With the recent release of Patch 0.3.0 and The Third Edict into Early Access, Path of Exile 2 has seen numerous changes to the original game, along with the addition of new content like Rise of the Abyssal league mechanic and Lineage Supports, which can all give players a completely different gaming experience in this controversial game.
However, what players are most concerned about is whether the existing classes and Ascendancy classes will still have the same effectiveness as before after these changes, which is mainly because the last major patch 0.2.0 made all players feel a lot of unfair treatment: weakening the original class made Huntress become S tier class.

Given that POE 2’s game director Jonathan Rogers promised in some media interviews some time ago that developers would pay more attention to balance in patch 0.3.0 and that such a situation would not happen again. As soon as this news came out, many players who had originally planned to give up PoE 2 began to work on returning in patch 0.3.0.
So, this guide will list the class tier list in this patch based on existing information and leaked information, including Ascendancy classes, which will help you make a decision in tons of options more quickly. But it is worth reminding you that they are likely to change in subsequent hotfixes and league changes.
Classes Tier List
First, let’s take a look at the tiers for each class after the current patch release.
S
- Witch And Ranger
A
- Mercenary, Sorceress, Monk And Huntress
B
- Warrior
In fact, it’s not surprising that Witch and Ranger top the list, because in the developer interview just introduced, Rogers also stated that in subsequent patches, POE 2 will pay more attention to the effectiveness of classes focused on DEX and STR, and these two classes happen to be a perfect match.
As for 4 classes in A tier, they were among the best classes in the previous Dawn of the Hunt league, offering high damage and survivability, and thanks to the previous buffs, their effectiveness remains very strong. If you have to find a class in this tier that is most worth trying, here might be the answer: Sorceress or Huntress.
This is also related to their exclusive character attributes, and Sorceress has recently been improved in POE 1, a game that was released more than 10 years ago, so players using these class are likely to reap the benefits from the original; and the controversy surrounding Huntress has not subsided, and the developers will not give up on continuing to improve it.
Many players had high hopes for Warrior before the 0.3.0 patch notes were released, but unfortunately, it cannot use Deflection due to its lack of DEX attributes, and its low elemental damage reduction also prevents it from benefiting from a high defense boost from Armor calculation, even though Heatproofing problem seems to be a problem for this class focused on physical damage.
At the top level, Warrior needs to use a large mace with one hand to maintain high damage and blocking, but the improved Giant’s Blood Keystone Passive will simply increase your strength, but your defense will be worse, which is very unprofitable in the endgame content. Of course, the effectiveness of Ascendancy classes you can choose after passing some of the trials provided by POE 2 has also become a consideration in this tier list. Let’s take a look at it below.
Ascendancy Classes Tier List
Here are some of the criteria used to create this tier list. The first is, of course, the effectiveness of the builds created based on them during exploration. Another factor that is often overlooked by players is the diversity of the builds that can be created. Only Ascendancy classes with enough build possibilities can be called the best.
SS
- Deadeye
S
- Blood Mage
- Tactician
- Lich
A
- Stormweaver
- Ritualist
- Invoker
- Witchhunter
- Warbringer
B
- Acolyte of Chayula
- Amazon
- Chronomancer
- Gemling
- Infernalist
- Pathfinder
C
- Smith of Kitava
- Titan
Deadeye has been a top-tier Ascendancy since Path of Exile 2 0.1.0. This is partly because its elemental resistance is strong enough to allow it to complete many boss encounters. It also has a very strong damage capability, allowing you to continuously inflict high levels of damage by simply investing some PoE 2 Currency in gear that reduces skill cooldowns.
In addition, Deadeye also gained a Called Shots skill, which will allow you to add a target to damage, making it more suitable for fighting against group enemies. As for class options such as Blood Mage, Tactician and Lich, they all received certain enhancements in the 0.3.0 patch, so they became a member in S tier.
A common flaw with both A and B tiers of Ascendancy is that the available builds are very limited, failing to meet the exploration needs of most players. Smith of Kitava and Titan classes, with their focus on physical damage and simple defense, are completely out of line with the specialized spell-casting and high-mobility playstyles delivered by this patch, so they received minimal buffs, but are now more balanced than before.
The above is the tier list for all classes and Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2 Early Access, based on patch 0.3.0. Since we’re in the early stages of the game right after the patch release, developers will undoubtedly release over five hotfixes, which will change the effectiveness of some builds and, consequently, their impression in the minds of players. All information is subject to in-game accuracy. Happy gaming!


















