Your Ascendancy is the single biggest power spike in Path of Exile — and the only way to unlock it is the Labyrinth. This guide covers exactly how to earn all 8 Ascendancy points in league 3.29 "Curse of the Allflame": the four Labyrinth difficulties, every Trial of Ascendancy that gates them, the three Izaro fights, and what changed at the end-of-Lab font. Whether you're running your first character or chasing the Uber Lab, here's the complete path.
TLDR: Every character gets 8 Ascendancy points, awarded 2 at a time across the four Labyrinth difficulties — Normal, Cruel, Merciless, and Eternal (the "Uber Lab"). Normal Lab is gated by 6 Trials in Acts 1–3; Cruel and Merciless need 3 Trials each in the later acts; the Uber Lab uses an Offering to the Goddess instead of Trials. You fight Izaro three times per run, then spend your points at the Altar of Ascendancy. In 3.29 the Lab itself is unchanged — the league only added the new Luminary ascendancy for the Scion.
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Path of Exile - Labyrinth & Ascendancy
Get all 8 ascendancy points
What is the Labyrinth in Path of Exile?
The Lord's Labyrinth is a rotating trap-and-puzzle dungeon that changes layout every single day — as the official site puts it, "Every day, the Labyrinth has a completely new layout." You enter it from the Aspirant's Plaza, navigate traps and side-rooms, fight the boss Izaro three times, and finish at a reward room. Completing it is how your character earns Ascendancy points and locks in an Ascendancy subclass.
This matters because your Ascendancy tree is where the real power lives. There are now 20 Ascendancy classes in Path of Exile — the official Ascendancy page states: "There are 20 Ascendancy classes, each with its own additional Ascendancy Skill Tree to master." Skipping the Lab means playing without a third of your build. Nobody does it on purpose.
How many Ascendancy points do you get, and how?
You get 8 total, two per Labyrinth difficulty:
- Normal Lab → points 1 and 2 (this is also where you choose your Ascendancy subclass)
- Cruel Lab → points 3 and 4
- Merciless Lab → points 5 and 6
- Eternal / Uber Lab → points 7 and 8
The points are only granted the first time you complete each difficulty. Re-running a Lab you've already cleared gives loot and enchants, but no additional Ascendancy points. As Maxroll's Labyrinth guide states plainly: "The first time you complete the Labyrinth on each difficulty, you will receive two Ascendancy Points."
The four Labyrinth difficulties and their level gates
Each Lab has a recommended character level and its own unlock requirement. Rushing in underlevelled is the fastest way to eat an Izaro slam and lose XP, so treat these as floors, not targets:
Normal Labyrinth — recommended around character level 33. Unlocked by completing the 6 Trials of Ascendancy in Acts 1–3.
Cruel Labyrinth — recommended around level 55. Unlocked by clearing the 3 Cruel Trials in Acts 6–7 (after you've completed the Normal Lab).
Merciless Labyrinth — recommended around level 68. Unlocked by clearing the 3 Merciless Trials in Acts 8–10 (after the Cruel Lab).
Eternal Labyrinth ("Uber Lab") — recommended around level 75, with area level scaling higher via enhanced offerings. There are no Trials for this one — instead you enter post-campaign by using an Offering to the Goddess, a map-fragment-style item that drops from endgame content. This is the hardest Lab and the source of the best rewards.
Trials of Ascendancy: where to find them
The Trials are small, self-contained trap rooms hidden inside campaign zones. Clearing all the required ones for a difficulty unlocks the corresponding Labyrinth. This is the part new players miss most often, so here's the full breakdown.
Normal (6 Trials, Acts 1–3):
- Act 1 — The Lower Prison
- Act 2 — The Chamber of Sins Level 2
- Act 2 — The Crypt Level 1
- Act 3 — The Crematorium
- Act 3 — The Catacombs
- Act 3 — The Imperial Gardens
Cruel (3 Trials, Acts 6–7): one Trial in Act 6, and two Trials in Act 7.
Merciless (3 Trials, Acts 8–10): one Trial each in Act 8, Act 9, and Act 10.
Eternal / Uber: no Trials — gated by the Offering to the Goddess item instead.
The six original Trials each carry a flavour name — Piercing Truth, Lingering Pain, Crippling Grief, Swirling Fear, Burning Rage, and Stinging Doubt — but you don't need to memorise those; just clear every Trial room you find as you level and the Labyrinth will unlock on schedule.
The Izaro fight: three encounters per run
Every Labyrinth run features three fights against Izaro, spaced across three Aspirant's Trial chambers. His health is gated: the first fight ends when you drop him to roughly two-thirds health, the second at about one-third, and the third and final chamber is where you actually kill him. The final room has no traps and limited mechanics, so it's usually the safest of the three.
Between fights, Izaro's chambers contain optional mechanics you can choose to leave active or shut down:
- Conduits (of Flames, Frost, or Storms) that empower him
- Gargoyles, Charge Disruptors, and Essences/Golems
- Fonts that cast curses like Fragility or Lethargy
- Idols, Lieutenants, and Summoning Portals
Here's the trade-off that defines the Lab: leaving mechanics active makes Izaro tougher but rewards extra treasure keys. If your build is strong, empowering him is free loot. If you're squishy or under-levelled, disable what you can and play it safe. This risk-versus-reward decision is the heart of Labyrinth farming.
