Test of Cunning Barya: Common Mistakes to Avoid

[Matthew]

The Test of Cunning Barya is one of the most challenging Trials of the Sekhemas in Path of Exile 2, and players often stumble on specific pitfalls. Avoiding these common mistakes increases survival chances and success:

Rushing Through the Trial
Many players rush through trap-heavy rooms or don’t take time to study trap patterns and timings. This leads to rushed movements and untimely damage from traps or environmental hazards like quicksand and pressure plates. Patience to observe and time movements properly is essential.

Ignoring Honour Management
Honour is a trial-specific resource acting like health. Taking unnecessary damage quickly depletes Honour, ending the run prematurely. Avoiding combat spam, careful movement around traps, and using shrines or boons that restore Honour help maintain it.

Poor Pathing Choices
Selecting paths with heavy or permanent Afflictions can increase trial difficulty significantly. Opting for routes minimizing permanent debuffs and favoring Honour restoration shrines is vital. Taking the right pledges and relics can reduce difficulty.

Underestimating Environmental Hazards
Quicksand pools slow movement drastically, making dodging traps much harder. Standing on pressure plates often triggers damaging effects. Players who underestimate these hazards quickly lose Honour or get trapped.

Being Overwhelmed by Adds
Add enemies like sand worms or leapers often spawn alongside traps. Failing to control or quickly kill them results in compounded damage and crowding near hazards. Crowd control and burst damage prevent being overwhelmed.

Not Optimizing Build Mobility
Low movement speed or lack of dodge/phase mechanics makes avoiding traps difficult. Builds without enough mobility suffer heavy Honour loss in this trial. Prioritizing speed, dodge, and defensive layers boosts survivability.

Poor Flask Usage
Flasks with instant recovery, immunity, or movement buffs play a crucial role. Holding flasks for emergencies rather than spamming them increases survival during trap bursts or boss phases.

Trying Without Proper Preparation
Some players jump into the trial without studying room layouts, boss patterns (like Ashar the Sand Mother), or managing boons and afflictions. Preparation, gear optimization, and practice lead to better outcomes.

Avoiding rushing, managing Honour carefully, choosing paths and boons wisely, optimizing movement and crowd control, respecting environmental hazards, and preparing thoroughly all improve success rates in the Test of Cunning Barya. This approach prevents common failures and maximizes the rewarding experience of conquering one of PoE 2’s toughest challenges.