Ascendancy is one of the largest power upgrades available to a Path of Exile 2 character, but the game does not award all its points at once. A character can earn four pairs for a maximum of eight Ascendancy Points. Each pair comes from a qualifying trial tier, and you can use either of the two trial systems to progress. As of November 2026, PoE 2 remains in Early Access on the 0.5.5f patch branch, before the announced 1.0 release.
The two routes are the Trial of the Sekhemas and the Trial of Chaos. You can mix them instead of committing to one trial for the entire character. A practical first-character route is Sekhemas in Act 2, Chaos in Act 3, the guaranteed three-floor Sekhemas opportunity from Elzarah for six points, and whichever final trial suits the build. Patch 0.5.5 significantly changed Chaos runs, so use the current item description and the Path of Exile 2 patch notes instead of relying on an old chamber-count chart alone.
Short answer: Earn two Ascendancy Points at each of four milestones by completing an eligible Trial of the Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos, up to eight points total. Start with Balbala's Barya in Act 2 and the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum in Act 3, then use qualifying higher-tier trial items; always check their gold text to confirm that completion grants additional Ascendancy Skill Points.
All PoE 2 Ascendancy Points at a Glance
Each progression milestone increases the total by two points, and a qualifying higher-tier completion can also award points missed at an earlier milestone. The first six can be obtained before Maps, while the final pair is an endgame objective. The safest eligibility check is the gold text on a Djinn Barya or Inscribed Ultimatum. If the item states that completing its trial grants additional Ascendancy Skill Points, it can advance the character. A key without that line may still offer rewards but will not grant another pair.
| Total points | Trial of the Sekhemas | Trial of Chaos | Usual progression |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Balbala's Barya; complete one floor and use the Altar of Ascendancies. | A qualifying introductory Chaos trial if you skipped the earlier Sekhemas milestone. | Act 2, or later if skipped |
| 4 | Eligible two-floor Djinn Barya. | Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum with four chambers, or another item explicitly granting this milestone. | Act 3 / later campaign |
| 6 | Eligible three-floor Djinn Barya, normally level 60 or higher; Elzarah provides a guaranteed opportunity. | Eligible higher-tier Inscribed Ultimatum, commonly a ten-chamber run; check its reward text. | Late campaign / early endgame |
| 8 | Eligible four-floor Djinn Barya; defeat Zarokh, the Temporal. | Complete a qualifying endgame Chaos route, collect three different Fates, and defeat the Trialmaster. | Endgame |
The number of floors or chambers and the item's eligibility text matter more than your character level alone. Being overleveled can make a trial easier, but it cannot turn a non-qualifying key into an Ascendancy reward. Conversely, you can sometimes catch up by completing a higher qualifying tier. For a first character, taking the points in order is usually easier because each pair strengthens the build before the next difficulty spike.
How to Unlock the First Four Ascendancy Points
The campaign provides straightforward access to the first two pairs. These quest entries let you progress without depending on random endgame drops, introduce both trial systems, and show which format your build handles more comfortably before you tackle the final four points.
For the first pair, progress through Act 2 until you reach Traitor's Passage. Defeat Balbala, the Traitor, and collect Balbala's Barya. Take the coin to the Trial of the Sekhemas, place it in the Relic Altar, and complete the single-floor run. After defeating Rattlecage, the Earthbreaker, enter the reward room and interact with the Altar of Ascendancies. Choose your Ascendancy class, then allocate the first two points. The introductory quest trial can be attempted again if you fail.
The next pair has two convenient routes. In Act 3, defeat Xyclucian, the Chimera, in the Chimeral Wetlands, collect the Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum, and take it to the Temple of Chaos. Complete the four chambers and the final boss encounter, then interact with the Altar of Ascendancies to receive the next two points. Before every encounter, choose a drawback carefully: the selected Tribulations persist through the rest of that run.
If you lose the quest Ultimatum, you do not have to abandon the character or hunt for a random replacement. Since patch 0.5.5b, the Trialmaster at the Temple of Chaos entrance can provide another Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum after a failed attempt. The official 0.5.5b notes confirm this recovery option.
An eligible two-floor Djinn Barya is the other route to four points. This is useful if your character performs well with Sekhemas Honour mechanics but struggles with stacked Chaos modifiers. If you skipped Sekhemas in Act 2, the eligible Chaos quest trial can also serve as your first Ascendancy unlock. Completing two trials that qualify for the same already-earned milestone will not create another pair of points.
These early trials are part of character progression, not a reason to wait until you have endgame gear. If reaching the required campaign areas is the obstacle, a PoE 2 leveling option is separate from learning and completing the trials themselves. For a self-playthrough, prioritize enough damage for each boss and basic defenses against the hazards rather than spending valuable currency on temporary equipment.
