Path of Exile 2 is a deeply intricate game that offers a vast array of skills, items, and customization options, allowing you to tailor your character to your exact preferences. Just when you think you've mastered your abilities and fully explored your character's potential, the game presents you with the thrilling challenge of selecting an Ascendancy Class!
Currently, in the early access phase of PoE2, each class has two progression paths, but by the time of the full release, players will have the option of three distinct paths. Let's delve into the current Ascendancies and what they bring to the table.
For those looking to optimize their gameplay right from the start, be sure to read our comprehensive guide on choosing the best build to kick off your Path of Exile 2 journey.
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Table of Content
- 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 powerful Witch Ascendancies available. Armed with an extensive array of fire spells, this class is perfect for those who relish in fiery chaos. If you're fond of summoning minions, the Infernalist class introduces the Infernal Hound—a new skill that brings forth a creature straight from the underworld to fight at your side!
Ever fantasized about transforming into a hellish beast? The Infernalist allows you to morph into a demonic form, boosting your attack damage and mobility at the cost of faster health depletion. To extend your time in this formidable state, the Loyal Hellhound skill is essential. Additionally, the Beidat's Will node links your Spirit to your maximum HP, necessitating investment in both HP and Strength. This enables you to command an impressive army of the undead!
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Blood Mage
While not as popular as the Infernalist, the Blood Mage offers a thrilling gameplay experience. This class revolves around the delicate balance between life and death, using Sanguimancy to consume HP instead of MP. This unique mechanic requires careful management, as recklessness can lead to swift demise.
To sustain yourself, you'll need skills like Vitality Siphon and Life Remnants to drain health from enemies. Sunder the Flesh enhances the critical hit chance needed to trigger buffs, and Gore Spike amplifies the damage of these critical hits.
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Sorcerer Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Stormweaver
The Stormweaver is a Sorcerer class that unleashes massive elemental damage, frequently with high critical hit rates, thanks to the Tempest Caller's ability to trigger Elemental Storm. A crucial aspect of the Stormweaver's strategy involves inflicting status ailments on enemies, bolstered by the passive skill Strike Twice. By harnessing Spirit Gems, a new game mechanic, the hero can significantly amplify the damage of elemental attacks against afflicted groups of enemies.
Constant Gale and Force of Will enhance spell casting speed and MP regeneration, vital for a magic-intensive playstyle. The Heart of the Storm node converts part of your Elemental Damage into an Energy Shield, improving survivability, but ensure your character can endure multiple attacks!
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Chronomancer
The Chronomancer introduces a novel gameplay style by manipulating time, adding a fresh and innovative dimension to combat. Unique spells like Temporal Rift and Time Freeze open up new possibilities for strategic combinations and experimentation.
Currently, the Chronomancer may not be the most powerful Sorcerer Ascendancy, but its potential is undeniable. As a master of time manipulation, the Chronomancer can avoid cooldowns with Now and Again, slow down nearby monsters with Apex of the Moment, and accelerate magic creation with Quicksand Hourglass.
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Warrior Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Warbringer
The Warbringer combines war cries with totem summons to engage in close combat, aiming to maximize melee damage. This strategy proves effective even against bosses, as totems can divert enemy attention and absorb some of the damage intended for the hero.
Enhance your 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 removes the cooldown on Warcries. For those preferring a defensive approach, Renly’s Training and Turtle Charm will bolster your shield and blocking capabilities.
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Titan
If you prefer a more controlled, less risky playstyle, the Titan path is ideal. With powerful, albeit slower attacks, Titans can paralyze enemies, compelling them to break through formidable armor before inflicting damage. Stone Skin increases the defensive power of your gear by 50%, and Mysterious Lineage boosts your max HP by 15%, enhancing your survivability.
However, Titans are not just about defense—they can deal significant damage too. Earthbreaker and Ancestral Empowerment enhance 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, unlocking powerful abilities and status-enhancing effects. This melee-focused class leverages elemental damage and status effects to decimate enemies and trigger potent effects. The Invoker's use of Power Charges to enhance skills adds a layer of strategic depth to the class.
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Acolyte of Chayula
The Acolyte of Chayula embraces Darkness and gains control over dark forces bestowed by Chayula. By choosing the Embrace the Darkness skill, you can completely forgo the Spirit resource, increasing your maximum Darkness to 100 and granting exceptional survivability.
To further fortify your defenses, use Consuming Questions alongside Mana Leech. However, be cautious as this setup removes the Energy Shield's cooldown, making it rely solely on MP drain, which, as of version 0.1.1, is not yet efficient. Until this issue is resolved, the Acolyte of Chayula remains less favorable compared to the Invoker.
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Mercenary Ascendancy Classes in PoE2
Witchhunter
The Witchhunter is one of the strongest classes in the current version of the game, excelling at hunting and eliminating demons and the undead. This class deals increased damage on both the first and last hits, swiftly clearing areas of weaker enemies. Against bosses, passive skills like Pitiless Killer, Damage vs Low Life Enemies, and Judge, Jury, and Executioner can be critical in securing victory when survival is on the line.
Witchbane and No Mercy allow for a playstyle focused on reducing enemy concentration and dealing increased damage. The Witchhunter's deep-seated hatred for demons and the undead is reflected 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, focusing not just on their stats and quality, but also their color. Thaumaturgical Infusion increases your resistances based on the number of equipped stones of a particular color, while Crystalline Potential and Implanted Gems enhance the level of all skills.
Advanced Thaumaturgy reduces skill costs and attribute requirements, similar to Adaptive Capability. The Integrated Efficiency node expands your active skills by three additional slots, and Gem Studded allows 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 caters to players who favor ranged combat. Unique passive skills increase effective attack range and enhance damage output. Endless Munitions allows you to fire one additional projectile per skill use, making it incredibly effective for clearing entire screens of enemies.
This path is ideal for those who prefer the classic bow over the modern crossbow and aim to focus on elemental damage. Increased movement speed, extra projectiles, and an additional Mark will prove invaluable in this scenario.
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Pathfinder
If you're drawn to the color green, the Pathfinder is your perfect match. As a master of poisoning, this class drains enemies' health bars with double effectiveness. The passive skill Overwhelming Toxicity doubles the amount of Poison applied to enemies but shortens the debuff duration.
Exercise caution! One of the Pathfinder's signature weapons is the gas grenade, which, 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 tailored for you!
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Remember, we've only covered twelve of the planned thirty-six Ascendancy Classes. As Path of Exile 2 progresses through its early access phase, these are the currently available specialization paths for your characters. More will be added over time! Additionally, future game updates may introduce changes to passive skills, meaning the details in this guide may differ from the final version.