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Where you spend your points: the Altar of Ascendancy
Once Izaro is dead, head to the final reward room. The Altar of Ascendancy sits in the upper-left of that room. On your very first (Normal) completion, this is where you pick your Ascendancy subclass — a permanent choice for that character, so know your build plan before you click. Each subsequent difficulty's altar simply grants the next two points to spend in that same Ascendancy tree.
Choosing the wrong Ascendancy on a fresh character isn't the end of the world for a first playthrough, but for an optimised build it's a costly mistake. Many players who want to hit maps on the right subclass — or who simply don't enjoy the Lab's traps — use a Labyrinth and Ascendancy carry to unlock all their points cleanly and get straight to endgame.
What the Lab rewards: keys, doors, and the Divine Font
The Labyrinth pays out in a few ways beyond Ascendancy points:
Treasure keys and doors. Killing Izaro drops one treasure key; keeping optional mechanics active can add more, and the roaming mini-boss Argus (found in Merciless and Eternal) drops another. Silver keys open Silver Doors and Golden keys open Golden Doors, which lead to side chests — including the Emperor's Vault at the very end.
Darkshrines. These optional shrines apply random effects to your run — bonuses like Acceleration or an extra treasure key, or risks that make the Lab deadlier. They're a gamble layered on top of the base run.
The Divine Font — the big change to know. For years, the end-of-Lab font let you roll item enchantments onto helmets, gloves, and boots. That system has been replaced. The font is now the Divine Font, and it offers gem crafting instead — as GGG stated: "The Divine Font will now offer gem crafting options instead of Labyrinth Enchantments. Labyrinth Enchantments on existing items will not be changed or removed."
So today the Divine Font can transform a skill gem into a random Transfigured Gem, add gem quality, or convert a gem's stored experience into a Facetor's Lens. You get one Divine Font use in Normal/Cruel/Merciless (a Darkshrine can add another) and two by default in the Uber Lab (up to three with the right Darkshrine). If you're chasing a specific Transfigured Gem for your build, farming Uber Lab runs is the way to roll for it. Legacy enchanted items you already own still work — you just can't create new Lab item-enchants anymore.
Did league 3.29 change the Labyrinth?
No. Curse of the Allflame did not touch the Labyrinth, the Trials, Izaro, the point totals, or the difficulty gating. What 3.29 added was the new Luminary ascendancy for the Scion — the class built entirely around permanently hiring and gearing Mercenaries — which is why the total climbed from 19 to 20 Ascendancy classes. You still earn Luminary the exact same way as every other subclass: by running the Labyrinth. So this guide applies to a Luminary Scion just as it does to a Righteous Fire Juggernaut.
FAQ
How many Ascendancy points can you get in Path of Exile? Eight total per character, awarded two at a time across the four Labyrinth difficulties (Normal, Cruel, Merciless, and Eternal/Uber). You only receive the points the first time you clear each difficulty.
How do I unlock the Labyrinth? Complete the Trials of Ascendancy hidden in campaign zones. The Normal Lab needs all 6 Trials from Acts 1–3; Cruel needs 3 Trials in Acts 6–7; Merciless needs 3 Trials in Acts 8–10. The Uber Lab uses an Offering to the Goddess instead of Trials.
How many times do you fight Izaro in one Labyrinth run? Three times. His health is gated at roughly two-thirds and one-third before the final chamber where you kill him. Leaving his optional mechanics active makes the fights harder but drops extra treasure keys.
What is the Uber Lab and when can I run it? The Eternal Labyrinth, recommended around character level 75. It has no Trials — you enter it after the campaign using an Offering to the Goddess. It's the hardest Lab and gives the most Divine Font uses (two by default), making it the best source of Transfigured Gems.
Can I still get Labyrinth enchantments on my gear? Not new ones. The old helmet/glove/boot enchant system was replaced by the Divine Font, which now offers gem crafting (Transfigured Gems, quality, Facetor's Lens). Items that already have Lab enchants keep them, but you can no longer roll new item-enchants at the font.
Do I have to do the Labyrinth if I don't like the traps? You need it to unlock your Ascendancy, which is essential for any real build. If you dislike the traps or want a specific subclass unlocked fast, a Labyrinth carry service can complete all four difficulties for you so you keep the points without running the Lab yourself.
Fund your build once you're through the Lab
Unlocking your Ascendancy is step one — a strong endgame character also needs currency for gear, links, and crafting. If you'd rather spend your time playing than grinding, timesaver.gg can help:
Skip the traps and grind:
- PoE Labyrinth & Ascendancy carries — unlock all 8 points and hit maps on the right subclass
- PoE currency and Divine Orbs — fund your build the moment you're ready to gear up
- Best currency farming strategies (3.29) — if you'd rather earn it in-game
Always verify current currency rates on poe.ninja before you trade.