How to Get the Third Ascendancy for Six Points
The third pair used to be easy to miss because players relied on finding or trading for the correct entry item. The campaign now offers a guaranteed Sekhemas opportunity. In Sel Khari Sanctuary, defeat Elzarah, the Cobra Lord. If the character has not already earned the third pair, Elzarah drops a one-time Djinn Barya that can grant it. Grinding Gear Games introduced this in the official 0.3.1 patch notes, including characters who defeated Elzarah before that change.
Place the Barya in the Relic Altar and check that it offers three floors and additional Ascendancy Points. Complete the floors, defeat the third-floor boss, and interact with the Altar of Ascendancies to reach six points. Do not leave immediately after collecting the normal room rewards. Defeating the boss is only part of the process; you still need to claim the Ascendancy reward at the Altar.
The Chaos alternative is an eligible higher-tier Inscribed Ultimatum, typically a ten-chamber item. Read its point-granting line before buying or using it rather than deciding solely from area level or the number of chambers. Earlier Chaos tiers can be valid for other characters or earlier milestones without granting your third pair. The item tooltip is the deciding check when trial requirements or progression have changed.
Chaos can be quicker for a durable character that handles repeated combat and several simultaneous Tribulations. However, a poor modifier combination can make the late chambers far harder than their monster level suggests. Sekhemas is usually the more predictable six-point route for a first character because Elzarah supplies the qualifying Barya without a separate entry-item farm.
Explore services related to this guide, selected from our Path of Exile 2 catalog.
View All Path of Exile 2 Services
How to Unlock the Final Two Ascendancy Points
The fourth Ascendancy takes your total from six to eight points and requires a pinnacle-level completion rather than another simple campaign quest. Prepare the character for difficult endgame content: cap elemental resistances, secure reliable recovery, deal with dangerous ailments, and learn the last boss's mechanics before committing valuable items.
For Sekhemas, obtain an eligible four-floor Djinn Barya, complete all four floors, and defeat Zarokh, the Temporal. This attempt is much longer than the introductory trial, so preserving Honour across ordinary rooms matters as much as surviving the final fight. Relics providing Honour Resistance, Maximum Honour, and useful Honour recovery are usually a safer priority than reward-focused Relics until your clears become consistent.
For Chaos, you need Cowardly Fate, Deadly Fate, and Victorious Fate to unlock the sealed door leading to the Trialmaster. These fragments are associated with the endgame Trial of Chaos bosses and can also be traded in trade leagues. Complete a qualifying ten-trial Inscribed Ultimatum, obtain the required Fates, insert all three into the sealed door, defeat the Trialmaster, and claim the final Ascendancy reward at the Altar.
Patch 0.5.5 made farming those Fates more flexible. After completing ten Trials, you can continue the same Inscribed Ultimatum for another ten rooms without using a fresh entry item, then continue once more for a maximum of thirty rooms. Each successful continuation awards a different Trialmaster Fragment. This means one entry item can produce all three Fates if you survive the extended run; it does not mean all thirty rooms are required whenever you already have the necessary fragments. The official 0.5.5 patch notes also confirm that your selected modifiers and reward quality carry into the additional rooms.
Those continued rooms become progressively more dangerous, so buying a missing Fate may be preferable to risking another ten encounters. The optional double-or-nothing Currency wager offered during continuation is a separate reward gamble, not a condition for Ascendancy. The update also lets you leave the Trial of Chaos between rooms and resume later; leaving does not automatically forfeit an unfinished run.
Repeated failures can still consume valuable entry items, Fate fragments, and practice time. Players comparing assistance for either route can review the specific Trial of the Sekhemas service or Trial of Chaos service. For self-completed runs, practice the cheaper tiers, secure a reliable defensive setup, and attempt the final boss only when the normal rooms no longer regularly exhaust your resources.
Trial of the Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos
Neither trial is universally easier. Sekhemas punishes frequent hits through its Honour system, while Chaos challenges the build with accumulating modifiers and a series of different combat objectives. The best choice depends on the character's defenses, available entry items, and familiarity with each boss. Patch 0.5.5 reduced the severity of many individual Chaos modifiers and made its runs easier to pause, but longer continuations still demand a build that can survive the whole sequence.
| Factor | Trial of the Sekhemas | Trial of Chaos |
|---|---|---|
| Main failure pressure | Honour loss from hits and room hazards | Stacked Tribulations and increasingly difficult encounters |
| Best suited builds | Mobile characters with avoidance, control, and reliable boss damage | Durable characters with recovery and answers to varied modifiers |
| Preparation | Honour Resistance, Maximum Honour, recovery Relics, and boss practice | Resistance caps, ailment protection, recovery, and safe modifier choices |
| Current quality-of-life features | Relic planning and end-of-floor reward rooms | Reward chest after each room; leave and resume between rooms |
| Final Ascendancy objective | Four floors and Zarokh | Three different Fates and the Trialmaster |
In Sekhemas, Honour is a separate failure resource. Reaching zero ends the attempt even when the character still has Life or Energy Shield. Avoid room paths that force dangerous Afflictions, keep enough damage to shorten boss fights, and value clean positioning over rushing. Runic Ward users gain an additional benefit because maximum Runic Ward is added to starting Honour under the official 0.5.0 player changes.
