In Path of Exile 2, each class has its own unique weapons, combat style, and attributes. The full version of Path of Exile 2 is expected to include 12 classes, but at the time of the early access release, players can only choose six of them: Ranger, Witch, Warrior, Monk, Sorceress, and Mercenary.

Below is a brief introduction to these classes and their key features. After reading this guide thoroughly, you will choose PoE 2 classes that are best for you.

PoE 2 Early Access Classes

As one of the most anticipated ARPG versions since Diablo 4, PoE 2 early access has attracted the attention of many players. When starting to play an ARPG, one of the most difficult decisions player’s face is which class to choose.

Each class has its own unique skill tree, play style, and combat mechanics, and when unlocked with POE 2 Currency, players need to carefully consider their play style and preferences. Generally speaking, the best starting classes are Mercenary and Sorceress.

Sorceress

Sorceress is ranked alongside Witch as a spell user. She is proficient in elemental destruction and can use her staff to release elemental magic, such as fire, frost, and lightning, to damage enemies. Although she is relatively fragile, Sorceress can freeze, stun, or burn opponents with powerful elemental attacks, and also has some defensive skills, able to push enemies away to protect herself when necessary.

Compared with other professions, Sorceress is easier to start and manage. Grinding Gear Games recently released a potential Ball Lightning Sorceress build example, showing how to use support spells, buffs, and a unique Lightning Staff to build a powerful character. This build is not only exciting but also stimulates players’ interest and desire to explore Sorceress.

Witch

As a classic profession, Witch returns, not only inherits the elemental control ability of the traditional mage but also incorporates unique summoning and chaos spells. Witch is adept at using her wands to unleash powerful spells that are not limited to direct elemental damage, but also include more insidious disease-spreading skills that can gradually erode the vitality of the enemy and weaken its combat effectiveness.

In addition, she can summon undead minions as her servants. These loyal followers will perform various tasks according to her orders and distract the enemy. In addition, she is also proficient in the art of giving the enemy a critical blow, through carefully calculated bone spells and various debuffs, making her a deadly ranged mage.

Monk

Monk is a melee fighter who can skillfully combine spells with melee attacks. And he is very good at using the three elemental powers of lightning, ice, and wind, which not only provide them with powerful ranged attack means but also are the key to their rapid shuttle on the battlefield.

As a result, Monk can easily shuttle between enemies, use elemental damage to initially weaken the target, and then complete the kill with a series of powerful melee strikes. This seamless switching between ranged and melee makes Monk elusive on the battlefield.

Ranger

Ranger is a versatile class that excels at long-range attacks with bows and arrows. She can enhance the effect of her arrows by infusing them with elemental power, making them effective against both close-range enemies and distant targets.

In addition, Ranger has mastered a series of earth-based skills, such as using vines to entangle and poison enemies. When faced with a difficult situation, Ranger can also flexibly escape with actions such as backflips. Not only does she have a large amount of AoE, but she can also continue to shoot while riding a mount, showing extremely high mobility and adaptability.

Warrior

Based on powerful strength, Warrior is good at sending out war cries and using one and two-handed melee weapons such as maces and clubs to fiercely attack the ground and cause heavy damage to groups of enemies. In addition, Warrior can also use shield skills or protective armor for effective blocking.

Mercenary

Mercenary is designed with the shooting gameplay of a crossbow in mind, and is a class that focuses on medium and long-range shooting. Mercenary’s crossbow can use a variety of special ammunition types, allowing it to function like a traditional firearm, such as an assault rifle, shotgun, or sniper.

In order to make Mercenary operate efficiently, Grinding Gear Games chose WASD control mapping. It seems to be designed to cater to fans of the looter-shooter genre.

Besides traditional ammunition types, Mercenary can also use a variety of elemental ammunitions, such as releasing a Glacial Bolt to slow or freeze enemies, or firing an Explosive Shot to set everything on fire. Mercenary’s emphasis on mobility and a careful mix of various ammunition types seems to be a very tempting choice.

Please note that the above information is based on the current known game data, and the specific details may change with subsequent development. I hope this guide can help you better understand the differences between the various classes and find the one that suits you best!

In Path of Exile 2, classes determine the passive tree and game themes that players can access at the beginning. Ascendancy further refine the character’s growth path, allowing players to focus on specific game mechanics based on their personal preferences.

Although Path of Exile 2 will not immediately provide all Classes and Ascendancies in its Early Access. Players can still experience a rich selection of character choices and development directions.

PoE 2 plans to open six Classes for players to explore in its Early Access, and each class will be equipped with two Ascendancies, so there will be twelve unique character builds waiting for everyone to try in the early stage.

