Cannot spend ascendancy points or choose type

Two bugs, probably related.

After the Ascendancy release, a couple of my existing characters showed as already having 2 or 4 ascendancy points (bug number 1). These points did not show in the Passive Tree UX, but if you typed /passives they showed up there. I could not spend these points, which I thought was probably because I had not actually ascended yet.

Today I took one of those characters (lvl 63 Witch which was still showing the "You have a complete passive reset available" message), and ran the first level of ascendancy. In the treasure room, I clicked on the Ascendancy shrine (can't remember what actual name is), looked at the three ascendancy paths, then clicked the "close" button ("Choose later" is the tip label on it).

I returned to town, expecting to be able to use the Passive Tree to choose my ascendancy path. However, no such luck. The ascendancy points do not show up in the UX, and there is no way to bring up the ascendancy tree. (Bug number 2 - I just ascended, can't choose path, still show "four" unspent ascendancy points under /passives).

I figured maybe the problem was that I was still getting the "Your character has a complete skill reset available" dialog, since I had not yet reset since the new release. So I reset the Passive skills. Still no luck: although I just ascended, I still cannot pick an ascendancy path or spend my points.

BTW, typing /passives shows that I STILL have four unspent ascendancy points, even though I have only ascended once.

How can I fix my character?

BTW, more than one of my "unplayed since the ascendancy release" characters show as having unspent ascendancy points (using /passives).

None of what you have said is a bug. They don't make existing characters who have completed normal do the normal labyrinth and they don't make existing characters who have completed cruel do the cruel one. People just do the labyrinth of whatever difficulty they are playing in. So a merciless character does the merciless lab and gets all 6 ascendency points to allocate.

Choose later doesn't mean choose outside the labyrinth. You have to choose at the altar. It just can be a future altar. Once you choose you can allocate the points you got outside the labyrinth though.

Patch notes give details. They added the ability for existing characters to skip the labyrinth after people complained they needed to take high level characters through the trials and labyrinths of much lower level areas.

Edit: as far as fixing your character...it ain't broke. Choose an ascendency class at an altar. Then allocate as many ascendency passives as you have available.

Paragraph 1: good to know, thanks. That was added later, correct? I don't recall my main characters showing unspent AP on day 1...

Paragraph 2: horrible, horrible, horrible UX. There is zero warning when you try to leave the labyrinth that you are going to have to re-battle the emperor 3 times to choose again. In all other cases in the game, "Choose Later" means exactly that - choose later, no limits.

The whole "you spend the first two points at the Altar, but then you have to spend the next four points in the skill tree" model is just plain bad. I love the Ascendancy content, but the UX associated with it has been just terrible (have to click on "Current Location" statues to figure out where you are, there's zero guidance on how to open and close the Ascendancy "tree" circle, etc.)

Paragraph 4: I love how you say "just choose at any altar". My characters have been reset. I have to actually BUILD a character enough to battle the emperor three times before I can choose. Hell, if it wasn't shown in the website, I wouldn't even know which ascendancy paths/options are available to me ahead of time, so I can rebuild something which will take advantage of them. All part of the bad ux, I guess.