Path of Exile 2 is a game that captivates with its complexity, offering players an array of skills, items, and customization options to tailor their characters to their exact preferences. Just as you begin to feel like you've mastered these elements, the game introduces the thrilling challenge of selecting an Ascendancy Class! Currently in early access, each class in PoE2 features two progression paths, set to expand to three by the full release. Let's delve into the existing Ascendancies and explore what they bring to the table.
For those new to the game, don't miss our article on choosing the best build to kickstart your journey.
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Table of Contents
- Witch Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Infernalist
- Blood Mage
- Sorcerer Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Stormweaver
- Chronomancer
- Warrior Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Warbringer
- Titan
- Monk Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Invoker
- Acolyte of Chayula
- Mercenary Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Witchhunter
- Gemling Legionnaire
- Ranger Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
- Deadeye
- Pathfinder
Witch Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Infernalist
The Infernalist stands out as one of the most potent characters currently available! This Witch excels with a formidable arsenal of fire spells, making her a force to be reckoned with. If you've enjoyed summoning minions early on, you'll be thrilled to discover the Infernal Hound, a new skill that summons a creature straight from the underworld to aid you in battle.
Dreamed of transforming into a hellish beast? The Infernalist can fulfill that fantasy. By adopting a demonic form, the Witch not only boosts her attack damage and mobility but also faces the risk of losing health more rapidly. To mitigate this, the Loyal Hellhound skill is a lifesaver. Additionally, the Beidat's Will node ties Spirit to maximum HP, necessitating investments in both HP and Strength. In return, you'll be able to command a veritable army of the undead!
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Blood Mage
While not as popular or balanced as the Infernalist, the Blood Mage offers a uniquely engaging gameplay experience. With Sanguimancy, playing as a Blood Mage means constantly balancing on the edge of life and death. Instead of using MP, your character consumes HP, making reckless play a dangerous game that can lead to a swift demise.
To counteract this risk, Vitality Siphon and Life Remnants drain health from foes. Sunder the Flesh boosts the critical hit chance needed to activate buffs, while Gore Spike enhances the attack damage of this type.
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Sorcerer Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Stormweaver
The Stormweaver is a Sorcerer who unleashes massive elemental damage, often with a high critical hit chance, triggering Elemental Storm via Tempest Caller. A crucial aspect of the Stormweaver's gameplay involves inflicting status ailments on enemies, facilitated by the passive skill Strike Twice. With the new Spirit Gems mechanic, the hero can amplify the damage of elemental attacks against groups affected by negative effects.
Constant Gale and Force of Will enhance spell casting speed and MP regeneration, essential for a magic-focused playstyle. The unique Heart of the Storm node significantly boosts survivability by converting part of Elemental Damage into an Energy Shield—ensure your character can endure multiple attacks!
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Chronomancer
The Chronomancer introduces a unique class not seen in the original Path of Exile. By manipulating time, this class offers a fresh and innovative combat approach. Exclusive spells like Temporal Rift and Time Freeze unlock new combo possibilities and encourage experimentation.
Although not the strongest Sorcerer Ascendancy at the moment, the Chronomancer holds significant potential. As a master of time manipulation, it features skills like Now and Again, which can bypass cooldowns when casting spells, Apex of the Moment, which slows nearby monsters, and Quicksand Hourglass, which increases the speed of magic creation.
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Warrior Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Warbringer
The Warbringer combines war cries with totem summons, focusing on close combat to maximize melee damage. This approach is effective even against bosses, as totems can distract enemies and absorb some damage intended for the hero.
Enhance armor penetration with Imploding Impacts and Anvil’s Weight to significantly boost this build’s effectiveness. Warcaller’s Bellow causes enemy corpses to explode upon using a Warcry, while Greatwolf’s Howl eliminates the cooldown on Warcries. For a defensive playstyle, Renly’s Training and Turtle Charm will upgrade your shield and blocking capabilities.
