Path of Exile 2 tier list ranks all ascendancies from best to worst for November 2025, with Deadeye, Lich, and Blood Mage dominating as S-tier choices. These top builds excel in endgame content with superior clear speed, boss damage, and survivability. Our comprehensive analysis draws from multiple expert sources to provide the most accurate and up-to-date rankings for The Third Edict patch 0.3.0.
| Tier | Top Ascendancies | Key Strengths | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-Tier | Deadeye, Lich, Blood Mage, Invoker | Maximum damage output, speed, versatility | Endgame farming, boss killing, league starts |
| A-Tier | Tactician, Amazon, Infernalist, Witchhunter | Strong performance with good scaling | Mapping, specific build archetypes, balanced play |
| B-Tier | Stormweaver, Pathfinder, Chronomancer, Titan | Niche effectiveness, requires optimization | Specialized builds, experimental playstyles |
| C-Tier | Smith of Kitava, Warbringer, Acolyte of Chayula | Situational usefulness, high investment | Hardcore players, defensive builds |
| D-Tier | Gemling Legionnaire, Ritualist | Limited effectiveness, major drawbacks | Niche experimental builds only |
This definitive tier list combines insights from Mobalytics, Game8, Odealo, and community experts to help you choose the perfect ascendancy for your playstyle and goals in Path of Exile 2's current meta.
Contents
Our tier list evaluation process follows rigorous criteria to ensure accuracy and relevance for the current Path of Exile 2 meta:
Damage Output: Measures clear speed, boss damage potential, and overall DPS efficiency across different content types. S-tier ascendancies consistently achieve 150+ movement speed with sub-1 second T4 breach boss kills.
Survivability: Assesses defensive capabilities including evasion, armour, energy shield, and unique defensive mechanics. Top-tier builds maintain high survivability without sacrificing damage output.
Investment Requirements: Evaluates gear dependency, currency investment needed, and accessibility for league starters. Builds that perform well with minimal investment rank higher.
Meta Relevance: Considers current patch balance, popular skill synergies, and effectiveness against endgame challenges including pinnacle bosses.
Versatility: Rates flexibility across different content types (mapping, bossing, deep delving) and adaptability to various playstyles.
Our rankings synthesize information from:
Each source is cross-referenced and verified against actual gameplay performance and current patch 0.3.0 (The Third Edict) balance changes.
Overall Rating: S+ Best For: Projectile builds, speed farming, endgame content
Deadeye stands as the undisputed king of Path of Exile 2 ascendancies in November 2025. This ascendancy excels through unparalleled mobility, massive critical strike potential, and exceptional clear speed capabilities.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why S-Tier: Deadeye combines the best offensive and defensive utilities while requiring moderate investment. The automatic mark system and critical weakness application make it consistently outperform other ascendancies in clear speed and boss damage.
Overall Rating: S Best For: Spellcasters, summoners, chaos builds
Lich maintains its position as a premier spellcaster ascendancy with exceptional defensive capabilities and versatile scaling options for various magical archetypes.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why S-Tier: Lich offers the best combination of defensive utility and offensive potential for spellcasters. The ability to run permanent curses while maintaining high damage output makes it consistently competitive with the top meta choices.
Overall Rating: S Best For: Chaos casters, bleed builds, high-life archetypes
Blood Mage emerges as a major winner in The Third Edict patch, receiving significant buffs that elevate it to S-tier status across multiple build archetypes.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why S-Tier: The recent buffs have transformed Blood Mage into a versatile powerhouse capable of excelling in multiple archetypes. The free Sanguimancy and improved critical strike scaling make it exceptionally strong for both league starts and endgame optimization.
Overall Rating: S Best For: Quarterstaff builds, elemental attacks, unarmed combat
Invoker continues to dominate as the premier choice for quarterstaff and unarmed builds, with significant improvements in The Third Edict patch enhancing its already strong performance.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why S-Tier: Invoker offers unique mechanics that no other ascendancy can match, particularly with Hollow Palm Technique and elemental resistance ignoring. The recent improvements to Meditate and defensive utilities make it consistently top-tier.
