Path of Exile 2's 0.5 expansion, Return of the Ancients, is almost here, and with the reveal landing on May 7th and launch set for May 29th, exiles everywhere are already planning which class, ascendancy, and skill to commit to on day one. This tier list pulls together the latest 0.4 data, community feedback, and all the teaser trailer hints to help you pick the strongest options heading into the new league.
Since 0.5 is shaping up to be one of the largest patches Grinding Gear Games has ever released, a lot of numbers will shift on patch day. Still, most of the 0.4 strengths and weaknesses carry over as a solid baseline, and that's what the rankings below are built on.
PoE 2 0.5 Tier List - Best Class & League Starter Builds Ranking
Heading into the Return of the Ancients expansion, the PoE 2 meta is shaped by the lingering dominance of 0.4 powerhouses and the anticipation of sweeping balance changes on May 29th. Blood Mage continues to sit at the top thanks to its unmatched cast-on-crit comet scaling, while Pathfinder, Oracle, and Disciple of Rashka round out the strongest ascendancies across both softcore and hardcore play. Projectile and spell archetypes still lead the damage charts, and minion builds remain the most beginner-friendly path through the campaign.
PoE 2 0.5 New Class & Ascendancy Changes - Early Overall Look
Before diving into the rankings, here is what we currently know about new classes and ascendancy adjustments coming in 0.5.
Strong Hints at a New Class (Likely the Duelist)
The teaser trailers, the community manager's social media posts, and the Return of the Ancients logo all point in the same direction. The Ritual trailer explicitly calls for a "champion" — which also happens to be the Duelist's signature ascendancy name from PoE 1. Add in the sword iconography hidden inside the Return of the Ancients logo and the Gladiator-themed community manager posts, and swords plus the Duelist class are the heavy favorites for the 0.5 reveal.
Some players are also betting on the Shadow making an appearance thanks to the dagger-wielding figure in the "Uncover the Truth" teaser, though this feels less certain than the Duelist.
Ascendancy Balance Pass Is Very Likely
Jonathan Rogers confirmed during the 0.4 Q&A that the Atlas tree and several underperforming systems are getting reworked. Based on community consensus, the ascendancies most likely to receive reworks or buffs in 0.5 include:
Acolyte of Chayula — the darkness mechanic needs a ground-up rework, especially with the Breach overhaul on the way.
Gemling Legionnaire — has been the lowest-played ascendancy for multiple patches and sorely needs identity restoration.
Chronomancer — cool concept, poor execution for mapping, and due for numerical buffs.
Blood Mage — expected to receive nerfs given how dominant it has been in cast-on-crit setups.
Expected System Changes That Affect Builds
A few balance shifts floating around the community feedback loop could reshape the meta:
Possible removal or heavy rework of Item Rarity on gear affecting currency drops.
Potential nerfs to gem level modifiers on weapons, which currently trivialize unique item design.
A likely crackdown on cast-on-crit and trigger scaling as a whole.
With that foundation set, let's get into the rankings.
PoE 2 0.5 Best Class Ascendancy Tier List - All Ascendancies Ranked
These rankings are based on 0.4 end-of-league performance, projected carry-over strength, and expected adjustments in 0.5.
S+ Tier — The Undisputed Best
Blood Mage — The highest-played ascendancy in softcore trade and the best overall class in the game right now. Insane crit scaling, huge EHP, spell leech, 15% max life removal curses, and the best cast-on-crit comet platform available. Almost guaranteed to get nerfed in 0.5, but likely still strong afterward.
S Tier — Meta Anchors
Pathfinder — Third-highest play rate, carried by the Allfather transformation in 0.4. Slow immunity, heavy stun immunity while sprinting, faster movement while attacking, and access to three different starting points on the tree make this the go-to projectile ascendancy.
Disciple of Rashka — The top hardcore pick thanks to absurd energy shield scaling, two-handed staff plus focus wielding, and huge utility across crit, minion, and elemental ailment builds.
Oracle — Second-highest play rate in softcore. Inevitable critical hits, lucky damage against you, skill tree premium, and free jewels from nothing make this one of the most powerful crit platforms in the game.
Amazon — Severely underrated at 10th play rate. Massive evasion stacking, elemental leech as energy shield, and incredible defensive scaling make this one of the tankiest ascendancies available.
A Tier — Strong and Reliable
Titan — The big-dog warrior ascendancy. 50% more body armor armor, aftershock slams, hulking form boosting small nodes, and raw tankiness make this the warrior meta pick.
Stormweaver — The easy-mode sorceress. Double shock from Strike Twice, great new-player friendliness, and solid spell scaling across comet, spark, arc, and firestorm.
Deadeye — Still excellent for any projectile skill, carried by Endless Munitions, Tailwind, and Thrilling Chase. Lost some ground to Pathfinder but still top-tier.
Invoker — Swiss Army knife for elemental skills. Crits ignore resistances, huge spirit stacking, and build diversity across flicker, falling thunder, whirling assault, and more.
Lich — One of the best hardcore picks. Minion and caster friendly, 10% damage reduction via Soul Eater form, unholy might, and excellent build diversity.
Witchfinder — Hugely buffed in 0.4 thanks to weapon master enabling two skill trees. Built-in culling strike, decimating strike, and Sorcery Ward scaling to absurd EHP numbers.
