Ascendancy Trials in POE2 make the game completely unbearable and unfun.

I think both trials just need tweaks so that they can be a lot less annoying.

Having to farm for the tokens is really not a big deal. If you do maps regularly you'll get tokens all of the time.

There IS one issue though and it is that trials in general are way overtuned for their level. So you are doing level 65 maps consistently, you are still a long ways to go before you can actually do level 65 ascendancies. I've been thinking of farming a level 60 campaign map.

So that's the first thing that needs to happen: The difficulty of a level X ascendancy run should be slightly harder than a level X map. Since that's where the tokens drop.

As for other changes. If they removed Gauntlet, would anyone really miss it? I highly doubt it. And this makes the challenge so damn annoying. I'd say that's the real problem. Fewer people would have a problem with having to repeat these challenges if they weren't annoying as hell to play. As for the Temple of Chaos. It's performance is completely terrible and makes the whole experience unpleasant. And that's before the amount of stacked curses starts getting insane. The bosses are also just a misery to play against. So really, fix the performance, nerf the bosses and make new curses appear every second room instead of every single room.

I will not play this game again if these trials stay the same.

I'll probably get crucified for this, but it really doesn't matter.

I don't engage with trials anymore with the exception of the first couple rounds.

They are over-tuned, but once you get some good relics under your belt they're plenty doable. What annoys me the most is the combination of how long it can potentially take to get another entrance key should you fail, and how obnoxiously bad the RNG with buffs/debuffs can be. I've breezed through certain runs, and then then turned around and gotten d1ck-slapped by terrible RNG multiple runs in a row. I'll run the first couple rounds to get my ascendancy and the 4 points, and then IMO it's just not worth the time and hassle. I don't no-life this game, but I play enough to build good currency, and in a fraction of the time it can potentially take the get the last 4 points I can just toss someone a div and be done with it in 10 min. I just don't care enough anymore to bother with it. Considering the cost of decent end-game gear, 1 div for the last 4 ascendancy points is a steal to me...

I'm not advocating for the removal of trials, or even the honor system anymore. I just want them to rework it. If you are insanely lucky there are some bangin relics that make it relatively easy, but I never saw any of them when I was completing trials legitimately. There's enough RNG baked into the core of this game in every other aspect; I don't need the combo of bad RNG and honor to negate what are normally capable builds simply for the sake of making me sweat or to straight up brick a run 3/4 of the way through. Not into it...

It's got some good potential, but he current format is a huge miss to me.

Trials are fine and fun. If your problem is not having enough Baryas or Ultimatums (which really isn't an issue either, unless you are trying to do the trials underleveled), just buy some in trade. They are super cheap.

Also: If you're not using honor resistance, that's on you.

tl;dr: no.

I disagree. I just think the 3rd & 4th ascendency needs to be a little more accessible relative to the level you get access to it (assuming you're solo).