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Going into Path of Exile 2 (PoE2) 1.0, the strongest Ascendancies are Gemling Legionnaire, Martial Artist, Spirit Walker, Disciple of Varashta, Oracle, Titan and Deadeye. All seven were rated S tier by build experts in the last Early Access league, and most were also among the most-played, and nothing announced for 1.0 targets them directly. The two new classes, the Duelist and the Shadow, sit in their own "too early to rank" row until the patch notes are out and people have played them.
Path of Exile 2 leaves Early Access and goes free-to-play on December 11, 2026, on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (RPG Site). Grinding Gear Games confirmed the date, the Duelist and Shadow classes, and the Conquerors of Wraeclast league in its official 1.0 announcement. Full 1.0 patch notes are expected about a week before launch (Game8).
Pre-launch ranking. This tier list uses the final Early Access league (0.5.5, Forbidden Rites) plus everything GGG has announced for 1.0. We'll re-rank it twice: once when the 1.0 patch notes land, and again a week after launch when the poe.ninja ladder has real 1.0 data.
How we ranked the Ascendancies
Each Ascendancy is ranked as a league starter: how well it carries a fresh character through the six-act campaign and into early maps with no trade budget. We weighed three things:
- What players actually picked. We used class share on the poe.ninja PoE2 ladder for Forbidden Rites (124,121 characters on November 7, 2026).
- What the build experts rated. We checked Maxroll's league-starter Ascendancy tier list (updated November 3, 2026).
- What 1.0 changes. GGG has confirmed reworks to the Infernalist, Blood Mage, Acolyte of Chayula and Mercenary reloading, plus a support gem rebalance and a passive tree overhaul.
Where we disagree with Maxroll's tier, the table says so and gives the reason.
PoE2 1.0 Ascendancy tier list (all 26)
| Tier | Ascendancy | Class | Ladder share (0.5.5) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Gemling Legionnaire | Mercenary | 32.7% | Maxroll S and the most-played by far; flexible gem setups make any skill work |
| S | Martial Artist | Monk | 10.5% | Maxroll S; two top starters (Whirling Assault S, Falling Thunder A); #1 most-played at 0.5 launch |
| S | Disciple of Varashta | Sorceress | 7.2% | Maxroll S; Djinn minions are the safest S-tier start |
| S | Spirit Walker | Huntress | 6.8% | Maxroll S; led Runes of Aldur at 28.4% |
| S | Oracle | Druid | 7.3% | Maxroll S; Grim Pillars spell totems are hands-off and tanky |
| S | Titan | Warrior | 2.7% | Maxroll S; Warrior also gets new skills at 1.0 |
| S | Deadeye | Ranger | 6.0% | Maxroll S; Ice Shot is A tier (Lightning Arrow fell to B) |
| A | Infernalist | Witch | 5.7% | Maxroll B for 0.5.5; we move it up for the announced 1.0 rework (spell-casting demon, up to 3 Infernal Hounds) |
| A | Acolyte of Chayula | Monk | — | Maxroll B for 0.5.5; we move it up for the announced 1.0 rework (Quarterstaff companion, soul-clone) |
| A | Witchhunter | Mercenary | — | Maxroll A; solid, but Gemling does the Mercenary job better |
| A | Lich | Witch | — | Maxroll A; chaos caster with a high ceiling |
| A | Pathfinder | Ranger | — | Maxroll A; poison and flask builds start well |
| A | Smith of Kitava | Warrior | — | Maxroll A; tanky, slower clear |
| A | Shaman | Druid | — | Maxroll A; shapeshifting is strong, Oracle is safer |
| A | Tactician | Mercenary | — | Supporting Fire is an A-tier starter build; watch the 1.0 reload rework |
| A | Amazon | Huntress | — | Strong spear damage once geared; slower start than Spirit Walker |
| B | Stormweaver | Sorceress | 3.5% | Maxroll B; reliable elemental caster, and Frost Bomb was a top-5 skill in 0.5 |
| B | Warbringer | Warrior | — | Maxroll rates the Ascendancy C, but its Shield Wall build is A tier on the starter build list, so we split the difference |
| B | Blood Mage | Witch | 2.6% | New skills, curses and Corrupted Blood rework at 1.0; could rise |
| C | Invoker | Monk | — | Maxroll C; overshadowed by Martial Artist |
| C | Chronomancer | Sorceress | — | Maxroll D as a starter; great utility, low damage |
| C | Ritualist | Huntress | — | Maxroll D; needs gear to come online |
| ? | Knight | Duelist (new) | New at 1.0 | Squire companion, War Banners, Mounted Charge (per PCGamesN); ranked after launch |
| ? | Master-at-Arms | Duelist (new) | New at 1.0 | Details still thin; ranked after launch |
| ? | Assassin | Shadow (new) | New at 1.0 | Daggers plus Stealth; ranked after launch |
| ? | Infiltrator | Shadow (new) | New at 1.0 | Traps plus Stealth; ranked after launch |
Ladder shares come from poe.ninja (Forbidden Rites, Nov 7, 2026). A dash means the Ascendancy wasn't in the top 10 by share. The Runes of Aldur figure for Spirit Walker is from the same source. The 0.5 most-played list comes from GGG's two-week recap.
