Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2 unlocks up to 8 Ascendancy points across escalating difficulties (1-4 floors), blending with Trial of Chaos for optimal progression—complete Floor 1 in Act 2 for points 1-2, Chaos quest in Act 3 for 3-4, 3-floor Sekhemas at lvl 60+ for 5-6, and 4-floor at lvl 75+ for 7-8. Maximizing runs means Honour Resistance relics (75% cap), map rerouting for Boons over Afflictions, and Sacred Water purges for guaranteed merchants selling run-savers like extra relics or Honour resets. Overlevel by 10+ and cap ele/chaos res for scaled trials to turn RNG into reliable farms.
First Ascendancy: Act 2 Floor 1 Setup
Unlock via Balbala the Traitor quest using infinite-retry Balala's Barya; equip basic Honour res relics from her, scout map for safe paths (Escape/Ritual over Gauntlets), and burst Rattlecage boss at range to dodge volcanoes. Choose your Ascendancy class post-clear (e.g., Stormweaver Witch, Warbringer Warrior), netting 2 points—rerun freely for loot practice without stakes.
Second: Trial of Chaos (Act 3 Quest)
Grab Inscribed Ultimatum from Cima quest for easy Floor 1 Chaos trial; focus risk-reward mechanics over Honour, using mobility to dodge ultimatum waves—faster than Sekhemas for points 3-4. Trade low-level Djinn Barya if quest skips; this bridges to endgame without relic grind.
Third/Fourth: 3-Floor Sekhemas (Lvl 60+)
Farm lvl 60 Djinn Barya (drops/trade 1-5ex); stack 6+ Honour relics (trade searches for +res, movespeed), 5k life, 20% movespeed, and vision jewels to preview 3 rooms ahead. Prioritize Time-Lost/Spectrum chests with gold keys for tradable jewels (1-7div); purge Honour at shrines, skip "increased Honour" Afflictions—Rafiq/Hadi twins demand split adds, Ashar poison avoidance.
Final: 4-Floor Sekhemas (Lvl 75+ Endgame)
Lvl 75+ Barya for Zarokh boss; upgrade to advanced relics (Desperate Alliance for divines, avoid Worn Sandals), overcap Sacred Water for end-merchants, and party for shared Honour scaling (but separate relic pools). Dodge Zarokh time bubbles/teleports at mid-range; loot peaks at Grand Spectrum/Time-Lost jewels funding builds—250+ runs average 12div after ID, but consistent clears unlock full 8 points reliably.
Pledge to Kochai relics for high-risk jewels; partial exits trade Barya for 40ex safely. This progression maximizes points, loot, and efficiency across 3-4 runs total.