Path of Exile 2 Best Class & Builds After Patch 0.1.0d Nerfs | PoE 2 Tier List

Path of Exile 2 has been out in early access for almost 2 weeks, and the game has already seen significant changes. With the release of the 0.1.0 patches, several builds and classes have been nerfed dramatically, especially trigger skill-based builds, shaking up the meta entirely. With this updated PoE 2 Tier List for Patch 0.1.0e, we’ll review how these nerfs have affected the class and build rankings, and provide a comprehensive tier list to help you navigate the game's current state.

Path of Exile 2 Best Class & Build Tier List (Patch 0.1.0e)

Patch 0.1.0E builds on the sweeping balance changes introduced in Patch 0.1.0D, which heavily nerfed trigger skill builds like Cast on Ignite, Cast on Shock, and Cast on Freeze by tying their energy gain to enemy power, significantly reducing their effectiveness against mobs while leaving them viable for boss fights. While Patch 0.1.0D forced players to rethink strategies and explore alternative builds or ascendency paths, Patch 0.1.0E shifts the focus toward buffing underused archetypes, such as occult and bone skills, and introducing key quality-of-life improvements like fast travel, reduced respec costs, and adjustments to endgame scaling challenges. Together, these patches significantly reshape the game's meta, balancing nerfs to dominant builds with buffs and improvements that encourage diversity and experimentation.

With Patch 0.1.0e rolling out in Path of Exile 2, we update the PoE 2 Tier List based on the new buffs and nerfs!

PoE 2 Ascendancy Class Tier List After Patch 0.1.0e Post Nerfs

Here’s how the six core classes rank after the nerfs, based on factors like clear speed, combat utility, DPS, and ease of use:

1. Mercenary: Witchhunter (S-Tier)

   The Witch Hunter combines ranged attacks with sorcery, offering a unique hybrid playstyle. This ascendancy gains access to Sorcery Ward, which protects against elemental damage, and decimating strikes that can delete large chunks of enemy health. Its ability to interrupt enemy spells and slow their casting adds utility and survivability. With both high damage and defensive capabilities, the Witch Hunter is one of the strongest ascendancies in the game, earning its spot in S-Tier.

2. Mercenary: Gemling Legionnaire (S-Tier)

   The Gemling Legionnaire is a build-enabling ascendancy that enhances skills through support gems and attributes. It allows players to satisfy skill requirements using their highest attribute, making it highly flexible for scaling damage and utility. The ability to increase skill quality and amplify skill effects makes this ascendancy a powerhouse for creative and efficient builds. Its flexibility and raw power ensure its place in S-Tier, particularly for players who enjoy experimenting with skill setups.

3. Sorceress: Stormweaver (S-Tier)

   The Storm Weaver is a lightning-focused powerhouse that excels in critical damage and shock application. With the ability to stack multiple shocks for damage amplification and unleash devastating lightning storms, it’s one of the strongest ascendancies in the game. Its high AoE and single-target damage make it a top-tier choice for late-game scaling and boss encounters. The class’s reliance on critical hits and lightning mechanics can feel narrow in focus, but its raw power cements it in S-Tier.

4. Warrior: Warbringer (S-Tier)

   The Warbringer stands out as one of the best melee ascendancies with its unique corpse explosion mechanics and powerful war cries. It can transform totems into Spirits for added flexibility, encase itself in Jade for defensive boosts, and dominate encounters with AoE damage and utility. Its ability to frequently use war cries and synergize with corpses makes it versatile, tanky, and highly effective in both early and late-game content. These qualities make it a top-tier melee ascendancy.
   

5. Sorceress: Chronomancer (A-Tier)

   The Chronomancer manipulates time, offering unmatched utility and defensive mechanics. Skills like Time Freeze and Temporal Rift allow players to reset their position and resources, while Time Snap removes cooldowns for repeated use of powerful abilities. This ascendancy rewards strategic gameplay and mastery of mechanics, making it an incredible option for outplaying bosses and dangerous encounters. However, its complexity and reliance on timing prevent it from reaching S-Tier, making it better suited for experienced players.

6. Warrior: Titan (A-Tier)

   The Titan embodies the fantasy of a two-handed weapon juggernaut, delivering massive slams that generate aftershocks and deal crushing AoE damage. It excels at stunning enemies, which grants it significant bonuses against heavily stunned foes. Titans are durable and can dominate melee combat, but their reliance on positioning and two-handed weapons can make them feel less versatile than other ascendancies. While incredibly powerful in AoE scenarios, it lacks the utility and corpse explosion synergy of its counterpart, the Warbringer.

