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PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt Best Classes Tier List – Top Ascendancies in Patch 0.2.0

Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt update has flipped the entire game on its head! Whether you're a seasoned Exile or jumping in fresh, this patch changes everything from skills to items—and most importantly, Ascendancies. If you’re wondering which classes are hot right now and which ones got nerfed into the ground, we’ve got the full breakdown.

Let’s dive into the best ascendancies and classes in PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt Patch 0.2.0 and rank them based on power, flexibility, and how fun they are to play!

S-Tier Best Ascendancies in Dawn of the Hunt – The Kings of the Hunt

These Ascendancies are the undisputed champions in Path of Exile 2: Dawn of the Hunt.

Whether you're looking to crush bosses, speed-clear maps, or level like a rocket, these picks do it all — no compromises.

They offer top-tier scaling, strong synergy with game mechanics, and performance that stays consistent from early game to endgame.

Amazon – Crit is King

The Amazon Ascendancy is a pure powerhouse for any attack-based build and one of the most meta-defining picks in the current patch.

Its natural critical strike scaling makes it a dream come true for spear, bow, and even bleed-based archetypes.
Crit-based ailment stacking is off the charts here — Bleed, Poison, and even Ignite become deadly with the right setup.
Key passives like Elemental Infusion and Stalking Panther massively boost your elemental damage output and give strong offensive utility.
You can easily build around high damage uptime thanks to quick movement skills and fast animations.
The biggest downside? It’s a bit on the glass cannon side, but if you play aggressively and keep moving, you’ll rarely feel it.
It’s especially dangerous in bossing scenarios where crit bursts can delete health bars instantly.

This ascendancy is the definition of "offense is the best defense" — and it works. Just like Amazon, the Lich is also one of the best to pick in PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt.

But, you do need a ton of PoE 2 Currencies to level up this build to the next level. You can buy it directly from MMOPixel and enjoy cheap rates, with quick delivery and secure payment options.

Smith of Kitava – The Tank’s Dream

The Smith of Kitava is for players who love to face-tank, survive everything, and hit like a freight train at the same time.

It offers some of the highest defensive scaling in the game, with up to 90% maximum elemental resistances, which is nearly unheard of.
Combined with strong physical damage mitigation, this ascendancy is practically unkillable in the hands of a melee bruiser.
Thanks to the built-in resistances, you free up your gear slots to stack more offensive mods instead — an insane advantage in the endgame.
It works especially well with two-handed melee weapons or heavy armor builds, making it a favorite for Marauders who love that juggernaut fantasy.
The only hiccup? Its starting position on the passive skill tree can feel awkward, but that’s easily solved with some key uniques or clever pathing.

If your goal is to survive everything while smashing enemies into paste, this is the class for you.

Invoker – Quarterstaff Chaos

Invoker remains one of the Best Class/Ascendancy in PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt, specific for spellcasters and Quarterstaff lovers, even after balance adjustments.

It excels in Quarterstaff spell crit builds, especially those focused on elemental or chaos scaling.
One of its signature traits is the ability to bypass elemental resistances, which makes a massive difference when facing bosses and tanky mobs.
Even with the Tempest Bell nerf, Invoker remains dangerous — the sheer raw crit potential and scaling is still top-tier.
The new Meditate passive adds a much-needed layer of defense and sustain, keeping you alive during hectic fights.
This ascendancy strikes a great balance between survivability and massive DPS, making it reliable for progression, mapping, and boss rushing.

If you want to cast spells, crit hard, and walk away untouched, Invoker is still your go-to.

Warbringer – Physical Powerhouse

Warbringer has skyrocketed into top-tier territory in Patch 0.2.0, especially for players who love brute force and raw physical dominance.

It's now a go-to choice for any physical attacker, thanks to incredible synergy with weapon scaling, life-based defenses, and armor stacking.
Jade Guard, one of its core passives, converts your maximum life into powerful defensive layering, letting you tank hits most builds can't.
Broken Armor does exactly what the name suggests — it rips through enemy armor and amps your physical damage to scary levels.
The ascendancy fits perfectly with two-handed weapons, block-based bruisers, and even hybrid tank-DPS builds.
Compared to other tanky options, Warbringer requires less investment to get rolling, making it an awesome league starter or SSF pick.

If you're into face-breaking combat and want a build that scales with minimal gear, Warbringer is your best friend.

A-Tier Ascendancies in Dawn of the Hunt – Strong and Reliable

These Ascendancies don’t break the game, but they sure play it well.

They offer solid power, great build diversity, and are perfect for players who want consistency over flash.

In the right hands — or with the right uniques — these classes can even rival S-tier choices.

Deadeye – Speed Demon

Deadeye continues to dominate in terms of clear speed and movement tech, keeping its title as one of the fastest classes in the game.

Frenzy charge generation and Tailwind create a smooth, high-paced playstyle ideal for bow and projectile-based builds.
Whether you're firing arrows, throwing traps, or launching spells via projectiles, Deadeye boosts speed, accuracy, and range across the board.
It offers solid evasion scaling, which adds some survivability in open maps, and decent bossing potential if you build around single-target burst.
Not the best option for league starters due to its gear dependency, but once you get rolling, it scales extremely well into the late game.
It shines brightest when you're farming open areas and want to blitz through content with minimal delay.

