In Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Early Access, players are faced with choosing from six unique classes, each offering distinct playstyles and abilities. These classes cater to various combat preferences, whether you're drawn to ranged combat, magic, or brute strength. Below is a detailed breakdown of the six available classes:

1. Monk

Role: Melee and Elemental Hybrid

Playstyle: The Monk is a versatile class combining fast-paced melee combat with elemental abilities (Ice, Lightning, and Wind). It excels in synergy between elemental damage and melee strikes.

Key Abilities:

Tempest Bell: Unleashes a resonating bell that can be struck with a Quarterstaff to deal AoE damage. Freezing or electrocuting the bell enhances elemental effects.

The Monk has 21 active skills to mix and match, allowing for diverse playstyles that focus on quick combos and powerful elemental effects.

2. Mercenary

Role: Ranged Shooter

Playstyle: A ranged class using a crossbow, the Mercenary functions similarly to a looter-shooter, with access to various ammo types, from sniper to shotgun rounds.

Key Abilities:

Glacial Bolt: Spread enemies, then use elemental rounds like Fragmentation to create devastating AoE explosions.

The Mercenary also uses grenades for crowd control and debuffing, such as gas grenades to poison enemies and explosive rounds to trigger massive damage.

With 22 active skills, this class allows for a wide range of tactical options to dominate from a distance.

3. Ranger

Role: Ranged Physical and Elemental

Playstyle: The Ranger is agile, able to shoot while moving, and specializes in both physical and elemental bow damage. It combines speed with ranged firepower.

Key Abilities:

Skills include elemental arrows (ice, poison, and lightning), allowing for a mix of crowd control, damage-over-time effects, and area denial.

There are 21 active abilities, enabling rapid movement around the battlefield while raining down a barrage of elemental arrows.

4. Sorceress

Role: Ranged Elemental Mage

Playstyle: The Sorceress specializes in elemental magic, dealing with fire, ice, and lightning to destroy enemies from afar. The class focuses on powerful ranged spells and synergy between elements.

Key Abilities:

Wall of Fire: Ignites enemies and boosts projectiles passing through it, which can then be enhanced with lightning or fire abilities.

The Sorceress has 25 active elemental skills and a dual specialization system, allowing for customization between fire and lightning elements for devastating combos.

The class benefits from combining elemental staffs for higher damage outputs, optimizing spell effectiveness.

5. Warrior

Role: Melee Tank/DPS

Playstyle: The Warrior is a heavy-hitting melee class that combines brute force with heavy armor and shield defense. It offers both tanking and damage-dealing abilities, similar to the Diablo 4 Barbarian, but with a Soulsborne-style combat feel.

Key Abilities:

Slam Attacks: Strong AoE and crowd control effects, with the ability to stun and deal massive damage.

Warcries can amplify the Warrior's attacks, while fire and shield skills enhance both offense and defense.

The Warrior has 20 active Mace skills, allowing for hard-hitting, slow-but-steady attacks, as well as defensive abilities to survive in the thick of battle.

6. Witch

Role: Ranged Summoner/Spellcaster

Playstyle: The Witch is the summoner class, commanding an army of undead minions while wielding powerful Chaos and Bone magic to weaken and destroy enemies.

Key Abilities:

Minion Summoning: Control spirits to summon different types of undead minions, from weak Skeleton Warriors to explosive Skeletal Arsonists.

Chaos and Bone skills allow the Witch to deal direct damage, apply curses, and inflict debuffs to make enemies more susceptible to your minions' attacks.

With 25 active skills, the Witch can customize their minions and spell abilities to create an overwhelming force on the battlefield.

Choosing the Right Class

Monk: Ideal for players who enjoy a blend of melee combat with magical effects and fast-paced, combo-driven gameplay.

Mercenary: Perfect for those who want to experience a shooter-like playstyle with ranged combat and an arsenal of ammo types and grenades.

Ranger: Best suited for players who like agile, ranged combat with elemental damage that can target multiple foes at once.

Sorceress: Great for those who want to dominate with powerful, elemental magic and enjoy creating synergies between different spells.

Warrior: The go-to class for players who love heavy melee combat with a focus on defense, tanks, and slow but devastating damage output.

Witch: Ideal for fans of summoning and indirect damage, letting you command minions while casting debilitating spells on enemies.

Each class offers a unique experience in PoE 2, allowing players to experiment with different builds and strategies as they progress through the game's expansive world. Whether you prefer casting elemental spells, summoning armies, or dealing devastating melee damage, there's a class for every playstyle.

Having PoE currency is essential for progressing through the game and making sure your gear matches your class build. Whether you're crafting powerful PoE items, enhancing your gear, or participating in the game's economy, POE currency is at the heart of Path of Exile 2 gameplay. As you progress through the game, you'll find numerous opportunities to accumulate and spend Path of Exile currency, shaping your character's destiny.