You’ve probably been there. You are cruising through Act 2 of Path of Exile 2, feeling like your build is finally coming together, and then you step into the Prison of the Disgraced. Suddenly, you’re trapped in a tiny circular arena with a boss that moves like a caffeine-addicted ninja.
Balbala the Traitor is arguably the first real "wall" in the game.
Honestly, she’s a nightmare for melee players. She teleports. She throws gold coins that spawn ghosts. She fills the room with poison. If you don't know what's happening, you're going to see the "Resurrect in Town" screen more times than you’d like. But here's the kicker: she's also your ticket to an Ascendancy class.
You basically have to kill her if you want to actually finish your build. No pressure, right?
Why Balbala the Traitor is Ruining Your Day
Most bosses in PoE 2 tell you exactly what they’re doing. Big slam? Move. Big beam? Don't stand there. Balbala is different because she plays hide-and-seek while your health bar melts.
The fight happens in a cramped ring in the Traitor's Passage. There’s a giant hole in the middle you can’t cross, which makes the floor space feel even smaller than it is. Most players struggle because her hitbox is strangely tiny. If you’re playing a Strike skill, you’ll find yourself swinging at air while she flickers behind you.
The Infamous Poison Phase
This is where most people tilt. Balbala vanishes. The hole in the center starts vomiting green gas. If you stand there trying to figure out where she went, you’re dead. The gas eventually covers the entire floor.
The trick? You have to find her. She’s invisible but physically present somewhere along the outer rim of the arena. You need to literally run into her to force her out of hiding.
Expert Tip: Don't just stand there and swing when you find her. The second she reappears, she does a massive AoE slam. Touch her, then immediately dodge-roll away like your life depends on it. Because it does.
Breaking the Mechanics: Coins and Shadows
Balbala has this annoying habit of tossing gold coins on the ground. These create golden runes (circles). If you let them sit there for about 20 seconds, they spawn a Spirit of Balbala. One spirit is fine. Three or four? That’s a restart.
You can stop the spirits from spawning by walking over the rune. But—and there's always a "but" in PoE 2—Balbala will immediately teleport onto your head the moment you touch that circle.
The gameplay loop for this fight is basically:
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- Watch for the coin.
- Bait her teleport by tapping the rune.
- Roll away instantly.
- Hit her during her recovery frames.
It’s a rhythm game. If you try to facetank her, she’ll shred you with Toxic Dagger Throws and those homing magical knives. When she screams "Atul!", that’s your cue. It means a bunch of floating daggers are about to ruin your afternoon. Keep moving in a circle; never, ever stand still.
The Lore: Is She Actually a Villain?
Interestingly, the lore suggests Balbala isn't just some random monster. She’s a Djinn. According to the Maraketh NPC Shambrin, she was cursed and imprisoned thousands of years ago for her crimes.
There's a cool bit of "show, don't tell" storytelling here. If you listen to her dialogue and see how she acts after the fight, she seems genuinely repentant. Some players have noted that she stays behind to "tidy up" or maintain the seals even after you've technically freed her. It makes the fight feel a bit more tragic than your standard "kill the demon" questline.
You’re basically beating up a prisoner who wants to be there to get a shiny trinket called Balbala’s Barya. This item is what you take to Zarka to unlock your Trial of Sekhemas.
Survival Checklist for Act 2
If you’re struggling, it’s probably a gear check. PoE 2 is much more punishing than the first game when it comes to defenses.
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- Cold Damage is King: She is weak to Cold. If you can chill or freeze her, those teleports become a lot more manageable.
- Fire Resistance helps: Some of her ground-based dagger attacks deal fire damage.
- Don't ignore the adds: If you fail to stop a spirit from spawning, kill it fast. They drop flask charges, which you’ll desperately need because this fight is long.
- The "Sound" Trick: If you have good headphones, you can actually hear which direction she teleports to during the poison phase.
Honestly, the most important thing is the dodge roll. In the original Path of Exile, you could just out-regen most things. Here, you have to use the new movement mechanics. If you aren't rolling, you aren't winning.
What to Do After Defeating Balbala
Once she finally stays down, grab the Balbala’s Barya and the Gold. Don't forget the Uncut Gems she usually drops.
Your next step is to head back to the Maraketh Caravan and talk to Zarka. This kicks off the actual Ascension process. You’ll be heading into the Trial of Sekhemas shortly after, so make sure you didn't burn all your patience on Balbala.
If you're still dying in one hit, go back and farm some better armor or check your Evasion rating. In Act 2, having around 40% Evasion makes a world of difference against her rapid-fire dagger attacks.
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Next Step: Head over to your passive tree and plan out which Ascendancy nodes you’re taking first, because the Trial waiting for you after this is even more intense.