While Path of Exile 2 has six unique classes to choose from at the start of the game, you can eventually specialize in one of two Ascendencies from each class. This gives you a total of 12 incredible Ascendency classes to play around with, but some are just better than others.
This ARPG offers an array of skills on your skill tree, and even more exclusive skills for each Ascendency. Even if you haven’t reached the point where you get to choose one yet, it’s good to know how good each Ascendency is in the meta right now. Here’s a list of the best Ascendency classes in Path of Exile 2, ranked from worst to best.
All Path of Exile 2 Ascendency classes, ranked
12. Acolyte of Chayula
This Monk Ascendency has a unique playstyle that just doesn’t hold up to how powerful the other Ascendencies are in Path of Exile 2. Acolyte of Chayula deals with Chaos damage and resistance, as well as the exchange of Spirit for Darkness abilities that can deal Shadow damage.
It plays with this through the Embrace the Darkness skill, but other than that, there’s nothing really special about this Ascendency. When compared to the Monk’s only other Ascendency, the Invoker, Acolyte of Chayula is the worst choice you could make in the current meta.
11. Gemling Legionnaire
There is a lot of opportunity for the Gemling Legionnaire Mercenary Ascendency to work better in the game’s future, since as of right now it’s lacking when compared to its much better counterpart, the Witch Hunter Ascendency. This Ascendency gives you an overall boost to all of your skills, such as improved skill quality, level, and the cost of Skill Gems.
Other than granting you additional skill slots or doubling bonuses from your Attributes, there’s nothing much else with the Gemling Legionnaire. It’s still a decent Ascendency if you love playing around with Skill Gems, but the Mercenary class has a much more effective Ascendency to choose.
10. Warbringer
Warbringers are powerful armor-breaking Warriors who focus on using Totems. This Ascendency is good for players who like to play melee-focused tanks, but again, Warbringer falls flat against the better Warrior Ascendency Titan.
If you’re a Warrior who uses the Warcry ability often, you’ll find Warbringer skills useful, such as Warcaller’s Bellow, which has corpses explode whenever you Warcry, or Greatwolf’s Howl, which ignores Warcry cooldowns. Otherwise, Warbringer still isn’t one of the better Ascendencies to choose in the current meta.
9. Infernalist
Infernalists are Witches who love to play with fire skills. If you’re one of them, Infernalist may be a good pick for you. This doesn’t mean it’s one of the better Ascendencies, and it’s certainly not as good as the Blood Mage Ascendency.
Still, Infernalists deal extra fire damage, gain extra mana, Spirit, and energy shields, as well as summon an Infernal Hound, which can help protect you. Overall, Infernalists is an OK choice for an Ascendency, as it gives you a ton of options for improved survivability.
8. Invoker
The best Monk Ascendency has to be the Invoker, which can allow you to utilize the power of the elements. There are many build options with an Invoker Ascendency that can help you deal a ton of elemental damage, while also improving your evasion from oncoming attacks.
The Invoker Ascendency may not be the best Ascendency, but if you’re a Monk, it’s a great choice for mobility and powerful attacks. More changes will have to be made in future updates for the Invoker Ascendency to rise in its ranking.
7. Pathfinder
A great Ranger Ascendency to choose is Pathfinder, despite the fact that it’s not the best one for that class. It focuses on poison afflictions, mobility, and improved flasks. Connected Chemistry and Enduring Elixirs increase flask charges and life flask consumption, which improves your survivability as a Ranger.
Meanwhile, Contagious Contamination will help spread poison to enemies and Overwhelming Toxicity doubles the poisons you can inflict, making this a perfect Ascendency for Rangers who love poison-inflicting skills. On top of the improved movement speed skills, Pathfinder is a good Ascendency in the meta right now.
6. Blood Mage
As a Witch, your best choice for Ascendency in the current meta is Blood Mage. This Ascendency gains the skills to leech more life for survivability, inflict curses with infinite duration, and increase critical damage. Your enemies as a Blood Mage will be gasping for life as you stay far from death.
Blood Mages have better survivability than Infernalists, which is important for your squishy Witch. You do eventually get Crimson Power, which has you gain energy shield from equipped body armor as extra maximum life. It’s one of the better Ascendencies overall, as well.
5. Chronomancer
The Sorceress class has the incredible Chronomancer Ascendency, which can manipulate time in various ways. Now and Again has a chance to not consume a cooldown when used, and Quicksand Hourglass grants you extra cast speed every 12 seconds.
The best parts of the Chronomancer Ascendency are skills like Time Snap and Time Freeze. The former will reset the cooldowns of all your skills, while the latter stops time temporarily for affected enemies. There’s a lot more unique and interesting skills and passives you can use as a Chronomancer, although it’s overshadowed by its counterpart, Stormweaver.
4. Witch Hunter
The best Mercenary Ascendency currently is Witch Hunter, which is leagues ahead of Gemling Legionnaire. They excel at hunting down magical enemies and monsters. Abilities like Culling Strike kill enemies automatically at the brink of death, and Decimating Strike can chip off a good chunk of health right away on full-health enemies.
It’s a great Ascendency for putting down enemies as fast as possible, but it can also protect yourself against their elemental damage through the Sorcery Ward spell. You also eventually get a skill that makes enemies you kill have a 10% chance of exploding upon dying, making this a destructive and effective Ascendency.
3. Deadeye
This Ranger Ascendency improves your projectiles and frenzy charges. Deadeye Rangers can accurately damage enemies from a safe distance while also having better mobility with skills like Gathering Winds that grants a stacking buff to increase your movement and skill speed.
Although the Pathfinder Ascendency for this class isn’t too far behind, if you want to maximize your damage output, choose Deadeye. In the current meta, it’s your best choice for high damage and mobility.
2. Titan
Titan is by far one of the best Ascendencies in Path of Exile 2 and is the better choice for the Warrior class. This Ascendency makes you an indestructible tank with increased armor and maximum life. You can also carry a chest around that gives you an additional 20 inventory slots, which is important in a game with inventory management.
Not only can you take more damage but you can deal it back too. Earthbreaker has a chance for Slam skills to cause AoE aftershocks, while Crushing Impacts makes your hits crushing blows to stun enemies. Then, Surprising Strength has you deal 40% more damage to heavy stunned enemies, making you unstoppable on the combat field.
1. Stormweaver
Currently, the best Ascendency in Path of Exile 2 has to be Stormweaver from the Sorceress class. They are champions of thunder and lightning, and the battlefield will look like a colossal storm while you fight. Elemental Storm is one of your main abilities here, which can trigger through critical hits on spells.
This Ascendency also focuses on inflicting certain debuffs like Chills and Shocks from your stormy skills. You’ll also gain more energy shield with Heart of the Storm, giving you a bit more survivability as a Sorceress. In the current meta, Stormweaver is the way to go.
