ascendancy passives unallocated. Passives can be unallocated for gold during the trial by speaking with Balbala, the Advisor or The Trialmaster.

Avialable trials

Trial of the Sekhemas

Main article: Trial of the Sekhemas

The Trial of the Sekhemas is an Ascension Trial designed by the Maraketh, a desert culture from Wraeclast. It is first accessible in Act 2. It is a randomized gauntlet of rooms filled with monsters, traps, and bosses that can damage and reduce a player's Honour, a survival resource that will end the trial run if depleted. While navigating each trial floor, players are affected by Boons and Afflictions that affect the run's difficulty and can interact with a variety of mechanics when completing each room to improve or change their odds. The trial is based on the Forbidden Sanctum from Path of Exile 1.

Trial of Chaos

Main article: Trial of Chaos

The Trials of Chaos is an Ascension Trial designed by the Vaal, an ancient culture from Wraeclast. It is first accessible in Act 3, off the Chimeral Wetlands. It is a gauntlet of rooms filled with dangerous challenges that must be completed without dying while dealing with deadly trial modifiers that accumulate throughout the run. It is based on Ultimatum from Path of Exile 1.

Future trials

Although not officially announced, it was said in development interviews that the third Ascension Trial will be themed around the Karui. Within the Halls of the Dead area in Act 4, Hinekora extends an invitation to the player to participate in the Trial of the Ancestors. Since the trial is not ready yet within the game, a temporary story explanation was added where Navali says some of the ancestors have convinced others not to fight and that the player will know when the time has come to begin the trial in the future. No information about the trial's mechanics has been revealed yet, they could be heavily influenced by the Path of Exile 1 former league, the The Trial of the Ancestors that shares the Halls of the Dead setting.

Version history

Version	Changes
0.2.0f	Redoing an Ascendancy Trial now allows you to respec which Ascendancy Class you have chosen at the Ascension device, but only if the Trial would grant you the number of points you already have. In order to respec your Ascendancy class, you must have zero points allocated in it, but you can now talk to Balbala or The Trialmaster to Refund Passive Points. Trials of Chaos that have 7 chambers and thus grant up to 4 Ascendancy Passive Skill Points now can be attempted from level 55, down from 60. Trials of Chaos that have 10 chambers and thus grant up to 6 Ascendancy Passive Skill Points can now be attempted from level 65, down from 75.
0.1.0d	Inscribed Ultimatums and Djinn Baryas now display whether you will obtain Ascendancy Skill Points upon completing the Trial of Chaos or Trial of the Sekhemas respectively. Added "Ascendancy Skill Points" as a keyword, which details how sets of Ascendancy Points are obtained.
0.1.0	Introduced to the game.