Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients - New Ascendancy Classes Guide

Ben Author

Created - 12.05.2026 Updated - 12.05.2026

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Many players were speculating that the latest expansion for PoE 2 will include a new class. Well, it is safe to say that there won’t be a new class in Patch 0.5.0. GGG did not leave us empty-handed, though, as there are two new ascendancy classes that are coming in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients.

One of those ascendancy classes can boost the modifiers of the PoE 2 Items to a more considerable degree, which makes him a viable contender for the top spot! So, if you want to know what they are, then read further to learn more!

PoE 2 Return of the Ancients—New Ascendancy Classes Explained

The new ascendancy classes that you can expect in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients are the Spiritwalker and the Martial Artist. Let’s do a deep dive into each one, shall we?

Spiritwalker

The Spiritwalker is the third ascendancy class for the Huntress in PoE 2. She has the ability to infuse the power of multiple spirit beasts, including the Stag (Vivid Stampede), Owl (Primal Bounty), and Bear (Wild Protector).

Upon choosing certain nodes, the Spiritwalker can be possessed by the power of those beasts, granting her new skills to unleash that power. For example, choosing the Stag lets the Spiritwalker use Vivid Stampede, which is a skill that causes multiple Stag spirit beasts to leap forward, causing shockwaves as they land, and dealing lightning damage as a result. This seems the ideal skill to use if you want to build a Spiritwalker that is proficient in melee combat.

If you want to utilize projectile skills, there’s the Owl (Primal Bounty). When allocated, the Owl spirit beast can empower projectile skills, like Lightning Spear and Twister, to fire two additional projectiles (and at increased speed at that). It also seems that you can use Gemcutter’s Prisms to increase the quality of Primal Bounty, akin to other skill gems in Path of Exile 2.

When Wild Protector is allocated, you have a Bear Spirit companion that will accompany you in battle. This particular Bear can do whatever it wants, such as use slam skills to leech life from enemies, leap at monsters to slow them down (maim), and unleash a terrifying roar that can intimidate enemies, causing them to take more damage from you or your bear’s subsequent attacks.

Of course, you can improve the benefits that the spirit beasts provide by taking the nodes next to their original nodes. For example, “The Mhacha’s Gift” is a node that’s available further down the line, which boosts the effect of Primal Bounty by 100% when you dodge. This does cause you to spend three Owl Feathers, but the good news is that you gain the feathers significantly faster.

If specializing in individual Spirit Beasts is not your cup of tea, then you could unlock their power in another way—by allocating each of the original Spirit Beast nodes on the Spiritwalker’s ascendancy tree. Doing so will enable you to take Sacred Unity for free.

Sacred Unity is an ascendancy node that gives the Spirit Beasts the following effects:

• Bear: gains Embrace of the Wild.
• Stag: Vivid Stampede makes the Stag Spirit Beasts leap towards enemies.
• Owl: The central projectile from skills empowered by the Owl Feathers leaves a trail of Soaring Ground.

Embrace of the Wild is awesome because it allows the Bear Spirit to protect its allies by granting them life regeneration. It also makes the Bear Spirit take some damage before you do.

Soaring Ground provides a special ground effect to anyone who is standing on it. More specifically, it grants a 30% increased evasion rating and a whopping 40% increased damage while on full life. Perhaps we can see many Spiritwalkers in PoE 2 taking Chaos Inoculation to ensure that they get the damage boost at all times when standing on Soaring Ground.

Now, you are probably wondering if the Spiritwalker is viable if not specced into wisps or spirit beasts. The answer is YES! The Spiritwalker’s potential can also be unlocked when certain conditions are met.

Taking the “Idolatry” ascendancy node, for example, makes her companions deal 10% increased damage per idol equipped. By “idol,” I am referring to a class of socketable items in PoE 2 (formerly known as “Talismans)  that includes the names of animal spirits, such as the Stag Idol, Boar Idol, and Snake Idol, among many others. If you are going this route, it is best that you populate your socketed gear with Idols to get the full effect.

But the most powerful ascendancy node from the Spiritwalker, in my opinion, is The Natural Order. When this node is taken, it gives you the ability to capture unique beasts, which includes bosses! Some of the bosses that you can tame include the Mighty Silverfist (from the Jungle Ruins in Act 3), Xyclucian the Chimera (from the Chimeral Wetlands in Act 3), and Rakkar, the Frozen Talon (from the Glacial Tarn in Act 4).

With all of that said, perhaps a new breed of minion builds will flourish in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients.

Anyway, here is a complete list of the ascendancy nodes that are available to the Spiritwalker:

• Wild Protector: Grants the Wild Protector skill (summons the Bear Spirit).
• The Catha’s Balance: Companions deal additional attack damage equal to 60% of your main hand weapon damage.
• Primal Bounty: Grants Primal Bounty (Owl Spirit ability). Gain a Primnal Owl Feather every 4 seconds, up to a maximum of three.
• Expend an Owl Feather when you dodge to trigger Primal Bounty.
• The Mhacha’s Gift: Dodging can expend up to 3 Owl Feathers, granting Primal Bounty 100% more Empowerment effect per additional Feather expended.
• Gain Owl Feathers 50% faster.
• Vivid Stampede: Grants Vivid Stampede skill. Gain a Vivid Wisp for every 20 meters you move, up to a maximum of 3.
• Expend all Vivid Wisps to trigger Vivid Stampede when you attack.
• The Morrigan’s Guidance: Gain a Vivid Wisp when Vivid Stampede ends.
• Stags deal 20% more damage per leap.
• Stags have 20% more Shock Magnitude per leap.
• Sacred Unity: Requires Wild Protector, Primal Bounty, and Vivid Stampede allocated. When Sacred Unity is taken, it grants the following:
• Bear Spirit: gains Embace of the Wild.
• Vivid Stags: Leap toward enemies.
• Owl Spirit: Central projectile of Owl Feather-Empowered skills leaves a trail of Soaring Ground.
• Idolatry: Companions deal 10% increased damage per idol in your equipment.
• 2% Increased reservation efficiency of skills per idol in your equipment.
• -4% to all elemental resistances per non-idol augment in your equipment.
• The Natural Order: Tame Beast (skill) can capture Unique Beasts.
• Can have up to one unique tame beast summoned.
• Unique tamed beasts have 30% increased movement speed.
• Tamed beasts are possessed by random Azmeri Spirits, changing every 20 seconds.

