In this PoE 2 SSF Tier List, all ascendancy classes with the meta build for solo-self-found are ranked based on their performance in SSF Standard and SSF Hardcore in Path of Exile 2 early access now, considering survivability, endgame potential, and representation on the leaderboards.
PoE 2 SSF Tier List - Best Solo-Self Found Class & Builds in Hardcore & Standard
Solo Self Found (SSF) in Path of Exile 2 is a mode designed to challenge players by removing two core gameplay elements: trading and grouping. Without these features, you must rely solely on the items you find or craft and your personal skill to progress. This restriction makes SSF significantly harder than Trade League, particularly when it comes to achieving major milestones like triple or quadruple ascension, which often require tackling difficult encounters entirely on your own.
For example, in SSF, you cannot trade for Sanctum relics to boost Honor resistance, a key advantage available in Trade League. This makes content like the Sanctum significantly more taxing. Hardcore SSF ups the difficulty even further by adding a permadeath mechanic, requiring players to balance survivability with damage output more carefully than ever.
Despite the challenges, SSF offers a deeply rewarding experience. It forces players to optimize their characters, adapt to resource scarcity, and test their builds in ways that Trade League cannot replicate. Whether you're playing SSF Standard or Hardcore, the ascendancy you choose can make or break your journey.
This tier list evaluates the top-performing classes based on current stats and trends in SSF Standard and SSF Hardcore, aiming to guide both new and experienced players.
1. Infernalist Witch (S Tier)
The Infernalist is dominating in SSF, particularly in Hardcore. It combines strong offensive fire mechanics with excellent survivability through minions or self-sustain. Concerns about its falloff in early mapping have been resolved, as players have managed to progress far with this ascendancy in both SSF Standard and Hardcore. With one of the highest survival rates and consistent performance in endgame, Infernalist is the safest and strongest pick for SSF.
SSF Standard: ★★★★★
Dominates the meta with exceptional damage output and survivability. Handles endgame content with ease.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★★
High survivability due to minions or defensive setups. A top pick for HC players aiming for level 100.
Best Infernalist Witch SSF Build: Lifestacker Infernalist
This build focuses on stacking Life to create a tanky character capable of dishing out devastating fire-based damage. Its combination of survivability and offensive power makes it perfect for both SSF Standard and Hardcore. The Infernalist ascendancy thrives in SSF due to its independence from specific gear, and Kripp's setup maximizes its potential for endgame content. Whether you’re clearing maps or tackling bosses, this build ensures consistent performance.
2. Stormweaver Sorceress (S Tier)
Stormweaver has emerged as an exceptional ascendancy, leveraging Energy Shield mechanics to devastating effect. Its blend of offense and defense makes it a standout pick for SSF, though it performs best in Standard leagues where players can farm or craft specific Energy Shield-focused gear.
SSF Standard: ★★★★★
Extremely strong with Energy Shield synergy, although nerfs have slightly affected its dominance. Still one of the best options.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★☆
Powerful but gear-dependent. Its survivability drops in Hardcore due to reliance on specific Energy Shield setups.
Best Stormweaver Sorceress SSF Build: Lightning Archmage Stormweaver
This build capitalizes on Stormweaver's Energy Shield synergy and lightning-based spells to deliver exceptional damage while maintaining a strong defensive layer. Being an Energy Shield-focused build, it works exceptionally well in SSF, where defensive layers are crucial. The build also transitions smoothly into endgame with consistent damage scaling. Paired with Ruetoo's Ember Fusillade leveling setup, it offers a seamless progression path from early game to maps.
3. Deadeye Ranger (A Tier)
Deadeye is one of the most versatile ascendancies, offering high DPS and mobility, making it a great choice for bow builds or projectile-based skills. While it doesn’t dominate as much in SSF as it does in Trade League (due to the lack of access to specific items), it remains a consistent performer.
SSF Standard: ★★★★☆
Strong, versatile, and fun for ranged combat lovers. Struggles slightly due to lack of Trade League-exclusive tech.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★☆
Requires careful planning and defensive investments, but still a solid choice for Hardcore progress.
