Alright folks, grab a drink, pull up a chair. Been dying to talk about this PoE2 class thing since the beta exploded. Everyone yelling “best class this, best class that,” right? Couldn’t just sit there. Had to get my hands dirty. Here’s exactly what I did, step by step.
First off, dove headfirst into the beta forums. Was chaos, man. Every other post claimed a different class was king. Got overwhelmed real quick. Needed to make sense of it myself. Couldn’t trust just one opinion. So, my plan? Pick the three classes popping up everywhere as “strongest,” roll one of each, and push ’em hard. Simple enough.
Phase One: The Research Grind
Scrolled for hours. Ignored the low-level shouts. Focused on folks showing builds deep into maps, talking mechanics. Saw the same names popping up:
- Mercenary – Guns and gadgets? Kept seeing crazy damage numbers screenshots.
- Warrior – Big smashy type. “Never die” posts plastered everywhere.
- Sorceress – Wild elemental stuff. “Melts bosses” got repeated constantly.
Figured, okay, these three are the community darlings. Time to get playin’. Made three fresh characters right then.
Phase Two: Hands-On Testing
Jumped into the Mud Flats. Planned to take each to around level 70, hit maps, see how they really felt pushing end-game content.
- Mercenary (Guns Blazing): Went shotgun blast build. Early game? Smooth sailing. Run, point-blank boom, stuff died. Cleared trash mobs like butter. Loved the speed. But bosses? Hit a wall around Act 5. Felt squishy. Needed crazy gear just to stay alive long enough to unload. Felt powerful, but really gear dependent. Like, fragile-glass-cannon-pumped-full-of-adrenaline type.
- Warrior (Big Bonk): Chose a classic smashy leap attack style. Felt like a tank from minute one. Could wade into piles of mobs, barely take a scratch. Just… sturdy. Regen, big health pool, armor out the wazoo. Map clearing? Slow. Really slow compared to Merc. Trash took longer, felt a bit boring just leap-smash-leap-smash. Bosses though? Different story. Could stand there, soak hits, chip away. Didn’t explode instantly like Merc could, but didn’t worry about falling over either. Survivable, reliable. Boring, but effective.
- Sorceress (Lightshow Extravaganza): Started freezing pulse, switched to a Fireball/Frost Nova combo. Pretty colors! Massive explosions! Visual chaos. Clearing huge packs felt amazing. Wiped screens in seconds. Felt like a god mowing down trash. But man… positioning! One wrong step near some spiky mob in high maps? POOF, instant gravestone. Felt exhilarating clearing, terrifying against nasty bosses or tricky rares. Highest damage potential? Maybe. Highest skill requirement? Absolutely. Heart-attack-inducing fun.
Pushed each one as far as I could in maps with similar starter gear levels. Saw their strengths, screamed at their weaknesses.
Phase Three: Reality Check vs. The Hype
So, what did the masses mostly lean towards? Drumroll please…
Based on all the noise? The Warrior types were winning the popular vote hands down. “Strongest” to them meant “least likely to accidentally die to a stiff breeze.” Especially for folks just getting started or less twitchy with reflexes. Everyone talks big damage, but when the rubber hits the road, surviving feels king. Warriors offered that consistent “it works” feel without needing god-tier gear or crazy reflexes.
The Mercenary hype? Definitely there for the speedrunners, the glass-cannon enthusiasts who love dodging every pixel. Sorceress? All the flash, loved by players who embrace high-risk, high-reward. But sheer numbers voting? Big bonk warriors won the popularity contest. People want reliable, forgiving power.
My Take?
Depends what you mean by “strongest.” Facetanking everything? Warrior wins. Screen-wide delete button? Sorceress rules if you can handle it. Zooming through maps fast? Merc felt slickest. But “strongest” to the average player facing down tough bosses? Yeah, the community picks the Warriors, plain and simple. They survive long enough to actually finish the fight without needing perfect timing. That kind of strength… it’s just way more approachable for most folks.