AION 2 PvE Class Tier List (Global, Season 1)

How to read this PvE tier list

It covers AION 2 Global, Season 1: level cap 45, eight classes (no Brawler), 5-player expeditions and a 10-player raid. Global servers only opened to early access on 30 September, so nobody has endgame numbers. The rankings therefore come from Korea and Taiwan, where the game has been live since November 2025, plus analyses of the Global client’s skill kits.

A letter does not mean the same thing everywhere: a tank or healer is judged on what it brings the party, a DPS on its damage. So we give three readings: group, raw damage and solo. The gaps stay small: no class is unplayable, even in Korea.

Method: we cross-checked Mein-MMO, MetaBot, Wikirealm, Game8, Shugo.GG, AION 2 META, allthings.how, Skycoach and MMO Codex (four creators), then player opinions on Inven. When lists disagree, the note says so.

Group PvE tier list: 5-player expeditions and the 10-player raid

The Templar and Cleric lead because each is alone in its role: the Global client has only one pure tank and one pure healer, and their skills protect the whole party (a 41% max-HP shield within 40 m, resurrection). On hard content, Mein-MMO recommends a Templar, a Cleric and three DPS; on content you have mastered, a Gladiator can tank with a Chanter in support.

Watch out: the Cleric’s Light of Protection and the Chanter’s Undefeated Mantra give the same bonus (+10.5% Damage Boost and Tolerance) and do not stack: with both classes, one of them frees a stigma slot.

Raw damage on bosses: who hits hardest?

For damage alone, Korean measurements are the reference: AION 2 META compared roughly 300,000 combat logs from six endgame dungeons (3 October), as a percentage of the best DPS.

Do not confuse frequency with strength. Among the top 100 players in four Korean and Taiwanese PvE contents (800 slots, allthings.how, 30 August), the Ranger holds 152 slots, the Gladiator 128, the Chanter 106, the Templar 105, the Cleric 101, the Assassin 91, the Sorcerer 83 and the Spiritmaster 34. That also reflects each class’s popularity, and the Spiritmaster figure predates its September buffs.

Solo, leveling and farming at level 45

The 8 classes in detail: strengths, weaknesses, who they suit

Templar: the essential tank

Sword and shield, taunt, crowd control and party shields: see the Templar page.

• Strengths: the only pure tank, invited everywhere, a 40 m party shield, a group damage buff when it blocks, very forgiving.
• Weaknesses: slow solo farming, personal damage among the lowest, synergies nerfed in Korea in August and September.
• Pick it if: you want to lead the group and never wait in a queue, even if you level slower.

Cleric: the healer and the resurrection

Mace, instant heals at 40 m and party resurrection: see the Cleric page.

• Strengths: the only resurrection in the game, cleanses, Light of Protection, real damage between heals.
• Weaknesses: fragile up close, minimal personal damage (Mein-MMO), only 4 stigmas for healing, damage and resurrection.
• Pick it if: you want to be indispensable and accept calm leveling.

Chanter: the hybrid support

Staff, mantras and melee: see the Chanter page.

• Strengths: sought-after party buffs (Undefeated Mantra, Power of the Storm), light healing, little dependence on budget, comfortable solo.
• Weaknesses: mana trouble early on, little stagger, not a main healer in hard content.
• Pick it if: you enjoy melee while making the whole group better.

Gladiator: the versatile bruiser

Greatsword, charges and life drain: see the Gladiator page.

• Strengths: Blood Absorption, area damage on 4 targets, off-tank on easy expeditions, easy to learn.
• Weaknesses: MP in long fights, reliance on windows like Rage Burst, kited by ranged classes, behind at Korean endgame.
• Pick it if: you want sturdy melee, solo or in a group.

Ranger: the safest ranged DPS

Bow, traps and drains: see the Ranger page.

• Strengths: 16 of 25 skills reach 20 m, maximum uptime, no group buff to lose.
• Weaknesses: paper-thin defense, MP drains fast, very gear-dependent (Mein-MMO), nothing for the group.
• Pick it if: you want steady damage without standing next to the boss.

Sorcerer: the area artillery

Fire for damage, ice for control: see the Sorcerer page.

• Strengths: 11 area attacks, 19 skills at 20 m, excellent control; Hellfire makes up over 20% of its damage.
• Weaknesses: fragile, loses value when it has to move (ranked C in Korean and Taiwanese tops), many keys.
• Pick it if: you love big bursts and this is not your first character.

Assassin: the high-risk burst

Daggers, stealth and backstabs: see the Assassin page.

• Strengths: a 15 to 20 s burst under Illusive Clone and Swift Contract, great mobility, the highest damage ceiling.
• Weaknesses: needs the boss’s back (so a tank) and low ping; in Season 1, without the tier 25 Clone, bursts are less frequent than in Korea.
• Pick it if: you love technical play, have good ping and accept a low damage floor.

Spiritmaster: the safe summoner

Orb, spirits and elemental fusion: see the Spiritmaster page.

• Strengths: very safe leveling and solo play, high sustained damage once geared, big stagger contribution.
• Weaknesses: the lowest HP in the game, limited MP early, spirits hampered by mobile bosses, demanding endgame.
• Pick it if: you want a pet that tanks and a relaxed game.

What differs in Korea

Korean lists cannot be copied as they are: Korea has been at level 50 since 1 July 2026, with the Brawler, 6 stigmas at level 25 and 8 Daevanion boards. Global starts with 4 stigmas at level 20, 5 boards and no Heroic gear.

• Chanter and Cleric top Korean rankings (S on Shugo.GG), but Inven notes too many Clerics: parties wait for their Chanter.
• Gladiator: 12% under its early-July peak according to one player (Inven, 23 August), outdamaged by ranged DPS on the latest raid, Templar preferred for synergies.
• Assassin: best DPS in combat logs, yet players call its standing in groups "at its lowest" in September (Inven).
• Sorcerer: B in Korea and Taiwan (Shugo.GG), but S on several Global-oriented lists.
• The Global client carries Korean values up to 16 September. The 23 September Abyss buff, which replaces party buffs during Abyss boss fights, has not been announced for Global.

Now, which build?

Once you have picked your class, open your recommended build for stigmas, Daevanion and rotation, then compare it with the build workshop and the group composition tool.

• Recommended buildStigmas, Daevanion and rotation for your class.
• All classesThe 8 pages: skills, builds and tips.
• Group compositionWho to bring to dungeons and raids.

Takeaway: in groups, Templar and Cleric open every door; for damage, Assassin, Ranger and Sorcerer; solo, Gladiator and Spiritmaster. Re-check after the first weeks of Global: these tiers are estimates.