Path of Exile is one of those games where players are able to build their characters in so many ways that even the worst items, classes, and skills can turn out to be a great combination. Thanks to the complexity of its passive skill tree, builds can vary in nature and scope even when choosing the same characters. To complicate things further, the game features several obscure mechanics, game-changing items, both Active and Support skills, and Ascendancy classes.
The latter are basically subclasses, which stem from a general common theme and can eventually specialize into some specific paths. There are 19 Ascendancies total in Path of Exile, which means three Ascendancies per character for six out of the seven base classes, and the Scion having only one subclass option: the Ascendant. In a game that doesn't hold the players' hand at all, even a simple class tier list can help dealing with the sheer amount of information required prior to building/speccing a character.
D-Tier Ascendancies
Guardian - The Guardian is near the lower end of the list because of a simple factor that weighs it down quite a lot, the fact that few people actually play Path of Exile in groups. While this depends on a fundamental issue tied to the MMO identity of the game, and design choices made by Grinding Gear Games, the Guardian simply does not shine as much as it could on their own. Still, it is one of the best classes to pick when players want to stack Auras, be it party play or some broken Aura-stacking build that requires a couple of Mirrors of Kalandra to work, currency-wise.
Chieftain - The Chieftain's main issue is that it's a class that does well with very few specific, creative builds, which coincidentally are not considered among the best in the game. Even then, the Chieftain is often still not the best choice. It has a great affinity with Fire damage, Endurance charges, and Totems, but it doesn't offer something unique that can't be found elsewhere.
Juggernaut - Similarly to the Chieftain, the Juggernaut is a niche Ascendancy class that is picked for specific non-meta builds that may or may not work. It is a very defensive class, which is not something most Path of Exile players enjoy, which goes to show just how tuned the game is towards speed and raw damage instead. Still, with its bonuses to Accuracy, the Juggernaut proves to be a decent choice for characters stacking that stat to achieve big damage numbers.
C-Tier Ascendancies
Saboteur - This may be considered an odd placement, considering how Saboteurs are arguably among the best League starters and they offer incredibly powerful single-target options for damage. Still, Traps and Mines are somewhat of a niche themselves, and while both can eventually scale to insane amounts of damage in the endgame, they still tend to fall off in performance a few weeks into a new League. This happens because players tend to stash lots of currency, which later they spend on more gear-dependent characters that can yield better results.
Berserker - The Berserker is not a bad Ascendancy, but it is not a great one either. It offers nice synergies with builds trying to get as much raw damage and Rage as possible, but there are other classes and builds that can achieve similar results without the impairment of taking more damage from all sources.
Champion - Much like the Saboteur, the Champion is not exactly C-tier, but it is not really B-tier, either. This is a class that heavily focuses on Impale, which is an incredible damage source for bosses and clearing maps alike. The thing is, while Champion was and still is a very solid pick for many builds, there are other builds that often offer even more damage than the Champion does, and that includes builds relying on Impale too.
Deadeye - The Deadeye is at a breaking point, an in-between-tiers class that is so good, and yet not outperforming many others. This Ascendancy has received buffs and changes recently, with new ways it can scale damage and projectiles. There's also the incredible addition of a node that changes the way Mirage Archers summoned by the Deadeye behave, stacking up to three of them.
B-Tier Ascendancies
Hierophant - Barely making it in B-Tier, the Hierophant was nerfed when Ritual launched, and it lost its unique ability to summon two additional Totems. However, the class gained extra bonuses to its nodes revolving around Arcane Surge, making it an appealing choice for Mana-based builds, instead. Specifically, builds revolving around Lightning Spells, Arcane Surge, Arcane Cloak, and Archmage all do great with the Hierophant.
Pathfinder - Previously one of the best Ascendancies in the game thanks to its affinity with Flasks and Poison, the Pathfinder saw some nerfs and changes, and is now in a good state instead of overpowered. The class still offers great benefits to Exiles willing to delve deep into the Flask playstyle, and which can be very fruitful for a few specific builds. One of the best examples of a good Pathfinder build is Toxic Rain, which benefits from the Chaos damage and AoE increases, as well as obtaining more projectiles by using the Unique Flask Dying Sun.