In Chaos, inspect every offered Tribulation in relation to your build. A drawback that seems mild alone can become lethal when combined with faster enemies, restricted recovery, dangerous ground effects, or added projectiles. Since 0.5.5, difficulty-adding modifiers also improve monster drops, and completed rooms have individual reward chests. Those changes help farming, but Ascendancy progression should still take priority over gambling on extra rewards.
If you want to compare room mechanics and boss preparation in greater depth, the existing Trial of the Sekhemas guide covers Honour and Relics, while the Trial of Chaos guide explains Tribulations, room objectives, and the new continuation system. The choice for Ascendancy points remains simple: select the eligible route your character can finish consistently.
Why a Completed Trial Did Not Grant Points
Most missing-point cases occur when the entry item belongs to a tier the character has already completed. Finishing a trial and advancing Ascendancy progression are not the same thing: a key can provide a valid loot run without qualifying for another pair of points.
- Read the Djinn Barya or Inscribed Ultimatum before entering. It must say the run grants additional Ascendancy Skill Points.
- Verify the correct Sekhemas floor count or Chaos chamber count. Area level alone is not proof of eligibility.
- After the qualifying boss, interact with the Altar of Ascendancies. Opening reward chests does not replace claiming the points.
- Check the character's total, including points already allocated. Eight is the maximum, and repeating a completed tier cannot exceed it.
- Do not expect the same reward milestone from both trial types. They are alternative ways to earn the same pair of points.
- In a group Trial of Chaos, be inside the instance when the boss dies. Joining an already completed trial no longer awards points under the official 0.5.5 Hotfix 7 rule.
If the correct item was used and the Altar still offers nothing, open the passive screen and verify the character's actual Ascendancy total. Check the latest patch notes for a known problem before consuming another expensive key. A screenshot of the entry item's point-granting text can also help distinguish an eligibility issue from a possible bug.
Remember that the patch 0.5.5 Chaos changes affect ordinary trial rewards and continuation choices as well as progression. A chest appearing after every room does not mean every room grants Ascendancy Points. Currency and Soul Cores are now the normal completion rewards, while points still require the appropriate milestone and Altar interaction.
Changing an Ascendancy Class
Old guides sometimes claim that an Ascendancy choice is permanent, but that is no longer correct. You can redo a trial that would grant the same number of Ascendancy Points your character currently owns, refund every allocated Ascendancy passive, and then select a different Ascendancy class at the Ascension device. The refund interface is available through Balbala or the Trialmaster near that device. Grinding Gear Games explains these conditions in its official Ascendancy respec announcement.
Refund all allocated Ascendancy nodes before attempting the class change and bring enough gold to cover the passive refunds. The trial must correspond to your existing point total: a two-point trial cannot change the class of a character that already owns six points. If you only want to rearrange passive nodes within the same Ascendancy, refunding those nodes is sufficient; there is no need to repeat a trial to choose the same class again.
Ascendancy Points FAQ
These answers cover the common progression questions that matter when you skip a campaign trial or prepare to spend a valuable endgame key.
Can I still ascend if I skipped the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2?
Yes. An eligible Trial of Chaos can grant the first pair of points. Read the entry item's reward text and remember that each Ascendancy milestone can be earned only once.
Do I need three separate ten-trial Ultimatums for the final Chaos route?
No. Since patch 0.5.5, a successful ten-trial Ultimatum can continue twice, potentially awarding all three different Fates across one extended run. You can also trade for missing fragments instead of completing every continuation.
Can I get all eight Ascendancy Points before Maps?
The first six are obtainable before Maps through qualifying campaign and later-campaign trials, including Elzarah's guaranteed Barya. The final pair requires a much harder endgame-tier completion, so most characters finish it after their build has progressed further.
Conclusion
Take the early campaign trials for the first four points, use Elzarah's guaranteed three-floor Barya for a reliable six-point route, and save the final milestone until your defenses and boss knowledge are ready. The 0.5.5 Chaos changes make Fate collection more flexible, but they do not remove the need for a qualifying completion. Above all, read the Ascendancy reward line on every entry item before using it; that simple check prevents the most common wasted run.
