U4GM-How to Conquer the Test of Will Barya in Path of Exile: A Complete Guide

The Test of Will Barya is a challenging component of the Trial of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2, designed to test your endurance, combat skills, and strategic decision-making. Conquering this trial requires understanding its mechanics, managing resources carefully, and selecting the right approach for your build.

Entering the Trial

To access the Trial of the Sekhemas, you first need to defeat Balbala, the Traitor, in Act 2’s Traitor’s Passage. She drops Balbala’s Barya, which grants entry to the trial. Once inside, you can place the Test of Will Barya coin on the Relic altar to start the Test of Will variant of the trial. This version increases enemy damage and speed but also boosts the quality of rewards, making it suitable for tanky or high-damage builds that can handle the pressure.

Trial Structure and Honour Management

The trial consists of multiple floors filled with various rooms—combat arenas, trap gauntlets, puzzles, and timed challenges. Each room presents unique challenges and opportunities. Your survival depends on managing Honour, a special resource that acts like a secondary health bar. Honour decreases when you take damage and cannot be restored by flasks. Instead, you replenish Honour by completing rooms, activating shrines, or acquiring specific boons.

Losing all Honour means failing the trial, so avoiding damage and restoring Honour whenever possible is critical. Some boons grant temporary invulnerability or revive you upon Honour depletion, which can be lifesaving in tight spots.

Choosing Your Path and Boons

The trial map offers branching paths with rooms that provide different boons or afflictions. Selecting rooms that complement your build is essential. For example, if you have a ranged build, you might avoid trap-heavy rooms or close-quarter combat rooms. Boons can grant powerful benefits such as damage immunity after being hit, trap disabling, increased movement speed, or Honour restoration.

Afflictions, on the other hand, impose penalties like reduced Honour regeneration or increased enemy damage. Managing these by choosing beneficial boons or paying merchants to remove afflictions can greatly improve your survivability.

Combat and Survival Tips

Efficient crowd control and damage mitigation are key. Use movement skills to dodge attacks and traps, and focus on killing enemies quickly to reduce incoming damage. Keep an eye on your Honour and retreat to shrines or safe zones when needed. Killing rare monsters can reduce timers in timed rooms but may increase risk, so balance aggression with caution.

The Boss Fight

The Test of Will culminates in a boss fight against a powerful enemy who tests your endurance and mechanics. Learning the boss’s attack patterns and timing your defensive cooldowns and Honour management are crucial. Use your accumulated boons and any remaining Honour wisely to survive the encounter.

To conquer the Test of Will Barya in Path of Exile 2:

Enter the trial by defeating Balbala and use the Test of Will Barya coin to start the challenge.

Manage your Honour carefully; avoid damage and seek Honour restoration through boons and shrines.

Choose rooms and paths that suit your build and offer beneficial boons while minimizing afflictions.

Use movement and crowd control skills to survive waves of enemies and traps.

Prepare for and learn the boss fight mechanics to finish the trial successfully.

Mastering these strategies will help you overcome the Test of Will, unlocking powerful rewards and advancing your character’s progression in Path of Exile 2.