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Discover everything you need to know about the Best Class Tier List in Path of Exile 2 Dawn of the Hunt and the best classes to choose from.
The classes in Path of Exile 2 offer distinct advantages and challenges throughout the playthrough. While the Witch offers a unique summoning experience, the Sorceress and Ranger are particularly effective for dealing high damage output and agility. The warrior provides robust options for those preferring tankiness and melee combat. Choosing the best class in POE 2 is very crucial as your gameplay and build depend on it. Each class in the game has its own uniqueness and grants a wholesome experience. There is a total of 12 distinct Classes, each granting its own uniqueness in the game.
Unfortunately, the Classes in Path of Exile 2 are gender-locked, meaning you cannot choose the gender of a specific Class as it is predetermined. Dawn of the Hunt update introduces a new class to the game, The Huntress. This update brings 5 new Ascendancies in the game, allowing players to customize their character and make it more powerful.
In this upcoming patch, you can get the Raise Spectre skill, more than 100 new Support Gems, more than 100 new unique items, new encounters with the Azmerian Wisps, Rogue Exiles, and a new strongbox encounter with new Corrupted Essences mechanics. All of these new features change most aspects of the game. Most of the classes are buffed and nerfed in this update, so we bring the updated Class tier list. This class tier list can help you choose the best class according to your playstyle and preference. In this guide, we’ll discuss the best class tier list in Path of Exile 2 and which are the main factors to consider while choosing any class.
Classes Overview in Path of Exile 2
The classes in Path of Exile 2 offer unique playstyles and extensive customization options. Each class begins with a unique attribute focus and offers three distinct Ascendancy subclasses. This allows the players to modify their characters to their preferred playstyles. With the introduction of the new class and 5 distinct Ascendancies, the meta shift has completely changed. Dawn of the Hunt not only brings 7 New Endgame Maps, Tower & Tablet Improvements, Unique tablets, 6 Portal systems reintroduced, and an Atlas Passive Tree Revamp, but also major updates in classes. While some classes like Sorceress and Monk become more powerful, the other classes like Warrior and Mercenary are less effective. This allows you to experience an immersive playthrough with new and unique changes. The Huntress class in Path of Exile 2 brings a revolution in the meta as it can become a top-tier class in the game.
The Ranger Class focuses on speed, evasion, and critical strikes, and the Witch Class specializes in summoning minions and dark magic. The Warrior Class excels in slams and warcries to deal area damage and Monk specializes in martial arts with elemental attacks.
The Sorceress Class excels in wielding fire, lightning, and ice spells and dual-wielding wands or staves. The Mercenary Class uses crossbows with various ammunition types, granting a dynamic combat style. The Huntress class allows you to summon the fallen beast at a time and use Spear and Buckler to deal massive damage. Any Class can use any weapon and skill combination in the game. You can make a Warrior that summons skeletons, or you can be a Sorceress with a giant mace.
Path of Exile 2 Best Class Tier List
The Huntress is the best class in Path of Exile 2 because it 2 excels in both ranged and melee combat. This allows you to have a flexible and dynamic approach to battles. You specialize in using spears that offer both ranged attacks and melee combat versatility. There’s no class that we consider bad, but there’s a difference between playing as a Mercenary and Monk. Monk is trickier to use and get the most out of effectively, especially during the early game. Characters that can clear mobs much easier than other classes are naturally ranked higher. However, we’ve calculated complexity and ease of use.
Here is the Best Class Tier List in Path of Exile 2.
| Tier | Classes |
|---|---|
| S-Tier | Huntress, Witch, Sorceress |
| A-Tier | Monk, Ranger |
| B-Tier | Mercenary |
| C-Tier | Warrior |
S-Tier
Huntress
The Huntress is the best class to choose in Path of Exile 2 due to its unique playstyle and capabilities to dominate enemies with the Spear and Buckler. The spear attack can make some valuable combo chains, allowing you to deal massive damage. Spears are new base item types that she uses as either a thrown weapon or in melee range. The Huntress is depicted as a female character. They have the skills that allow for switching between ranged and melee combat, with elemental abilities. The hybrid combat playstyle and summoning abilities make this class an S-Tier class in Path of Exile 2.