Overall Rating: A+ Best For: Ballista builds, banner setups, hybrid defense
Tactician receives substantial buffs in The Third Edict, elevating it to high A-tier status with improved banner mechanics and enhanced defensive capabilities.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why A-Tier: Tactician offers unique utility with banner and ballista synergies that no other ascendancy provides. The recent buffs have significantly improved its viability, though it still requires specific build optimization to reach its full potential.
Overall Rating: A Best For: Critical strike builds, spear archetypes, elemental infusion
Amazon remains a strong choice for critical strike-focused builds, though recent nerfs have moved it from S-tier to solid A-tier positioning.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why A-Tier: While the critical strike nerfs impacted Amazon's performance, it remains a top choice for players who enjoy critical strike-based gameplay. The reduced accuracy requirements make it more accessible than before.
Overall Rating: A Best For: Minion builds, demon form, ignite specialists
Infernalist continues to excel as the premier minion ascendancy, with significant improvements to demon form and minion performance in The Third Edict.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why A-Tier: Infernalist offers unparalleled minion capabilities and unique demon form mechanics. While it requires specific investment to reach its full potential, the payoff is substantial for minion enthusiasts.
Overall Rating: A Best For: Weapon swap builds, curse specialists, explosive clearing
Witchhunter receives significant improvements in The Third Edict, particularly with weapon swap mechanics becoming instant and the additional weapon set passive buff.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why A-Tier: The weapon swap improvements have transformed Witchhunter into a much more versatile and powerful ascendancy. It offers unique utility that can be adapted to various playstyles, though it requires understanding of weapon swap mechanics to optimize.
Overall Rating: B+ Best For: Elemental infusion builds, elemental casters, experimentation
Stormweaver adapts to the new triple-elemental environment but requires specific optimization to reach its full potential.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why B-Tier: Stormweaver offers unique elemental infusion mechanics but requires significant investment and understanding to optimize effectively. The experimental nature makes it less accessible for casual players but rewarding for dedicated theorycrafters.
Overall Rating: B Best For: Poison builds, concoction specialists, evasion stacking
Pathfinder maintains its position as the premier poison ascendancy, though concoction mechanics remain largely underwhelming.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why B-Tier: While Pathfinder excels at poison builds, the overall poison archetype has fallen behind other damage types in the current meta. The concoction reworks didn't provide the expected improvements, limiting its overall effectiveness.
Overall Rating: B Best For: Curse specialists, burst damage, complex gameplay
Chronomancer receives significant reworks with Inevitable Agony replacing Unleash, offering new burst damage potential at the cost of increased complexity.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why B-Tier: Chronomancer offers unique burst damage potential but requires significantly more effort and understanding to achieve results comparable to simpler ascendancies. The complexity can be rewarding but may not be suitable for all players.
Overall Rating: B Best For: Mace builds, melee enthusiasts, fire damage
Titan remains the top choice for mace-based builds, though it's affected by the Giant's Blood and block changes in The Third Edict.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why B-Tier: Titan offers excellent performance for mace and fire-based melee builds but is limited by the current meta's preference for ranged and spell-based approaches. It remains a solid choice for melee enthusiasts but doesn't compete with the top-tier options.
Overall Rating: C+ Best For: Defensive builds, elemental resistance stacking, hardcore play
Smith of Kitava excels in defensive capabilities but requires significant investment to reach its full potential.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why C-Tier: While Smith of Kitava offers unparalleled defensive capabilities, the damage output is significantly lower than other options. It requires substantial investment to make defensive builds work effectively in endgame content.
Overall Rating: C Best For: Block builds, physical damage, totem specialists
Warbringer receives impactful changes but remains situational in the current meta environment.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why C-Tier: Warbringer offers strong defensive capabilities through block mechanics but lacks the damage output to compete with higher-tier options. It's situationally useful for specific build archetypes but not generally recommended.
Overall Rating: C Best For: Volatility builds, elemental ailment specialists, chaos hybrid
Acolyte of Chayula receives a complete rework but remains experimental and requires specific optimization.
