Trial of the Sekhemas Ultimate Guide

Intro

The Trial of the Sekhemas is one of the most challenging and rewarding Ascension Trials in Path of Exile 2. Accessible from Act 2, it immerses players into a randomized gauntlet of rooms filled with traps, monsters, and environmental hazards. To succeed, players need precise navigation, combat prowess, and strategic resource management to preserve Honour — a unique stat essential for progression.

This Trial, inspired by the Forbidden Sanctum in Path of Exile 1, offers a compelling mix of mechanics and rewards. To access it, players must complete the Ascent to Power questline, defeat Balbala, the Traitor, and obtain Balbala’s Barya. Placing this item into the Relic Altar unlocks the first floor. Advanced players can trade for or acquire higher-level Djinn Baryas, granting immediate access to later floors with better rewards. These Baryas retain all progress, including boons and afflictions, allowing players to skip early floors and start directly from floor 4 if desired.

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Each floor of the Trial features 8 interconnected rooms, culminating in a unique boss battle. There are 4 floors in total, with increasing difficulty and richer rewards. Completing a floor grants players valuable Ascendancy Passive Skill Points, with up to 8 points available after finishing all 4 floors.

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1. Ascendancy Points

Ascendancy Passive Skill Points can be allocated in your Ascendancy Skill Tree upon choosing an Ascendancy. Each completed floor or alternative challenge in the Trials of Chaos contributes to earning these points.

2. Core Mechanics of the Trial

Honour

Honour serves as a unique resource in the Trial of the Sekhemas, replacing traditional health or energy shield mechanics. Unlike flasks, regeneration, or leech, Honour can only be replenished via special shrines or Sacred Water. If Honour drops to zero, players are ejected from the Trial and lose all progress.

The amount of Honour is determined by the player’s total life and energy shield when entering the Trial, and for those utilizing Mind over Matter, maximum mana is also included. Players can boost their Honour capacity by acquiring Maximum Honour bonuses during the Trial.

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Sacred Water

Sacred Water is a crucial, non-tradeable resource within the Trial, represented by light blue droplets. It’s collected automatically when approached and can be spent for multiple essential purposes:

• Recovering Honour in Merchant Rooms
• Acquiring powerful Boons to enhance performance
• Purchasing valuable Relics to strengthen Trial runs

At the conclusion of each Trial, Sacred Water resets. However, players can convert leftover Sacred Water into Keys at the Keth Forge in the reward cache room after defeating a floor boss.

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Navigating the Trial

Each run begins with a map display of the current Trial floor, highlighting rooms with varied challenges, including Boons or Afflictions. Players must strategically plan their route to maximize rewards while managing risk.

• Boons: Positive effects such as increased Sacred Water, Honour recovery, reduced damage, or enemy debuffs.
• Afflictions: Negative effects like additional traps, stronger enemies, reduced Honour gain, or limitations on Sacred Water.

3. Merchant Rooms

Within Merchant Rooms, players meet Balbala, the Released, an NPC vendor offering Boons, Relics, or Honour recovery in exchange for Sacred Water. The cost of relics is tiered based on size:

Balbala always appears at the end of each floor in the reward cache room, making Merchant Rooms essential stops for maintaining resources and securing strategic upgrades.

4. Room Types

Room Types

The Trial consists of diverse room types, each demanding distinct strategies and offering varying degrees of risk and reward:

• Escape Trial
  Objective: Disable all Death Crystals before the timer expires. Crystals guide players to subsequent targets, and disabling one extends the timer. If active crystals remain when time runs out, they deal heavy damage.
  Strategy: Prioritize speed and mobility, use movement skills, and focus on disabling crystals efficiently while dodging enemies.

 

• Ritual Trial
  Objective: Defeat Ritual Casters near portals to disable them. Casters continuously summon additional enemies until eliminated.
  Strategy: Focus fire on casters as a priority, then clean up remaining mobs. Positioning is key to avoid being overwhelmed by summoned enemies.

 

• Hourglass Trial
  Objective: Survive relentless enemy waves until the timer ends. Rare enemies reduce the timer when defeated, while standard enemies spawn endlessly.
  Strategy: Play defensively and conserve cooldowns for rare mobs. Consider avoiding unnecessary engagements with endless spawns. Strong area control and efficient AoE damage are crucial.

 

• Chalice Trial
  Objective: Eliminate rare monsters marked by the chalice, then return to complete the room.
  Strategy: Clear weaker mobs first to open paths, then focus on marked rares. Be mindful of traps and environmental hazards while engaging high-threat targets.

 

• Gauntlet Trial
  Objective: Activate levers to unlock doors and locate the exit. Traps are plentiful and can inflict high damage.
  Strategy: Memorize trap patterns, use dodge rolls to mitigate damage, and avoid rushing through. Effective use of movement abilities and awareness of surroundings are essential for survival.

 

5. Boss Encounters

Each floor concludes with a unique boss battle:

6. Relics

Relics serve as the core progression mechanic in the Trial of the Sekhemas. Dropping from bosses, rare monsters, or chests, they can also be traded or purchased to enhance performance in future runs. Players select relics before each run, with no option to change them mid-Trial, making the choice strategic and impactful.

For beginners, prioritize relics that increase Honour resistance, Maximum Honour, or movement speed. Achieving the Honour resistance cap of 75% is a key milestone. More advanced players can experiment with relics that provide vendor-related bonuses or room reveal mechanics, tailoring setups to their preferred playstyle and dungeon progression.

Conclusion: Conquer the Trial of the Sekhemas

The Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2 blends intricate dungeon mechanics, resource management, and combat prowess. From navigating hazardous room types and mastering Honour management to confronting formidable bosses like Zarokh, the Temporal, this comprehensive guide equips players to tackle every challenge. Whether you’re starting from floor 1 or leveraging high-level Baryas to skip ahead, strategic planning and adaptability are essential.

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Remember: Success in the Trial isn’t just about brute force—it’s about strategy, preparation, and precise execution. With this guide and Onlyfarms’ expertise, you’re well-equipped to ascend to greatness.