[Top 5] Path of Exile Best Class Builds (PoE Best Class for Max Damage)

If you’re looking to tackle endgame content for Scourge League (3.16), here are fifteen builds that can turn any character into a world-beater.

5 – Ranger

Raider, Pathfinder, Deadeye Ascendancies

Ranger is a highly mobile class that focuses on dealing massive damage from a distance and prides herself on being both defensively and offensively flexible to handle all sorts of situations.

She has three Ascendancies: Deadeye, the archetypal bow character and master of ballistae; Raider, the fastest (both melee and ranged) Ascendancy in the game; and last but not least, the Pathfinder, nicknamed Flaskfinder, for its mastery of the PoE’s unique flask system as well as being a master toxicist.

What the Ranger Excels in:

• High Evasion;
• Dealing tremendous damage from afar;
• Flexibility between attacks and spells;
• Best class to make use of Frenzy Charges.

Pick the Ranger If You Like:

• Being so fast, you can lose control of your character;
• Mounting a barrage with several ballistae at your side, to bury your enemies in arrows;
• Flickering around the screen and destroying packs of monsters faster than you can blink;
• Chugging flasks like it’s Oktoberfest–and tomorrow has been canceled!

Best builds for Ranger (as of 3.15) are:

• Devon’s Blooming Raider Flicker - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2874747
• Scourge Arrow Poison Proliferation Pathfinder - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2551841
• Ice Shot Deadeye - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3032043

4 – Templar

Inquisitor, Hierophant, Guardian Ascendancies

Templars are your old, grumpy, pantless (yes, they don’t wear pants; I know. Weird.) magical warriors. They are very tanky, often in melee range, and deal spell damage, sometimes even with their attacks!

Their Ascendancies are the Hierophant, specializing in superb use of Mana and Totems to achieve maximum defense and damage from a distance.

The Guardian, considered one of the best supporter classes in the game, able to protect a whole party from lethal damage.

And finally, the Inquisitor, with a focus on heavy elemental damage and mixing attacks with spells seamlessly, raining destruction like Thor’s godchild.

What the Templar Excels In:

• Elemental Spell and Attack Damage;
• Mana and Energy Shield Defenses;
• Being one of The Tankiest Supports in The Game;
• Best Spell Totem Class in The Game.

Pick Templar If You Like:

• Being Near Immortal;
• Totem Gameplay;
• Using Mana-Focused Builds;
• Ignoring Completely the Elemental Resistance of Enemies;
• Cosplaying as Thor!

Best Builds for Templar (as of 3.15) are:

• Apep’s Forbidden Rite Totems Hierophant - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3155445
• Arachnophobia Allstars Herald of Agony Guardian - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3019705
• Cast on Crit Shock Nova Mjolnir Voltaxic Burst Inquisitor - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3170528

3 – Duelist

Gladiator, Champion, Slayer Ascendancies

Duelists are sassy, loudmouth bothers that pride themselves on being the most versatile melee class, capable of using all weapon types to their fullest potential.

They can Ascend into the Gladiator, often accurately called a fortress, being the best block-based class in the game, while at the same time functioning as the best bleed-oriented class.

The Slayer thrives in the carnage it wreaks, with its famously called “Slayer Leech”, and able to instantly kill any monsters below 20% life.

Champion is the most well-rounded of the three, focusing both on offense and defense in the form of Impale and Fortify specializations.

What the Duelist Excels In:

• Physical melee damage (Impale/20% Cull);
• Bleed explosions;
• Blocking attack and spell damage;
• Leech;
• Fortify effect.

Pick Duelist if you like:

• Clearing packs in exploding chain reactions of blood;
• Wreaking havoc with Impale and Steel skills;
• Being a veritable wall of shields, with the best blocking class in the game;
• Gorging yourself in the blood of your enemies with endless Leech.

Best Builds for Duelist (as of 3.15) are:

• Shockwave Cyclone Slayer - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3137398
• Spectral Shield Throw Bleed Max Block Gladiator - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2672813
• Earthshatter Impale Champion +90% Fortify Effect -  https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3080159

2 – Shadow

Trickster, Assassin, Saboteur Ascendancies

Shadows are stealthy, quick, and surreptitious, masters of the hit-and-run tactics, capable of preloading damage and disappearing in a puff of smoke while everything behind them blows up.

Their Ascendancies mirror and amplify that behavior to utmost finesse.

The Saboteur specializes in traps and mines, luring the enemies to trigger chain-reaction explosions and blowing up minefields in quick succession.

Assassins excel at dealing heavy critical strike damage as well as being poison masters.

And the Trickster, the most slippery of the three, focuses on both evasion and energy shield to offset some of Shadow’s weaknesses.

What the Shadow Excels in:

• Highest critical strikes-based class;
• Strongest Poison damage Ascendancy in the game;
• Most comfortable and well-rounded trapper/miner class;
• Highly mobile and versatile with both spells and attacks.

Pick the Shadow if you like:

• Dealing BIG damage;
• Setting up a minefield and upfront damage to instantly ‘phase’ bosses;
• Poisoning enemies into oblivion;
• Being the quintessential glass cannon.

Best builds for Shadow (as of 3.15) are:

• Seismic/Exsanguinate Trap Saboteur - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3179858
• Low-Life Cast on Crit Ice Nova Assassin - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2971773
• Essence Drain Trickster - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/278519

1 – Marauder

Chieftain using General's Cry Fanart

The Marauder is the archetypal brawn over brains class. They’re tough, gruff, and the king of Wraeclast, as far as burly, strong, and fearless warriors go. They also have the build with the highest potential single target damage in the game.

Those Tukohama fanatics have three Ascendancies as well. The Juggernaut does as the name implies. He’s a veritable moving fortress. They specialize in Armor and Physical Reduction, while also being fairly capable of dishing out sustained damage.

The Chieftain is a Fire-themed class that greatly uses Totems, and their elemental resistance is nearly unmatched, whereas the Berserker is all about killing before being killed. His rampages dish out so much damage nothing has time to touch him, and boy, he can pack a punch!

The Marauder Excels In:

• Massive physical damage;
• Extreme Tankiness in the Juggernaut Ascendancy;
• Having the highest damage output of the game at the cost of defense;
• Great use of Melee Totems;
• Only Warcry Focused Class.

Pick the Marauder If you Like:

• Destroying packs of enemies off-screen;
• Reaching over 10k Life;
• Leap Slamming so fast you lose control of your character;
• Having so much Armor you can completely ignore physical damage.

Best Builds for Marauder (as of 3.15) are:

• Hybrid’s Molten Strike Juggernaut - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2211489
• Facebreaker’s Ancestral Warchief Totem Chieftain - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1694250
• General’s Cry Blade Flurry Berserker - https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2998167

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