Path of Exile 2: Defeating Balbala – A Comprehensive Guide

As you journey through the Traitor’s Passage in Path of Exile II, you’ll encounter a significant challenge: a massive door adorned with an Ancient Seal. Behind this door waits Balbala, a formidable foe bound by three Runic Seals and poised above a treacherous pit.

Balbala serves as a vital gateway to Ascendancy, one of the most critical upgrades available for character advancement in the game. This guide aims to navigate you through her unique mechanics and strategies to conquer this essential, albeit optional, boss fight.

Understanding the Arena

One of the standout features of this fight is the arena’s confined space. The setting feels claustrophobic, exacerbated by a central pit that is off-limits.

Balbala is a deeply agile enemy, regularly teleporting and appearing unexpectedly behind you. It requires constant movement on your part; quick evasive maneuvers are essential to dodge her attacks.

To maximize your success, exploit Balbala’s vulnerability to Frost-based attacks while being aware of her resistance to Fire. Opt for Cold or Lightning-assessed strategies to gain the upper hand.

Staying at a safe distance is crucial; practice kiting her around the space and acclimating to the arena’s dimensions. Initially, I found it beneficial to observe her patterns before engaging fully.

Although the fight lacks a definitive phase two, be aware that Balbala’s mechanics become increasingly challenging as her health diminishes, making it important to deplete her health quickly.

Throughout the battle, Balbala inflicts considerable poison and fire damage. Enhancing your elemental resistances can significantly ease your struggle in this encounter.

Door’s Regular Attacks

Attack Name	Description
Dual Blades	Balbala frequently teleports behind her targets, delivering swift blade swipes. Stay mobile to avoid being caught off guard, as remaining stationary for too long can result in rapid, deadly strikes. Keeping your evasion high will help mitigate damage.
Drill Run	In this attack, Balbala ascends and charges across the arena. This maneuver is easy to anticipate, allowing you to simply roll away to avoid repercussions.

Dagger Attacks

Attack Name	Description
Toxic Dagger Throw	During this maneuver, Balbala launches a barrage of poisoned daggers. Maintain movement around the arena to evade this attack.
Homing Knives	After teleporting, Balbala summons floating daggers that eventually target you. Keep moving laterally to avoid taking damage from these projectiles.
Rising Strikes	This attack involves Balbala throwing dagger sets targeting your last position, which subsequently rise and cause damage. Watch the ground closely to evade this easily telegraphed attack.
Glaive Circle	This less frequent and less predictable attack involves Balbala casting a ring of glaives before retracting them. There will be a gap where one glaive is missing; evade by moving away or finding that gap.

The Venom Well

This attack can be particularly baffling for newcomers and poses a severe threat to players who stand still.

When Balbala disappears, poisonous gas emanates from the well at the arena’s center. Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter how far you retreat; remaining in the gas will quickly deplete your health.

As soon as the gas appears, immediately begin moving around the perimeter of the room to locate Balbala.

Once you spot her, avoid attacking, as she will counter with a sizable AoE attack that can deal substantial damage. Instead, roll away, which will halt the spread of the poisonous gas.

The Cursed Coin

A consistent danger throughout the battle is the ancient coin trap that Balbala frequently deploys. Effectively dealing with this can significantly enhance your chance of victory.

Spirit of Balbala

This coin eventually summons a Spirit of Balbala, a spectral foe that chases you with swift slashes from dual knives. While it doesn’t deal substantial damage, maintaining movement is key to avoid hits.

Eliminating this spirit will revert it back to a coin, granting you an opportunity to strike at Balbala until the spirit resurrects.

This ghostly adversary can clutter the already tight arena space. If too many spirits are spawned, consider clumping them together for an AOE attack to take them down quickly.

If you’re low on Life Flasks, spawning multiple spirits can be advantageous for quick replenishment.

My attempts to generate spirits yielded a maximum spawn limit around ten; however, it’s challenging to keep count when you’re constantly maneuvering.

Breaking the Charm

Alternatively, you can bypass the coin trap by running through it, which causes Balbala to teleport to you and dive down, igniting an explosion.

The optimal approach is to dash through the trap and roll at the last moment to evade damage and mitigate the spawning of additional threats. It may take practice, but as you learn to navigate the mechanics, it will become intuitive.

This confrontation emphasizes resource management and strategic movement. Agility and seizing opportunities when they arise are crucial to success.

The Demise of Doors

Upon delivering the final blow to Balbala, she ascends and bursts into flames, yet her journey doesn’t end here; she chooses to linger as a Djinn rather than fade away.

Be sure to collect Balbala’s Barya, an essential item for embarking on the Trial of the Sekhemas, which allows you to unlock the powerful Ascendancy mechanics.

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