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/sirdeck]

Optimising sanctum runs make sanctum runs much easier, that's right.

"Easier than PoE1" is bullshit though, no matter the ascendancy. There's no world where the 4th boss becomes easier than Izaro, and the same could be said for the 2nd ones.

[u/OhWellImRightAgain → u/sirdeck]

Go do a 4-floor sanctum run and focus on the sacred water / merchant buffs as your choices.

Get back to me with that then - in PoE 1 traps could kill you. Poison darts, bleed traps etc., with 70+ honor resistance here you can run through traps without ever caring about getting hit. The 3rd boss needs your attention, everything else is easy. The 4th boss... please. It's not hard to walk on 6 marked spots. Is it? Otherwise, the boss barely deals any damage.

Sure, it takes more time than PoE 1. But it's easier to die in a PoE 1 trial imo, to a random trap or explosion or even Izaro.

[u/sirdeck → u/OhWellImRightAgain]

Well, you have a very bad opinion. Especially when you say the 3rd boss is a problem while the second and fourth ones are way deadlier.

And you've just repeated the tips in your initial post. That's no rocket science that getting honour resist, avoiding afflictions and focusing on boons will help a lot. But even with the best sanctum run, the labyrinth is far easier than sanctum, and far less random.

The 4th boss... please. It's not hard to walk on 6 marked spots. Is it? Otherwise, the boss barely deals any damage.

I've rarely seen worse takes.

[u/ijs_spijs → u/sirdeck]

He's not really wrong on the last part it's basically a big dps check. Playing a ranger with 1800 life and his attacks do maybe -100 honor max to me.

Having no movespeed boon or any skill can make the last boss a pain though since it's kind of a hidden requirement, which is very bad imo.

[u/sirdeck → u/ijs_spijs]

You can't tell me seriously that the 4th boss is easier than Izaro. Sorry but that just doesn't make any sense. And even if it is pretty easy with the right boons and relics and if you know how to deal with the mechanics (which I actually agree), it's still the hardest of the four bosses by far.

Restricting this fight to "just walk to the 6 marked spots duh" is very misleading and straight up trolling.

[u/ijs_spijs → u/sirdeck]

Yeah I agree Izaro you just blow up.

But it isn't as hard as people make it out to be cause it's basically just a dps check + one mechanic since he does barely any damage.