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Titan
If you prefer controlling opponents without taking risks, the Titan path is ideal. With powerful, slow attacks, Titans paralyze enemies, forcing them to break through thick armor before dealing damage. Stone Skin increases the defensive power of equipped gear by 50%, while Mysterious Lineage boosts max HP by 15%, enhancing survivability further.
But Titans aren't just about defense—they can deal significant damage too. Unlike Warbringer, Titans have unique offensive abilities: Earthbreaker and Ancestral Empowerment strengthen Slam abilities, and Surprising Strength increases damage against stunned enemies by 40%.
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Monk Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Invoker
The Invoker empowers Monks to harness elemental power, providing access to powerful abilities and status-enhancing effects. This melee-focused class leverages elemental damage and status effects to decimate enemies and trigger potent effects. Additionally, the Invoker’s ability to use Power Charges to enhance skills adds strategic depth.
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Acolyte of Chayula
The Acolyte of Chayula embraces Darkness, gaining dominion over dark forces bestowed by Chayula. By using Embrace the Darkness, the Monk can completely forgo the Spirit resource, increasing maximum Darkness to 100 and granting exceptional survivability.
To further bolster defenses, Consuming Questions can be used with Mana Leech. However, be cautious, as this setup removes the Energy Shield’s cooldown, relying solely on MP drain, which is not yet efficient enough in version 0.1.1. Until this is resolved, the Acolyte remains less effective than the Invoker.
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Mercenary Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Witchhunter
The Witchhunter is one of the strongest classes in the current version, excelling in hunting and swiftly eliminating demons and the undead. It deals increased damage on both the first and last hits, allowing for quick area clearances. Against bosses, passive skills like Pitiless Killer, Damage vs Low Life Enemies, and Judge, Jury, and Executioner can be crucial for securing victory.
Witchbane and No Mercy enable a playstyle focused on reducing enemy concentration (affecting their skill activation speed) and dealing increased damage. The Witchhunter’s deep-seated hatred for demons and the undead is evident in the Zealous Inquisition node, which has a 10% chance to make slain enemies explode, damaging their living allies.
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Gemling Legionnaire
The Gemling Legionnaire is a unique class whose gameplay revolves around gems—not just their stats and quality, but even their color. Thaumaturgical Infusion increases the character’s resistances based on the number of equipped stones of a particular color. Meanwhile, Crystalline Potential and Implanted Gems enhance the level of all skills.
Advanced Thaumaturgy not only reduces skill costs but also lowers attribute requirements, similar to Adaptive Capability. A particularly intriguing node is Integrated Efficiency, which expands the arsenal of active skills by three additional slots. Gem Studded is also highly beneficial, allowing the use of two identical Support stones, opening up vast potential for experimentation and powerful builds.
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Ranger Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Deadeye
The Deadeye Ascendancy appeals to players who favor ranged combat, enhancing effective attack range and damage output. Endless Munitions allows firing an additional projectile per skill use, which is incredibly useful for clearing entire screens of enemies.
This path is perfect for those who prefer the classic bow over the modern crossbow and plan to focus on elemental damage. Increased movement speed, extra projectiles, and an additional Mark will prove invaluable in this case.
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Pathfinder
If green is your favorite color, the Pathfinder is the ideal choice. As a master of poisoning, this class efficiently drains enemies' health, with double effectiveness. The passive skill Overwhelming Toxicity doubles the amount of Poison applied to enemies but shortens the debuff duration.
Be cautious! One of this class’s signature weapons is the gas grenade, which, when combined with high movement speed and slow resistance, allows you to quickly and efficiently blanket the battlefield in toxic mist. If you enjoy poison mechanics and unique gameplay, this path is definitely for you!
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Remember, we’ve only explored twelve of the planned thirty-six Ascendancy Classes. As PoE2 progresses through early access, these are the currently available specialization paths for your characters. More will be added over time, and future game updates may alter passive skills, so the details in this guide could differ from the final version.