S tier: the safest PoE2 1.0 league starters
Gemling Legionnaire, Martial Artist, Disciple of Varashta, Spirit Walker, Oracle, Titan and Deadeye are S tier because they were strong without trade gear in Early Access, and 1.0 hasn't announced anything aimed at them.
Gemling Legionnaire is the clearest case. A third of the Forbidden Rites ladder played it, because extra gem flexibility makes almost any skill work. Martial Artist was the most-played Ascendancy in the first two weeks of 0.5. Disciple of Varashta's Djinn minions sit in Maxroll's S tier for league starts. The risk for all seven is the same: GGG says support gems have been "massively rebalanced" for 1.0, and Gemling's power is mostly in support gems.
A tier: strong, with one question mark
The A tier is full of Ascendancies that start well but have one question going into 1.0: a rework, a slower start, or a stronger sibling in the same class. Infernalist and Acolyte of Chayula are the two we rate above Maxroll's 0.5.5 tier. That's because of their announced reworks: Infernalist gets a demon that casts any spell you give it, and Acolyte gets a companion that uses Quarterstaff skills. If either rework disappoints, they drop back to B after launch.
B and C tier: playable, not where we'd start
Everything in B and C can clear the campaign. These are just slower or more gear-dependent starts than the tiers above. Invoker is in C because the Martial Artist does the same job better. Chronomancer and Ritualist are the weakest league starters going in; Maxroll has both in D. That doesn't make them bad. The Slowmaxing Chronomancer GGG showcased is one of the most fun builds in the game, which is why it's on our most fun PoE2 builds list. Blood Mage is the one to watch here: its 1.0 rework could move it up.
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What's new in PoE2 1.0: Duelist and Shadow
1.0 adds two classes, the Duelist (swords and Stances) and the Shadow (daggers, Traps and Stealth), each with two Ascendancies. That brings Path of Exile 2 to 10 classes and 26 Ascendancies (GGG).
- Duelist: Knight and Master-at-Arms. The Duelist uses Ready Stance to empower sword skills, and can upgrade it to Sand or Blood Stance. At ExileCon, GGG showed the Knight Ascendancy with a Squire companion, War Banners and a Mounted Charge (PCGamesN).
- Shadow: Assassin and Infiltrator. In Stealth, monsters can't see the Shadow until it's close, and dagger skills hit harder. Traps go down while you're in Stealth and go off in the order you threw them.
Our call: don't start a new class on day one if your goal is a fast, smooth league start. New classes usually launch with missing pieces: fewer uniques built for them and thinner passive tree support. Play the Duelist or Shadow second, once you have currency to fund them. If you do want to start one, the Knight's Squire companion sounds like the more forgiving of the four.
Reworked at 1.0: what could change the tiers
Four confirmed reworks and two system changes could shuffle this list once the patch notes are out.
| Change | What GGG announced | Likely effect |
|---|---|---|
| Infernalist | Demon minion that casts any spell, up to 3 Infernal Hounds, new Covenant skills | Up |
| Blood Mage | New skills and curses, Corrupted Blood rework | Up (uncertain) |
| Acolyte of Chayula | Quarterstaff companion, soul-clone | Up |
| Mercenary | Reloading works differently | Unknown; affects all three Mercenary Ascendancies |
| Support gems | "Massively rebalanced" | Biggest risk to Gemling Legionnaire |
| Passive tree | Hundreds of new stats; Jewel Sockets moved into clusters | Every build path changes |
All of the above is from the official announcement. Coverage of the ExileCon keynote also mentions a death summary screen and a trimmed Atlas tree (PCGamesN).
PoE2 1.0 tier list FAQ
What is the best class in Path of Exile 2 for 1.0?
Mercenary (Gemling Legionnaire) on numbers, with Monk (Martial Artist) right behind. For a first-time player, Sorceress (Disciple of Varashta minions) or Druid (Oracle totems) are the most forgiving.
When is Path of Exile 2 1.0 coming out?
December 11, 2026 (PST). It goes free-to-play on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on the same day.
Should I play the Duelist or Shadow at launch?
Only if you'd rather play something new than start smoothly. We'd make one of the proven S-tier Ascendancies your first character and the new classes your second.
When will this tier list be updated?
Twice: when the 1.0 patch notes are published (about a week before launch), and a week after December 11, using ladder data.
The bottom line
If you want the safest PoE2 1.0 start, pick one of the seven S-tier Ascendancies (Gemling Legionnaire, Martial Artist, Disciple of Varashta, Spirit Walker, Oracle, Titan or Deadeye), then follow one of the builds in our PoE2 1.0 league starter guide. Save the Duelist and Shadow for your second character, and check back after the patch notes for the re-rank.
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Images: official Path of Exile 2 screenshots and 1.0 trailer art from Grinding Gear Games (Steam store page, YouTube).
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