How To Respec Your Ascendancy In Path Of Exile: A Complete Technical Guide

To change your Ascendancy sub-class in Path of Exile, you must unallocate every currently assigned Ascendancy point at a cost of five Orbs of Regret per point. Once the Ascendancy tree is completely empty, you must finish any version of the Lord's Labyrinth and interact with the Altar of Ascendancy in the final treasure room to select a new sub-class.

Essential Preparation and Resource Requirements

Before attempting to pivot your character's fundamental identity, you must ensure you have the necessary currency and access. Unlike standard passive skill points, which require a single Refund Point (obtained via Orbs of Regret or quest rewards), Ascendancy points are significantly more expensive to revert. Failure to prepare the correct amount of currency will result in a "bricked" character state where you lack the power of your old sub-class but cannot yet access the new one.

Resource and Prerequisite Checklist

• Orbs of Regret Currency: You need exactly five Orbs of Regret for every Ascendancy point currently allocated. For a character that has completed the Eternal Labyrinth (Uber Lab), this equates to 40 Orbs of Regret for 8 points. It is advisable to carry 50 Orbs to account for any minor adjustments needed in the standard passive tree to support the new build's requirements.
• Labyrinth Access: You must have access to at least the Aspirants' Plaza. While you can use any of the four Labyrinth tiers to change your Ascendancy, the "Normal" Labyrinth (Level 33) is the industry standard for respecs because it allows for the fastest completion time with the lowest risk of character death.
• Base Class Verification: You can only respec into sub-classes belonging to your base character. A Witch can transition between Necromancer, Occultist, and Elementalist. A Witch cannot, under any circumstances, respec into a Deadeye or a Juggernaut.
• Build Sustainability: Ensure you have the required attribute thresholds (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence) for your gear and gems after the respec. Many Ascendancy nodes provide flat attributes or percentage-based bonuses that, when removed, may disable your primary equipment.

Detailed Execution Steps for Changing Your Ascendancy

The process of shifting your character’s sub-class requires a specific sequence of operations. Deviating from this order—specifically attempting to run the Labyrinth before unallocating points—will result in a wasted run, as the Altar of Ascendancy will not allow a change if any points are currently invested in a tree.

Step 1: Liquidating Ascendancy Points

Open your passive skill tree (default key: P) and navigate to the Ascendancy display. You cannot simply click the "Refund Passives" button and expect it to work on the Ascendancy tree if you lack the specific refund points.

1. Use your Orbs of Regret to generate refund points. Right-click the Orb in your inventory to apply it to your character.
2. Click the "Refund Passives" button at the top of the skill tree interface.
3. Click on the most recent Ascendancy nodes you allocated. You must work backward from the end of a branch toward the center.
4. Confirm the refund. Each point removed will consume five of your available refund points.
5. Continue until the Ascendancy seal in the center of the tree is completely empty.

Warning: If you are playing a build that relies on Ascendancy-specific mechanics for survival (such as Slayer’s overleech or Occultist’s Chaos resistance), your character will be significantly more fragile during the subsequent Labyrinth run.

Step 2: Selecting the Appropriate Labyrinth Tier

To finalize the change, you must reach the Altar of Ascendancy. This altar is only found in the final room of the Labyrinth, the Heart of the Ascension, after defeating Izaro for the third time.

1. Travel to the Aspirants' Plaza.
2. Select the "Labyrinth" (the first and easiest tier).
3. While you can choose the Cruel, Merciless, or Eternal Labyrinth, they offer no additional benefit for the specific act of respecing. High-level players typically choose the lowest tier to bypass Izaro’s phases in seconds and avoid the environmental hazards of higher-tier maps.

Step 3: Navigating the Labyrinth and Defeating Izaro

Proceed through the Labyrinth zones. Since your goal is specifically the Altar of Ascendancy, ignore side content such as Silver Keys, Darkshrines, or Argus unless you specifically need the extra rewards.

1. Enter the first trial room and reduce Izaro's health to the transition threshold.
2. Move through the intermediate zones to the second trial.
3. Complete the third and final trial. Ensure you do not accidentally die to traps, as you are currently playing without any Ascendancy buffs.

Step 4: Interacting with the Altar of Ascendancy

Upon Izaro's final defeat, enter the Treasure Room. You will see the Divine Font (used for gem transfigurations), the Treasure Chests, and the Altar of Ascendancy.