Best Deadeye Ranger SSF Build: Lightning Arrow Ranger
A beginner-friendly build that focuses on ranged, projectile-based gameplay, making it highly efficient for map clearing. The Deadeye ascendancy offers high mobility and damage, and Fubgun's setup ensures smooth progression from the start. While it lacks the defensive layers of tankier builds, it makes up for it with its ability to kite dangerous enemies. Its reliance on ranged weapons can be a slight drawback in SSF, where crafting and farming specific gear can be challenging.
Recommended For: Players looking for a fast-paced, ranged build with excellent clearing speed.
Link: Fubgun's Starter Deadeye
4. Invoker Monk (A Tier)
The Invoker has lived up to its pre-launch hype, offering strong minion-based gameplay that scales well into the late game. While slightly below the sky-high expectations it entered with, Invoker remains an excellent choice for SSF players who enjoy summoner-style builds.
SSF Standard: ★★★★★
A consistent performer, offering excellent progression and scalability. Perfect for summoner players.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★☆
Minions provide a buffer for survivability, but HC players must ensure defensive layers to avoid sudden deaths.
Best Invoker Monk SSF Build: Ice Strike Invoker
This summoner build utilizes cold-based minions to deal consistent damage while offering excellent survivability. The Invoker ascendancy benefits from its natural tankiness through minion-based gameplay, which helps absorb hits in dangerous encounters. The build performs well in both SSF Standard and Hardcore, though it requires careful crafting and farming to scale into the late game. Its flexibility and safety make it an appealing choice for summoner enthusiasts.
Recommended For: Players who enjoy summoner builds with a focus on cold-based minions and reliable progression.
Link: DonTheCrown's Cold Monk
5. Titan Warrior (A Tier)
Titan is a defensive powerhouse, excelling in survivability with its increased effect of small passive nodes. This ascendancy is particularly well-suited for SSF, where the lack of trading emphasizes defensive builds. While its offensive capabilities lag behind, its tanky nature makes it a reliable choice.
SSF Standard: ★★★★☆
A tanky and reliable option for SSF players looking for survivability over raw damage.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★★
One of the safest choices in Hardcore due to its defensive nature and strong sustain.
Best Titain Warrior SSF Build: Hammer of the Gods Ignite Titain
This Titan build focuses on defensive power while dealing consistent damage through ignite mechanics. Its tanky nature makes it particularly suited to Hardcore SSF, where survivability is key. The build leverages Titan’s small passive node bonuses to create a character that can endure even the toughest bosses. However, its slower playstyle and reliance on ignite mechanics make it less appealing for players who prefer faster-paced builds.
Recommended For: Hardcore players who prioritize survivability and steady damage over speed.
Link: OneManaLeft's Hammer of the Gods Ignite
6. Pathfinder Ranger (B Tier)
Despite its low pre-launch hype, Pathfinder has surprised many with its versatility in SSF. Its reliance on flasks allows for creative and resourceful gameplay, though it lacks the raw power or survivability of higher-tier ascendancies. Poison-based Pathfinder builds have shown particular promise.
SSF Standard: ★★★☆☆
Creative and versatile, but struggles to match the raw power of higher-tier ascendancies. Poison builds show promise.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★☆☆
Less viable in HC due to specific gear and flask reliance, but still playable with careful planning.
Best Pathfinder SSF Build - Elemental Poison Pathfinder
A hybrid bow build that utilizes Plague Finger gloves to scale poison damage with elemental hits, enabling creative interactions between elemental and chaos-damage mechanics. The core skills—Gas Arrow for AoE clearing, Vine Arrow for crowd control, and Toxic Growth for single-target DPS—create a versatile playstyle that excels in both mapping and bossing scenarios. Defensive layers include high evasion with Ghost Dance and Wind Dancer, while Withering Totems boost poison damage by applying Wither stacks to enemies. The build shines in mid-game progression but requires careful gear investment, especially in resistances and elemental damage scaling, to achieve optimal late-game performance.
7. Gemling Legionnaire Mercenary (B Tier)
Gemling Legionnaire is a flexible ascendancy that has performed well in SSF, particularly in Hardcore. While it doesn’t excel in any one area, its well-rounded nature makes it a solid pick for players looking to experiment with hybrid playstyles.