Key Strengths:
Optimal Builds:
Why C-Tier: Acolyte of Chayula offers unique volatility mechanics but remains highly experimental and requires very specific build optimization to be effective. The complexity and niche nature limit its overall usefulness.
Overall Rating: D+ Best For: Gem quality builds, niche experimental setups
Gemling Legionnaire receives nerfs and has poor charge generation mechanics, limiting its effectiveness in the current meta.
Key Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why D-Tier: The recent nerfs to charge generation and gem quality benefits have significantly impacted Gemling Legionnaire's viability. It remains only useful for very specific experimental builds and generally underperforms compared to other options.
Overall Rating: D Best For: High-investment builds, ring-focused archetypes, endgame specialists
Ritualist struggles as a league starter and requires substantial investment to reach competitive performance levels.
Key Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why D-Tier: Ritualist requires an enormous amount of investment to become competitive and performs poorly as a league starter. While it has potential at very high levels of gear optimization, the journey to reach that point is generally not worth the effort compared to other ascendancies.
The Path of Exile 2 meta in November 2025 is defined by several key trends that shape ascendancy viability and build preferences:
The Third Edict (Patch 0.3.0) has significantly reshaped the meta through:
Based on current trends and developer patterns, we can anticipate several meta shifts in upcoming patches:
Core Mechanics:
Gear Priorities:
Passive Tree Focus:
Core Mechanics:
Gear Priorities:
Passive Tree Focus:
Core Mechanics:
Gear Priorities:
Passive Tree Focus:
Core Mechanics:
Gear Priorities:
Passive Tree Focus:
Many new players focus exclusively on damage output while neglecting defensive capabilities. This leads to frequent deaths and frustration, especially in endgame content.
How to Avoid:
Beginners often choose ascendancies and skills that don't work well together, resulting in suboptimal performance.
How to Avoid:
New players frequently mismanage life/mana flasks, spirit, and other resources, leading to unnecessary deaths.
How to Avoid:
Players with some experience sometimes overcommit to experimental or niche mechanics that don't perform well in actual gameplay.
How to Avoid:
Intermediate players often underestimate the importance of movement speed for efficient farming and survival.
How to Avoid:
Many players don't plan their gear progression effectively, leading to inefficient currency spending and performance plateaus.
How to Avoid:
Experienced players sometimes optimize too heavily for specific content types, making their builds less versatile overall.
How to Avoid:
Veteran players can become attached to specific builds or playstyles, missing important meta shifts and balance changes.
How to Avoid:
Advanced players sometimes underestimate the currency and time investment required for certain build concepts.
How to Avoid:
Advantages:
Optimization Tips:
Advantages:
Optimization Tips:
Universal Optimization:
Platform-Specific Adjustments:
URL: https://www.pathofexile.com
Description: The official Path of Exile website featuring developer blogs, patch notes, and official announcements. Essential for staying current with game updates and balance changes.
URL: https://discord.gg/pathofexile
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/PathOfExile2/
Description: Active community subreddit featuring build showcases, meta discussions, and player experiences. Great for staying current with community trends and getting feedback on builds.
URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile2builds/
Description: Specialized subreddit focused specifically on build creation, optimization, and discussion. Essential resource for build theorycrafting and optimization strategies.
Description: Comprehensive gaming resource featuring guides, tier lists, and build optimization tools. Professional-quality content with detailed analysis and recommendations.
URL: https://mobalytics.gg/poe-2
Description: Analytics-based gaming platform featuring real-time meta data, tier lists, and performance optimization tools. Data-driven insights for competitive play.
Description: Essential build planning tool allowing detailed simulation of character progression, damage calculations, and optimization scenarios. Indispensable for serious build theorycrafting.
Description: Advanced loot filter customization tool for optimizing item identification and farming efficiency. Critical for endgame content optimization.
Description: Various community-maintained databases featuring proven build guides, gearing strategies, and progression advice. Valuable for learning established optimal approaches.
S-tier ascendancies like Deadeye, Lich, Blood Mage, and Invoker demonstrate exceptional performance across multiple criteria: superior damage output, excellent clear speed, strong bossing capabilities, and good survivability without requiring excessive investment. These ascendancies consistently outperform others in endgame content and remain viable throughout various game stages.
