Path of Exile 2 Class Guide | Which Class Should You Pick

As soon as I started with Path of Exile 2, right from the get-go, it was a hassle to choose between six classes. Each held something different, and I knew right away that choosing the right one would shape how my gameplay would be. Thankfully, I've gotten enough hours in the game to know what each class holds.

So, based on my experience in Wraeclast so far, here's what you need to know about all the classes.

The Monk

My pick was the Monk, and he is a class laying down some swift justice with quarterstaves. With the Monk, the real actionable point is to live off power charges, rewarding you for ability chains. Charging into combat with the Killing Palm skill, making quick work of low-health enemies- and then striking with Falling Thunder, a lethal area strike fueled by these very charges- really was something.

Mobility for the Monk is unparalleled. Skills like Whirling Assault grant mobility while attacking, making it easy to dance around enemies. Synergies include things like destroying the Tempest Bell and sending shockwaves ripple outward, charged with elemental energy.

Once again, take your pick on how you would mold the Monk to your needs: either the Invoker, which increases elemental damage, or the Acolyte, which uses the resource of darkness. This would be the perfect class if you like fast-paced melee combat with elemental flare.

The Witch

A dream for any summoner player- the Witch leads an army of the undead, curses opponents, and unleashes terrible spells upon them that will bring much devastation upon their heads. My favorite ability was her ability to create minions that auto-respawned upon death, allowing me to focus on spells like Bone Shards or Contagion to spread status effects.

The versatility of the Witch was once I attained the Infernal ascendancy, which turned me into a demon, upping my damage but increasing my risk. Blood Mage took this to a higher level of risk-reward: sacrificing health for powerful spells and scrounging for life pieces to make them whole again. The Witch is meant for those who love to control an army of undead or learn evil magic.

The Mercenary

Being a gadget and crossbowman myself, Mercenary was right up my alley. I think this class is just like the armory of some sort of tactical sharpshooter, complete with gadgets and specialized ammo. Be it using exploding incendiary bolts to ignite gas clouds or freezing bolts to freeze areas of ice in place, every encounter really felt like a problem to be solved.

The Mercenary rewards innovation through its ascendancies. The Witch Hunter increases survivability by making foes blow up upon death. The Gemling Legionnaire, however, expands your repertoire and rewards you based on how many support gems you've slapped into place. This is a character for when you want to play a very tactical, utility-heavy ranged class.

The Warrior

Sometimes, you just want to crush stuff, and the Warrior is great at that. The Warrior hits hard as he walks into the battlefield, armed with huge two-handed weapons or shields. I really enjoyed how these skill synergies would pop up; just creating a Magma Fissure and then triggering it with a Shockwave Slam was just super satisfying.

Warriors can fill a few various roles. While the Warbringer has himself safe by summoning an ancient spirit or putting on jade armor, the Titan is more focused on stunning opponents and doing terrible aftershocks. Once I learned from passive Giant's Blood that I could wield two-handed weapons with one hand, it was just the high point. If you like tanking and destroying groups up close, there is no better class than Warrior.

The Ranger

The Ranger is all about precision and speed. If the mercenary acts as the heavy artillery, then the Ranger's bow assaults translate to one of grace and mobility. I was forever on the move, Shock Arrows ricocheting between foes to trap enemies with Ice Mines that impress with their catastrophic chain reactions.

If anything, the Ranger's advancements open up even more possibilities: the Deadeye adds projectiles to everything, speed boosts, and never-missing arrows for some skill-focused accuracy builds, while the Pathfinder employs poisons and resource-managing elixirs to great effect. If you're into hit-and-run tactics and creative setup, the Ranger's your class.

The Sorceress

The Sorceress represents the embodiment of pure elemental force. Owing to her skills in fire, frost, and lightning theme, she focuses on highly intensive long-range attacks. I like how a few of the spells interacted with each other, like buffing lightning bolts with Firewall or siphoning mana to give more oomph to spells in a Mana Tempest.

Her ascendancies, Storm Weaver and Chronomancer, answer to different approaches, one unleashing elemental storms on critical strikes and converting some damage types, the other able to snapshot its health, mana, and cooldowns thanks to Time Snap. Fragile, the Sorceress rewards careful positioning and forward thinking with some of the most devastating skills in the game.

Having played all six classes in the game, here are my recommendations: Monk for those who like quick melee; Witch for those into summoners; and Mercenary for tactical gurus. Warriors offer sheer brute power, while Rangers excel in accuracy. Sorceresses unleash unparalleled elemental destruction. 

In the end, it all boils down to precisely how you will play Path of Exile 2. Testing different ascendancies and skill sets changes each class in major ways. So, get ready, dive in, and find your way through Wraeclast.

Also, check our Path of Exile 2 Review and other guides below:

• Path of Exile 2 | Monk Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Warrior Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 Beginner's Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Witch Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Ranger Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Mercenary Build
• Path of Exile 2 | Sorceress Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 Guide | How To Level Up Fast
• Path of Exile 2 | How To Farm & Use Uniques
• Path of Exile 2 | How To Craft Powerful Items
• Path of Exile 2 | How To Trade