Slayer - The Slayer is one of those evergreen Ascendancies, especially for melee builds involving skills like Cyclone. This is because of the Slayer's naturally high Critical Strike Chance with weapons, making it a juicy option for Attack-based builds relying on Crit, AoE, and possibly immunity to Reflected Physical damage. Another alluring element of the Slayer is its built-in enhanced "Culling Strike," meaning the Slayer can instantly kill enemies hit who are below 20% Life.
Raider - Ever one of the most underpowered Ascendancies, the Raider was finally changed not long ago, making it an incredibly viable option for plenty of builds, ranging from Dexterity-stacking builds to Toxic Rain, from Elemental Hit to Blade Blast. The Raider is very versatile, especially thanks to the ease with which it gains Frenzy Charges, Onslaught, and Phasing.
A-Tier Ascendancies
Gladiator - One of the most well-balanced Ascendancies in Path of Exile, the Gladiator is an extremely good choice for both offense and defense. It combines awesome Block nodes that apply to both Dual Wielding and Shields with Challenger Charges, increasing damage and speed. Bleed nodes that include one of the best clearing perks around, "Bleedsplosion," only compound damage output. This means that players killing enemies affected by Bleed will make them explode, dealing AoE Physical damage to nearby enemies.
Inquisitor - Once not a great class, the Inquisitor was changed when Ritual launched, and it was given new life in the form of a hybrid role between casting Spells and using Attacks. It now represents the "battlemage archetype" from RPGs, with Instruments of Zeal being the prime example here. The node now grants insane amounts of cast speed if players have attacked recently, all while other nodes make the Inquisitor a bulkier character than others.
Occultist - A very well-rounded Ascendancy that can be used effectively in many different builds, the Occultist is among the best Ascendancies in the game, but not quite there yet. Its ability to cast an additional Curse is always tempting, especially when considering that the Occultist can also apply curses on Hexproof enemies. Not only that, but this class can outshine many others when it comes to damage over time skills as well.
Trickster - The Trickster is an incredible Ascendancy, and arguably one of the best in the entire game. It has amazing offensive nodes, great defensive perks, and it is quite versatile on top of it all. The main reason why the Trickster is not an S-Tier class is it's one of those Ascendancies that tend to be put on the sidelines once players can invest in better builds. That being said, it remains one of (if not the) best League starter picks, capable of carrying anyone to the endgame on a budget.
S-Tier Ascendancies
Ascendant - The Scion is the only class with a single Ascendancy to choose from, but the Ascendant's incredible flexibility makes it an awesome subclass to pick for tons of builds. Taking advantage of the Scion's position on the passive tree, the Ascendant offers virtually infinite options when deciding which route to go. The Ascendant has nodes that offer unique bonuses based on each of the other 18 Ascendancies, meaning that Ascendants get to choose two Ascendancies instead of one, basically.
Necromancer - Necromancers are simply too good at anything. Minions of any sort? Check. Perks that make generating corpses even more beneficial, offensively and defensively alike? Check. Mana affinities? Check. You name it, the Necromancer does it. This Ascendancy has constantly proven itself to be a very consistent choice for many builds and at all levels, regardless of how deep in the endgame players are.
Assassin - No matter how hard Grinding Gear Games nerfs it, the Assassin remains in every League one of the most played Ascendancies. Because of its otherworldly affinity with Critical Strikes, Poison, Elusive, and Power Charges, the Assassin is always consistently excellent. This class is a jack of all trades, master of all, much like the Necromancer and the Ascendant, but it also has a very defined playstyle that fits many endgame builds.
Elementalist - Thanks to its kinship with Golems, the Elementalist can easily be anything it wants to be. It grants more Golems to be summoned by players, and each Golem has increased efficiency based on how many Golems there are. This can be used both to let minions do all the work for players, which is pretty much what happens when using Summon Carrion Golem, or gamers can take advantage of the borderline-overpowered buffs granted by Golems to make skills like Burning Arrow destroy everything.
Path of Exile is available to play on Mac, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.