Path of Exile 2 Trials of Chaos and Sekhemas — 9 Requirement Rows, 2 Routes, 4 Gates

The two Path of Exile 2 trials feed four ascension gates, and the whole system is described by nine requirement rows: four for the Trial of the Sekhemas, five for The Trial of Chaos. Walking the Sekhemas route to the end costs 10 trial completions; walking the Chaos route costs 24. That 14-completion gap is the single most useful number on this page.

Everything below is read from the requirement table cached from poe2db.tw, cross-referenced against the gem level ladder so you know what your character actually has in hand when each gate opens. Room-by-room mechanics are outside that dataset, so this guide stays on the structure: what each gate asks for, which route is cheaper, and when to start.

The two trial types and their item chains

The item chain is short and readable. Sekhemas uses exactly two items across four steps: Balbala’s Barya once at level 22, then Djinn Barya three times at 38, 60 and 80. Chaos uses three named items for six points of progression — Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum at step 4, Inscribed Ultimatum at step 6, and three separate “Fate” items at step 8.

That last cluster is the strangest part of the table. Cowardly Fate, Deadly Fate and Victorious Fate all sit at ascension 8, but only Victorious Fate carries numbers (10 trials, level 80). The other two list neither. Read literally, step 8 through Chaos has three parallel requirement entries, one of which is quantified and two of which are not.

What your character has when each gate opens

This is where the requirement table meets the gem ladder. The gemcutting data gives a character level for every gem level, and socket counts change at four points — gem level 1, 10, 15 and 20.

Three things follow.

First, at the level 22 gate you have two sockets. Your main skill plus one support. Any plan that assumes a three-support setup at ascension 2 is a plan for a character you do not have yet.

Second, the third socket arrives at gem level 10, which needs character level 36 — two levels before the level 38 gate. The level 38 ascension step is therefore the first gate you can enter with a three-socket main skill.

Third, the Chaos route at step 6 opens at level 75 and hands you gem level 17 and a four-socket group, while the Sekhemas route at step 6 opens at level 60 with gem level 14 and three sockets. That is the strongest argument for the Chaos route on a late character: 15 character levels later, but with a materially better gem setup when you walk in.

Route cost, in completions

The Sekhemas column is an incremental ladder: each step costs exactly one more completion than the last. The Chaos column jumps from 4 to 10 and stays there.

For a character that intends to take all four steps, Sekhemas is 14 completions cheaper. For a character that only wants step 4, Chaos costs 4 completions with no level requirement listed — against 2 completions at level 38. That is the only place where Chaos is competitive on cost, and it is competitive because it removes a level gate rather than because it removes work.

Choosing a route per step

Step 2: Sekhemas only. There is no Chaos row at ascension 2. Level 22, one completion, Balbala’s Barya. This is not a decision.

Step 4: pick your constraint. Two Sekhemas trials at level 38, or four Chaos trials at no listed level. If you are ahead of the level curve, Chaos removes the gate. If you are behind it, Sekhemas is cheaper in completions.

Step 6: level 60 with 3 trials, or level 75 with 10. The Sekhemas option is available 15 levels earlier and costs 7 fewer completions, but arrives with three sockets instead of four. For most characters the early option is correct simply because it unblocks the build sooner.

Step 8: four trials at 80, or ten at 80. Same level gate, 6 fewer completions on the Sekhemas side. Unless you specifically need a Chaos-side entry, this is not close.

The ascension guide covers what the points themselves buy and how to sequence a class around them; this page is about the runs.

Preparation that matches the gate

Bring the item, not just the level. Every row names an item. Balbala’s Barya for step 2, Djinn Barya for steps 4, 6 and 8, Chimeral Inscribed Ultimatum for the Chaos step 4.

At level 22, build for two sockets. One support. The 190 band-1 supports in the support gems guide are your entire pool at that point, and picking the one that matches your skill’s tags matters more than picking the strongest-sounding one.

At level 38, re-cut your main gem. Gem level 10 is available from character level 36, so the level 38 gate is the first one where a fresh cut is worth the gem. The uncut gems guide has the full 20-level ladder.

Before level 60, decide whether you are waiting for 75. If you are taking the Chaos step 6, you are committing to 10 completions and a 15-level delay in exchange for a four-socket group. That trade should be deliberate.

Before level 80, expect four sockets and gem level 18. Both step-8 routes sit at level 80. Neither is a level sprint at that point; both are completion counts.

The quote that best captures how literal the table is:

”{“ascension”: 8, “name”: “Victorious Fate”, “trials”: 10, “level”: 80}” — raw row from the ascendancy table in src/data/poe2-ascendancy.json

No adjectives, no hints. A count and a level. Treat every row the same way and the system stops being mysterious.

If trials are the wall between you and the rest of the game, the endgame guide covers what opens up after the level 80 step, and the passive respec guide covers what it costs to undo a choice you regret.