Path of Exile 2 has brought a wealth of exciting updates and new mechanics, offering players the chance to build unique characters with a variety of playstyles. With its complex skill tree, Ascendancy system, and multiple class options, choosing the right class can make or break your experience. If you’re diving into the Early Access or gearing up for the full release, knowing which classes perform best in different aspects of the game—whether in leveling, mapping, or endgame content—is crucial.
Here’s a breakdown of the best Path of Exile 2 classes, ranked according to their effectiveness and versatility. Whether you’re a new player or a seasoned veteran, this guide will help you choose the perfect class for your journey.
1. Champion (Duelist)
Best for: Survivability, Bossing, Tankiness
Playstyle: Defensive powerhouse with offensive power
Recommended Ascendancy: Hierophant, Gladiator
The Champion is currently one of the best all-around classes in Path of Exile 2. With its exceptional defensive options and damage scaling, this class excels at both leveling and endgame bosses. The Champion’s ability to tank heavy damage and control crowds while dealing with top-tier damage makes it a fan favorite. The Gladiator Ascendancy adds more versatility, turning the Champion into a well-rounded tank with high damage output, making it excellent for both solo players and groups.
Why Champion?
- Access to fortify and stunning effects that boost survivability
- High damage mitigation and defensive auras
- Great for bossing and high-tier maps
- Hierophant and Gladiator Ascendancies offer specialized builds that focus on damage, healing, and tankiness
2. Occultist (Witch)
Best for: Damage over Time (DoT) builds, Curse Mechanics
Playstyle: Spellslinger, debuffer, DoT damage dealer
Recommended Ascendancy: Necromancer, Elementalist
The Occultist remains one of the most popular choices for players looking to dish out damage over time (DoT) effects while controlling the battlefield with debuffs. The Necromancer and Elementalist Ascendancies are particularly potent, offering powerful minions or elemental-based builds. Occultists thrive on Chaos Damage and curses and are especially good for boss fights and endgame content. If you’re interested in curse stacking or creating a devastating DoT build, the Occultist class offers plenty of options.
Why Occultist?
- Powerful minion-based builds or self-casting DoT builds
- Excellent for curse stacking, increasing enemy vulnerability
- Elementalist offers elemental damage boosts for stronger spells
- Necromancer offers a fantastic synergy with summoned minions
- Strong defensive options and energy shield scaling
3. Ranger (Raider)
Best for: Fast, mobile builds, ranged damage
Playstyle: High mobility, critical hit and elemental damage
Recommended Ascendancy: Raider, Deadeye
The Ranger is one of the most agile classes in Path of Exile 2, perfect for players who enjoy fast-paced combat and ranged damage. The Raider Ascendancy is renowned for evasion, movement speed, and crit scaling, making it excellent for bossing, mapping, and even PvP. On the other hand, Deadeye focuses on projectiles, giving players the ability to scale massive amounts of damage, piercing, and critical hits with ranged weapons. If you’re looking for a versatile, high-speed character that excels at mobility and ranged combat, the Ranger is a fantastic choice.
Why Ranger?
- Great for critical hits, mobility, and AoE damage
- Raider offers movement speed and attack speed, perfect for mapping
- Deadeye offers projectile scaling, pierce, and damage buffs
- Excellent for high-speed gameplay and bossing with ranged attacks
4. Juggernaut (Marauder)
Best for: Tanky melee builds, scaling survivability
Playstyle: High physical damage with unbreakable defenses
Recommended Ascendancy: Chieftain, Juggernaut
The Juggernaut is an exceptional class for players who prioritize tankiness and physical damage. With unparalleled survivability and a powerful shield defense, the Juggernaut is ideal for absorbing hits from even the hardest bosses. Chieftain provides buffs for fire damage and life regeneration, while Juggernaut focuses on immense defense scaling and stuns. This class is perfect for players who want to play a tanky, melee-focused build that can survive in high-difficulty content.
Why Juggernaut?
- High physical damage output with tankiness for endgame maps
- Incredible defense scaling and crowd control
- Chieftain offers life regen and fire buffs, perfect for those interested in elemental damage
- Great for players who want a solid, melee-oriented tank
5. Assassin (Shadow)
Best for: Critical damage, Poison builds
Playstyle: Stealth, critical strikes, poison damage
Recommended Ascendancy: Assassin, Trickster
The Assassin excels in critical strikes, poison builds, and high-speed attacks, making it one of the most potent damage-dealing classes in path of exile 2 currency. If you love stealthy playstyles, Assassin is the class for you. Its critical strike and poison scaling are fantastic for bosses and mapping where high damage output is required. The Trickster Ascendancy adds even more utility with energy shield scaling and mana regeneration, making this class incredibly versatile in both offense and defense.
Why Assassin?
- Critical strike scaling for maximum DPS
- Great for poison builds with high damage over time
- Assassin focuses on stealth and speed
- Trickster provides excellent mana regen and energy shield scaling for longer fights
6. Templar (Inquisitor)
Best for: Elemental damage, hybrid builds
Playstyle: Balanced offense and defense with elemental buffs
Recommended Ascendancy: Inquisitor, Guardian
The Templar is a solid all-around class that is especially potent for elemental builds. Whether you’re playing a fire, cold, or lightning build, the Inquisitor Ascendancy offers fantastic damage scaling and mana regeneration. It also offers penetration for elemental resistances, allowing you to deal substantial damage in high-difficulty cheap poe 2 orb. The Guardian Ascendancy focuses more on defensive buffs and aura scaling, providing utility to your team or boosting your own survivability.
Why Templar?
- Great for elemental builds across all damage types
- Inquisitor offers elemental penetration and mana regen
- Guardian Ascendancy boosts auras and defensive buffs
- Ideal for those looking for hybrid offense/defense builds
7. Duelist (Slayer)
Best for: Melee DPS, Leeching
Playstyle: Powerful melee damage with life leech
Recommended Ascendancy: Slayer, Champion
The Duelist class is perfect for players who want to dish out massive melee damage while healing themselves through life leech. The Slayer Ascendancy is focused on high damage and life regeneration, making it ideal for those who want to focus on raw power and resilience in combat. This class is particularly effective in high-tier maps, as it can keep you going through boss fights without worrying about dying, thanks to the life leech mechanic.
Why Duelist?
- Excellent for melee damage with life leech mechanics
- Slayer offers high damage scaling and life regeneration
- Great for players who love close combat with great sustain
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