PoE 2 Trial of the Sekhemas Guide

The Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2 is no walk in the park. Think of it as a tougher, grittier version of the Sanctum from the first game. It’s a solid source of loot once you’re in the endgame, but early on? It’ll chew you up and spit you out if you’re not ready. But if you can muscle through, it’ll set your character up nicely.

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How to Unlock the Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2

First things first, you’ll need to take down Balbala the Traitor. She’s holed up in Traitor's Passage in Act 2. And let me tell you, she’s no pushover—fast, hits like a freight train, and will punish any sloppy moves. But once you drop her, she’ll cough up Balbala’s Barya. You’re gonna need that to get your first crack at the Trial.

With Balbala’s Barya in hand, head over to the Trial location via Ardura’s travel map or just Waypoint there. You’ll find yourself in some busted-up temple ruins. Balbala will be there too, but don’t worry, she’s on your side now—kind of. Stick Balbala’s Barya in the Relic Altar and you’re off to the races.

Heads up: that Barya gets burned after your first run. Want to go again? You’ll need to hunt down Djinn Baryas, which drop randomly.

How to Complete the Trial of the Sekhemas

This Trial throws you into a seven-room gauntlet, and the last room’s a boss fight. The first six rooms have their own flavor—some will give you loot, others will slap you with penalties. After each room, you get to pick between two paths. Choose wisely.

Encounter Types:

• Survival: Stay alive while enemies swarm you.

• Elimination: Kill every last monster in the room.

• Traversal: Dodge traps, pull levers, and haul it to the exit.

Survive all that, and you’ll face the final boss. Beat them down, and you’ll hit the rewards room packed with treasure chests.

Tips for Crushing It

• Skip unnecessary fights: If it’s a trap room, just focus on dodging and pulling levers—don’t waste time scrapping with every enemy.

• Kite smart: In survival rooms, you don’t need to kill ‘em all. Just keep moving and stay alive.

• Room modifiers matter: Don’t pick a harder room if you’re low on health or Honour.

• Bail out if needed: Drop a town portal if things go sideways.

• Grab Sacred Water: Enemies drop this stuff—you’ll need it to heal Honour.

• Stay mobile: Equip movement skills and roll like your life depends on it—because it does.

Honour Level – Your Trial Lifeline

When you step into the Trial, you’ll see a white bar pop up on your screen. That’s your Honour level. Think of it as a second health bar, but it only matters here. Every time you take a hit, you lose Honour, and the heavier the hit, the more you lose. If you run out of Honour, it’s game over. Same goes if your regular Life hits zero.

You can only refill Honour in specific rooms with fountains, and even then, you’ll need Sacred Water to do it. These fountains are rare, so the name of the game is simple: don’t get hit.

Rewards Worth the Pain

During the Trial, you’ll pick up Keys of different rarities. You’ll use these to unlock chests in the rewards room after you smack down the final boss. Plus, there’s a statue in there that’ll hand over your first Ascendancy points in Path of Exile 2.

Don’t expect more Ascendancy points from future runs, but the loot? Still worth it. And once you’re in the endgame, the Trial cranks up the difficulty—and the rewards.

Master the Trial of the Sekhemas, and you’ll be loaded with gear and ready to tackle whatever PoE 2 throws at you next.