Path of Exile 2: 6 Classes You Can Play in Early Access
25.11.2024 - 02:04:42
Game Guides , Path of Exile 2
After multiple delays, Path of Exile’s highly anticipated sequel is coming to Early Access in a couple of weeks! Much has been revealed during the livestream event recently and there is definitely a lot to cover. However, the focus of this article is on the playable classes in PoE 2.
Grinding Gear Games had previously revealed that Path of Exile 2 will have a total of 12 different classes. However, you will only have access to six of them on December 6. This includes the Warrior, Monk, Ranger, Mercenary, Witch, and Sorceress.
If you want to know more about them, then you’re in luck! Read further as we discover the six playable classes in Path of Exile 2!
Warrior
Among the PoE2 classes that we will be discussing today, the Warrior is slow and deliberate. But, make no mistake! Anyone who thinks they can go head-to-head with this hardened champion will surely meet their end!
This class is capable of taking a beating thanks to its impenetrable defense and huge amounts of armor. Couple that with a powerful mace that can bash skulls with every swing, and you have a powerful combination that is right for Path of Exile 2 beginners.
The mace can be fitted with a wide assortment of melee skills, including slams like Volcanic Fissure, warcries such as Seismic Cry, and shield skills like the new Resonating Shield, among others. Yes, that’s right! Not only does the Warrior wield a heavy mace, but he also brings his trusty shield with him!
Despite the mace’s slow attack speed, this class can still utilize it to initiate powerful combos. That said, as the Warrior begins his furious assault, the new “Dodge Roll” mechanic in PoE 2 could be used to cancel the attack animation anytime. This comes in handy, especially if there is a need for repositioning.
Aside from normal attacks, the Warrior can combo certain skills as well. For instance, he can start by slamming the ground with Volcanic Fissure and then follow that up with a more devastating attack like Stampede. Interestingly, Stampede could cause the fiery ground created by Volcanic Fissure to erupt with lava, dealing fire damage as a result!
Warcries, similar to Path of Exile 1, can “exert” the next attack, granting them new effects. Seismic Cry, for example, doubles the next slam skill you use for more damage!
One of the best new features in Path of Exile 2 is called “Attack Block.” This allows you to raise your shield to block attacks and spells at any time. Keep in mind that the stun meter will gradually increase as long as your shield is up, so you need to keep an eye on it. This particular meter can be found at the lower-left portion of the main UI, just above the flasks.
What happens if the stun meter gets full, you ask? Once the meter is filled, you will no longer be able to block attacks, leaving you vulnerable to incoming damage. When that happens, you have to reposition yourself and utilize the Dodge Roll when necessary.
While it’s sad that melee totems have been removed in vanilla PoE, we are happy to report that they have returned in Path of Exile 2! The Warrior, in particular, has the ability to summon special totems that have unique effects.
The Seismic Totem, when set up, can cause the ground beneath it to tremble. Monsters that are within its vicinity are stunned and subsequently get damaged by the aftershocks.
The Warrior class in PoE 2 also has the ability to summon the Ancestral Warrior Totem, which is classified as a “meta skill” according to GGG. This is basically a skill that allows the user to add other active skill gems to make them better.
For the Ancestral Warrior Totem, you could put slam skills like Sunder, and the totem will use that once it is summoned on the battlefield. Thanks to this new feature, meta skills could pave the way for totem builds to proliferate in Path of Exile 2!
If you want to unleash powerful slams, deal massive amounts of damage, and still have the capability of blocking incoming attacks, then the Warrior is the perfect class for you!
Monk
If the previous class is too slow for your liking, maybe this next one is more suited to your playstyle. The Monk is a playable class in Path of Exile 2 that definitely got us excited. Why? Because this class is capable of defeating monsters in style!
You see, the Monk can unleash a deadly flurry using a quarterstaff. He is adept at three schools of martial arts, namely Lightning, Ice, and Wind. Although each element is damaging enough to kill enemies, the best way to harness their power is by combining all three. That is possible by using certain skills.
Staggering Palm allows the Monk to empower his staff with wind energies. This can be used when an enemy is close to getting stunned. After Staggering Palm, the Monk is able to fire wind projectiles with subsequent attacks!
Killing Palm is another skill that’s available in the Monk’s repertoire. This prompts the Monk to dash forward and attack an enemy that is on the brink of death, instantly killing them in the process. Take note that this skill can only be executed when monsters are in low-life (or below a certain HP threshold).
