Every Class in Path of Exile 2, Ranked

Path of Exile 2 is still available early. Apart from this, it received many updates that added a lot to the game, one of the biggest additions with many classes.

Since the game’s early release, two new classes have been added, increasing the total from the original six to eight. Of course, not all of these categories are created equal, and some will be more beneficial to you than others.

What classes do you choose in Path of Exile 2? Are you someone who will cut down your enemies like a druid, or would you rather stand in the background, shooting your bow like a Mercenary? I will rate each class in Path of Exile 2 by their position in 2026.

8

A mercenary

Crossbow and grenades

I’ll preface this by saying that none of the classes in Path of Exile 2 are bad, but some are much better than others at doing similar tasks. A good example of this is the guardian and the mercenary.

A mercenary is like a ranger, but gets grenades, giving it good AOE abilities. Unfortunately, many have described this class as the worst of all the other classes in the game.

It has a crossbow similar to a ranger with a bow, but it has a bad reload speed which makes it ineffective. It can control a crowd, but a witch knows that. A mercenary can be tanky, but so can a hero. This section seems to lack identity, and is something that many have pointed out.

7

A monk

Fists of Rage

The monk is quite interesting. With staffs and fists of fury, you can deal a lot of damage, and most of it can be placed on objects, making you a force to be reckoned with.

The monk’s biggest advantages are powerful speed stats and the ability to stun enemies. However, that price is a body that is slightly built like a tank and resembles a stuffed animal. If you are not good at dodging attacks, you will meet your end soon.

Since the monk is shiny, it requires an accurate hand to function, making it ineffective against other accurate classes and it can handle hits without needing to dodge properly.

6

A witch

The Dark Side of Magic

A mage is not the class to choose if you want to be at the forefront of battle. Instead, you’ll be relying more on summoning undead and having them fight your battles for you.

This can be very effective, but it is also difficult to learn and very difficult to master. If you get it all, this section can be very powerful, but knowing how to build it correctly can be time consuming and annoying.

Along with this, if you pollute and your skeletons are killed, you will almost immediately be destroyed because you will lack any form of health. Due to difficulty and lack of health, this class is being pushed back into the list.

5

A witch

Basic Power

If you’re looking for raw elemental power, look no further than a witch. This beastly class offers powerful AOE attacks that can easily dominate the battlefield, making it one of the best classes for dealing with large groups.

Its ability to distance itself from enemies while unleashing a low attack will decimate enemies almost like a barrage of poison from a ranger. The biggest problem it has is its lack of health, making it very vulnerable up close.

The sorcerer lacks options to get out of a fight when caught up close, making it a little less flexible than the ranger when it comes to control, but it’s almost right up there in terms of potential damage and ease of use.

4

A hunter

Main Hero

If you’d rather not stick with your hammer, bow, spells, or fists, you can choose to use a spear, which gives you a chance to attack melee or be thrown. This class feels like a mix between a ranger and a warrior, but it also lacks the survival of either.

In the early game, you will struggle with this class, as it doesn’t really shine until later in the game when you unlock its superiority. By then, you’ll be doing much better, but it might take you a minute to figure everything out.

A combination of mobility, range of builds, and bleeding skills, a hunter can definitely stand out in battle in more ways than one. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the health that a melee class should, putting it a bit behind the hero in the list.

3

Hero

Tanky Slams

The hero is a beast in combat, using incredible abilities to take down enemies quickly. To top it off, you can build your hero into a tank, allowing him to take a lot of damage before needing to retreat.

With nothing but a shield and mace, you can take a tank boss hit, and dish out decent blows in return. High stun abilities allow you to build up a stun meter, knock enemies out, and give you a good chance to hit.

Combined with easy-to-learn moves, the warrior is a great class to bring into battle. The worst part is that it doesn’t have the damage effect that other classes have, but it makes up for it with a huge health bar and lots of weapons.

2

The guard

Very Mobile and Powerful

A guard is what most people want in a classroom. It’s easy to learn, powerful, and attacks from afar. All of this combined makes it one of the best classes in the game at the moment.

The class, as easy as it is to learn, allows anyone to jump into the game, practice the class, and then work on building it. Along with this, almost every skill is powerful, making it easy to build a structure once you figure out how it works.

On top of all this, your bow allows you to keep a decent distance from enemies, preventing you from needing to dodge constantly. Instead, you can keep walking, avoid occasionally, and you will be fine. The only real downside to the guardian is its lack of health and low AOE attack rate. Of course, the few AOE attacks it has are pretty good.

1

The Druid

Animal Pain

The druid is a true beast on the battlefield, with the ability to transform into a bear, a werewolf, and a wyvern. Lock it in any change, you can change freely at any time. On top of this, you can freely use the ability to transform into other forms, giving you a variety of construction options.

If you’re not a fan of turning into an animal, which is arguably the biggest thing in Path of Exile 2, you can stick to spells, creating a more warrior-type character that can defeat anyone with a heavy weapon and magic.

The Druid is the hardest to learn, but even harder than the ranger in terms of class difficulty, and once you get them down, you’ll be tearing through each enemy’s face.

Released

December 6, 2024

The ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Nudity, Strong Violence, Sexual Themes, Language, User Interaction, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)

Engineer(s).

Grinding Gear Games

Publisher

Grinding Gear Games