The Ritualist and The Amazon are the two ascendances of The Huntress. The players of this class use a spear and a buckler, allowing them to deal damage in both melee combat and ranged combat. They can harness energy from the wild, tame beasts, and weave in and out of combat with the help of 20 new Huntress skills. The Huntress can combine many of her skills to create different variations of attacks. They can even tame defeated beasts and summon them to fight at their side. However, the players can only have 1 active beast at a time. You can stab with the spear and throw it. Not only do they have a parry when using a buckler, but you’ve also got these spinning whirlwind slashes and tornadoes.
Use the Twister ability to simply send a projectile that pierces through all targets and bounces off walls until it runs out of duration. The Pursuit and Retreat provide you with a great combo. The hybrid melee range playstyle of the Huntress and spears is encapsulated in a brand new pair of support gems. Retreat is the opposite, as it deals 25% more damage if you’ve damaged an enemy with a melee hit in the last 8 seconds. Use Support Gems to upgrade your skills that enhance the damage output and effectiveness in combat. You can forge your weapon and increase its viability in the middle of battle. This adds explosions to your weapon with a tempered weapon. You can also craft your chest piece using the ascendancy. Your body armor will essentially be a blank slate where you can add different stats on top of it using your ascendancy.
| Huntress Class Pros | Huntress Class Cons |
|---|---|
| Hybrid Combat Style | Defense is Squishy |
| Summoning Abilities | Skill Synergy is Complex |
| Tactical Approach |
Witch
Witch in Path of Exile 2 can summon skeletons and the undead to fight alongside them. They offer a unique playstyle with a focus on debuffs and indirect damage, making it an S-Tier class to choose after the Dawn of the Hunt update. If you want to dip your feet into the dark magic, then the witch is the class for you. She can shoot out a barrage of bone shards, curse enemies to make them weaker, and even spread negative status effects with the contagion spell. Her main feature is being able to summon a bunch of minions to help out in combat, so if you like Summoner classes in these types of games, the Witch is perfect.
Some spells, like earth, will summon temporary minions from enemy Corpses, which are quick to summon but generally only strong in numbers. One cool Synergy is that if an enemy was affected by a status effect, their corpse will spawn a minion that also applies that debuff. However, the real core of your army is made up of permanent minions. They automatically resummon themselves after dying, so you can focus on costing your other spells. These cost a special resource called Spirit, which functions like a budget. You can spend this on powerful Buffs or, in the witch’s case, permanent minions.
While you have a variety of skeletal Warriors you can summon, you also have a spell called Bind Specter. This spell allows you to capture the soul of an enemy and use it as a minion. Permanent minions also have a command skill to detonate other minions who are at low health, so they double as extra skills.
The Witch also has access to one of the coolest ascendancy classes in the game, The Infernalist. This allows you to summon a hellhound that burns nearby enemies. You can also transform into a literal demon yourself. It increases damage taken but also massively improves the Witch’s damage and cost speed. You can also choose to become a blood Mage, spending Health as well as Mana for every spell cost. However, each enemy killed drops life fragments that allow you to heal yourself back up.
The Witch Class gains a new Ascendancy option called the Lich in the Dawn of the Hunt update. This unique Ascendancy enhances the Witch’s ability to command the dead, offering more minion summons and buffs. Liches can convert their life force into mana. The introduction of Lich also makes this class even more powerful and a top-tier class in POE 2.
| Witch Class Pros | Witch Class Cons |
|---|---|
| Powerful Ascendancies | Resource Management |
| Versatile Playstyle | Less Control |
| Summoning Minions |
Sorceress
Sorceress is also a top-tier class in Path of Exile 2 due to its ability to deal massive damage with spells like fireballs and lightning bolts. However, this class is highly dependent on mana and requires strategic positioning. Elements can enhance each other as well like a firewall enhancing any lightning bolts that pass through it with extra damage. You can also go completely all out with Mana Tempest. This creates an area that drains your Mana but also empowers all spells’ costs while inside the Zone.
The Sorceress also has access to powerful trigger gems which allow you to cost certain spells for free after a certain trigger. For example, you can use the shock trigger gem to drop the powerful combat spell for free after shocking a certain number of enemies. The Sorceress is not the strongest Defensive class, so you need to take survivability into account by equipping Arctic armor.