After defeating the enemy with Killing Palm, the Monk gains a Power Charge, which can be utilized to empower his other skills. It will be interesting to see if the Power Charge provides beneficial effects to the user in PoE 2. In case you don’t know, a single Power Charge in Path of Exile 1 grants a 50% boost in critical strike chance.
Now onto combo skills. Tempest Bell is akin to Wave of Light in Diablo III. This skill places a huge resonating bell that vibrates violently when hit, dealing damage to nearby enemies. What’s more, the bell can somehow be inflicted with freeze or shock, which causes it to deal elemental damage instead!
As you can see, the best way to play the Monk is by initiating various combos. His quick attacks that are empowered by elemental magic have the potential to get rid of map monsters quite efficiently!
Ranger
The Ranger class in Path of Exile 2 is another agile combatant. Only this time, she takes out enemies from afar rather than getting up close and personal. Even though she still wields a bow and arrow in the sequel, she is now more fluid in her movement compared to her PoE counterpart.
This is one of the best classes in the game that uses the new strafing mechanic in PoE 2 really well. Basically, it is now possible to press the WASD keys for movement. With this new feature, you can fire at enemies while you position yourself accordingly.
Having said that, the Ranger has access to a variety of bow skills, ranging from elemental ones like Lightning Arrow and Electrocuting Arrow to those that deal chaos damage, such as the new Poisonburst Arrow and Gas Arrow. This class can also deal cold damage and physical damage by using Ice Shot and Rain of Arrows, respectively.
Arrows that deal lightning damage can either be fired directly at the target or stuck to the ground. In the case of the latter, the next arrows you fire will bounce around, causing the planted ones to explode. Additionally, targets that are near the recently detonated arrows are electrocuted, rendering them unable to move for a short period.
Ice skills, such as the new Escape Shot, allow the Ranger to quickly get out of harm’s way. By executing the Dodge Roll at the right moment, this PoE 2 class can potentially evade attacks more effectively when used in conjunction with Escape Shot.
It also appears that the Ranger can slow enemies down with Vine Shot. Those that are hit by this skill are grappled with vines, which reduces their movement speed, as well as taking chaos damage.
Rangers who use the Vine Shot must know how to kite monsters. This is to help them dispose of their enemy effectively without getting hit.
Witch
While it’s good to take enemies head-on, you’re probably the type of person who loves summoning minions to fight for you instead. If this is the case, then the Witch is right up your alley! This PoE 2 class can use dark energies to call forth subservient beings made of bones and ghastly entities.
If the Ranger perfectly captures the essence of strafing, the Witch is a class that utilizes the new resource called “Spirit” to great effect. Spirit grants this class, in particular, the ability to summon minions without spending mana. For this reason, items that increase Spirit in some way are highly desirable if one is to play the Witch class in Path of Exile 2.
Now, the minions that have already been summoned will revive shortly after they die. This allows the Witch to focus more on the offensive rather than wasting time re-summoning each one of her undead warriors.
Just like in the original, certain skills also need some resources to be reserved in Path of Exile 2. For instance, the Skeletal Warrior requires 23 Spirit each time you summon this minion. If you want to summon more than one, the Spirit cost goes up accordingly.
If you are planning to play the Witch as a summoner in Path of Exile 2 Early Access, you must employ a variety of minions and take advantage of their unique capabilities. Permanent minions, according to GGG, have “Command Skills.”
In the live stream event, it was revealed that using Command Skills can detonate temporary minions, dealing huge AoE damage to enemies unfortunate enough to be in range. It is possible that some permanent minions have Command Skills that are more distinct than that, so stay tuned for more PoE 2 updates regarding this matter.
Anyway, what can the Witch do when her minions go to the frontlines? Well, she has a wide assortment of spells at her disposal that can harm enemies with chaos damage. Additionally, she can create spikes made of bones and use them to impale her enemies.
The Witch is also similar to the Necromancer in Diablo II: Resurrected in some way. For one, she’s able to cast powerful curses to weaken the defenses of nearby monsters. Moreover, she can raise minions from the many corpses lying around, thus adding more servants to do her bidding.
Mercenary
The Mercenary is one of the newest classes available to you in Path of Exile 2 Early Access. If you’ve played first-person shooters before, then you’re going to love this one!
Armed with a crossbow, the Mercenary can utilize various skills that work similarly to weapons, such as the assault rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher. If he’s surrounded by enemies, he can turn his crossbow into a powerful shotgun or grenade launcher that can deal heavy damage in a considerably large area.
