In the ever-evolving world of Path of Exile 2, choosing the best class can make or break your journey through Wraeclast’s dark and dangerous realms. From the versatile and crowd-controlling Mercenary to the spell-slinging Sorceress and the trap-master Shadow, each class offers a unique playstyle tailored to different goals-whether you’re speed-leveling, farming, or dominating endgame bosses. Ready to uncover which class reigns supreme in 2025’s meta and how to master it for PC, PlayStation, or Xbox? Let’s dive into the ultimate class ranking guide that will shape your Path of Exile 2 adventure.
The ascendancy options it introduced for a handful of classes offer new ways to play, but they don’t radically change how each class functions. Developer Grinding Gears also tweaked every existing ascendancy, though these alterations are more like minor balance changes. Long-requested revamps for struggling ascendancies such as the blood mage are still a ways over the horizon.
Our update list of the best Path of Exiles 2 classes takes into consideration how many viable skill options a class gives you, along with ease of use and how well they can hold their own in combat against mobs and bosses.
Update (April 10): Updated our best class ranking to factor in new class Huntress, and the other various class changes and additions as part of the “Dawn of the Hunt” update.
Path of Exile 2 best class ranking
Path of Exile 2’s best class ranking highlights the Mercenary as the top choice due to its versatile ranged combat, elemental damage variety, and strong crowd control, making it ideal for both new and experienced players. The Sorceress and Witch also rank highly for their powerful elemental and summon-based abilities, respectively, while classes like the Ranger and Warrior offer niche strengths but generally require more investment to excel. Rankings vary depending on whether the focus is on fast leveling, endgame performance, or playstyle preference, with the Mercenary consistently praised for balancing damage output and survivability across different game phases.
Path of Exile 2 has seven classes as of the early access version’s “Dawn of the Hunt” update.
These range from traditional types with a twist – such as the Warrior, a melee brawler, and the spellslinging Sorceress – to more experimental classes. The Witch, for example, summons minions and has access to powerful debuff skills, while the Mercenary controls the battlefield with a variety of fast-firing, hard-hitting crossbow shots. Path of Exile 2’s take on the Monk is unique among that class style’s iterations throughout video games, and even the Ranger is much more interesting than you might expect from someone who just shoots arrows.
In short, every Path of Exile 2 class has something going for it, though some are easier to learn and use effectively than others.
The best classes in Path of Exile 2 as of the “Dawn of the Hunt” update are:
- Mercenary – Early access to strong combos and high potential to manage crowds and defeat bosses quickly.
- Witch – Self-sustaining skills, strong minions, and excellent debuff abilities make up for a slow start with their kit.
- Huntress (new) – Strong blend of ranged and melee attacks with multiple specialization options.
- Ranger – Exceptionally powerful elemental abilities, but few retreat options and no defensive skills.
- Warrior (moved up one place) – Excellent at taking down bosses, but weak power and slow animations make dealing with mobs difficult.
- Monk (moved down one place) – Dull skillset until level five, when strong combos finally show up.
- Sorceress – Strong elemental spells, but slow animations and no sustaining skills leave them vulnerable in solo play.
1. Mercenary
The Mercenary is a versatile Strength and Dexterity hybrid class in Path of Exile 2, known for wielding the new crossbow weapon type. This class excels at ranged combat, using various types of crossbow ammo and grenades to adapt to different combat scenarios, making it a flexible and mobile damage dealer. The Mercenary offers two Ascendancy options: Witchhunter, which specializes in advanced weapon skill customization and spellcaster disruption, and Gemling Legionnaire, which provides straightforward buffs and gem support ideal for new players. Praised for its strong early game and steady power curve, the Mercenary is considered the best overall class due to its adaptability, effective ranged attacks, and solid survivability, making it a top choice for both newcomers and experienced players alike.
Path of Exile 2’s Mercenary is an exceptional class with high damage potential, early access to powerful combos, and a flexible playstyle that, despite some complexities, makes it comparatively easy to learn for newcomers and those familiar with Path of Exile. The Mercenary fires high-powered crossbow bolts and quickly gets access to a range of much more interesting and useful skills, particularly if you choose the new Tactician ascendancy.
They can launch fire grenades, freeze foes and shatter them, reduce enemy resistances, and even fire a continuous stream of arrows to whittle down the toughest bosses (like Jamanra, the Abomination). Best of all, the Mercenary doesn’t have to specialize in just one element. You can mix charged shots with fire grenades and freeze arrows and still end up with a viable build to carry you through the game.
The Tactician ascendancy adds a selection of crowd control skills to your roster, including Right Where We Want Them, which prevents enemies with the pinned status from taking any action. Strategic use of that with the Suppressive Fire skill, which builds the pin effect when you use projectiles, means you can often keep whole crowds of enemies from attacking. That’s in addition to self-buff skills and a new support ability that raises party member or minion attack power. The Mercenary was already strong, and this new ascendancy just made it even better.
The Mercenary might have a strong set of skills at their disposal, but getting used to them takes a fair bit of practice. They burn through mana quickly and need a careful balance of special shots and basic attacks, and, more than with other classes, you also have to develop a pattern of attacking and retreating to avoid getting overwhelmed. The wide shot spread for some of the Mercenary’s special skills means you have to be at close range for them to reliably hit, which puts you at risk of getting overwhelmed by mobs.
Still, for the variety of abilities the Mercenary can learn, it’s worth putting up with the learning curve.
2. Witch
The Witch in Path of Exile 2 is a powerful Intelligence-based class specializing in summoning undead minions and dealing chaos damage through poisons and contagion. Unlike its predecessor, the Witch now focuses more on summoning and chaos spells, while the elemental spellcasting role has shifted to the new Sorceress class. The Witch commands an army of skeletal warriors, mages, and other minions that consume spirit rather than mana, allowing the player to cast supportive or offensive spells freely. With ascendancies like Bloodmage and Infernalist, the Witch can either trade health for powerful abilities or harness fire damage and demonic transformations. This class is well-suited for players who enjoy a mix of minion management and high-risk, high-reward spellcasting, making it a strong choice for both beginners and experienced players looking for versatile gameplay.
The Witch is a close second for Path of Exile 2’s best class, held back only by some lackluster class ascendancy bonuses and a few balance oddities that make some of their skills less useful than others. The Witch is, ostensibly, a minion summoner, but they can specialize into a debuffer and a powerful spellcaster as well. The witch can raise minions from dead enemies, explode corpses, spread disease, cast fire and frost spells (and lightning, though it’s a bit weak in Path of Exile 2’s early access stage) pin enemies in place, buff minions and send them into a frenzy – their kit is exceptional, even before ascendancy buffs.
The Witch’s Lich ascendancy bundles in some additional, useful buffs, including improvements to the energy shield, the option to curse hexproof enemies, and an option to ignore mana in favor of life to get better regeneration. However, the best addition is the additional chaos damage the Lich Witch can deal, a damage type that’s among the most powerful in Path of Exile 2’s current form.
The Witch is also one of the easiest classes to learn, since you can let minions distract foes while you direct them from afar, which means the risk of getting overwhelmed is much lower for the Witch. Infernalist Witches benefit from a broad range of balance changes as well, most of which improve their combat performance with extra critical damage or longer-lasting Hellhounds.
The Witch’s big issues – aside from the Blood Mage ascendancy being severely underpowered at launch – are how long it takes for their kit to get interesting, and how weak their minions are at first. It takes several levels and a fair bit of skill point investment for standard and summoned minions to do anything approaching respectable levels of damage and survivability. The Witch can supplement the damage shortfall, but the more serious problem is how quickly minions die at lower levels. They respawn after a short period, but the Witch is vulnerable in that time, especially if there are no corpses to manipulate. These issues fade as you level up and get access to skills such as Bone Cage and supplementary summons, but it takes longer for the Witch to feel good than it does with other classes.
Pro tip: Don’t use your early uncut gems on skeletons and minions. The Witch needs spirit to summon them, and you can only acquire spirit in certain ways, none of which are available to you at the game’s start.
3. Huntress
The Huntress in Path of Exile 2 is a Dexterity-based class known for her versatile combat style that seamlessly blends melee and ranged attacks, primarily wielding a spear. She excels at agile “in and out” gameplay, allowing players to leap into melee range and quickly switch to ranged spear throws, adapting fluidly to different combat scenarios. The Huntress also features a unique parry mechanic with a buckler, enabling powerful counterattacks and debuffs on enemies. Her skillset includes physical and elemental attacks, and she can tame defeated monsters to summon them as allies, adding to her strategic depth. With Ascendancies like Amazon and Ritualist, the Huntress offers diverse build options, making her a flexible and engaging choice for players who enjoy dynamic combat.
Huntress makes their debut just slightly above Ranger thanks to one important difference: They actually have viable melee attacks. That’s important, as it means the Huntress – a squishy class that relies on overwhelming opponents or evading them – has a higher chance of surviving if they get surrounded by enemies.
They also have one of the most varied sets of skills in the game, and that’s before even considering their ascendancies. The Huntress can specialize in a blocking and parrying combat style using bucklers to leave foes open to stronger attacks, or they can use elemental infusions, launch their spears, trigger melee attack chains, and then use a skill to quickly retreat to safety where they can start throwing elemental spears again.
The Huntress’ ascendancies are the unorthodox Ritualist and the more traditional, DPS-focused Amazon. Ritualist Huntress has a unique style that buffs gem and charm powers and grants random effects when you slay or absorb enemies, which makes for a different and unpredictable class, though the focus on accessories gives you freedom to choose how you want to specialize.
The Amazon is a better option if you want something that’s just “Huntress, but more powerful.” Its nodes augment elemental attacks, let you create wounds that make enemies take more damage, and increase skill and movement speed, though the standout skill is Infuse Weapon. Infuse Weapon grants you different charges under certain circumstances that explode when you throw your spears.
The problem with the Huntress is that, even with evasion skills and high survivability, they have no way to protect themselves.
4. Ranger
The Ranger in Path of Exile 2 is a dexterity-based class specializing in ranged combat, primarily using bows to deal damage from a safe distance. Players can choose between two ascendancies: Deadeye, which focuses on enhancing Frenzy charges and firing additional projectiles for a more advanced playstyle, and Pathfinder, which improves poison effects and flask usage, making it more accessible for new players. The Ranger excels at applying poison and elemental effects like lightning, frost, and fire through various arrow skills, allowing for versatile builds that can handle both crowd control and single-target damage. While the class can be gear-dependent early on and somewhat fragile due to reliance on evasion, its mobility and damage-over-time capabilities make it a strong choice for players who enjoy agile, tactical gameplay.
Ranger might initially seem like a less impressive version of Mercenary, since it’s a ranged class that fires elemental arrows. However, it’s the best class for crowd control and can make quick work of large mobs and tough bosses alike. Rangers have a wide variety of skills, from a poison shot that gradually saps an enemy’s health – even better is the apparent lack of poison resistance for most Path of Exile 2 enemies – to more complex combos, such as one where they stake a lightning arrow in the ground and can fire additional chain lightning shots that ricochet off the stake and deal extra damage.
Rangers can also equip special quivers that augment specific elements and add special effects, such as adding a pierce effect or igniting projectiles, and they’re among the best in the game at causing status ailments.
The Ranger’s only drawback is a lack of defensive skills, and it’s a big one. They equip weaker armor and rely on evasive skills to stay safe, but when enemies break through, they have few ways to stay safe. Careful cooldown management and investing in skills such as Vine Arrow, which slows enemy movement can mitigate some of these issues. However, if you overcorrect and have more than one retreat ability, it takes away from how much damage you dish out.
Finally, it’s worth noting the class’s balance changes in Path of Exile 2’s “Dawn of the Hunt” update in April 2025 were minimal, and have little serious influence over how either ascendancy plays.
