my 2 cents on trial of the Sekhema.. - Vaal/druid league

I hate this thing... if the 3rd way is added or ultimatums get better drops, I may actually ever get my 3rd ascendancy points..

my 2 cents:

what is the challenge - the honour dynamic or do not get hit..

what is the agency - trap timing, run afflictions one accumulates, facing a boss that has area damage or is harder if one is melee or need stand still for a brief..

and what is the punishment.. extreme.. for any trial above the starting one, one need to go multiple "floors".. so far, fine, multiple bosses.. then add the afflictions piling up without a means to remedy other then RNG (the altering pact is very restricted and RNG).. so far its a very hard challenge.. then there are the rares:
- most enemies have a long telegraph or a startup sequence (or both), fotting most challenges of avoid being hit... still, at this point in time, some bonus are still present that are against this type of challenge - mainly, the lightning+syphon aura and both magma craig and flower blasts - why, because if you are not a ranged build facing those ramps up difficulty to insane or impossible..

- one run, two rares close by, agroing simultanously, both with magma craigs.. as a melee, its hard to do anything other then dodge.. and is a chalice room, I must defeat those..
- one run, similar scene, with the flower option.. at the time, two ranged enemies so, long spell-flinging (and they are not the big damage for druids, since they are longer lasting)..
- then there is the damage-syphon aura.. where is the agency there, its not even something one can dodge.. and gods forbid the enemy is a giant spider or other fast mob and ends your run right there..

in short.. seems the trial of Sekhemas has a vision.. room, traps and monsters were picked for that vision... alas, the RNG powers for the rares were ignored and not limited nor picked for that.. making this trial the most frustrating ever.. (IMO, Isarro's Labyrinth was better fitting as a honour challenge, with the many (awesome) traps and monster packs in between..

so far, for longer runs, the trial of the Sekhemas seems more like a single coin rogue-like.. you get one attempet avery many hours, one run.. and if you fail, there is no learning since by the time you drop another one its been long enough you forgot about it - other then "if you are melee, forget it"



..and I am yet to get to the 3rd boss... but if "the scorpion" is like the one I found doing maps, with the quicksand aura and constant jumping aroung, what is the challenge there? how to cheese at range and not melee? (similar how the solution to the hourglass as a melee is pure cheese)


I just hope GGG review parts of their trials to better align to their vision of said trials.. similar on how the Labirinth was improoved over time.


(ps.. bring the Labyrinth to poe2.. I miss that narration.. ^.^ ..Balbala is fine but could well say more about the challenges other then a "very good" when you clear the room..