7. Witch: Infernalist (A-Tier)

   The Infernalist focuses on fire and chaos damage, summoning a loyal Hellhound that absorbs damage and sets enemies on fire. Players can enter Demon Form for massive damage boosts at the cost of survivability, making it a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. The ability to infuse mana with Hellfire and trigger fiery explosions adds depth to its damage potential. However, the reliance on managing Demon Form’s drawbacks keeps it from reaching S-Tier, though it remains a powerful choice for those who enjoy explosive gameplay.

8. Witch: Bloodmage (A-Tier)

   The Bloodmage sacrifices mana in favor of life to cast powerful spells, creating a unique life-based caster playstyle. This ascendancy offers excellent sustain through life leech mechanics and bonus damage scaling with maximum life. Additionally, the Bloodmage gains access to unique healing options and powerful critical strike bonuses. However, the life-cost mechanics require careful resource management, and its squishiness can be punishing for inexperienced players. Despite this, it remains a great choice for life-based builds.

9. Monk: Invoker (A-Tier)

   The Invoker focuses on elemental synergy, offering versatility between lightning, ice, and wind elements. It allows players to meditate for defensive boosts, double their energy shield, and unleash elemental damage with waves of raw power. With the Bound Avatar mechanic, players can build up and unleash devastating damage bonuses, making it strong in both offense and defense. However, the class feels slower-paced compared to other dexterity/intelligence hybrids, and its reliance on building up power makes it slightly harder to use consistently.

10. Monk: Acolyte of Chayula (A-Tier)

    The Acolyte of Chayula embraces chaos energy, providing significant bonuses to chaos damage and strong defensive mechanics against chaos-based attacks. Its Shard of Darkness skill protects against incoming damage, while mana leech mechanics allow for consistent recovery and energy shield sustain. Players can stack chaos damage or commit to risky but rewarding mechanics like the Flames of Chayula. While it offers a potent blend of offense and defense, it can feel more complex compared to the straightforward elemental focus of the Invoker.

11. Ranger: Deadeye (B-Tier)

    The Deadeye specializes in ranged combat, firing additional projectiles and dealing damage through lightning, poison, and cold mechanics. It excels at clearing packs of enemies with ease, thanks to its ability to spam projectiles and apply status effects like freezing or poisoning. However, it struggles in durability, and its endgame scaling doesn’t match the power of other ranged ascendancies like the Mercenary. While reliable and fun, it’s a straightforward playstyle that lacks the depth or flexibility of higher-tier options.

12. Ranger: Pathfinder (B-Tier)

    The Pathfinder is a flask-focused ascendancy that thrives on poison and elemental synergy. Players can choose between throwable concoctions that deal elemental damage and inflict crippling debuffs, or focus on spreading poison for devastating damage-over-time effects. The Pathfinder’s ability to move quickly and maintain flask uptime makes it ideal for players who value speed and mobility. However, it’s highly dependent on flask management and lacks the raw power or flexibility of other ascendancies, keeping it in B-Tier.

PoE 2 New Best Build Tier List after Patch 0.1.0e Post Nerfs

With trigger skill nerfs shaking up the meta, new builds have risen to prominence while others have fallen. Here's the top meta build tier list after post nerf:

1. Mercenary - Gas Grenade Ignition Witchhunter
   The Gas Grenade Ignition build leverages Gas Grenades and auto-ignition mechanics like Flame Wall to create massive AoE explosions. This build excels in clear speed and bossing, even after the nerfs to Flame Wall. Key items like Radiant Grief (which automatically ignites enemies near you) or Birth of Fury boots (which create ignited ground while moving) make this build incredibly strong and fun to play. The Witch Hunter ascendancy further enhances survivability with Sorcery Ward and executes foes with devastating strikes.

   Check out how to set up the Gas Grenade Witchhunter Mercenary

2. Sorceress - Archmage Lightning Spark Stormweaver
   The Archmage Lightning Build is a late-game powerhouse that scales lightning damage with maximum mana. Using Archmage to fuel skills like Shock Nova and Arc results in massive damage output, while defensive nodes like Mind Over Matter and Chaos Inoculation ensure survivability. Key Path of Exile 2 items like Everlasting Gaze (bonus mana regeneration and energy shield) and Mana-recoup belts provide the sustain needed for long fights. This build is perfect for players looking for a high-scaling, endgame-dominating playstyle.

