Time: 2025-12-22 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide Tags: Fate of the Vaal
Path of Exile 2's Fate of the Vaal league shows strong meta trends via poe.ninja's indexed builds—Pathfinder holds 17.4% in standard, while Druids (Shaman + Oracle) reach 31.3% combined. HC/SSF favor defensive stars like Lich. Percentages reveal popularity shifts across modes.
Editor's Note: Source: poe.ninja PoE2 Builds and PoE2 Steamdb.
poe.ninja providing a snapshot of build distributions—not total players or all active characters. These figures reflect indexed data only.
For context, PoE2's Steam all-time peak hit ~578,000 concurrent (early December 2024); Patch 0.4.0 Steam peak: 290,305 (Dec 12 UTC). recent daily peaks hover around 150,000-170,000 (mid-December 2025 estimates).
poe.ninja's standard league data highlights tight meta consolidation—top 3 ascendancies claim ~49%. Full ranked list below for complete visibility.
Rank | Ascendancy | Share |
|---|---|---|
1 | Pathfinder | 17.4% |
2 | Shaman | 16.7% |
3 | Oracle | 14.6% |
4 | Blood Mage | 7.3% |
5 | Stormweaver | 5.7% |
6 | Amazon | 5.3% |
7 | Disciple of Varashta | 5.0% |
8 | Titan | 4.5% |
9 | Invoker | 4.3% |
10 | Deadeye | 3.9% |
11 | Lich | 3.0% |
12 | Witchhunter | 2.0% |
13 | Ritualist | 2.0% |
14 | Warbringer | 2.0% |
15 | Tactician | 2.0% |
16 | Smith of Kitava | 1.0% |
17 | Infernalist | 1.0% |
18 | Chronomancer | 0.7% |
19 | Acolyte of Chayula | 0.5% |
20 | Abyssal Lich | 0.3% |
21 | Gemling Legionnaire | 0.2% |
Note: Tail-end shares aggregate the rest; check poe.ninja for live fluctuations.
Hardcore mode prioritizes survival—Lich rises sharply for minion/DoT layering against Vaal Temple spikes.
Rank | Ascendancy | Share |
|---|---|---|
1 | Lich | 14.6% |
2 | Shaman | 13.2% |
3 | Disciple of Varashta | 9.4% |
4 | Oracle | 8.6% |
5 | Pathfinder | 7.9% |
6 | Titan | 6.2% |
7 | Smith of Kitava | 6.2% |
8 | Invoker | 5.5% |
9 | Infernalist | 4.2% |
10 | Witchhunter | 3.9% |
Self-found modes reward gear-independent scaling—Shaman dominates.
Rank | Ascendancy | Share |
|---|---|---|
1 | Shaman | 22.7% |
2 | Oracle | 13.6% |
3 | Titan | 10.0% |
4 | Pathfinder | 9.0% |
5 | Disciple of Varashta | 8.9% |
Rank | Ascendancy | Share |
|---|---|---|
1 | Shaman | 15.0% |
2 | Oracle | 10.6% |
3 | Disciple of Varashta | 10.0% |
4 | Lich | 8.6% |
5 | Smith of Kitava | 8.4% |
Standard: Pathfinder + Druids (~49%) drive flask mobility and spirit versatility for fast Temple progression. HC: Lich (14.6%) counters one-shots via minions/chaos DoTs. SSF/HC SSF: Druids surge to 30-36%+, with Titan/Smith adding physical tanks. Community notes self-sufficient builds thriving amid Vaal RNG.
Pathfinder at 17.4%—flask uptime and movement scaling excel in trade-enabled mapping. Strong for Vaal Temple rushing; prioritize essence crafts early.
Combined totem efficiency and hidden passive ramps provide league-start flexibility into endgame bossing. Fury/spirit synergies handle T3+ content reliably.
Lich climbs to 14.6% with minion tanks absorbing destabilization bursts. Focus chaos DoTs for safer Atziri/uber runs; transition around level 80.
Shaman at 22.7%—totems scale without rare gear. Druids overall ~36%; push medallions aggressively for T3 rooms by mid-maps.
Post-level 75 Temple farming: 14.6%+ share highlights minion edge against RNG spikes. Offers 20%+ effective survival over pure speed builds.
Niche picks (0.2%) for experimental minion/legion hybrids, often SSF viable. Monitor poe.ninja for potential risers after patches.
Poe.ninja data spotlights Pathfinder (17.4%) and Druid duo in PoE2 Fate of the Vaal—shares illuminate speed vs. defense balances across modes. Check our curated resource hub: 👉 PoE2 Fate of the Vaal (0.4.0) Ultimate Hub
Stay tuned to MMOJUGG for ongoing ladder insights. Bookmark for quick checks—drop by our store for meta-inspired gear ideas.
Newsletter-Subscription
Join our mailing list for price fluctuation alerts and special promotions.
Buy PoE2 Currency
PoE2 Boosting