Path of Exile 2 Classes at 1.0: Duelist, Shadow and Ascendancies

At ExileCon's keynote on November 6, 2026, Grinding Gear Games laid out the Path of Exile 2 classes lineup players will see at the 1.0 release on December 11, 2026. The update adds two new classes — the sword-wielding Duelist and the dagger-and-trap Shadow — on top of the eight classes already playable today, bringing the confirmed roster to ten. This page is a straight data rundown: every class, its weapons or focus where a source states them, and which ascendancies are new, reworked or unchanged so far. ExileCon was still running as of this writing, so treat any "complete" list here as "so far." No tier list, no best-class calls — just what was confirmed on stage.

Path of Exile 2 Classes at 1.0: The Full Roster

Going into 1.0, the Path of Exile 2 class roster stands at ten: Warrior, Sorceress, Witch, Ranger, Monk, Mercenary, Huntress and Druid were already playable before the keynote, and the previously announced Duelist and the Shadow join them at launch, according to PC Gamer. Grinding Gear Games has said its long-term plan calls for twelve classes in total, with the final two arriving after 1.0 launches, so the roster below isn't the end state of the game — just what's confirmed for December 11, 2026.

• Returning classes (already playable): Warrior, Sorceress, Witch, Ranger, Monk, Mercenary, Huntress, Druid
• New at 1.0: Duelist, Shadow
• Planned but not yet detailed: two further classes after 1.0

The Duelist: Swords, Stances and the Knight Ascendancy

The Path of Exile 2 Duelist is a sword specialist, able to use one-handed and two-handed swords. The class starts in a Ready Stance that can be upgraded into either a Sand Stance or a Blood Stance, giving it a stance-switching identity on top of straightforward sword combat.

Only one Duelist ascendancy has been shown so far: the Knight. Its first ascendancy point recruits a squire that the player equips with gear and teaches skills to through the gem screen, and the Knight kit also includes war banners. Output Lag reports that the class has two ascendancies and that the second was not shown, so the Knight is the only one detailed so far.

The Shadow: Daggers, Traps and a New Stealth System

The Path of Exile 2 Shadow was the second new class confirmed at the keynote, built around daggers and trap skills, per PC Gamer. The class introduces a dedicated stealth system: entering stealth hides the Shadow from monster sight until it closes in, the effect has a cooldown that resets on a kill, and entering it blinds nearby monsters and leaves behind a shade for them to attack, one that copies the Shadow's stealth attacks. A new Darkness resource, built by Blade of the Night, is spent on stealth damage, according to Output Lag. Traps carry the stealth theme further: thrown while stealthed, they won't trigger until the Shadow reveals itself, and 1.0 ships with eight trap types that interact with each other. The class's Glory Skill, Eclipse, makes every attack count as if it came from Stealth for its duration.

The Shadow launches with two ascendancies, Assassin and Infiltrator. PC Gamer calls the Assassin returning and the Infiltrator new, while Sportskeeda's keynote summary lists both as new. Output Lag reports that neither was shown in detail.

Path of Exile 2 Ascendancies: Every Class, Weapon Focus and Status

The table below lists every class confirmed so far, its weapon or combat focus where a source states one, its ascendancies, and whether that class is new, reworked, or unchanged going into 1.0.

Class	Weapons / Focus	Ascendancies	Status at 1.0
Warrior	—	Warbringer, Titan, Smith of Kitava	Unchanged so far
Sorceress	—	Stormweaver, Chronomancer, Disciple of Varashta	Unchanged so far
Witch	—	Infernalist, Blood Mage, Lich	Infernalist & Blood Mage reworked; Lich unchanged so far
Ranger	—	Deadeye, Pathfinder	Unchanged so far
Monk	—	Invoker, Acolyte of Chayula, Martial Artist	Acolyte of Chayula reworked; others unchanged so far
Mercenary	—	Witchhunter, Gemling Legionnaire, Tactician	Reworked (reloading mechanic)
Huntress	—	Amazon, Ritualist, Spirit Walker	Unchanged so far
Druid	—	Oracle, Shaman	Unchanged so far
Duelist	Swords, one- and two-handed	Knight (first of two; second not shown so far)	New in 1.0
Shadow	Daggers, traps	Assassin, Infiltrator	New in 1.0

A dash means this page has no sourced weapon detail for that class yet, not that the class has none. "Unchanged so far" means no rework has been shown: Output Lag notes that full patch notes arrive a week before launch, so other class changes are unknown, and MMOHuts reports that 1.0 also adds skills for classes including Warrior and Witch. Game director Jonathan Rogers put the 1.0 total at 26 ascendancies, per Output Lag, which fits the 22 in the game as of patch 0.5.5 plus two each for the Duelist and Shadow.

Reworks and Other Changes Confirmed for 1.0

Beyond the two new classes, several existing ascendancies are getting reworked rather than replaced. The Infernalist now comes with a Demon Magus companion and the ability to command up to three Infernal Hounds. The Blood Mage and the Monk's Acolyte of Chayula are also being reworked, and the Mercenary's reloading mechanic is changing.

1.0 also brings more than 40 new unique items and over 70 reworked uniques, along with support gem changes and passive tree changes with around 60 jewel sockets. If you're planning a build around any of the classes above, it's worth checking how those socket and gem changes line up on our passive tree planner once the full tree is available.

Conquerors of Wraeclast and the Rest of the 1.0 Launch

Path of Exile 2's campaign grows with 1.0: Acts 5 and 6 complete the story. The launch league, Conquerors of Wraeclast, adds a strategy layer on top of the usual endgame — players recruit an army and place troops before battles, then build a Karui, Ezomyte or Maraketh stronghold as part of the endgame, with factions fighting over 100 castles on one shared map, as described by game director Jonathan Rogers.

Path of Exile 2 1.0 launches on December 11, 2026 and becomes free-to-play the same day, on Steam and on Grinding Gear Games' own launcher. GGG has not announced an exact launch hour for that date. With ExileCon still ongoing, further ascendancy or class reveals could still follow — this page reflects what was confirmed so far.

Frequently asked questions

How many classes will Path of Exile 2 have at 1.0?

Ten classes are confirmed for the 1.0 launch: the eight already playable (Warrior, Sorceress, Witch, Ranger, Monk, Mercenary, Huntress, Druid) plus the new Duelist and Shadow. Grinding Gear Games has said the final roster will reach twelve classes, with two more arriving after 1.0.

Does the Duelist have more than one ascendancy at launch?

Yes. Output Lag describes the Knight as the first of the class's two ascendancies, but the second was not shown, so only the Knight has been detailed so far.

Is the Shadow's Assassin ascendancy new or returning?

Sources differ. PC Gamer calls Assassin returning and Infiltrator new, while Sportskeeda's keynote summary lists both as new.

Will Path of Exile 2 1.0 be free-to-play?

Yes. Grinding Gear Games confirmed that 1.0 becomes free-to-play the same day it launches, December 11, 2026, on both Steam and its own launcher.

Sources

• Path of Exile 2 announces a second new class, the Shadow, for its December 1.0 release