Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

Discover everything you need to know about the Best Class Tier List in Path of Exile 2 and the best classes to choose from.

Mercenary Class Path of Exile 2 — Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List (Source: Grinding Gear Games)

Path of Exile 2 has received an initial release on December 6, 2024. 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. Choosing the best class in the game is crucial as your gameplay depends on it. Each class in the game has its own uniqueness and grants a wholesome experience. Explore the Mercenary Class in Path of Exile 2 and see how she redefines summoner gameplay! In this guide, we’ll discuss the Best Class Tier List and the best classes for beginners and fast leveling.

Classes in Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 has 12 confirmed character classes. Out of them, 6 are released for Early Access and the remaining half will be introduced after EA, most probably during the full launch. All 12 classes have 3 Ascendancy classes each, resulting in a total outstanding amount of 36 Ascendancy classes to pick and dominate. Each Class starts in specific regions of the passive skill tree at the north position.

We have the pure intelligence casters which are both available in early access, the Witch and the Sorceress. At the northeast are the Dexterity/Intelligence Classes, in early access that is the Monk and they will eventually add the Shadow. At the east of the tree is pure Dexterity and that is the Ranger and eventually Huntress. To the south is the Dexterity/Strength which will eventually be Duelist and in early access there is Mercenary.

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-wield wands or staves. The Mercenary Class uses crossbows with various ammunition types, granting a dynamic combat style.

Reminder, only the ascendancies ultimately matter when it comes to Class. Any Class can use any weapon and skill combination in the game. You can make a Warrior that summons skeletons, you can be a Sorceress with a giant mace. These Class/weapon/skill combos are just guidelines for new players, you can ignore them entirely if you wish.

Path of Exile 2 Best Class Tier List

Mercenary is the best class in Path of Exile 2 because it offers a variety of huge ammunition along with versatile combat options. There’s no class that we consider bad but there’s a difference between playing as the Mercenary and Monk. Monk is trickier to use and get the most out of effectively, especially during the early game. These classes are ranked by several criteria as clear speed, combat Utility, DPS, and much more. Characters that can clear mobs much easier than other classes are naturally ranked higher. However, we’ve calculated complexity and ease of use. If a class is easier and simpler to play and understand especially before you get to your Ascendancy then this plays a factor as well.

Here is the Best Class Tier List in Path of Exile 2.

Tier	Classes
S-Tier	Mercenary, Sorceress
A-Tier	Monk, Ranger
B-Tier	Witch
C-Tier	Warrior

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

S-Tier

Mercenary

Attribute: Dexterity/Strength
Essential Equipment: Crossbow
Playstyle: Ranged combat with a crossbow, a variety of elemental moves

Mercenary is a Strength and Dexterity class in Path of Exile 2. You can use a burst shot with a shotgun and then also get your hands on the rapid shot or an assault rifle. 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 a 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.

Mercenary Pros	Mercenary Cons
Versatile Combat Options	Reload Management
High Damage Potential	Limited Mobility
Crowd Control Abilities	Complex Resource Management

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

Sorceress

Attribute: Intelligence
Essential Equipment: Staff
Playstyle: Throw lightning and firestorms at the enemy

Sorceress is an Intelligence-based class that harnesses three elements and bends them to your will. You can use powerful fire skills that ignite enemies or use a wall of fire or even Fireballs to set her projectiles, a blaze adding additional damage to the enemies. This class allows you to drop big rocks on the targets and use other cold skills to freeze them in a place. You can choose different routes and fill your entire screen with sparks that shock enemies which makes them easier to defeat.

The Elemental skills are made to combine with other spells of different elements. You can wield the fire staff in your main hand to drop a flame wall then swap to a lightning staff. You can even use the fire skill with cast-on ignite that will trigger a gem that unleashes a devastating firestorm.

As a Sorceress, you can ascend to become either way the Stormweaver or Chronomancer. The stormweaver harnesses all things, lightning based. You can deal critical damage to your enemies and unleash a devastating lightning storm or perhaps can stack two shocks on an enemy for even more damage.