Martial Artist

The Martial Artist is the third ascendancy class for the Monk in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients. He has attuned himself to three of the seven “Hollow” techniques, granting him the ability to slay his foes by using illusions.

Hollow Form lets the Martial Artist create fleeting images of himself that hit enemies with a socketed attack. The number of illusions that this skill creates is increased by two whenever a Power Charge is consumed. Hollow Form might give some underutilized skills, like Whirling Assault and Vaulting Impact, some much-needed attention if the implementation of the illusions is not clunky.

Hollow Resonance Technique grants a trigger skill of the same name that attaches a ghostly bell to your back. Landing critical hits on enemies using your skills will cause the bell to ring, causing shockwaves that deal damage to them.

Hollow Focus Technique also grants a skill that bears the same name. When allocated, ghostly bells will spawn near you when you use a skill. The bells can actually be attacked, and doing so causes a shockwave that deals damage to nearby enemies. Besides that, monsters that are hit by the shockwave will be heavy-stunned if they are already primed for stun. With a fast Monk build, I could see the Hollow Focus Technique as a valuable addition.

Now, the “Hollow” techniques are good and all, but I think that many people are looking forward to the Martial Artist’s other ascendancy nodes. These are “Runic Meridians” and “Way of the Stonefist.”

Runic Meridians unlock a special UI that will allow you to tattoo runes on the Martial Artist’s body. What’s great about this is that you greatly increase your damage output when you use the right runes (like The Greatwolf’s Rune of Claws, which gives some physical damage to attacks when socketed into the Martial Artist’s “hands”). With over 100 new runes in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients, the Martial Artist might be an S-Tier ascendancy class with this much power!

Way of the Stonefist is also interesting. When you equip gloves, their base type is effectively transformed into Fists of Stone, which grants additional evasion rating and maximum energy shield per level.

It doesn’t stop there! Way of the Stonefist grants additional modifiers that follow the same theme as the modifiers that are already on the gloves. For example, a pair of gloves that has lightning resistance might give you a 2% boost in your maximum lightning resistance as well.

Needless to say, mirror-tier gloves will sell like pancakes in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients due to the Way of the Stonefist ascendancy node!

GGG has not revealed all of the ascendancy nodes available to the Martial Artist, though the company did reveal enough to pique one’s interest. Here is a list of some of the nodes you can allocate when playing this ascendancy class in PoE 2 Runes of Aldur League:

• Hollow Form Technique: Grants the Hollow Form skill.
• Hollow Resonance Technique: Grants the Hollow Resonance skill.
• Hollow Focus Technique: Grants the Hollow Focus skill.
• Way of the Mountain: 200% Surpassing chance per enemy Power to gain Mountain’s Teachings on immobilizing an enemy, up to a maximum of 30.
• Lose a Mountain’s Teaching stack when you are hit or when you use or sustain an attack that benefits from Mountain’s Teachings.
• Mountain’s Teachings (from Way of the Mountain): While you have any amount of Mountain’s Teachings, gain the following:
• Attacks you use yourself and attacks granted by this ascendancy class deals 20% more damage.
• Enemy hits you take that would deal damage less than or equal to 30% of your maximum life (after mitigation such as armor and resistances, but before other modifiers to damage taken) deal 70% less damage.
• You have 50% more stun threshold.
• All Mountain’s Teachings (stacks) are lost if you go 8 seconds without gaining any.
• Runic Meridians: Can tattoo runes onto your body, gaining additional rune-only sockets:
• 1 Helmet Socket
• 2 Body Armor Sockets
• 1 Gloves Socket
• 1 Boots Socket
• Way of the Stonefist: Gloves you equip have their base type transformed into Fists of Stone when equipped, and their Prefixes and Suffixes are transformed into more powerful related modifiers.
• Also grants +3 to Evasion Rating and +1 to Maximum Energy Shield per level (as implicit mods).

FAQ

Can You Tame All Bosses with the Spiritwalker’s ‘The Natural Order’ Ascendancy Node?

No. You are only limited to capturing unique beasts (like the ones mentioned above). Bosses and pinnacle bosses that are not classified as beasts cannot be tamed. Act bosses (like Count Geonor) cannot be captured as well.

It Looks Like the Martial Artist is Too Overpowered, Don’t You Think?

I agree. However, knowing GGG, the company might heavily balance runes and other modifiers out to prevent things from getting out of hand. Besides that, you need to have incredible amounts of PoE Currency to get all of the runes and items to make it work.

Can I Freely Switch to Different Ascendancy Classes in Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients?

Of course! Just run through the Trial of the Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos again to switch to a different ascendancy class.

Take note, however, that the ascendancy classes you can change to are limited only to the ones that are available for your chosen class. For the Spiritwalker, you can switch to the Ritualist or Amazon at any time. For the Monk, you have the Invoker or the Acolyte of Chayula.