Outsmarting the Test of Cunning Barya: Tips and Tricks
To outsmart the Test of Cunning Barya in Path of Exile 2’s Trial of the Sekhemas, here are key tips and tricks to help you navigate the challenge efficiently and survive its toughest encounters:
Understand the Challenge
The Test of Cunning is the third and final test in the Trial of the Sekhemas, known for its difficulty due to accumulated afflictions and low remaining Honour.
It features complex obstacles, traps, and a challenging final boss, Ashar the Sand Mother, requiring sharp awareness and strategic play.
Preparation and Relic Selection
Choose relics that boost your survivability and resource management, such as those increasing maximum Honour or enhancing Honour regeneration.
Avoid relics that add harmful afflictions or slow your movement.
Prioritize relics that improve damage output or cooldown recovery to clear rooms faster.
Path and Room Choices
Plan your route to avoid rooms with heavy damage-over-time effects or difficult afflictions that can quickly drain your Honour.
Opt for rooms that offer rewards like keys, sacred water (used to restore Honour), or boons that increase your survivability.
Skip or quickly clear trap-heavy rooms to minimize Honour loss.
Combat and Movement Tips
Use mobility skills such as Blink, dodge rolls, or movement speed buffs to avoid damage and navigate traps efficiently.
Maintain distance from enemies when possible to reduce incoming damage and Honour loss.
Use crowd control skills to manage groups and prevent being overwhelmed.
Boss Fight Strategy: Ashar the Sand Mother
Learn Ashar’s attack patterns to anticipate and avoid heavy damage attacks.
Use stagger or interrupt mechanics to reduce the frequency of her powerful moves.
Keep moving and use terrain to your advantage to minimize damage taken.
Honour Management
Honour acts as your health pool in the trial; avoid unnecessary damage to conserve it.
Use fountains and relics to restore Honour whenever possible.
Prioritize defensive buffs and healing effects during the test.
General Tips
Keep cooldowns low to maintain uptime on your strongest skills.
Balance offense and defense-don’t sacrifice survivability for damage output.
Practice patience and precision; rushing can lead to costly mistakes.
By carefully managing your path, relic choices, Honour, and combat tactics, you can outsmart the Test of Cunning Barya’s challenges and defeat Ashar, securing your progression in the Trial of the Sekhemas.