This is a magic archetype that primarily uses elements to bring enemies to their knees. As a Sorceress, you should be able to use a variety of elements at your disposal to wreak havoc on everybody. Unlike the Warrior, it is more of a ranged class and probably wouldn’t excel in close combat situations.

Sorceress Pros	Sorceress Cons
High AoE Damage	Low Health
Combo Potential	Poor at close range
Versatile Elemental Damage	Mana Dependent

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

A-Tier

Monk

Attribute: Dexterity/Intelligence
Essential Equipment: Quarterstaff
Playstyle: Move around hitting enemies to inflict status effects

Monk is a highly mobile Intelligence/Dexterity-based class. 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 a 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 Ascendancies paths. First, you can become an Invoker that 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. On top of this, you will get instant Mana Leech and the ability to apply it to your Energy Shield which will provide a potent layer of recovery.

Monk Pros	Monk Cons
High Damage Output	Low Defense
Elemental Versatility	Complex Playstyle
Mobility	Resource Management

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

Ranger

Attribute: Dexterity
Essential Equipment: Bow
Playstyle: Maintain a distance while throwing out arrows and abilities to slow enemies

Ranger is a Dexterity-based class that uses a variety of skills focused on lightning, poison, ice, and physical damage. 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 way 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 also cause your poison to spread between different targets while making them twice as potent. While firing and becoming immune to slow effects, it is a great choice for anyone who wants to go fast while skill dealing a huge amount of damage.

Ranger Pros	Ranger Cons
High Mobility	Fragility
Versatile Combat Skills	Complex Resource Management
Mount Usage	Skill Precision Required

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

B-Tier

Witch

Attribute: Intelligence
Essential Equipment: Wands and Rods
Playstyle: Summon minions that distract enemies and also deal damage.

Witch is an Intelligence-based class that uses her spirits to build a minion army or attack enemies directly through chaos and bone skills. You can curse enemies to weaken them and make it easier to take out dangerous bosses. The minions will resummon when they die. You can use weaker skeletal warriors or powerful skeletal arcanists and each minion has a special active ability.

The skeletal arsonists can detonate your other minions, so the playstyle revolves around using corpses for temporary minions to grow up the ranks of your army. Infernalist and Blood Mage are the Ascendancies of this class.

Infernalist summon a hellhound that deals fire damage and sucks a percentage of the damage they take. Ignite enemies by turning her mana into an infernal flame. The infernal flames in POE2 overflow because they cast additional skills. They can turn into a demon form to enhance their damage and gain quick movement speed but take more damage as well.

Blood Mage looks like a great option for any crit-based caster build. They enhance their survivability by an energy shield based on their maximum life from her spell damage. The biggest issue is solving regeneration, especially for skills with high mana and life costs. There’s also a huge chance that Blood Mage passes can improve minion damage. They also enhance their critical damage based on their maximum life. Blood Mages offer a percentage of their health and mana in exchange for the boosts they gain.

Witch Pros	Witch Cons
Versatile Playstyle	Fragile Early Game
Powerful Ascendancies	Resource Management
Minions are highly effective.	Less control

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

C-Tier

Warrior

Attribute: Strength
Essential Equipment: Sword and Board, Mace, and Shield, or two-handed weapons
Playstyle: Utilize melee strikes on enemies while encountering damage

Warrior is a Strength-based class that specializes in crushing enemies with oversized melee weapons. Warrior’s favorite weapon is Mace which includes skills like the slams and Warcries. If you want to get spicy, then 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.

While you have the shield equipped, you can actively block to prevent all incoming damage from one direction. You can also use skills like the Shield Charge that blocks incoming damage while rushing into enemies that deal even more damage along the way.

Warrior Pros	Warrior Cons
High Survivability	Lower Mobility
Stun Capabilities	Less Damage Output
Tanky	Complex Resource Management

Path of Exile 2: Best Class Tier List

Path of Exile 2 Best Classes Per Players

Here are the best classes that align with your preferred playstyle.