5. Warrior
The Warrior in Path of Exile 2 is a strength-based melee powerhouse known for its high durability, stun abilities, and versatility in combat. Players can choose between two Ascendancies: Titan, which focuses on heavy slams and tanking, and Warbringer, which emphasizes war cries, totems, and battlefield control. Warriors excel in close-quarters combat with powerful slam attacks and strong defensive capabilities, making them formidable against bosses and tough enemies. While their damage output and attack speed may lag behind other classes, their ability to stun foes and absorb damage ensures they remain a viable and strategic choice for players who enjoy a robust frontline fighter.
Path of Exile 2’s Warrior launched in a strange position, though its most recent ascendancy, Smith of Kitava, makes it a more viable class, moving it up ahead of Monk following the “Dawn of the Hunt” update.
It excels as a defensive class and is the only character who can block enemy attacks. They stun. Their warcries offer potent self-buffs and, depending on your skill choice, can damage foes. And they hit hard with two-handed weapons.
The problem is how comparatively weak and sluggish the Warrior is. It’s such a slow class. Basic skills take longer to execute and do less damage than other basic skills from other classes – it takes multiple hits to down a simple Drowned in the prologue, for example, where the Witch can defeat a foe with two hits. Many of the Warrior’s fundamental attacks have long animations as well. Most of Path of Exile 2’s enemies are pretty mobile, so it’s easy to wind up and then completely miss your target, leaving yourself vulnerable as mobs take advantage of your recovery time and swarm.
Where these annoyances are less of a problem is with boss fights. The Warrior’s self-buffs, enemy debuffs,and bone-shattering attacks work particularly well in fights against big, single targets, and the class is quickly establishing a well-earned reputation as Path of Exile 2’s boss killer. Even that function has a caveat, though, as your build options are limited, and most Warrior skills are designed to work better with The Titan ascendancy.
At least, they were until Smith of Kitava debuted. This ascendancy lets the Warrior bolster their elemental resistances by a substantial amount, which is helpful, but even more useful are two abilities that mitigate some of the Warrior’s slowness. Against the Anvil sees the Warrior hone their weapon for three seconds, after which the weapon will deal area-of-effect damage when it connects with an enemy. The other is Living Weapon, which creates a clone of your current weapon that will fight alongside you.
It’s not quite as good as playing in a party, but having a weapon-ally lets the Warrior handle non-boss encounters much more quickly and efficiently.
6. Monk
The Monk in Path of Exile 2 is a fast and agile melee class that combines Dexterity and Intelligence to deliver a unique playstyle focused on mobility, quick strikes, and complex combos. Wielding a quarterstaff, the Monk excels at dashing in and out of combat, using spells, self-buffs, and close-range area-of-effect abilities to control the battlefield. While initially slower to engage, the Monk becomes highly effective after unlocking key skills, offering excellent clear speed and adaptability in both leveling and endgame content. This class demands precise timing and skillful execution but rewards players with a satisfying, high-paced melee experience that stands out for its speed and versatility.
If “it gets good after 10 hours” had a picture definition, it’d be Path of Exile 2’s Monk. It’s a fun class to play with a highly distinctive style and some excellent abilities – but you wouldn’t know it initially. The Monk’s ability set is slow and unwieldy until about level five, when Path of Exile 2 finally starts leaning into unique skill effects that augment how the Monk plays. Some skills get more powerful when used several times in quick succession. Others grant the Monk’s basic attack or other attack additional effects, such as launching projectiles or, by consuming all the Monk’s mana, turning their standard attack into one that sets off electric shockwaves.
Getting to that point is rough, though. Path of Exile 2 favors ranged playstyles and quick casting, and not only does the Monk almost always have to be up close until level five, but their attack animations are slow. They’re vulnerable to taking damage before they can even dish any out – a problem, given the light armor they specialize in – and can easily get overwhelmed.
