Path of Exile 2 Classes: 12 Classes and 36 Ascendancies

All 12 Classes in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 is releasing very soon, and there are a ton of changes coming to the game; most notably, PoE 2 will introduce 12 classes (6 new and 6 returning) and a whopping 36 Ascendancies.

For a quick recap, Path of Exile 2 is set to release their Closed Beta on June 7th, 2024. You can find more details on the Beta in our Release Date Article.

For this article, I’ll be quickly running over all 12 new classes and everything we know about them so far. Let’s jump right into it.

Path of Exile 2 Class Introduction

Let’s start off with a brief introduction to Classes. As with many RPG games, your class will determine your character’s strengths and weaknesses. While other games lock you into specific skills or builds in a class, Path of Exile is a little different.

In Path of Exile, your class only determines two things.

Firstly, it sets your starting location on the passive tree. Different parts of the tree specialize in different things, so you starting location gives you easier access to certain nodes.

Secondly, your class gives you access to 3 Ascendancy classes. These are basically class specializations. Your Ascendancy will provide an additional smaller tree, granting you powerful buffs for a variety of different builds. While we don’t have much information on Ascendancies yet, we know from PoE 1 that these Ascendancy buffs are powerful and build defining.

Note: This image is of the PoE 1 Skill Tree, but for reference purposes, it will suffice.

In this picture, we see that each of the 12 classes has a different starting location. The top side of the tree relates to Int (Intelligence) based nodes, the bottom right for Dex (Dexterity), and the bottom left for STR (Strength).

There will be 6 different starting locations, with two classes sharing the same spot for each.

All 12 Classes and Brief Overview

With that introduction, let’s go through all 12 classes. 6 Classes will be returning from PoE 1, with every class returning except for the Scion.

We also have a signature weapon/ability for each Class. While you are not forced to build each class this way, they are recommendations based on the starting location and nodes for each.

Furthermore, every character has the same starting Attributes, these simply signify the starting location on the tree.

• Strength: Marauder – Axes
• Strength: Warrior – Maces
• Dexterity: Ranger – Bows
• Dexterity: Huntress – Spears
• Intelligence: Witch – Minions/Occult Spells
• Intelligence: Sorceress – Elemental Spells
• Str/Dex: Duelist – Swords
• Str/Dex: Mercenary – Crossbows
• Int/Dex: Shadow – Daggers and Traps
• Int/Dex: Monk – Unarmed and Quarterstaves
• Str/Int: Templar – Flails
• Str/Int: Druid – Shapeshift Spells

While we don’t have reveals on every Class, there are some assumptions we can make on each based on PoE 1 and their signature Weapon/Ability.

Marauder

• Attribute Start: Strength
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Axes
• Potential Ascendancies: Juggernaut, Berserker, Chieftain

Marauder is a returning class from PoE 1, and there is a good chance we’ll see some of the previous Ascendancies return. The Marauder class is the original STR Class, with a heavier emphasis on Strength, Life, Fire Damage, and Armour.

Warrior

[Full Warrior Class Overview]

• Attribute Start: Strength
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Maces

PoE 2 will introduce the Warrior Class, another STR based hero similar to Marauder. Considering that Maces are the signature weapon for Warriors, it’s likely we’ll see Slam skills such as Ground Slam or Earthquake be prevalent for Warrior.

Ranger

• Attribute Start: Dexterity
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Bows
• Potential Ascendancies: Deadeye, Raider, Pathfinder

The Ranger class is returning, and will be your go to Bow class. The Passive Tree around Ranger generally emphasizes things like Dexterity, Crit, Evasion, Spell Suppression, and Cold Damage.

Huntress

• Attribute Start: Dexterity
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Spears

The Huntress will be the new Dexterity Class with Spears as their Signature. We don’t know the full details on this, but there’s potentially both Ranged and Melee Spear skills, so we’ll wait and see for more information.

Witch

• Attribute Start: Intelligence
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Minions/Occult Spells
• Potential Ascendancies: Necromancer, Occultist

The Witch class is returning as well, but with a slight distinction from PoE 1. In Path of Exile, the Witch class covered both Elemental and Minion builds. However, with PoE 2, the Witch will likely have more of an emphasis on summons like Skeletons, Zombies, Golems, etc.

The INT portion of the tree has proximity to nodes such as Mana, Energy Shield, Spell/Minion Damage, and Lightning Damage.

Sorceress

[Full Sorceress Class Overview]

• Attribute Start: Intelligence
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Elemental Spells
• Potential Ascendancies: Elementalist

The Sorceress will be the new Intelligence Class, with an emphasis on Elemental Skills/Spells. The Elementalist Ascendancy was present in PoE 1, and might be returning for the Sorceress Class.

Duelist

• Attribute Start: Str/Dex
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Swords
• Potential Ascendancies: Slayer, Gladiator, Champion

The Duelist Class returns as the original STR/DEX Class. The Duelist sits between the Marauder and Ranger, gaining easier access to both sides of those trees. You’ll often find Duelist characters combining the offensive and defensive aspects from both areas of the tree.

With an emphasis on Swords, Duelists can be fast melee attackers. You can also build Duelists as Bow characters as they are close to the Ranger starting location.

Mercenary

[Full Mercenary Class Overview]

• Attribute Start: Str/Dex
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Crossbows

The Mercenary Class is a new class that also brings a new weapon type, Crossbows. GGG has released a teaser video showing off some Mercenary Gameplay as well.

Most notably, GGG showed off the new WASD movement that all characters can use in this video as well. With this, you can move freely and control where you shoot your Crossbow.

Crossbows will add a lot of new interactions to the game, with things like Ammo, different Skill types, and more.

Shadow

• Attribute Start: Int/Dex
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Daggers and Traps
• Potential Ascendancies: Assassin, Saboteur, Trickster

The Shadow Class returns as the INT/DEX class, giving it flexibility between the Dex and Int portions of the tree. Daggers can be utilized for things like Physical damage Spells, and the Shadow also has an emphasis on Trap Skills.

Monk

[Full Monk Class Overview]

• Attribute Start: Int/Dex
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Unarmed and Quarterstaves

The Monk will be the new INT/DEX class, with a signature weapon of Quarterstaves or Unarmed Skills. GGG have released some Monk gameplay, which you can watch here.

Templar

• Attribute Start: Str/Int
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Flails
• Potential Ascendancies: Inquisitor, Heirophant, Guardian

The last returning class will be the Templar, starting between the STR and INT portions of the tree. Some things we’ve seen Templar do in PoE 1 are Elemental Attack builds, Totem builds, Summon builds, and more.

The class generally is a mixture of Witch and Marauder, allowing you to be a tankier spellcaster, or an attack build with more elemental damage.

Druid

[Full Druid Class Overview]

• Attribute Start: Str/Int
• Signature Weapon/Ability: Shapeshift Spells

Lastly, we have the Druid, a new STR/INT class with shapeshifting. Other classes can use Shapeshift Skills/Spells, but the Druid will have better Ascendancies to buff these skills.

You can also check out some Druid gameplay here.

Closing Words

This wraps up our quick overview on all the Classes coming to Path of Exile 2. Half of the classes will be familiar faces, but they’ll likely have changes made to them for the new game.

We don’t have all the details on the new classes, but as we learn more, we’ll definitely update this article to keep you informed.

Thanks for Reading! Be sure to check out our other resources on Path of Exile 2.

• Path of Exile 2 Beginner Guide
• Path of Exile 2 Release Date and News