Class	Ideal For	Playstyle	Pros	Cons	Difficulty
Mercenary	For players who prefer strategic, ranged engagements	Ranged combat with a crossbow using several elemental bolts	Versatile and can inflict damage from a distance	Requires reloading	Medium
Sorceress	For players who prefer dealing massive damage from a distance	It casts elemental spells like lightning bolts and fireballs	Offer crowd control and high area-of-effect damage	Low health	Easy
Monk	For players who seek a challenging and fast-paced experience	Agile melee combat with elemental-infused attacks	High damage output and high mobility	Need precise timing and positioning	Hard
Ranger	Players who prefer hit-and-run tactics	Uses a bow for precise long-range attacks	Excellent Mobility and high single-target damage	Less effective in close-range fights	Easy to Medium
Witch	Players who prefer managing minions	Summons minions and casts curses	Minions can deal damage and distract enemies	Less Control in Combat	Medium to Hard
Warrior	Players who prefer straightforward and melee combat	Close-range combat with high durability	Absorb significant damage	Lower damage output	Easy to Medium

How to choose the best class in POE 2?

Selecting the best classes in Path of Exile 2 depends on your preferred playstyle and skill level. Here’s how to choose the best class in this action RPG.

Understand Your Playstyle – If you prefer melee combat, tanking hits, and delivering strong blows, then consider classes like the Warrior or Monk. Looking to keep foes at a distance? 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.
Consider the Content – Choose 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.
Experiment Different Classes – 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.
Flexibility and Customization – 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 it supposed to be.

Best class for POE 2 Beginners

Witch Skill gems Path of Exile 2 — Witch Path of Exile 2

Here are the best classes for beginners in Path of Exile 2.

Witch- a strong DPS Class that includes Spirit, summons, and Ascendancy Classes.
Sorceress- focuses on the intelligence attribute allowing her to get access to the elemental magic to use on enemies, dealing damage.

Witch

The necromantic Witch Class in Path of Exile is the perfect Class for you. Witch is designed to be the ultimate summoner. While some Classes can have access to a few minions, the Witch dominates in commanding large diverse armies. She has unique mechanics that allow for seamless summoning and advanced minion customization. The Scepter is the primary weapon that grants you, minions, like Warriors while also generating a resource called spirit.

The spirit bar displayed above your mana is key to your summoning abilities. Use spirit to tailor your army’s composition on the skill screen. The Witch deploys chaos-based spells that inflict damage over time and weaken enemies. Infernalist is the Witch Class specialized ascendancy which focuses on harnessing hellfire and demonic powers. Minions also revive upon death automatically and you can issue a command to control minion behavior and send them to certain locations or targets.

The Witch Class in Path of Exile specializes in occult magic, utilizing skills that summon an undead army or deal chaos damage with contagion and poisons. The Witch can summon Skeletal Warriors, Skeletal Mages, Zombies, and other undead creatures. The Spirit determines the number and strength of minions you can summon. Contagion and Essence Drain are the skills that can apply continuous damage to enemies and spread effects to close enemies.

Apply curses to weaken foes, enabling you to increase survivability and damage output. The Witch can merge minion support and deadly spells to modify their approach in fights. Blood Mage and Infernalist are the two different Witch’s specializations that let you tackle enemies often more easily. Blood Mage focuses on improving minions, mainly their durability and capabilities while Infernalist uses fire and demonic powers. Summon more powerful enemies and enhance the spirit pool as you progress.

Sorceress

The Sorceress is one of two intelligence starting classes in Path of Exile 2. This class is heavily focused on elemental damage, elemental ailments, mana, and energy shields, making it somewhat akin to the Elementalist of Path of Exile 1. The sorceress excels in casting potent elemental spells and uses staves and wands to cast spells. You can switch between different staves to gain a variety of elemental attacks that increase combat versatility. The Sorceress has a mixed array of skills, each supporting a certain element.

Flame Wall, Spark, Comet, Ice Nova, and Arc are some of the best skills that players can use while fighting in combat. Sorceress can customize your playstyle through Ascendancy Classes, Stormweaver, and Chronomancer. Stormweaver focuses on enhancing elemental damage and Chronomancer exploits time to her advantage. Combine different elemental skills to take control of the battlefield and exploit enemy weaknesses. Maximize the damage output transitions between elemental attacks through the weapon-swapping feature. This class offers a dynamic and versatile playstyle, revolving around elemental magic.