1. Click on the Altar of Ascendancy.
2. A UI overlay will appear showing the available sub-classes for your base class.
3. Select the new Ascendancy you wish to adopt.
4. Click the "Ascend" button.
5. Open your passive tree immediately. You will notice that you have all your previously earned points (2, 4, 6, or 8) available to spend in the new tree.

Pro-Tip: You do not need to run the Labyrinth multiple times to "unlock" the points for the new class. If you have already completed the Eternal Labyrinth on that character, you will immediately have 8 points to spend on the new sub-class.

Technical Specifications and Resource Cost Comparison

The following table outlines the resource costs and requirements for respecing at various stages of character progression. Note that the cost is strictly tied to the number of points allocated, not the level of the character or the difficulty of the Labyrinth chosen.

Troubleshooting Common Ascendancy Respec Failures

Even for veteran players, the respec process can encounter technical hurdles or mechanical blocks. Understanding the root cause of these issues is essential for minimizing currency waste and downtime.

The Altar of Ascendancy is Unresponsive

• Root Cause: You still have one or more points allocated in your old Ascendancy tree. Even a single point will lock the Altar from allowing a sub-class change.
• Actionable Fix: Open your passive tree while inside the Heart of the Ascension. Check every branch of your previous Ascendancy. Ensure the "Refund Passives" mode is active and that every node is greyed out. You can perform this refund inside the Labyrinth treasure room if you brought the Orbs of Regret with you.

Insufficient Refund Points Error

• Root Cause: The player is attempting to use standard quest-reward refund points or only has one Orb of Regret per point.
• Actionable Fix: Check your character sheet under the "P" menu. Look at the "Refund Points" counter. If you have 8 Ascendancy points, that counter must read 40. Buy more Orbs of Regret from other players or vendors (Yeena in Act 2 or Lani in the Epilogue) to reach the required threshold.

Gear is Disabled After Respec

• Root Cause: Many Ascendancies provide hidden or explicit utility. For example, the Inquisitor provides significant Strength and Intelligence, while the Raider provides Evasion and Spell Suppression. Removing these can drop you below the requirements for your armor or weapons.
• Actionable Fix: Before respecing, check the attribute requirements of your primary gear. Keep a few "Jewelry" pieces with high flat Strength or Intelligence in your inventory to swap in temporarily. This allows you to maintain your gear while you re-allocate points in your new tree.

Cannot Find the Altar of Ascendancy

• Root Cause: In the final treasure room, players often confuse the "Divine Font" (the large skull-like vat for gem crafting) with the "Altar of Ascendancy" (the plaque-like monument).
• Actionable Fix: Look toward the top-right or center of the treasure room. The Altar of Ascendancy is a distinct stone monument separate from the crafting benches. Hover your cursor over the interactables until the label "Altar of Ascendancy" appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to redo the Uber Lab to get my 8 points back on the new class?

No. Once your character has unlocked a certain number of Ascendancy points by completing the various Labyrinth tiers, those points are permanently unlocked for that character. When you switch to a new sub-class, you are immediately granted the same total number of points to spend in the new tree.

Can I change my base class, such as turning a Marauder into a Duelist?

No. Character base classes are permanent. To play a different base class, you must create a new character and level them through the campaign. The Ascendancy respec is strictly for moving between the three sub-classes assigned to your specific base class (or the single Ascendant class for Scions).

Is there a way to respec without using Orbs of Regret?

During certain temporary events or the launch of a new major expansion, Grinding Gear Games may offer a "Full Passive Reset." However, these resets usually only apply to the standard passive tree. Even with a full reset, you must typically still manually unallocate Ascendancy points and run the Labyrinth to change the sub-class itself.

What is the fastest way to get Orbs of Regret for a respec?

The most efficient method is trading with other players via the official Path of Exile Trade site using Chaos Orbs. If you are playing Solo Self-Found (SSF), you can trade 2 Orbs of Scouring to a vendor for 1 Orb of Regret. Orbs of Scouring can be purchased for 4 Orbs of Chance.

Does the "Ascendant" (Scion) follow different rules?

The Scion follows the same fundamental rules, but her "Passive Tree Start" nodes can complicate the respec. If you have used an Ascendant node to start your passive tree from a different class's starting location (e.g., starting at the Ranger's node as a Scion), you must often respec your entire standard passive tree before the game will allow you to unallocate the Ascendant nodes.

Optimize Your Path of Exile Build Today

Refining your character's sub-class is a pivotal step in reaching the endgame and maximizing your mapping efficiency. Use these steps to ensure a smooth transition and get back to slaying the monsters of Wraeclast with your optimized configuration.