Aside from that, the Mercenary can switch between different types of ammo on a whim. It seems that, by default, he uses normal ammo that deals physical damage. However, he can swap to elemental ammos that inflict fire, lightning, or cold damage if needed, so good utilization of these will help turn the tide of battle.
One interesting aspect of Path of Exile 2 is that the visual elements created by some skills are not just for aesthetics, but they are functional as well. Take the Glacial Bolt as an example.
When fired, it creates a thick wall of ice that can keep the enemies at bay. The Mercenary can then switch to a more powerful ammo like the Fragmentation Rounds to finish the job.
If there is a need for more firepower, the Mercenary can set up an Artillery Ballista that will aid him in combat. The ballista fires one projectile at a time, but it’s probably more than enough to defeat the intended target. As the ballista is doing its thing, the Mercenary can switch to different ammo types that will exploit the enemy’s weakness.
Sorceress
To round out the playable classes in Path of Exile 2, we present to you the Sorceress! She is a dangerous spellcaster who can harness the power of the elements to make quick work of the enemy!
Her skills synergize really well with each other. Flame Wall, for example, allows the Sorceress to conjure a wall of flames. Enemies that go near it will get burned. However, its main application is to actually empower her projectile spells.
You see, projectiles that pass through the Flame Wall deal fire damage, in addition to their original element. Spark, which enables the Sorceress to create lightning projectiles, can also deal fire damage when they come into contact with the wall.
In the above example, the Sorceress could utilize the new dual specialization feature in PoE 2 to greatly improve her damage output. One weapon may contain passive skills that enhance fire damage, while the other has nodes that boost lightning damage considerably.
If you intend to play the Sorceress in Path of Exile 2, you need to get acquainted with weapon swapping immediately!
Aside from weapon swapping, the Sorceress can take advantage of new “Trigger Gems,” such as Cast on Ignite. This gem will automatically cast a socketed spell, though a special condition has to be met. In order for this to occur, the Sorceress must ignite enemies with fire spells until she gains enough energy.
GGG promised that there will be 25 active elemental spells at your disposal in PoE 2 Early Access. With this in mind, you could create powerful synergies and combos that will eliminate any enemy you come across!
How to Choose the Best Class for Your Playstyle
In this Path of Exile 2 class breakdown, you have learned more about the various classes available once Early Access opens on December 6. Now, this begs the question: which class should you play?
If you want to get up close and personal, then we recommend the Monk. He is a relatively fast fighter who uses a quarterstaff and his mastery of the martial arts to defeat his foes.
The Warrior is a pretty decent melee class. However, this is more suited for those who don’t mind moving slowly, so long as they deal massive amounts of damage. What we love about the Warrior is his ability to wield a mace and a shield. If the going gets tough, he could just raise his shield to block attacks and spells for a brief period.
When it comes to ranged classes in Path of Exile 2, the Mercenary is quite intriguing. Not only is he able to switch to different ammo types at any time, but he can also manipulate his crossbow’s firing modes when needed.
Although you need to press a bunch of buttons to take full advantage of the Mercenary’s kit, the dynamic gameplay this class provides will surely keep you glued to the edge of your seat!
If the Mercenary is meant for pure offense, then we look at the Ranger as more well-rounded. Sure, dealing a ton of damage may not be her strength, but what she possesses are utility skills that not only improve survivability, but keep enemies at a distance as well.
Similar to the Necromancer in vanilla Path of Exile, the Witch is best for those who want a summoner class in PoE 2. Her ability to summon a legion of undead minions makes her quite a formidable presence on the battlefield.
While her subservient warriors head to the frontlines, the Witch provides support by casting curses that weaken the enemy’s defenses. Additionally, she can impale monsters with bone spikes or harm them with spells that deal chaos damage.
And then there’s the Sorceress. This PoE 2 class casts devastating elemental magic, with some of them having synergies with other spells. She can cast while moving thanks to the new WASD movement scheme in Path of Exile 2. So, if you’re more into the traditional spellcaster archetype, then the Sorceress perfectly fits your playstyle!
Take note that even though some skills are better suited for certain classes, you still have access to all of them. You just have to make sure that you’re able to meet their attribute requirements.
And there you have it! We hope that you’ve learned a lot of new things from our Path of Exile 2 class breakdown. Be sure to bookmark our page for more exciting news about this awesome ARPG. We will be creating a Path of Exile 2 guide on a regular basis once the game comes out on December 6, so stay tuned for that as well.
So, which of the new Path of Exile 2 classes will you be playing once Early Access begins? Please share your thoughts in the comments!