Like the Ranger, the Monk’s balance changes following the “Dawn of the Hunt” update are comparatively minor, and simply smooth over some of its ascendancies’ rough spots rather than changing how they play in dramatic fashion.
7. Sorceress
The Sorceress in Path of Exile 2 is a powerful intelligence-based spellcaster specializing in devastating elemental magic, including fire, cold, and lightning damage. Known for her mastery of ranged elemental spells like Spark and Comet, she excels at dealing high area-of-effect damage and can become an incredible damage dealer with the right skill gems and support setups. Although initially squishy and requiring some investment to unlock her full potential, the Sorceress is the fastest leveling class once players optimize their skill tree and gem choices. Her gameplay revolves around obliterating enemies with spells while managing mana and energy shield defenses, making her a top-tier choice for players who enjoy dynamic and electrifying spellcasting.
Sorceress is fine in Path of Exile 2. It’s fine! But not much more than that. This is your standard set of magic skills, with access to the three major elements, some crowd control abilities, and, eventually, powerful buffs that boost your spellcasting power. It’s a strong class, but oddly balanced.
The Sorceress’ self-buffs and combo opportunities come much later in their class progression, while other classes – even the Warrior – get them almost immediately. For example, Sorceress only has access to a shatter combo at level five. Mercenary can do the same thing at level one.
The Sorceress’ biggest pain point, however, is their lack of defensive skills. They simply can’t save themselves from anything, and an evasive playstyle only gets you so far when the class’ stronger skills take a while to ramp up.
A final note is that Path of Exile 2’s “Dawn of the Hunt” update tweaks a few modifiers for both of the Sorceress’ ascendancies, but not in a way that significantly changes how they play.
Which class in Path of Exile 2 offers the fastest route to endgame
The fastest route to endgame in Path of Exile 2 is generally achieved by playing the Mercenary class. The Mercenary excels in versatility and ranged combat with a crossbow, combining precise elemental attacks that freeze or stun enemies, allowing efficient and tactical progression through content. While not the fastest at wiping entire screens, the Mercenary’s strong crowd control and solid survivability make it the top choice for quick endgame advancement.
The Sorceress is also noted for fast leveling and high DPS once mastered, especially with skill gem amplification, making her a strong contender for rapid progression. The Ranger offers excellent single-target damage and mobility but ranks slightly below Mercenary and Sorceress in overall speed to endgame.
In contrast, the Warrior class, despite its solid endgame presence, is considered slower in clearing content compared to these ranged classes. Therefore, for players aiming to reach endgame content swiftly on PC, PlayStation, or Xbox, the Mercenary is the recommended class for the fastest route.
Why is the Ranger considered the fastest class for endgame in PoE 2
The Ranger is considered the fastest class for endgame in Path of Exile 2 primarily due to its exceptional mobility, high damage output, and efficient clear speed. This class excels at keeping enemies at a distance while delivering precise, devastating attacks, which makes it particularly effective in both boss fights and map clearing. Ranger builds, especially those using the Deadeye ascendancy, benefit from increased projectile speed, critical strike potential, and skills that synergize well with poison and elemental damage, enabling rapid and sustained damage output.
Additionally, Rangers have access to powerful skill gems like Gas Arrow and Lightning Arrow that provide strong area-of-effect damage and crowd control, allowing them to clear mobs quickly and transition smoothly into endgame content. Their mobility-focused gameplay, combined with abilities emphasizing tactical retreat and evasion, helps maintain survivability despite their lower health pool, making them efficient at navigating and farming endgame maps without frequent downtime.
A notable advantage is that some Ranger builds come online very early-around level 20-and can carry players all the way through the campaign into tier 10 maps with starter gear, offering infinite sustain and fast boss killing speed. This early power spike and sustained performance throughout the game contribute significantly to the Ranger’s reputation as the fastest class to reach and thrive in the endgame.
In summary, the Ranger’s blend of pinpoint accuracy, mobility, high DPS, and strong scaling with endgame gear and skills makes it the fastest and most efficient class for endgame progression in Path of Exile 2.
