Should You Play Amazon or Ritualist in PoE 2 Dawn of the Hunt?

The Amazon and Ritualist are the two ascendancies of the new Huntress class in Path of Exile 2’s Dawn of the Hunt. Each ascendancy is extremely distinct, but players will surely want to play the new Huntress class.

If you are making a Huntress, no matter what, which ascendancy should you go for? Here are the differences between the Amazon and the Ritualist in Path of Exile 2.

Amazon and Ritualist Differences in Path of Exile 2

Since both ascendancies come from the Huntress class, you can use the spear and shield, which will most likely be designed toward the class, including the skill gems. The main difference should be the archetypes coming from the ascendancy nodes.

The Amazon focuses more on elemental damage using Elemental Infusion. They also have high mobility from In for the Kill. The ascendancy also focuses on a high evasion rating, making it their main defensive layer.

Some prefer energy shield or armor, but you are better off using another class and an ascendancy at that point.

The Amazon should be great with mapping, and there are several potential builds out there for speed-clearing Waystones.

The Ritualist is more on the “spell-caster” side of the spectrum. You have Ritual Sacrifice, which gives you buffs from slain monsters, or Blood Boil for some added chaos damage AoE from Corrupted Blood.

The biggest takeaway from the Ritualist would be the Unfurled Finger, which adds a +1 ring slot to your equipment. You are sacrificing spirit, maximum mana, or all elemental resistances to get that node, but it should be worth it in the endgame.

This is one of the main reasons why Breach Rings and Ingenuity Belts were nerfed in Dawn of the Hunt. You can’t have all those extra bonuses from an extra ring slot, or the Ritualist will outplay every class in terms of stats without the proper investment.

Minion builds should also see some play with the Ritualist, especially since Infernalist has seen some nerfs in the Dawn of the Hunt patch.

The two ascendancies are extremely different, so you choose whatever fits your playstyle more.