   Check out how to set up the Archmage Lightning Stormweaver Sorceress
   

3. Warrior - Corpse Explosion Totem Spam Warbringer
   The Corpse Explosion Totem Build transforms Totems into Spirits and uses corpse explosion mechanics to deal massive AoE damage. War cries like Infernal Cry and Enraged Warcry further amplify the build’s damage potential, while the Earthbreaker node adds aftershocks for even more devastation. This build is tanky, consistent, and ideal for both general mapping and bossing, earning its spot as one of the strongest melee builds in the game.

   Check out how to set up the Totem Warbringer Warrior
   

4. Sorceress - Hammer of the Gods Ignite Chronomancer
   This Chronomancer build uses cooldown reduction mechanics to repeatedly cast the high-damage Hammer of the Gods skill. By combining Time Snap for cooldown resets and AoE stuns through Bone Shatter, this build excels at controlling the battlefield while dishing out massive damage. It requires precise timing to maximize its potential, making it a rewarding option for experienced players.

   Check out how to set up the Hammer of the Gods Ignite Chronomancer

5. Witch - Raging Spirits & Skeleton Arsonists Infernalist
   Using Summon Raging Spirits (SRS) in combination with Flame Wall and Skeleton Arsonists, this build focuses on creating fire minions that explode for massive damage. While nerfs to Cast on Minion Death have made the build less automated, it still offers solid damage and scaling. The Infernalist ascendancy provides additional fire damage and survivability through Demon Form, making it a great choice for fire-minion enthusiasts.

   Check out how to set up the SRS Infernalist Witch
   

6. Warrior - Hammer of the Gods Ignite Slam Titan

   The Ignite Slam Build focuses on Hammer of the Gods, converting its damage to fire with Avatar of Fire and scaling ignite duration to deal massive damage over time. Key support gems like Fist of War and Eternal Flame double the duration and damage of ignites, making this build perfect for AoE clearing and single-target boss fights. It’s a tanky, satisfying build for players who enjoy heavy-hitting melee combat.

   Check out how to set up the Hammer of the Gods Ignite Titan
   

7. Monk - Semi-Melee Tempest Fluury Lightning Invoker
   The Invoker Semi-Melee Build focuses on Tempest Flurry and Storm Wave for close-range lightning damage while using Charged Staff to add projectiles for bonus damage and range. Power charges are generated through Combat Frenzy and converted using the Resonance Keystone, ensuring consistent uptime for Charged Staff. It’s a versatile build that combines melee and ranged elements, though it requires careful management of power charges for maximum effectiveness.

   Check out how to set up the Tempest Fluuery Lightning Invoker

8. Monk: Chaos Damage over Time Acolyte of Chayula Monk
   This build focuses on Essence Drain and Contagion to apply and spread chaos damage over time, creating a highly effective ranged playstyle. With strong survivability through evasion and energy shield, as well as consistent DoT damage, it’s a great option for players looking to try something different. The build thrives in early content and has the potential to scale well with upgrades like Dark Effigy Totem and Hexblast, making it an exciting choice for both new and experienced players.

   Check out how to set up the Chaos Damage Overtime Acolyte of Chayula Monk
   

9. Ranger - Lighting Arrow Orb of Storms Deadeye
   This build excels at clearing large packs and handling bosses with a combination of Lightning Arrow, Lightning Rod, and Orb of Storms. By focusing on physical-to-lightning damage conversion and leveraging the Deadeye ascendancy’s Far Shot node, it offers flexible and effective gameplay for early-to-midgame progression. While gear-dependent for optimal performance, it’s a great choice for players looking to balance clear speed and single-target damage.

   Check out how to set up the Lightning Arrow Deadeye Ranger
   

10. Ranger - Poison Spread & Gas Arrow Pathfinder
    Pathfinder’s Poison Spread Build utilizes Toxic Growth and Gas Arrow to create poison clouds that explode for massive AoE damage. With nodes that spread poisons and double their potency, this build thrives in poison-centric gameplay. However, its reliance on flask management and niche mechanics keep it from reaching higher tiers.

    Check out how to set up the Poison Gas Arrow Pathfinder
    

Path of Exile 2’s meta is still evolving, especially after the disruptive Patch 0.1.0d. While some builds have fallen out of favor due to the trigger skill nerfs, there are still plenty of powerful and creative options to explore. Whether you prefer lightning-slinging Sorceresses, grenade-throwing Mercenaries, or poison-dealing Rangers, there’s something for everyone in this early access phase.

Keep in mind that GGG is actively balancing the game, so expect more changes in the future. For now, experiment with these builds, explore the ascendancy paths, and carve your own legend in Wraeclast. Happy hunting, Exiles!