If you love zooming through maps and clearing packs before they know what hit them, Deadeye is your weapon of choice.

Pathfinder – Poison Queen

Pathfinder has carved out a sweet spot for poison and ailment-based spell builds — especially now that it’s the only way to spread poison from spells in the current patch.

The Poison stacking gameplay has never felt smoother, especially for DoT-focused players.
Thanks to Evasion-based notables and ailment immunity options, it’s now easier than ever to avoid damage while stacking poisons.
Queen of the Forest and other evasion-stacking gear shine in this setup, helping you move fast and stay safe.
There’s some experimentation going on with Concoction builds, and while they’re not top-tier yet, they definitely have potential in the mid-game and casual mapping.
Pathfinder thrives in hybrid setups where you're blending movement speed, poison uptime, and consistent hits to melt enemies over time.

If you enjoy spreading toxic chaos across the battlefield with a side of mobility, Pathfinder is the queen of your jungle.

Stormweaver – Elemental Easy Mode

Even after some nerfs, Stormweaver still holds its ground as one of the easiest and most effective Ascendancies for elemental casters.

This is the go-to pick for beginner-friendly elemental spellcasters, offering a forgiving playstyle with smooth progression.
It naturally adds Chill and Shock to all elemental damage, which amps up your effectiveness without needing specific gear.
Works seamlessly with Elemental Storms and Arcane Surge, delivering good map clear and bossing with very little setup.
You can use it in a variety of builds — from lightning mages to fireball spammers — and it still performs well.
While it doesn’t hit S-tier damage numbers, it offers consistent uptime, strong AoE, and good crowd control.

For players who want simplicity without sacrificing power, Stormweaver brings the storm without the stress.

Witch Hunter – Explosion God

The Witch Hunter has received a major glow-up thanks to one of the most sought-after mechanics in any ARPG — explosions on kill.

Now, enemies explode when killed, turning every pack you destroy into a chain reaction of chaos and satisfaction.
It adds solid passive damage boosts and some utility that makes general gameplay smoother.
While it doesn’t specialize in any one damage type, that versatility makes it incredibly adaptable across different builds.
Whether you’re playing traps, totems, spells, or ranged attacks, Witch Hunter slots in nicely and adds tons of value.
The explosion effect shines in early to mid-game mapping, helping you progress faster without needing min-maxed gear.

If you're after flashy clears, satisfying screen wipes, and a flexible build path, this Ascendancy is a blast—literally.

B-Tier Ascendancies in PoE 2 New League – Niche but Viable

These options can be strong but need specific builds, items, or playstyles to shine.

Chronomancer – Time Twister

Cool concept with rewinding damage and cooldown resets.
Feels awkward in hectic gameplay—you might accidentally time-warp into death.
Could shine with Flame Blast or Unleash, but weak league start.
Potential with future skills and item synergies.

Acolyte of Chayula – The Leech Beast

Big buffs to Leech make it tanky with the right setup.
Recovers both mana and energy shield with any damage type.
Lacks solid chaos attacks to scale offensively.
Better for late game with good gear.

Blood Mage – Bleed Crit Niche

Great with crit spells and new bleed synergies.
Needs good gear to survive the life cost of skills.
Strong potential for bleed/crit builds later in the league.
Avoid for league start due to difficulty leveling.

Infernalist – Early Game King

Strong early on, but burns out in endgame.
Demon Form reworked: easier access, harder to sustain.
Doesn’t rely on old uniques anymore—more build freedom.
Spell sustain and regen are new hurdles.
Mid-game banger, late-game gamble.

C-Tier Ascendancies in Dawn of the Hunt – Safe But Meh

You can use these, but they’ll often feel underwhelming or require high investment.

Tactician – Stun Specialist

Decent defenses through stun and ailment resistance.
Pinning is great for mapping but clunky for bosses.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Needs extra effort to deal real damage.

Ritualist – Ritual of Regret

Extra ring slot and boosted jewelry scaling? Sure.
Blood Ritual is fun but awkward due to cooldown/animations.
Other notables feel bland or overpriced.
Not a strong choice for league start or endgame.

D-Tier and Meme Ascendancies in PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt

D-Tier and Meme Ascendancies – Pick at Your Own Risk

These are either outdated, underpowered, or need massive reworks/items to function.

Gemling Legionnaire – Budget Breaker

Still top-tier if you can afford it.
Attribute stacking build with Hands of Wisdom and Action is insane.
But it’s locked behind absurdly expensive gear.
Not recommended unless you’re already rich.

Titan – Hulking Bruiser

Decent for warrior and duration-based builds.
Synergizes well with Hammer of the Gods, but that skill needs heavy stun stacking.
Bonus inventory is cool but useless most of the time.
Balanced, but not exciting.

Final Thoughts!

Patch 0.2.0 brought huge shakeups. Some builds are dead, others are rising stars. It’s clear GGG wants players to experiment, so don’t be afraid to try new setups. Here's our recommendation and conclusion for PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt Best Classes and Ascendancies.

Top Class/Ascendancy Recommendations for League Start: