Path of Exile 2 Classes and Ascendancies List for 1.0

Path of Exile 2 will have 10 classes and 26 Ascendancy classes at its 1.0 full release on December 11, 2026, according to Grinding Gear Games. The current Early Access build (0.5.5) has 8 classes and 22 Ascendancies; 1.0 adds the Shadow (Assassin, Infiltrator) and the Duelist (Knight, with Master of Arms arriving later). This guide lists every class with its attributes, starting weapon and Ascendancies, explains what the two new classes do, which Ascendancies are being reworked, and how you unlock Ascendancy points.

Checked against Grinding Gear Games' 1.0 press release and patch 0.5.5 class data on November 12, 2026.

The 0.5.5 roster is live and playable today. Shadow and Duelist details come from GGG's ExileCon 2026 reveal and can change before launch, and GGG has not published 1.0 patch notes yet.

What are all the classes and Ascendancies in Path of Exile 2?

Eight classes are playable now and two more arrive with 1.0. The table lists each class's main attribute, the weapon it starts with in 0.5.5, and its Ascendancies.

Ranger and Huntress share a starting area on the passive tree, as do Witch and Sorceress, so builds that mix those classes' themes path through similar nodes early on.

What does each Ascendancy do?

Each Ascendancy pushes its class toward a specific playstyle. These short summaries reflect the 0.5 versions; the reworked ones are flagged.

Strength classes

• Titan (Warrior): stun-focused melee with stronger slams and large life and armour scaling.
• Warbringer (Warrior): close-range durability from Block and Jade Armour, plus Warcry damage and totems.
• Smith of Kitava (Warrior): crafts a custom body armour and eases resistance needs.
• Witchhunter (Mercenary): consecration-style explosions with strong boss damage.
• Gemling Legionnaire (Mercenary): rewards spreading support gem sockets across your skills.
• Tactician (Mercenary): defenses against ailments and stuns, plus party buffs for group play.

The Mercenary as a whole is on GGG's 1.0 rework list, including a reload rework, so expect these three to play differently at launch.

Dexterity classes

• Deadeye (Ranger): projectile builds with attack speed, movement speed and damage bonuses.
• Pathfinder (Ranger): stronger flasks, mobility and poison, including doubled poison stack limits.
• Amazon (Huntress): critical strikes and Infusion-based damage.
• Ritualist (Huntress): steals rare monster modifiers and keeps Charms up more often.
• Spirit Walker (Huntress, added in 0.5): attunes to Stag, Owl and Bear wisps, gains a bear companion, empowers minions through Idols, and can tame beast bosses such as the Mighty Silverfist.

Intelligence and hybrid classes

• Stormweaver (Sorceress): elemental ailments, mana and crits that strip enemy resistances.
• Chronomancer (Sorceress): time control, including Time Freeze and cooldown resets.
• Disciple of Varashta (Sorceress): uses Djinns for summoning, buffs and debuffs.
• Infernalist (Witch, reworked in 1.0): Demon Form spellcasting or minions, with an Infernal Hound companion.
• Blood Mage (Witch, reworked in 1.0): ailment and crit spells that scale off maximum life.
• Lich (Witch): chaos spells or minions, curses and Energy Shield.
• Invoker (Monk): ice and lightning attacks with crits and Evasion/Energy Shield defense.
• Acolyte of Chayula (Monk, reworked in 1.0): chaos damage and a Darkness-based defense.
• Martial Artist (Monk, added in 0.5): echoing illusions of your attacks, spectral bells, and runic tattoos that let you socket runes into your body; its capstone turns gloves into weapons.
• Oracle (Druid): foresight mechanics that use visions of a future self to deal extra damage.
• Shaman (Druid): elemental spells powered by Rage.

How does the Shadow class work in Path of Exile 2?

The Shadow is a stealth class built on daggers and traps. It opens fights from Stealth, lays traps while hidden, and resets Stealth by killing enemies.

Its Ascendancies are the Assassin and the Infiltrator. GGG corrected an early infographic that showed "Saboteur" instead of Infiltrator, so treat any Saboteur references as outdated. According to press coverage of the ExileCon demo, strikes from outside an enemy's vision cone earn bonuses, traps do not go off while you remain in Stealth, and the reveal showed skills such as Ethereal Knives, Blade Vortex, Electrocution Trap, Blade of Night (which generates Darkness) and Shadow Extraction. The demo's area boss was Armando the Showman in the Den of Pleasure.

In practice, the class rewards planning: set traps while hidden, choose the moment to break Stealth, then chain kills to reset it. Players who prefer standing in place and trading hits will likely find the Warrior or the Duelist's Knight a better fit.

How does the Duelist class work in Path of Exile 2?

The Duelist is the first sword-focused class, and at launch its only Ascendancy is the Knight. GGG says the second Ascendancy, Master of Arms, will arrive at a later date.

• Squire: the Knight recruits a Squire you can equip with weapons and armour, and it can use any melee Skill Gem.
• War Banners: each banner grants a bonus themed on a different Wraeclast empire; the Vaal standard, for example, empowers attacks.
• Mounted Charge: a chariot charge that scatters enemies and briefly stuns them.

GGG's 0.5.5 preview also showed Duelist sword stances: Ready Stance can upgrade to Sand Stance, which fires sand discs with Sand Scour, and Bloodied Blade enters Blood Stance, where attacks release bleeding blood waves or mini blood novas.

What changes for every class in Path of Exile 2 1.0?

Every class gets a reworked passive tree in 1.0, so builds made for 0.5 will need a fresh look regardless of which class you play.

• Passive tree overhaul: GGG describes hundreds of new stats and more support for combat mechanics, and press coverage adds that the tree gains more nodes for both existing and new classes.
• Jewel sockets: they move into passive clusters instead of sitting on their own.
• Support gems: broad improvements and rebalanced effects.
• New skills: Molten Forge for mace users and Soul Extraction for chaos casters who build up Decay.
• Death Summary: according to press coverage, a new screen explains what killed you, which helps when testing a new class in hardcore or high-tier maps.
• Uniques: over 40 new and over 70 revamped uniques, which GGG says bring new modifiers and abilities.

How do you unlock your Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2?

Complete a Trial of Ascendancy. Your first completion unlocks your Ascendancy class and grants 2 Ascendancy points, and you can earn 8 points in total, in four sets of 2.

The Trial of Chaos was overhauled in 0.5.5, with endgame Trials that can run up to 30 rooms, and GGG has not said whether 1.0's new acts change where trials appear. Check the 1.0 patch notes when they go up before planning a route for a new character.

Which class should you pick for Path of Exile 2 1.0?

Pick the weapon and playstyle you enjoy, since every class except the launch-day Duelist has at least two Ascendancies and the passive tree lets you branch out. A few practical points help narrow it down.

• Want something new: the Shadow launches with both Ascendancies, while the Duelist launches with only the Knight.
• Want minions or companions: look at the Infernalist, Lich, Spirit Walker, Disciple of Varashta, or the Duelist's Knight with its Squire.
• Want ranged attacks: the Ranger, Huntress and Mercenary cover bows, spears and crossbows.
• Coming back after a break: the Mercenary, Infernalist, Blood Mage and Acolyte of Chayula are all being reworked, so older build guides for them will not hold.

For the release date, league and launch rewards, read the Path of Exile 2 1.0 guide.

Related guides

• Path of Exile 2 1.0: release date, Shadow, Duelist and Conquerors of Wraeclast
• Path of Exile 2 hub
• All game guides