Path of Exile 2's Ascendants are explained like Dungeons and Dragons classes

With an early access release already garnering massive attention, Path of Exile 2 it is ranked among the most played games on Steam even before its full release. Building on the depth of its predecessor with a robust class system in Path of Exile 2 and ways to develop them, the wealth of customization in ARPG gameplay resembles the range of offerings in Dungeons and Dragons.

The ascension system of Path of Exile 2 is the game's take on class specialization, giving each more expansive option reminiscent of subclasses. As granular as some of these get beyond their overall simplified design, there are striking similarities and clear separations from the many examples set by D&D in editions and source books.

Warrior and Ranger Ancestors Mirror Dungeons and Dragon Martial Classes

Warrior Looks like DnD's barbarian

Instead of the predictable Fighter parity, Path of Exile 2His warrior is more geared towards brute strength and endurance than combat tactics.

• War bearer recalls D&DAncestral Guardian and Totem Warrior subclasses through abilities like Answered Call which interacts with the spirits of the ancestors or Jade Heritage providing a layer of toughness for tanking.
• Titanium moves away from strict parallels to emphasize stuns and AoE slams, bringing D&DHis crowd control mechanic in a format more suited to ARPG combat.

Ranger incorporates the familiar and the unconventional

As a class that bears strong similarities to it D&D its counterpart, the Ranger is more represented by Deadeye Ascendant. This greatly favors improving traits such as accuracy in the archery combat style of Dungeons and Dragonsbut Pathfinder introduces a whole new flavor.

• Taking several traits from an alchemist, the Pathfinder focuses on throwing mixes. Ironically, dropped weapons are usually associated with DnD barbarians, showing the limits of PoE experimentation.

On the contrary, the mercenary class' Witch hunter Ascendancy also offers martial appeal through explosive damage and anti-elemental magic focus, bridging the gap between Rangers and more hybrid builds.

Path of Exile 2's magic-based Ascendants transform Dungeons and Dragons tropes into new configurations

The Witch Class Echoes Warlock Themes

With the dark concepts behind his Ascendants, Path of Exile 2His sorceress taps into what looks like the more sinister elements of D&D. The Infernalist features an emphasis on fire damage and summoning that clearly parallels the Fiend subclass, even going so far as to have an ability called Pyromantic Pact to extend Mana usage. The Blood magehowever, it takes up a real novel Dungeons and Dragons class niche that has not been consistently filled.

By combining the elements of Dungeons and DragonsThe “Wizard and Wizard, Witch” lineages are essentially taken directly from their subclasses. The Stormweaver is an obvious allusion to Storm Sorcery with lightning magic but Chronomnacer builds on the time-manipulating power of the Chronurgy school wizard in a new ARPG context.

The monk favors magic over a martial archetype

Departing significantly from the most physical D&D homologous, Path of Exile 2His monk features two magic-infused Ascendants. The plead roughly aligns with the Path of the Four Elements subclass, but focuses more directly on ice and electricity over so much variety. The Chayula's henchmanhowever, it takes the Path of the Dark Monk from a stealth-based playstyle and makes it a damaging dark magic option in their arsenal.

The Mercenary class also has a unique angle with Gemling Legionnairean ascension based on embedding stones into a character's skin for the sake of elemental resistance and skill stone enhancement. This takes elements of Gemwright Artificer from D&Dbut its greater investment in combining martial and magical playstyles feels like a completely original take.