Tactician — The banner bot and spirit gem stacker. Huge pin uptime on projectiles, solid totem support, and flexibility across multiple archetypes.
B Tier — Solid but Outclassed
Shaman — Fourth-highest play rate, excellent for bear form builds with adaptation tankiness, rage stacking, and exposure bot flexibility.
Infernalist — The de facto minion ascendancy. Animate Weapon spirit scaling, demon form for theory crafters, and easy entry-level minion builds.
C Tier — Niche or Situational
Ritualist — Carried entirely by being the best rarity bot in group play. Outside of that role, it does not outperform other options.
Smith of Kitava — Incredibly tanky with armor applying to chaos and elemental damage, but warrior skills feel slow and the damage ceiling is low.
Warbringer — Lacks speed, damage scaling, and a clear identity after the turtle charm nerfs. Shield Wall carries most of its play time.
Abyssal Lich — Hard to access and niche, but capable of some wild projectile speed setups like the twister shotgun build.
D Tier — Needs Help
Acolyte of Chayula — The darkness mechanic blocks spirit gems and locks out leech without Essentia Sanguis. Desperate for chaos skills and a darkness rework.
Chronomancer — Thematically the coolest ascendancy, but cooldown-based skills are too rare to make time mechanics shine in mapping.
F Tier — Reserved for the Unlucky
Gemling Legionnaire — Lowest play rate in the entire game. Stranded in the worst part of the tree, nodes gated behind four ascendancy points, and nothing unique enough to justify the investment. A full rework is long overdue.
PoE 2 0.5 Best Build Tier List - League Starter Builds Ranked
For the opening week of Return of the Ancients, these builds offer the best combination of early campaign clear, cheap gear dependencies, and smooth scaling into tier 15 maps.
S Tier — Top League Starter Picks
Spiral Volley Poison Pathfinder — Arguably the best all-rounder in 0.4 and a guaranteed day-one carry. Spiral Volley chains across entire screens, toxic growth and gas arrow burst bosses down, and the build scales off physical and chaos damage without needing crit. Gear is cheap, the play style is smooth, and it should carry over directly into 0.5 unless Pathfinder or poison get hit hard.
Ice Shot Deadeye / Pathfinder — One of the most underrated bow leveling skills in the game. Pairs Ice Shot for clear with a Snipe plus Barrage combo for bossing, and can clear the entire campaign comfortably with a mid-tier Warden Bow. Rushes tier 15 maps in under 10 hours on a good run.
Minion Witch Infernalist — The easiest campaign run in the game. A mule character provides plus-one minion gear early, and skeletal snipers plus raging spirits one-shot bosses throughout Act 1. Low gear dependency and extremely forgiving, making it perfect for new players or those starting late.
A Tier — Strong Off-Meta Options
Lightning Arc Blood Mage — A solid league starter that transitions into Overstorms plus Ember Fusillade for single target. Arc handles clear while blood magic keystone solves spell mana sustain issues. Strong damage, decent tankiness, and a smooth curve from Act 1 to endgame.
Shield Wall Titan / Smith of Kitava — The warrior league starter of choice. Rolling Slam plus Bone Shatter carries Act 1, then Shield Wall takes over at level 22 with insane scaling into maps. Benefits heavily from the armor applying to elemental damage affix and can cap resistances easily on Smith of Kitava.
Frost Bolt / Comet Disciple of Rashka — The best hardcore league starter. Staff plus focus combination, easy energy shield scaling, and huge sacred ritual defensive layers make this one of the safest entries into endgame.
B Tier — Scaling Builds for Committed Players
Oracle Cast on Crit Comet — Not a league starter, but an absolute monster once you accumulate currency. Inevitable critical hits, lucky damage reduction, and free jewels from the Entwined Realities node make this a late-week pivot target. Expect heavy nerfs in 0.5.
Blood Mage Cast on Crit Spark / Comet — Currently the strongest build in the entire game once fully geared. Spark triggers comet through cast on crit for screen-clearing automation. Very expensive to set up and almost certainly getting nerfed, so treat this as a mid-to-late league goal rather than a starter.
Spire Volley Deadeye — An underrated projectile build that becomes one of the best mapping skills in the game once you stack Thrilling Chase and Avidity. Frenzy charge generation is the only bottleneck.
C Tier — Wait for Patch Notes
Flicker Strike Invoker — Still strong, but Invoker has been nerfed every major patch and may take another hit in 0.5. Hold off until notes drop.
Lightning Spear Amazon — Solid in theory, but spear skills need buffs before this becomes a reliable starter. Keep an eye on 0.5 patch notes for frenzy charge generation changes.
Builds to Avoid at League Start
Anything relying heavily on cast-on-crit or trigger mechanics — these are the most likely target for 0.5 nerfs, and you do not want your league starter deleted on day one.
Builds reliant on gem level stacking modifiers — if those modifiers get toned down as predicted, these builds lose a huge chunk of their damage overnight.
Demon Form Infernalist — Too much theory crafting and gear investment required for a league starter, even though the build ceiling is high.
The above rankings are based on information from the 0.5 update previews and past experience applicable to various leagues. More accurate and detailed build meta states and rankings will be continuously updated here as more information becomes available and the expansion goes live. Stay tuned.
