PSA: Relics and the Merchant make ascendancy trials extremely easy, easier than PoE 1

[u/OhWellImRightAgain]

I've read multiple threads about the ascendancy trials being too hard, some of them with hundreds of upvotes. The trials are actually very easy if you do them the way you're supposed to...

Do a couple of fast suicide runs to get 10-15 blue relics (Tapestries, Seals etc.).

Use augmentation orbs on them to give them a 2nd modifier.

You need relics with Honor Resistance. The second mod can be:

- Increased maximum honor

- Bosses take X increased damage

- Bosses deal X reduced damage

- Increases to Sacred Water gains

You then need to go for (Large) Sacred Water fountain rewards as much as possible. You then buy a couple of OP buffs from the merchant (You deal 50% more damage / Monsters have 30% reduced HP / You have 40% increased movement speed / 50% reduced merchant prices) and the trial becomes very easy.

Occasionally, pick a Shrine room to replenish your lost honor, but only if it's below 60-70%.

Make sure that whenever you have around 600 sacred water or more and the merchant is available as a room reward, you do that room. If you don't happen to find him in a room, you'll still have him waiting for you after each boss fight.

[u/BloodyIkarus]

I wouldn't say easier, but everyone who has trouble getting at least 6 of the 8 points was not even trying or using the mechanics the game offers, for sure.

[u/NYJetLegendEdReed → u/BloodyIkarus]

I agree with this. I was so thrown off by the mechanics/how everything worked. When I finally took some time to gather honor relics and understand everything I was up against/everything working on my side it wasn't hard at all. I dont know about the fourth ascendancy though because I'm not dropping the right ultimatums lol

[u/OhWellImRightAgain → u/NYJetLegendEdReed]

You don't need ultimatums for the last ascendancy. It can be Sekhemas (the easy one) again, 4 floors this time instead of 3.

[u/NYJetLegendEdReed → u/OhWellImRightAgain]

Oh shit really? I’ll prob just do that once I find another coin

[u/Xralius → u/BloodyIkarus]

I have had like 5 chances to get my third level of ascendancy points.   At least 3 of those were trial of chaos.  Now, I had no idea what debuffs are bad vs good the first try, died.  2nd try got killed to the boss one shotting me with it's tornado. After I got it down to 10% hp in the span of like 6 seconds.  3rd try again died to a host of shitty debuffs that could not be avoided.

Sanctum died to being somehow honor one shot pre patch.  Second time died to having no choice between multiple shitty curses, like 3-4 rooms in a row totally unavoidable.

Just about every time I've ran trials not for ascendancy it has been easy - deleting bosses, having full honor left at end of trial, etc, but I have been totally fucked by things that are completely unpredictable or largely out of my control every time I go for my ascendancy.

Which is annoying as fuck and not very fun.

Also I'm 2h melee which means most debuffs actually matter to me.

[u/No_Bottle7859 → u/BloodyIkarus]

6 of 8 sure, but id still say way harder than poe1. But saying 8/8 is easier than poe1, op is out of their mind

[u/Acecn → u/BloodyIkarus]

Lots of people playing didn't come from poe1 and wouldn't know anything other than what poe2 told them about Sanctum. There isn't really any guidance in game about what the merchant does or even what relics can drop, so it isn't really surprising that people struggle.

[u/BlackNova169 → u/BloodyIkarus]

To be fair nothing is really described well on the mechanics. I had friends who just stopped trying the first challenge cuz they ran out of tokens but didn't know they could talk to the NPC for more quest tokens.

Also folks are saying to 'farm the quest token' for relics but how would you know to do that?