Path of Exile 2 Tier List 2026: Every Class and Ascendancy Graded for 0.5.5

This tier list grades every Path of Exile 2 ascendancy for patch 0.5.5. Patch 0.5.5 and The Forbidden Rites event league went live on 4 September 2026. The 3 boards above cover all 22 ascendancies and the 8 base classes.

1.0 launches on 11 December 2026 and adds the Duelist. It also adds the final 2 acts of the campaign. Every grade gets checked against the 1.0 patch notes. The re-rank dates sit in the dates table.

Skill picks for each ascendancy live on PoE 2 builds.

League start board. 2 league start rankings feed this board. When both agree, the ascendancy keeps that letter. When they differ by 1 letter, the newer ranking wins. When they differ by 2 letters or more, the ascendancy takes the middle letter and its chip shows the split. D grades fold into C.

Ladder board. This board counts characters on the softcore ladder of the 0.5.5 league. An ascendancy with 10% or more of them is S. 5 to 10% is A, 2 to 5% is B and under 2% is C.

Class board. A class is S when its best ascendancy is S on the league start board and holds 10% or more of the 0.5.5 league. A class is A when its best ascendancy is S on the league start board. A class is B when its best ascendancy is A.

A league start grade rates an ascendancy for a fresh character in a new league. Each of the 8 classes has at least 1 ascendancy at A or higher.

S tier (7): Gemling Legionnaire, Martial Artist, Spirit Walker and Deadeye are S on both rankings. Disciple of Varashta, Oracle and Titan are S on the newer ranking and A on the other, so the newer letter holds.

A tier (7): Tactician, Infernalist, Witchhunter, Amazon, Shaman, Lich and Pathfinder. Infernalist is the split in this row. 1 ranking puts it at S and the other at B, so it takes the middle letter.

B tier (4): Smith of Kitava, Acolyte of Chayula, Stormweaver and Blood Mage. Smith of Kitava is the split in this row. 1 ranking puts it at A and the other at D, so it lands on B.

C tier (4): Invoker, Warbringer, Ritualist and Chronomancer. Each of the 4 grades C or lower on the newer ranking.

Gemling Legionnaire is the most played ascendancy in the 0.5.5 league. It holds 34% of characters on the softcore ladder, about 1 in 3. Martial Artist is 2nd with 10.4%.

Disciple of Varashta, Oracle and Spirit Walker hold about 7% each. Deadeye holds 6% and Infernalist 5.3%. Stormweaver, Titan and Blood Mage hold 3% each. The other 13 ascendancies hold under 2% each, Abyssal Lich included.

The ladder and the league start board measure different things. The league start board rates a fresh character. The ladder counts characters deep into the league. That is why Titan is S for a league start and B on the ladder.

Mercenary and Monk are the best classes in PoE 2 for patch 0.5.5. Each has an S tier ascendancy that holds 10% or more of the 0.5.5 league. Gemling Legionnaire carries the Mercenary and Martial Artist carries the Monk.

Sorceress, Druid, Huntress, Ranger and Warrior are A tier. Each has an S tier league start ascendancy under the 10% ladder line. Disciple of Varashta, Oracle, Spirit Walker, Deadeye and Titan carry them.

Witch is B tier. Its best ascendancies, Infernalist and Lich, are A on the league start board.

Attributes, weapons and how each ascendancy unlocks live on PoE 2 classes.

Duelist

The Duelist joins Path of Exile 2 with 1.0 on 11 December 2026. It is a melee class built around swords. None of its ascendancies has a name yet. LFCarry grades the Duelist on 18 December, 7 days after launch. The class itself has its own page: the PoE 2 Duelist guide.

Abyssal Lich

The Abyssal Lich is an alternate Lich ascendancy for the Witch. It arrived in patch 0.3 and unlocks in the endgame. This list grades it with the Lich, at A. It holds 0.9% of the 0.5.5 league. Its unlock steps live on PoE 2 classes.

Ranger and Druid have 2 ascendancies each. Their 3rd ascendancies are unannounced.

4 dates move this list. Every grade gets checked against the 1.0 patch notes.

The ExileCon keynote starts at 1 PM PST on 6 November.

• Pick an ascendancy from the S or A row that fits how you like to play.
• Check the ladder board to see how many players run it.
• Open PoE 2 builds for the skill that fits it.
• Before 11 December, decide whether to level now or wait for the Duelist.

LFCarry PROs level the ascendancy you pick, run its Ascension Trials and write its build on your account.