So you’ve finally decided to pick up Path of Exile for the PS4. Good! Now what? Well, it’s time for you to decide which class you’ll be taking up. This is going to be your first-ever character, and thus, can make or break your PoE currency farming, so choose wisely. If you’re having a hard time doing that, here’s a quick breakdown of the seven classes as well as a little glimpse of their ascendancy classes.
Before You Make Up Your Mind
Before choosing a class, however, keep in mind that what separates classes are their starting points in the Passive Skill Tree, as well as their Ascendancy classes – specialization paths that further improve the class on certain aspects. This means the skill gems and gear are not class-locked–thereby giving you the opportunity to customize, be it with skill gems or POE orbs to your heart’s desire–provided that you have the right attributes to equip them.
Also, take note that classes have a core attribute. The core attribute increases certain parameters that are traditionally associated with the class.
Marauder
The Marauder (Core Attribute: Strength) is the game’s traditional scrapper-type melee class. It’s got the right balance of offensive and defensive potential, and the skill tree nodes accessible in its starting point mostly provides strength, physical damage, and life.
Ascendancies:
- Berserker – deals huge physical damage
- Chieftain – all about fire damage and totems
- Juggernaut – one of—if not—the best tanks in the game
Duelist
The Duelist is nimble and hard-hitting, as it is a Strength-Dexterity hybrid. It’s nowhere near as tough as the Marauder or the Templar, but what it lacks, it more than makes up for with blinding speed and sheer offensive melee power.
Ascendancies:
- Duelist – has skills focused on dealing damage to solo enemies and bosses
- Gladiator – offers a good balance of speed, damage, and defensive potential; works well with dual-wielding
- Champion – a solid tank that has buffs for party members and debuffs for enemies
Ranger
The Ranger is the resident ranged specialist and mostly uses bows, dealing loads of damage to enemies from a safe distance. Her core attribute is Dexterity.
Ascendancies:
- Deadeye – focused on improving AoE and projectile damage
- Pathfinder – has skills that improve flask usage and potency
- Raider – geared towards maintaining Frenzy charges, Onslaught, and Phasing
Witch
Feared for her arcane arts, the Witch–whose core attribute is Intelligence–is all about casting powerful spells that deal critical damage, as well as having an energy shield for protection.
Ascendancies:
- Elementalist – specializes in making elemental spells more powerful
- Occultist –prefers damage-over-time over other spells
- Necromancer –focuses on boosting attributes of summoned units
Templar
A holy man, the Templar–a Strength-Intelligence hybrid–is a master of both mind and body. Unfortunately for him, he was branded as a heretic and was thrown to Wraeclast.
Ascendancies:
- Inquisitors – improves elemental damage, critical strikes, and elemental penetration
- Hierophant –mixes offensive and defensive potential as well as utility
- Guardian – tank/support class that is focused on protecting the party
Shadow
Shadow–a man shrouded in utter mystery, the Shadow, whose core attributes are Intelligence and Dexterity, dabbles with the dark arts and treachery.
Ascendancies:
- Trickster – emphasizes on speed, maneuverability, and evasion
- Saboteur – mostly relies on traps and mines; also has certain utility and AoE bonuses
- Assassin – focuses on dealing critical damage and improving poison
Scion
The Scion is a class that is not available to players due to her rather steep learning curve. You get to unlock the scion later on in Act 3. Placed at the center of the passive skill tree, she can develop into any build you want. She has only one Ascendancy, which is rightly called Ascendant. Instead of having its own passives, the Ascendant can choose up to two passive skills from other Ascendancy classes, and then start from a second starting point in the passive skill tree.
In Path of Exile, you’ll be making a lot of choices, and making the best one right off the bat will definitely help you get the next ones right as well. So, which class will you go with? That’s all up to you now!