Like the witch’s permanent summons, Arctic armor is a buff that takes up Spirit. This means that the effect stays active as long as you have it equipped. It forms the icy shards around the Sorceress when she stands still, which then freeze enemies that attack her. The sorceress’s weapons come with a free spell, so you can keep casting even if you run out of Mana. This spell is a simple Fireball projectile. However, other times, it can be a more supportive ability like Unleash, which triples the cost of your next spell.
If you want to lean even more into Elemental Mastery, then the Stormweaver Ascendancy class has everything you need. From summoning Elemental storms on a crit to converting other damage types to shock damage, it can cover all. If you want a specialization that helps with surviving, then the Chrono monster will allow you to stop time. You can jump back in time and reset your health, mana, and all your current cooldowns with time snaps.
| Sorceress Class Pros | Sorceress Class Cons |
|---|---|
| High Damage Potential | Vulnerable in Close Range |
| Effective Combo | Mana Dependent |
| Elemental Damage |
A-Tier
Monk
Monk is an A-Tier class in Path of Exile 2 because it has exceptional speed and agility, along with abilities that can stun and inflict status effects. He dashes into combat to strike enemies with the Quarterstaff before executing a quick retreat before the enemies get a chance to retaliate. Your Quarterstaff skill will cover the elements of lightning, ice, and wind. Your killing palm skills will dash to the enemies killing them when they’re low on health to grant you a power charge.
You can drop a tempest belt that resonates man’s shock, then hit it with the elemental damage to empower all of your sequence strikes and do big damage. You also get access to Staggering Palm, which, when enemies are close to being stunned, will unleash a barrage of wind projectiles. As a Monk, you get two Ascendancy paths. First, you can become an Invoker who harnesses your inner strength, creating elemental force. Invokers can meditate to double their Energy Shield and provide additional defenses. You can further specialize in either cult or lightning and unlock more bonuses for that element.
Some Monks prefer to turn to the dark cards, ascending to the Acolyte of Chayula. You can use the shard of darkness to protect yourself from attack based on your darkness. You can also choose to stack more of it for the potent chaos damage bonuses. However, this isn’t where the defenses end, as you’ll also gain additional defenses against chaos damage. Monk also has attacks that include Movement Like whirling assault. It lets you perform a series of swiping attacks while you move forward. You can redirect your movement mid-attack, making it both a powerful offensive tool and a good way to reposition yourself. So, pick the monk if you want a very maneuverable Melee character who can also dish out a ton of Elemental damage.
Each class also has two ascendancy classes during the early access launch. These are specializations that need to be earned by completing Ascension trials, which you can find throughout your adventure. For the Monk, you get the choice between the Invoker and the Acolyte. The Invoker is more Elemental-focused and includes the ability to trigger an avatar state to massively increase your Elemental damage. The Acolyte gains access to a special resource called darkness that your monk can spend to either increase their damage or improve their defenses. However, this class is difficult to play and requires resource management.
| Monk Class Pros | Monk Class Cons |
|---|---|
| High Mobility | Difficult to Play |
| Massive damage | Resource Management |
| Elemental Versatility |
Ranger
Ranger is another A-Tier class in Path of Exile 2 because it only excels in ranged attacks with a bow. This class focuses on precision and elemental damage. It is effective against bosses but also requires gear investment to maximize potential. Her lightning attacks will bounce between targets, electrocuting them and inflicting a stunning effect that plants arrows in the ground to deal more damage. Your cold skills can slow and freeze enemies, making it easy to escape their attacks. The poison skill will generate a highly flammable cloud of gas each one dealing damage over time and creating toxic plants to devastate anyone that steps onto them. As a Ranger, you become either the Deadeye or Pathfinder.
The Deadeye fires additional projectiles, making it easy to bury enemies under the barrage. Alternatively, you can stack Tailwind up to increase your speed. Be careful, as you will lose that speed after taking the damage. Pathfinder is another Ascendancy that focuses on flask and poison. You can choose between five throwable concoctions that are fueled by your flask charges. Each concoction deals some damage and inflicts a crippling element on any enemies caught inside the splash zone.
