The developers of Path of Exile 2 have introduced the twelve Ascendancy classes shortly before the start of the Early Access phase, which you can play in the early version of PoE2.
What are Ascendancy classes? They were already present in the first Path of Exile and allow you to specialize your class by following the path of an Ascendancy. For example, the Duelist can become a Slayer, Gladiator, or Champion. Almost all classes from PoE have three specializations.
At the launch of the Early Access version of Path of Exile 2 on December 6, 2024, however, only six of the twelve planned classes will be available to you. The developers of the game have now revealed how these can be upgraded (via pathofexile.com).
The gameplay trailer for the Early Access launch of Path of Exile 2:
The Ascendancies of the Sorceress
- Stormweaver: Can influence the weather and summon an elemental storm. The class focuses on turning the elements against enemies and applying as many strong status effects as possible. The class is especially suited for builds that target elements.
- Chronomancer: Manipulates time to prematurely finish cooldowns, freeze opponents, and teleport to places visited in the past. With its unique ability to freeze time, powerful combos emerge for various builds.
The Ascendancies of the Warrior
- Titan: Titans possess increased armor and health, can carry more due to their strength, and make the ground tremble with their attacks. They are the tank class in the game and rely on slow but powerful attacks. They usually maintain a somewhat slower and more tactical playstyle.
- Warbringer: These warriors summon ghost servants through totems, protect themselves with a jade effect and a strong shield, and can activate a kind of corpse explosion. In close combat, they combine war cries and totems. The latter can draw enemies’ attention and deal damage, in addition to the damage caused by the player themselves.
The Ascendancies of the Ranger
- Deadeye: The mobile sharpshooter operates from a distance and inflicts extremely high damage with its projectiles on marked targets. The class focuses on high attack and movement speed. Additionally, there are bonuses for the projectiles that work well with elemental bow abilities.
- Pathfinder: This hunter brews potions that cause different types of damage, and his poisons are particularly toxic. He focuses on applying a variety of poison stacks to enemies and wiping out entire armies of foes with his damage-over-time abilities.
The Ascendancies of the Witch
- Blood Mage: The Blood Mage drinks the blood of her enemies to heal herself. In addition, she uses curses that never expire. The more life the class has, the deadlier she becomes, as she lands critical hits more frequently.
- Infernalist: The pyromancer can turn into a demon, summon an infernal hound, and cast particularly powerful fire spells. The class is also the best choice for anyone who likes to play with minions. Her talents provide bonuses for your undead army and more spirit.
The Ascendancies of the Mercenary
- Witchhunter: The Witchhunter disrupts the concentration of his victims, causing immense damage. Additionally, he can activate an absorption effect that intercepts enemy magic. The class is characterized by its first hit dealing particularly high damage. Her talents are especially useful against bosses.
- Gemling Legionnaire: The Legionnaire enjoys strong bonuses for skills, jewels, and various attributes. The class is a good all-rounder suitable for all kinds of builds. Especially pros who use many skills will benefit here.
The Ascendancies of the Monk
- Invoker: Through meditation, the Invoker can build an energy shield and even overload it to temporarily gain double protection. He can also unleash his elemental powers to overwhelm all foes. The class significantly enhances elemental attacks, making it strong for corresponding builds.
- Acolyte of Chayula: This fighter targets the mana of his enemies, which he can even use to charge his energy shield. Furthermore, he can summon useful flames and cause additional chaos damage. The survival abilities of this class are well enhanced through passive effects without sacrificing extra damage.
As in the predecessor, the classes of Path of Exile 2 are also predefined characters that can hardly be customized. For example, you still cannot change the predetermined gender. A witch is always female, and a monk is always male. All the information about the release on Steam, PS5, and XBOX, Early Access, classes & crossplay of Path of Exile 2 can be found here.