The Path of Exile 2 meta typically shifts with major patches, which occur every 3-4 months during early access. The Third Edict (Patch 0.3.0) introduced significant changes that reshaped the tier list substantially. Minor hotfixes and balance adjustments can also cause smaller meta shifts between major patches.
While Deadeye currently ranks as S+ tier due to its exceptional performance, it's not universally the best choice for every playstyle or preference. Players who prefer minion builds, spellcasters, or melee-focused gameplay may find other ascendancies more enjoyable even if they're not technically "meta-optimal."
For new players, Lightning Arrow Deadeye, Essence Drain Blood Mage, and Hollow Palm Invoker are excellent league start choices. These builds require minimal investment, offer strong early-game performance, and scale well into endgame content without requiring complex mechanics or expensive gear.
Movement speed is extremely important in Path of Exile 2, significantly impacting farming efficiency, survival capabilities, and overall gameplay enjoyment. The new Sprint mechanic in The Third Edict has made mobility even more crucial, with top builds typically achieving 150+ movement speed for optimal performance.
While D-tier ascendancies like Gemling Legionnaire and Ritualist can become viable with substantial investment, they generally require significantly more currency and effort to reach performance levels comparable to higher-tier options. Most players would be better served choosing A or S-tier ascendancies for more consistent results.
Weapon swaps have become much more important in The Third Edict due to instant swapping mechanics and Witchhunter's 100 Weapon Set passives. Many top builds now utilize weapon swaps for skill variety, defensive utilities, or damage amplification, making it a crucial mechanic to understand for optimal play.
When choosing between similar-tier ascendancies, consider your preferred playstyle, desired content focus (mapping vs. bossing), and available budget. For example, between Tactician and Amazon (both A-tier), choose Tactician for banner/ballista mechanics or Amazon for critical strike focus.
For hardcore play, defensive-oriented ascendancies like Smith of Kitava, Lich, and Invoker typically perform best due to their superior survivability mechanics. These ascendancies offer more forgiveness for mistakes and better sustainability through challenging content.
Patch notes can dramatically affect tier list rankings through balance changes, new mechanics, and skill adjustments. Major patches like The Third Edict can completely reshape the meta, elevating previously weak ascendancies and nerfing formerly dominant options. Always check the latest patch notes when making build decisions.
Top players emphasize that movement optimization is as important as damage output. Practice efficient mapping routes, master movement skill timing, and always prioritize movement speed on boots. The difference between 100% and 150% movement speed can double your farming efficiency.
Professional players recommend developing strict resource management habits. Learn exactly when to use flasks, how to manage spirit for minion/spell builds, and practice maintaining optimal resource levels during extended combat sessions.
Endgame boss mastery requires learning specific mechanics and timing windows. Top players spend hours practicing boss fights in lower-tier maps before attempting pinnacle bosses, ensuring they understand all mechanics and can execute consistently.
The most powerful builds come from identifying and maximizing synergies between ascendancy mechanics, skill choices, and gear options. Look for interactions that multiply effectiveness rather than just adding linear benefits.
Top-tier builds incorporate multiple defensive layers: life/energy shield, evasion/armour, block, and specific defensive mechanics. This layered approach ensures survivability even when one defensive system fails.
Many top builds focus on creating and optimizing burst damage windows rather than sustained DPS. Learn to identify and maximize these windows for maximum efficiency against both bosses and large packs.
Experienced players recommend starting with proven, budget-friendly builds and transitioning to more complex setups once currency is established. This approach ensures steady progression and avoids early frustration.
Master the trading system for optimal gear progression. Learn to quickly identify valuable items, price them appropriately, and execute trades efficiently to minimize time spent trading and maximize time playing.
Active community engagement through Discord, Reddit, and forums provides access to the latest meta developments, build innovations, and optimization strategies. Don't hesitate to ask questions and share experiences.
Ready to dominate the Path of Exile 2 meta with our comprehensive tier list? Bookmark this guide and check back regularly for updates as the meta evolves with new patches and balance changes.
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