You can fire any basic Arrow attack while moving. You also have a wide array of elemental attacks, including shock arrows. This can bounce between enemies or can be stuck into the ground like a mine and explode when another shock Arrow bounces off of it. Ice is useful for slowing enemies down and getting yourself out of danger, like Frost Escape, which includes a large leap backward.
As a Ranger, you also get to invest in Poison damage and get a Little Help from Mother Nature. You can place special plants that latch onto nearby enemies. It can slow them down and also spread any poison Stacks you apply to the plant to linked enemies. You also have attacks that require some thinking or skill like Snipe. This is a shot that needs to be drawn and released. However, if you hit the perfect timing on the release, you’ll deal a guaranteed critical hit. If you want to focus on the sharpshooting aspect of the class even more, then the Dead Eye Ascension is the way to go.
| Ranger Class Pros | Ranger Class Cons |
|---|---|
| Versatile Playstyles | Fragility |
| Effective Crowd Control | Defensive Limitations |
| High Mobility | Gear Dependent |
B-Tier
Mercenary
Mercenary is a B-tier class in Path of Exile 2 because it uses a crossbow, explosives, and elemental attacks. This is effective at clearing groups of enemies but requires practice to manage its complex skill set. You have a variety of huge ammunition. For example, you get armor-piercing ammo, which inflicts armor break, then incendiary ammo, which sets enemies on fire, and even permafrost ammo, which freezes targets in place.
In addition to his crossbow, the Mercenary will come armed to the teeth with a variety of grenades. The grenades work exactly as you expect and detonate after a short delay. Some grenades can apply effects, others will choke your targets with noxious fumes, but most are just there to cause big explosions. Putting all of these combinations together will give you a massive variety of options to choose from. As a Mercenary, you can ascend and become a Witch Hunter or Gemling Legionnaire.
The Witch Hunter focuses on critical strikes, utility, and crowd control. This is the best choice for taking down the magic user’s enemies. It boosts your defense against magic but offers less defense against physical attacks. This Ascendancy disrupts spell casters, slowing their cast interval. It can explode enemies and doubles for undead enemies and demons.
The Gemling Legionnaire emphasizes gem-based mechanics to build flexibility. They can gain additional skill slots and enhance elemental resistance without bypassing attribute requirements for skill gems. Tactician is an Ascendancy class available to the Mercenary base class. It can deploy multiple banners that grant various buffs to allies within their vicinity. They can call down supporting fire, unleashing volleys of arrows to help allies and disrupt enemies.
| Mercenary Class Pros | Mercenary Class Cons |
|---|---|
| Crowd Control | Vulnerable in Close-Range Combat |
| Good Survivability | Mane Dependent |
| Great Mobility | Complex Mechanics |
C-Tier
Warrior
Warrior is the C-Tier Class in Path of Exile 2 after the arrival of the Dawn of the Hunt update. This is a melee class with high health and stun abilities. It lacks the damage potential and agility of other classes. Warrior’s favorite weapon is Mace, which includes skills like the Slams and Warcries. If you want to get spicy, you can also use a variety of shield skills. You can always redirect your strikes mid-attack or dodge rollout. If you desperately need to dodge an enemy attack, the Warrior also has access to several totems. Some of these, like the Shockwave totem, will directly damage the enemy. Others, like the Ancestral Warrior, use a slam skill. This is great if you want a more relaxed playstyle, but if you want to be safer, you can use the shield skills.
These bulky melee Fighters have a ton of AOE slam attacks to deal with groups of enemies. They can also play more defensively by equipping a shield in their off-hand. These are more than just a cosmetic as you can raise your Shield at any time to block all frontal incoming damage. This also applies to Shield skills like a forward charge as you’d expect, there’s a ton of synergy between Warrior skills. You can create a magma Fisher and then erupt it with a shockwave from another attack. You also have a variety of warcries, like one that buffs the next slam attack with an extra Aftershock or one that marks nearby enemies. This means they’ll blow up on death.