SSF Standard: ★★★★☆
A balanced and versatile option, with decent representation on the leaderboards.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★★☆
Surprisingly strong survival rates and solid performance make it a viable choice for HC players.
Best Gemling Legionnaire Merc Build: Ailment Gunslinger Gemling Legionnaire
A high-damage mapping build that excels in clearing dense packs of enemies using a unique contagion mechanic, which spreads poison and damage-over-time effects from one monster to others. The build features strong sustain through Vitality Aura, life recovery on kill, and efficient crowd control with freezing and bursting effects. While it performs exceptionally in high-density encounters like Rituals and Breaches, it requires careful map mod management to avoid ailment threshold or elemental resistance modifiers, which can hinder its damage output. The build focuses heavily on poison proliferation, making it devastating in large-scale fights but requiring smart positioning and awareness due to the lack of a shield. It’s a versatile setup that is tanky yet mobile, with endgame upgrades like Wristscoil and high-armor gloves improving both damage and survivability.
8. Warbringer Warrior (B Tier)
Warbringer is a melee-focused ascendancy that starts strong but struggles in the late game. Its early progression is smooth, but many players abandon it as its performance falls off at higher levels.
SSF Standard: ★★★☆☆
Strong early game but struggles to scale into the late game. Better suited for casual SSF players.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★☆☆
Decent survivability but lacks the tools for higher-tier content in HC.
Best Warbringer Warrior SSF Build - Armour Breaker Warbringer
A melee-focused build that excels in early-game progression with its high armor and solid damage output. The Warbringer ascendancy provides strong physical damage scaling and defensive options, making it a decent choice for SSF Standard. However, the build struggles in the late game due to its reliance on melee proximity and limited damage scaling compared to other ascendancies. It’s a great pick for early SSF progression but falls short in endgame content without exceptional gear.
9. Witchhunter Mercenary (C Tier)
Witch Hunter offers a poison/chaos-focused playstyle but lacks the tools to compete with top-tier ascendancies. While it performs decently in the midgame, it struggles to maintain viability in endgame content, especially in SSF.
SSF Standard: ★★★☆☆
Performs well in the midgame but falls off hard in the endgame. Needs buffs or better synergy to compete.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★☆☆
Its survivability is decent, but it struggles to make an impact in Hardcore's toughest content.
Best Witchhunter SSF Build: Nothing to recommend for now
10. Blood Mage (C Tier)
Blood Mage has had a rocky start in Path of Exile 2. While it received buffs to life leech mechanics, it still lags behind other ascendancies. Its reliance on Life builds, which are currently underperforming compared to Energy Shield builds, leaves it in a precarious position.
SSF Standard: ★★☆☆☆
Buffs to life leech mechanics have made it playable, but it still falls behind most other ascendancies.
SSF Hardcore: ★★★☆☆
Risky due to its reliance on Life mechanics, but careful players can make it work with tanky setups.
Best Blood Mage SSF Build: Nothing to recommend for now
11. Chronomancer Sorceress (F Tier)
Chronomancer is one of the weakest-performing ascendancies in SSF, largely due to its reliance on unique items like Temporales, which are nearly impossible to obtain in SSF. Without these key items, the ascendancy struggles to find its footing.
SSF Standard: ★☆☆☆☆
Requires unique items like Temporales, which are almost impossible to obtain in SSF. Avoid this ascendancy.
SSF Hardcore: ★☆☆☆☆
Even worse in HC due to poor survivability and lack of viable setups.
Best Chronomancer SSF Build: Nothing to recommend for now
12. Acolyte of Chayula Monk (F Tier)
Acolyte of Chayula is currently in a terrible place, with almost no representation or success in either SSF Standard or Hardcore. Its mechanics are underwhelming, and it requires significant buffs to become viable.
SSF Standard: ★☆☆☆☆
Severely underpowered, with no significant advantages. Needs buffs to become viable.
SSF Hardcore: ★☆☆☆☆
Offers nothing to make it worth considering in Hardcore. Avoid entirely.
Best Acolyte of Chayula SSF Build: Nothing to recommend for now
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