PoE 2 New Classes Release Date, Skill Gems & Ascendancy (Druid, Huntress & Templar)

The upcoming Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.2.0 will deliver much more than a simple economy reset, this update promises new Ascendancy Classes, Unique items, Endgame content improvements, and new choices for the Atlas Passive Skill Tree. Below, we'll talk about new classes in PoE2, including Druid, Huntress, and Templar, with their release dates, skill gems, ascendancies, gameplay, and more.

PoE 2 New Classes Release Date

Updated (March 28, 2025):

PoE 2 New Class - Huntress

The final confirmed new class, Huntress, is set to release on April 4, 2025, at 12:00 PM Pacific, along with the highly anticipated Path of Exile 2 0.2.0 update and a new league. Huntress is a spear-wielding class with unique skills, marking the official debut of this character, who has been teased in previous gameplay footage. The spear, a new weapon type, will also be available for other classes, and multiple new ascendancies are hinted at for the Huntress and potentially other classes.

Huntress Ascendancy

The Ritualist and Amazon are the Huntress Ascendancies that were confirmed to be added in the PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt Update (0.2.0 Patch). The Ritualist harnesses animal sacrifice and plague, using the "Corrupted Lifeforce" skill to create volatile blood boils on enemies that burst upon death, spreading Corrupted Blood. With abilities like "Unfurled Finger" for an extra ring and "As the Whispers Ask" to absorb power from slain Rare Monsters, the Ritualist excels in magical trinkets. Meanwhile, the Amazon, trained as an elite guard, reveals weaknesses in foes with "Predatory Instinct," allowing her to deal increased damage. Her "Elemental Infusion" skill makes projectiles explode on impact, and she can convert excess Accuracy into Critical Strike Chance, while "Mystic Harvest" and "Azmeri Brew" provide life and mana recovery through Elemental Damage and Flasks. 

Huntress Skills

• Whirling Slash creates a blinding whirlwind that grows and explodes with each use, enabling powerful twister attacks that bounce off walls.

• Parry lets the Huntress counterattack and stun nearby enemies while increasing damage with follow-up strikes.

• Disengage provides a quick jump back that damages foes and creates an explosion when used against a parried enemy.

• Blood Loss dashes to a target, opening wounds that inflict bleeding damage and debuff the enemy’s health.

• Blood Hunt thrusts forward to create a bloody explosion that increases in size with the enemy's blood loss.

• Lightning Spear Attacks bounce lightning and allow you to throw explosive spears, causing area damage and igniting the ground.

• Fire Spear Attacks draw fire from the ground into a Whirlwind, creating chaotic fire tornadoes.

• Stormlands generates spears on the ground that can be detonated to damage enemies, enhancing the Huntress's hybrid gameplay.

PoE 2 Druid & Templar

These Path of Exile 2 classes would introduce new weapon types - Primal weapons like claws for the Druid and Spears for the Huntress. The game will ultimately feature 12 classes, each with three ascendancies, compared to the current six classes with two ascendancies each. 

1. Druid

The Druid in Path of Exile 2 is a new Strength/Intelligence hybrid class focused on shapeshifting and elemental magic, offering a unique blend of melee and spellcasting abilities. Starting near the Templar on the passive skill tree, the Druid can transform between human and animal forms, such as a bear for powerful melee attacks or a human form to cast spells like Lightning Storm or Volcano. Additional abilities include summoning wolves and generating rage for devastating attacks. 

The highly anticipated Druid class will not be included in the next 0.2.0 Dawn of the Hunt update of Path of Exile 2, leaving many fans disappointed. Despite earlier discussions suggesting that the Druid was nearing completion, it appears that the development team opted to delay its release to ensure that it meets the high standards expected by players. While many players were eager to embrace the Druid, it seems they will have to wait until summer for its arrival.

Druid Ascendancy

While specific Ascendancy details remain under wraps, Druid will have three Ascendancies, potential specializations that could enhance the Druid’s human spells, Bear form capabilities, or summoning abilities. 

Druid Skills

• Lightning Storm: Creates a persistent storm that strikes enemies with shocking bolts, dealing 1-19 damage and applying Shock.

• Volcano: Summons a volcano that fires projectiles, with channeling increasing both the damage and the number of projectiles over its 12-second duration (87-132 damage).

• Maul: A swipe attack usable in Bear form, generating rage and applying Bleeding while dealing 165% damage with a +9 strike range.

• Rampage: A charge attack in Bear form that consumes rage to deal 183-286 physical AoE damage, stunning targets.

• Furious Slam: Causes a massive shockwave that stuns enemies and deals 50-75 added damage with 274% attack damage in an AoE.

• Summon Wolf: Summons wolves to assist in combat, debuff enemies with their howl, and requires a 50 Spirit reservation and 48 Mana cost.

2. Templar

The Templar in Path of Exile 2 represents a complete redesign from its PoE 1 counterpart. The new version sports long hair and a beard, with a much more imposing and visually striking appearance compared to the original game's somewhat awkward character model. Gameplay footage suggests the Templar will maintain its holy warrior archetype but with enhanced visual effects and combat animations. Based on concept art from the game's artists, the Templar's design aligns with PoE 2's overall darker and more detailed aesthetic direction.

Templar Ascendancy

The Templar class is going to offer three distinct Ascendancies based on its Strength-Intelligence hybrid style. One Ascendancy may enhance close-combat abilities with flails, another could focus on powerful strength-based offensive abilities combining physical might with tactical precision, and a third path remains mysterious.

The new patch is developed to include more than just new classes. Some existing classes might receive visual updates or new ascendancy options. GGG is likely to release three classes per major patch, potentially including the Templar alongside the Hunter and Druid in the 0.2 update, though this is just speculation.