In Path of Exile’s recent league, Trial of the Ancestors, players were introduced to a unique mechanic that challenged their skills and strategies. This article offers a review of the league mechanics and insights into experience and strategies for approaching the trials.

Starting Out
We began their journey in Trial of the Ancestors with little knowledge of the mechanics. They initially spent their silver coins without a clear strategy but quickly realized that their build lacked the necessary defense, clear speed, and single-target damage to excel in the trials. Consequently, they decided to postpone their trials until they had a more powerful and well-established character.

Building an Accuracy Stacker
After a week of refining their build, We created an accuracy stacker build that boasted impressive stats, including over 100 million DPS with Tornado Shot. This newfound power encouraged them to delve deeper into the league mechanic.

Trial of the Ancestors Gameplay
We embarked on their Trial of the Ancestors journey, initially enjoying the challenge and excitement. As they progressed through the ranks, they received valuable advice from the community about better strategies and tips for success.

Challenges of Higher Ranks
As We climbed the ranks, they encountered more challenging opponents. Even with their formidable DPS, they discovered that some foes became surprisingly resilient, taking longer to defeat than expected. Additionally, they experienced occasional, inexplicable one-shot deaths, highlighting the unpredictability of the league’s difficulty scaling.

Strategies and Resources
We turned to external resources, including video guides and spreadsheets, to overcome these challenges. They found two crucial pieces of information: which ancestors to eliminate early in the tournament and which units to prioritize. This knowledge allowed them to approach the trials with a more calculated strategy.

Repetitive Gameplay
While effective, the newfound strategies led to repetitive gameplay. We found ourselves repeating the same actions, such as acquiring specific currency and units, which led to monotony.

Personal Enjoyment over Profit
We emphasize that their enjoyment of the game is paramount. They prioritize the fun factor over maximizing currency gains. Even if Trial of the Ancestors offers profitable rewards, they prefer mapping because it aligns better with their preferences.

League Rewards
After investing 12 to 15 hours into Trial of the Ancestors, We’s rewards included seven flat Divine drops, two of them being flat Divine, and a single stack of five Divines. While the league offered various types of currency and bubble gum currency, they did not obtain any of the high-value rewards mentioned in the spreadsheet.

Min-Maxing Strategies
We discusses several min-maxing strategies used by players, such as intentionally losing rounds to re-roll rewards and cheese builds that manipulate monster positioning and behavior. These techniques can enhance profitability but may detract from the overall enjoyment of the league.

Tattoos and Quality of Life
The article concludes by praising the addition of tattoos to the game. Tattoos provide valuable quality-of-life improvements by allowing players to fine-tune their characters more efficiently, saving skill points, and enhancing various aspects of their builds. However, We believe that some tattoos may be overpowered and could use adjustments.

Final Thoughts
In summary, We found Trial of the Ancestors to be an interesting experience but not their favourite league mechanic. While they acknowledge the potential for profit, they prioritize enjoying their gameplay experience. They also expressed hope that the tattoos introduced in the league will become a permanent part of Path of Exile, with some necessary balancing changes.