Test of Time Barya Mechanics Explained for Beginners
The Test of Time Barya is a special Sekhemas Coin in Path of Exile 2 that you use to enter the Trial of the Sekhemas, a roguelike challenge dungeon essential for unlocking your Ascendancy class and gaining powerful rewards.
What Is Test of Time Barya?
It is an item that you place on the Relic Altar at the start of the Trial of the Sekhemas to begin your run.
The coin provides specific bonuses that make the trial easier to clear and improve the rewards you receive upon completion.
You can view the trial progress and active effects by right-clicking the coin in your inventory.
How to Obtain Test of Time Barya
Test of Time Barya can drop randomly throughout the world during your playthrough.
Other Sekhemas Coins are obtained from bosses, quests, or trading, but Test of Time Barya is one of the more common coins used to start the trial.
Trial of the Sekhemas Overview
The trial is a multi-room gauntlet consisting of seven challenge rooms followed by a final boss fight against Zarohk, the Temporal.
Each room has specific objectives such as surviving waves, disabling traps, or defeating enemies.
After each room, you choose your next challenge and can gain boons, keys, or sacred water, which help you survive and improve rewards.
The trial is designed with slower, telegraphed enemy attacks, encouraging careful play and positioning.
Honour Mechanic
Honour is a unique health-like resource in the trial that combines your life and energy shield.
Taking damage reduces Honour, and if it reaches zero, you fail the trial even if your life or energy shield is intact.
Honour cannot be healed by normal means like flasks; it can only be restored through special shrines, boons, or relics found during the trial.
Managing Honour carefully by avoiding damage and using movement skills like dodge rolls is crucial for success.
Relics and Boons
Before starting, you can place relics on the altar alongside your Sekhemas Coin.
Relics grant powerful boons such as increased maximum Honour, damage boosts, or resource regeneration to aid your run.
Choosing relics that increase Honour or reduce damage taken is recommended for beginners.
Tips for Beginners
Use mobility skills and dodge rolls frequently to avoid damage and conserve Honour.
Pick challenge rooms that offer rewards like keys, sacred water, or Honour restoration to prolong your run.
Avoid risky rooms with heavy afflictions until you are more comfortable with the trial mechanics.
Learn the boss patterns of Zarohk to avoid devastating attacks in the final fight9.
If you fail, you can return to Balbala, the Traitor, to receive another Barya and retry the trial without penalty during the quest.
In summary, the Test of Time Barya is your key to entering the Trial of the Sekhemas, a challenging multi-stage dungeon where careful Honour management, strategic room selection, and effective use of relics and boons are essential. For beginners, focusing on mobility, Honour preservation, and understanding trial mechanics will greatly improve your chances of success.