If you want to go all out, you might want to have a look at the passive skill tree and pick up the Giant’s Blood passive. This allows you to wield two-handed weapons in one hand, so you can use a two-handed weapon and a shield or dual-wield two-handed weapons. It also doubles the stat requirements of every weapon, so there is a tradeoff. The warrior is the class to pick if you want to be upfront, slam down hordes of enemies, and be tanky. The two ascendancy classes are the Warbringer and the Titan. Warbringer allows you to summon ancestral spirits to help you in battle or encase your body in Jade to tank incoming damage. The Titan is a full-on Bruiser, giving every slam attack a chance to trigger an Aftershock. It increases the stun damage of your attacks and boosts your damage against stunned enemies.
| Warrior Class Pros | Warrior Class Cons |
|---|---|
| High Survivability | Lower Mobility |
| Stun Capabilities | Less Damage Output |
| Tanky | Resource Management |
How to Choose the Best Class in Path of Exile 2
Selecting the best classes in Path of Exile 2 depends on your preferred playstyle and skill level. Experiment with each class during your gameplay to see which favors your playstyle. Skill Gems and other gear can alter how a class plays, so try with several setups. Classes in Path of Exile 2 can branch into different archetypes due to the new skill systems. Have a keen eye on your class’s Ascendancies and build flexibility. However, the best class is the one that you enjoy the most during your gameplay.
Choose a class that repeats with your preferred mechanics. Don’t hesitate to switch classes if your initial choices are not as good as they are supposed to be. Select a Sorceress or Mercenary class to handle both damage and survivability during solo play. Witch (minions) or Monk (melee DPS) shine in group play as they’re supportive and specialized classes. Choose a Mercenary and Ranger to deal damage while avoiding mechanics in the Endgame. The Ranger or Mercenary offers excellent ranged capability. If you enjoy devastating AOE damage or summoning allies, then Sorceress and Witch are the best options to utilize.
Best Classes for Leveling
Ranger
The Ranger is a ranged Class in the game. But this time around, you won’t be wielding magic but instead dealing physical damage to your foes. Unlike the Sorceress, this Class is also pretty agile, vaulting away whenever needed. It deals physical and elemental bow damage from a distance. Unlike many Classes, the Ranger can shoot while moving, giving players a significant edge on the battlefield. Basic arrow skills can be fired on the go, albeit with a slight movement penalty, allowing her to reposition while death upon enemies. Lightning, poison, fire, and frost, as well as plants and vines, are the key elements for the Ranger Class.
Any kind of basic arrow skill can be fired while moving with a movement penalty. This immediately gives you a lot more freedom on the battlefield. Ranger is a dexterity-based character Class renowned for quick attack, agility, and efficiency with bows. The Ranger Class has a Dexterity attribute, meaning the Class will begin on the lower right side of the passive tree. This area is near the Cold Damage, Crit, Bow Damage, Flask Effect, Evasion, and Attack Speed.
Mercenary
The Mercenary Class in Path of Exile 2 offers ranged battles while focusing on crossbows, ammo, and attachments. It is a Strength/Dexterity hybrid Class that is centered around crossbows. This Class offers an experience that feels more than any other RPG. This Class doesn’t depend on skills or passive nodes. You can customize your playstyle by choosing different crossbows, ammo, and attachments. Each one of them influences how to tackle enemies. This Strength/Dexterity hybrid Class is centered around crossbows. It wields crossbows with different firing nodes, and each one grants a different playstyle. Crossbows allow the players to fire weapons that act like guns.
The crossbows grant a specific firing skill to your character that they can utilize in intense battles. Mercenary in Path of Exile 2 involves unique mechanics and strategic versatility. This Strength/Dexterity hybrid Class allows you to use heavier gear and attack speed. Use only those gear that complements both attributes and increases the utility skills and crossbow damage output. Choosing the right Ascendancy is crucial as it customizes your playstyle to the next level. Positioning is important while playing in this Class, so use crossbows to maintain distance from melee enemies and swap between your two equipped crossbows.
FAQs about Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt Best Class Tier List?
What is the “best” class in Path of Exile 2?
The Huntress is the best class in Path of Exile 2 because it can make some valuable combo chains, allowing you to deal massive damage. Spears are new base item types that she uses as either a thrown weapon or in melee range.
What factors determine the best class?
Playstyle preferences, role in party or solo, flexibility and build options, and meta considerations are the factors that determine the best class.
Which is the worst class in Path of Exile 2?
Warrior is the worst class in Path of Exile 2 due to its limitations in most situations. It offers lower mobility and less damage output in combat.
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