With an early access launch that has already garnered a lot of attention, Path of Exile 2 ranks among the most played games on Steam before it's even fully launched. By building on the depth of its predecessor with a robust system of classes i Path of Exile 2 and ways to develop them, ARPG's wealth of game customization is similar to the amount of offerings in Dungeons and dragons.
The Ascendancy system for Path of Exile 2 is the game's approach to class specialization, giving each wider option what resembles subclasses. With how granular some of these get beyond their generally streamlined design, there are striking similarities and clear separations from the many examples given by DnD over editions and source books.

Family
Path of Exile 2 vs Diablo 4: What's The Difference?
Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4 may look like similar games; here are all the differences so you know which is right for you.
Warrior and Ranger Ascendant's Mirror Dungeons and Dragons' Martial Classes
Warrior is similar to DnD's barbarian
Instead of the predictable Fighter parity, Path of Exile 2's Warrior is more oriented towards raw power and resilience than combat tactics.
- Warbringer induces DnDs Ancestral Guardian and Totem Warrior subclasses through abilities such as Answered Call interact with ancestral spirits, or Jade Heritage, which provides a layer of toughness for tanking.
- Titanium departs from strict parallels to emphasize stuns and AoE slams, which DnDs crowd control mechanics into a format more tailored to ARPG combat.
Ranger contains the familiar and the unconventional
As a class with strong similarities to its DnD counterpart, Ranger is more represented by Deadeye Dominance. This heavily favors enhancing traits like accuracy in the same style as the Archery Fighting Style from Dungeons and dragonsbut Pathfinder introduces a whole new flavor.
- By taking more traits from an alchemist, Path finder focuses on throwing concoctions. Ironically, thrown weapons are usually associated with DnD barbarians, showing the limits of PoE's experimentation.
On the contrary, the mercenary class' Witch hunter Ascendancy also provides martial appeal through explosive damage and an anti-elemental magic focus, bridging the gap between Rangers and more hybrid builds.
Path of Exile 2's Magic-Based Ascendants Turn Dungeons and Dragons Tropes into New Configurations
The Witch Class Echoes Warlock themes
With the dark concepts behind its Ascendants, Path of Exile 2's Witch taps into what looks like the more sinister elements of DnD. The Infernalist has a focus on fire damage and summoning that clearly resembles The Fiend subclass, even going so far as to have an ability called Pyromantic Pact to extend Mana usage. The Blood stomachhowever, occupies a genuinely novel Dungeons and dragons class niche that has not been consistently filled.
By combining elements of Dungeons and dragons' The wizard and sorceress, the sorceress' Ascendants are essentially taken directly from their subclasses. The Stormweaver is an obvious allusion to Storm Sorcery with lightning magic, but it Chronomnaces builds on the time manipulation power of Chronurgy School Wizard in a new ARPG context.
Monk favors magic over a warrior archetype
Differs significantly from its more physical DnD equivalent, Path of Exile 2's Monk has two magic-infused Ascendants. The Summons roughly corresponds to the Way of the Four Elements subclass, but it focuses more directly on ice and electricity over so much variety. The Acolyte of Chayulahowever, Way of Darkness takes Monk away from a stealth-based playstyle and makes it an alternative with truly damaging dark magic in their arsenal.
The Mercenary class also has a unique angle to it Gemling legionnairean Ascendancy based on embedding gems into a character's skin to gain elemental resistance and Skill Gems enhancement. This takes on parts of Gemwright Artificer from DnDbut its heavier focus on mixing martial arts and magic gameplay feels like a completely original version.