Path of Exile 2 is a game renowned for its depth and complexity, offering players a vast array of skills, items, and customization options to tailor their characters to their preferred playstyle. Just when you think you've mastered the intricacies of your character, the game presents another layer of strategy with the choice of an Ascendancy Class. Currently, in the early access phase of PoE2, each class features two progression paths, but by the time of the full release, players can expect a third path for each class. Let's delve into the existing Ascendancy Classes and explore their unique abilities and playstyles.

Before we dive in, make sure to check out our article on choosing the best build to start your journey in Path of Exile 2.

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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 powerful Witch Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2. This class specializes in fire spells, offering a robust arsenal for players to unleash fiery destruction. If you're fond of summoning minions, the Infernalist introduces the Infernal Hound, a new skill that brings a creature straight from the underworld to your side. Moreover, the Infernalist can transform into a demonic form, boosting attack damage and mobility at the cost of faster health depletion. To mitigate this, the Loyal Hellhound skill is crucial, and investing in Strength and maximum HP, particularly through the Beidat's Will node, allows you to command an army of the undead.

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Blood Mage

While not as popular as the Infernalist, the Blood Mage offers a unique and engaging gameplay experience. This class revolves around Sanguimancy, a mechanic that uses HP instead of MP, creating a thrilling balance between life and death. To manage this, skills like Vitality Siphon and Life Remnants are essential for draining health from enemies. Sunder the Flesh increases the critical hit chance needed to trigger buffs, and Gore Spike enhances attack damage, making the Blood Mage a high-risk, high-reward choice.

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Sorcerer Ascendancy Classes in PoE2

Stormweaver

The Stormweaver is a Sorcerer who excels in dealing massive elemental damage, often with a high critical hit chance that triggers Elemental Storm via Tempest Caller. This class thrives on inflicting status ailments on enemies, enhanced by the passive skill Strike Twice. Utilizing Spirit Gems, the Stormweaver can amplify elemental attack damage against groups of enemies affected by negative effects. Constant Gale and Force of Will improve spell casting speed and MP regeneration, while the Heart of the Storm node converts part of Elemental Damage into an Energy Shield, bolstering survivability.

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Chronomancer

The Chronomancer introduces a novel approach to combat by manipulating time. This class, unique to Path of Exile 2, offers spells like Temporal Rift and Time Freeze, opening up new strategic possibilities. While not currently the strongest Sorcerer Ascendancy, the Chronomancer's potential is vast. Skills like Now and Again, Apex of the Moment, and Quicksand Hourglass allow for creative time manipulation, enhancing the flow of battle.

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Warrior Ascendancy Classes in PoE2

Warbringer

The Warbringer combines war cries with totem summons, focusing on close combat and maximizing melee damage. This class is effective against bosses, as totems can distract and absorb damage. Enhancing armor penetration with Imploding Impacts and Anvil’s Weight boosts the build's effectiveness. Warcaller’s Bellow causes enemy corpses to explode upon using a Warcry, and Greatwolf’s Howl removes Warcry cooldowns. For a defensive approach, Renly’s Training and Turtle Charm enhance shield and blocking capabilities.

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Titan

The Titan is ideal for players who prefer a more controlled, defensive playstyle. With powerful, slow attacks, Titans can paralyze enemies, forcing them to break through thick armor. Stone Skin increases the defensive power of equipped gear by 50%, and Mysterious Lineage boosts max HP by 15%. Despite their defensive focus, Titans can deal significant damage through unique offensive abilities like Earthbreaker and Ancestral Empowerment, which enhance Slam abilities. 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, granting access to powerful abilities and status-enhancing effects. This melee-focused class utilizes elemental damage and status effects to devastate enemies and trigger potent effects. The ability to use Power Charges to enhance skills adds strategic depth, making the Invoker a versatile and dynamic choice.

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Acolyte of Chayula

The Acolyte of Chayula embraces Darkness, gaining dominion over dark forces bestowed by Chayula. The Embrace the Darkness skill allows the Acolyte to forgo the Spirit resource, increasing maximum Darkness to 100 and granting exceptional survivability. Combining Consuming Questions with Mana Leech reinforces defenses, but caution is advised as this setup removes the Energy Shield’s cooldown, relying solely on MP drain, which is currently inefficient. Until this is addressed, the Acolyte of Chayula 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 of Path of Exile 2, excelling in hunting and swiftly eliminating demons and the undead. This class deals increased damage on both the first and last hits, quickly clearing areas of weaker enemies. Against bosses, passive skills like Pitiless Killer, Damage vs Low Life Enemies, and Judge, Jury, and Executioner are crucial. Witchbane and No Mercy enable a playstyle focused on reducing enemy concentration and dealing increased damage. The Zealous Inquisition node reflects the Witchhunter’s deep-seated hatred for demons and the undead, with a 10% chance to make slain enemies explode, damaging their allies.

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Gemling Legionnaire

The Gemling Legionnaire's gameplay revolves around gems, focusing on their stats, quality, and even color. Thaumaturgical Infusion increases 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, and Integrated Efficiency expands the arsenal of active skills by three additional slots. 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 follows a familiar gameplay style for ranged combat enthusiasts. 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 useful for clearing entire screens of enemies. This path is ideal for those who prefer the classic bow and focus on elemental damage, with increased movement speed, extra projectiles, and an additional Mark proving invaluable.

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Pathfinder

The Pathfinder is perfect for players who enjoy poison mechanics and unique gameplay. As a master of poisoning, this class constantly 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. The signature gas grenade, combined with high movement speed and slow resistance, allows you to blanket the battlefield in toxic mist, making the Pathfinder a formidable choice for those who relish in strategic poisoning.

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Remember, we've only covered twelve of the planned thirty-six Ascendancy Classes. As Path of Exile 2 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 introduce changes to passive skills, meaning the details in this guide may differ from the final version.