The Merciless Labyrinth PoE

The Merciless Labyrinth

Labyrinth Area level Trial locations
The Merciless Labyrinth 68
  • The Bath House, Act 8, contains furnace traps
  • The Tunnel, Act 9, contains blade sentries
  • The Ossuary, Act 10, contains dart trap

Monster Level: 68

The third Labyrinth variation is the Merciless Labyrinth. Accessing the Merciless Labyrinth for the first time requires: successfully completing the Cruel Labyrinth at least once; reaching character level 50; and completing three trials, one each in Act 8, Act 9, and Act 10. These requirements can be completed in any order. Once the Merciless Labyrinth has been opened in this way, it can be repeatedly accessed at no cost.

The paths to each of the three Aspirant’s Trials require crossing at least two chambers. The chamber just before the first Aspirant’s Trial is always a Forgotten Reliquary. The final Aspirant’s Trial against Izaro now includes additional traps and all Izaro fight mechanics, many with stronger effects.

Completing the Merciless Labyrinth for the first time gives 2 Ascendancy Points and one use of the Divine Font to add an enchantment to gloves, boots, or helmets. The modifiers to gloves and boots have higher values than those in the normal and Cruel Labyrinths. Each additional Merciless Labyrinth completion allows one more use of the Divine Font in the same way.


The Merciless Labyrinth in Path of Exile is the final and most challenging difficulty tier of the Lord's Labyrinth. It offers a significant step up from the Cruel Labyrinth, demanding well-prepared characters and strategic execution. Here's a comprehensive guide to help you conquer it:

Requirements:

  • Character Level: You must be at least level 68 to access the Merciless Labyrinth.
  • Trial Completion: Complete all six Merciless Trials of Ascendancy located throughout Acts 8, 9, and 10. These trials present the ultimate test of your ability to navigate environmental hazards.
  • Cruel Labyrinth Completion: It's highly recommended to have completed the Cruel Labyrinth multiple times to master its mechanics and Izaro's fight before attempting the Merciless version.

Increased Difficulty:

  • Monstrous Foes: Expect significantly tougher enemies with higher damage output, life pools, and potentially deadlier abilities. Be prepared for intense combat encounters.
  • Enhanced Traps: Traps in the Merciless Labyrinth inflict even more damage and can be deadlier than in previous difficulties. Extreme caution is advised.
  • Izaro's Ascension: Izaro, the final boss, receives a complete overhaul in the Merciless Labyrinth. He has significantly increased health, utilizes deadlier attacks, and possesses additional mechanics that require strategic awareness.

Preparing for the Challenge:

  • High-Tier Gear: Equip yourself with the best gear you can acquire at your level. Prioritize gear with high Life rolls, capped elemental resistances (75% or above), and Chaos resistance if possible.
  • Offensive Power: While defense is crucial, ensure you have sufficient damage output to efficiently clear monsters within the Labyrinth. Consider respeccing your skill tree if necessary.
  • Defensive Layers: Invest in various defensive mechanics like Fortification, Endurance Charges, Block Chance, or Evasion depending on your character build. This enhances your survivability against relentless enemy attacks.
  • Essential Flasks: Utilize a life flask, a ward flask (if applicable), a movement speed flask (like Quicksilver), and potentially a defensive flask like a Jade Flask or a Basalt Flask depending on the specific threats you encounter.

Conquering Izaro:

  • Phase Complexity: Izaro's fight becomes significantly more complex in the Merciless Labyrinth. He utilizes additional abilities like summoning empowered clones and manipulating the environment to his advantage.
  • Understanding Mechanics: Learn all of Izaro's attack patterns and the unique mechanics of each of his three life bars. This knowledge is crucial for predicting his actions and strategically responding.
  • Damage Phases: Focus on dealing high burst damage during Izaro's vulnerable phases when he opens himself up to attacks. Utilize damage flasks and powerful skills during these windows.

Additional Tips:

  • Labyrinthine Compass: Finding the Labyrinthine Compass remains essential for efficient navigation.
  • Practice and Patience: The Merciless Labyrinth is a significant challenge. Don't be discouraged if you don't succeed on your first attempt. Practice in the Cruel Labyrinth, analyze your mistakes, and refine your approach.
  • Consider Online Resources: Search online for video guides or build-specific strategies for tackling the Merciless Labyrinth. You might find valuable insights and tactics from experienced players.

Remember: The Merciless Labyrinth is a true endgame challenge in Path of Exile. By meticulously preparing your character, understanding Izaro's mechanics, and approaching the challenge with patience and practice, you will be well on your way to overcoming this daunting test and reaping the rewards of the Merciless Labyrinth.

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The Labyrinth is a randomly generated dungeon filled with traps, puzzles and monsters, culminating in a challenge against Izaro. Completing the Labyrinth for the first time unlocks a character’s Ascendancy class and points for the powerful Ascendancy skill tree. It also offers equipment enchantments and several unique items.

After completing the first six Trials of Ascendancy, the player can enter the Aspirant’s Plaza through the Statue of the Goddess in the Sarn Encampment. The plaza has a waypoint that can be accessed from any act (it appears next to the hideout icon). The Plaza is where the player chooses which labyrinth to enter.

The Labyrinth must be completed in one run without dying.

Basic rules for all Labyrinths

  • Each variety of Labyrinth requires completing a series of steps to unlock the Labyrinth for the first time. Once these requirements have been met, that variety of Labyrinth can be run repeatedly.
  • Each Labyrinth contains a series of chambers connected by exits. Three of these chambers are Aspirant’s Trials, where the players will battle Izaro. The first Trial ends when Izaro’s life is reduced to 2/3 of full strength. The second Trial starts with Izaro’s life at 2/3, and ends when Izaro’s life is reduced to 1/3. The final Trial starts with Izaro’s life at 1/3, and ends when Izaro is slain.
  • Completing all three Aspirant’s Trials unlocks the Ascendancy Chamber, where the players receive their rewards for a successful Labyrinth completion.
  • There are no waypoints or checkpoints in a Labyrinth. Once a character leaves an active Labyrinth for any reason — through death, logging out, exiting the game, disconnect, or crash — the character cannot return, and must create a new Labyrinth instance in order to try again.
  • Players cannot use town portals to enter the Labyrinth; using a portal to leave the Labyrinth bars the character from returning. (When using a portal, a warning message will confirm the player’s choice to abandon the current Labyrinth.)
  • Players can access their stash immediately before each Aspirant’s Trial, and in the Ascendancy Chamber.
  • Players can normally keep any items in their inventory and stash when they leave the Labyrinth. Special items that can only be used in the Labyrinth — such as keys, and items that modify the mechanics of the Aspirant’s Trial — can only be used in the active Labyrinth. Like quest items, these items cannot be traded or moved to a stash. Unused special items will be dropped when the player leaves the Labyrinth for any reason.
  • The layout of each variant of the Labyrinth is randomly regenerated each day, at midnight (00:00) UTC. All instances of a given Labyrinth during the day will have the same chambers arranged in the same way. If a Labyrinth chamber contains a special element, such as a key or a Mysterious Darkshrine, then all instances of that Labyrinth that day will have the same special element in the same chambers. This means that a given Labyrinth will be very similar if you run it multiple times on the same day; but it could be very different tomorrow.

Achieve Ascension(4)

Use the Ascendancy Device in each of the following Labyrinths.

Achieve Ascension PoE Labyrinths Locations.

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