It is expected that by the time the official version is released, it will increase to 12 Classes, and each class will have three Ascendancies, resulting in up to thirty-six diverse character development possibilities.

Classes

In Path of Exile 2, different classes not only determine the passive skill tree that players can unlock at the beginning, but also affect their basic play style in the game and the type of weapons they carry by default.

The following 6 classes are available in Path of Exile 2’s Early Access:

• Mercenary
• Monk
• Ranger
• Sorceress
• Warrior
• Witch

Mercenary is perfect for players who like to control the situation by combining physical and elemental attacks. It is good at using explosives such as grenades and mines to create chain reactions, causing a lot of range damage to the enemy, and is particularly proficient in using crossbows as the primary means of attack.

Although each basic class has its recommended or specialized weapon type, in fact, all classes can freely equip and use any type of weapon in the game. In addition, according to official information, Druid and Huntress are not expected to appear in the initial early access, and players can only have them when the game is officially released.

Ascendancy

In Path of Exile 2 Early Access, each class offers two different Ascendancy classes to choose from. These Ascendancy classes allow players to customize the character’s development path according to their own play style and preferences.

Ascendancy classes are earned by completing Ascension Trials. These trials are a comprehensive test of the player’s operational skills, strategic planning, and teamwork. Players need to defeat numerous enemies, avoid deadly traps, finally defeat a powerful boss and obtain Path Of Exile 2 Currency.

After successfully completing all four Ascension Trials, the player will receive 8 Ascension points. These 8 Ascension points can be allocated to an Ascension-specific skill tree, which is unlocked when the player completes the first Ascension Trial.

Here is an introduction to Ascendancy classes available to each class:

Mercenary

Gemling Legionnaire: Focuses on improving the efficiency of socketed gems, thereby extracting the maximum attack and defense power from various gems.

Witch Hunter: Witch Hunter is perfect for players who like to quickly defeat powerful enemies with fast and fierce attacks. This Ascension class excels at using its agility and powerful burst to deal a lot of damage to the target in a short period, thereby quickly ending the battle.

Monk

Invoker: Invoker is a class that uses summoning elemental powers as its primary combat method. It focuses on maximizing its output by increasing critical hits and elemental ailments.

Acolyte of Chayula: For Acolyte of Chayula, Darkness is no longer a simple negative energy, but has been transformed into a new resource. This resource can not only be used to strengthen its own attack and defense but also to absorb Mana and Energy Shield, and peek into the territory of Breachlords to find useful health and other resource bounties.

Ranger

Deadeye: With a bow in hand and extraordinary movement speed, Deadeye has already shot a fatal arrow before the enemy has reacted. Their passive skills can increase the number of arrows and increase the dodge rate, ensuring that they are at ease in combat.

Pathfinder: Pathfinder excels in using a variety of throwable attacks, which use the charges in the player’s Health flasks to cause various effects. Their poison attacks are particularly powerful, and once they hit, they can continue to weaken the enemy’s combat effectiveness.

Sorceress

Storm Weaver: Storm Weaver is known as Master of Element, allowing players to specialize in lightning-based attacks, whether it is to summon lightning with a critical hit or to stun enemies beyond their capabilities.

Chronomancer: Chronomancers focus on manipulating time. They can distort reality through a series of powerful spells, such as returning to the past state. They can also make the enemy’s movements extremely slow or even stop completely, giving players a great opportunity to adjust tactics or launch a critical strike.

Warrior

Warbringer: Warrior is a group of warriors who can summon Ancestral Totems and Ancestral Spirits to assist in battle. In addition, Warrior also has a special skill called Warcries, which can produce a variety of effects depending on different situations, such as exploding corpses, which will transform the fallen enemy into a devastating explosion, posing an enormous threat to all living creatures around.

Titan: No matter how strong the armor is, it seems vulnerable in front of Titan. They can easily smash any protective gear worn by the opponent and use the impact force to put the target into a short state of dizziness. More importantly, once the enemy is unconscious, Titan can also attack it more violently and accurately, causing additional high damage.

Witch

Infernalist: Infernalist not only inherits all the servant abilities of the witch but also has the unique skill of summoning Hellhound. In addition, it also can convert Mana into Infernal Flame. At a critical moment, Infernalist can transform into a Demon to obtain extremely fast attack speed and casting speed, but the corresponding cost is a significant decrease in defense and greater vulnerability to fatal damage.

Blood Mage: They sacrifice their own health or use the blood of enemies on the battlefield as a casting resource. Depending on the current remaining healthy ratio, Blood Mage can obtain different degrees of critical hit rate improvement.

As PoE 2 develops and improves, players can expect to see more exciting content and challenges.