Last reviewed
October 12, 2026
Patch: Global patch Oct 7, 2026. The official October 7 patch notes made no class balance changes, and NCSoft publishes no class statistics, so these tiers summarise published guides rather than our own testing.
Official source Official patch notes, Oct 6 (PDT) / Oct 7 (CEST) · observed October 12, 2026
PvE tier list (dungeons and raids)
| Tier · class | Why |
|---|---|
| S Sorcerer | Big ranged area burst that topped early global damage meters; fragile. (Timesaver) Grades: Game8 S · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver S |
| A Assassin | Top single-target burst that fades in long fights. (Mein-MMO) Grades: Game8 A · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver S |
| A Chanter | Party buffs plus hybrid damage; heals are weaker than a Cleric's. (Mein-MMO) Grades: Game8 A · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver B |
| A Spiritmaster | Spirits add damage and crowd control; little mobility. (Game8) Grades: Game8 S · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver A |
| Pending Cleric | The only full healer, so groups want one; lists rate healers anywhere from S to B. (Mein-MMO) Pending: lists are more than one tier apart. Grades: Game8 B · Mein-MMO tiers S · Timesaver A |
| Pending Gladiator | Editorial lists rate its sustain and backup-tank role highly, but early global damage meters put it near the bottom. (Timesaver) Pending: lists are more than one tier apart. Grades: Game8 S · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver C |
| Pending Ranger | Safe, forgiving ranged damage, but slower than other damage classes on early global meters. (Timesaver) Pending: lists are more than one tier apart. Grades: Game8 S · Mein-MMO tiers A · Timesaver B |
| Pending Templar | The top tank pick but low personal damage, so lists split on where to put it. (Mein-MMO) Pending: lists are more than one tier apart. Grades: Game8 B · Mein-MMO tiers S · Timesaver B |
PvP tier list
Updating. Only 1 current global list (Game8) grades PvP separately, and we need 2. Each class's reason and the grades we have are below.
| Tier · class | Why |
|---|---|
| Pending Assassin | Stealth openers and burst; the hardest class to play well. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 S |
| Pending Chanter | Buffs and hybrid damage hold up in fights. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 A |
| Pending Cleric | Heals and debuffs with a demanding rotation. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 A |
| Pending Gladiator | Crowd-control chains straight into burst damage. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 S |
| Pending Ranger | Keeps its distance and kites well. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 S |
| Pending Sorcerer | Huge burst, but easy to punish once caught. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 B |
| Pending Spiritmaster | Control from spirits, but no escape tools. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 B |
| Pending Templar | Hard to kill and controls fights, but deals little damage. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 A |
Solo play and leveling
| Tier · class | Why |
|---|---|
| Weaker Templar | Low damage makes leveling and farming alone slow. (Mein-MMO) Grades: Mein-MMO classes Weaker · Timesaver Weaker |
| Pending Assassin | One list calls it the best solo class; others stress how fragile it is. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 Strong |
| Pending Chanter | Lists disagree: group-focused versus flexible when solo. (KeenGamer) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Mein-MMO classes Strong |
| Pending Cleric | Lists disagree: slow but safe alone versus relaxed solo questing. (KeenGamer) Pending: lists are more than one tier apart. Grades: Mein-MMO classes Strong · Timesaver Weaker |
| Pending Gladiator | Durable melee that works alone, but only a pre-launch list says so outright. (KeenGamer) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: No outside grades |
| Pending Ranger | Kites and farms safely on its own. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 Strong |
| Pending Sorcerer | Can level fastest if you manage mana; only one list says so. (Mein-MMO) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Mein-MMO classes Strong |
| Pending Spiritmaster | Spirits tank and heal for you; only one current list grades it. (Game8) Pending: fewer than 2 lists grade it. Grades: Game8 Strong |
Outside lists we read
Letter grades only, linked to the original. Their write-ups are theirs to read.
| Class | Game8 2026-10-08 | Mein-MMO tiers 2026-10-06 | KeenGamer 2026-10-02 | Mein-MMO classes 2026-10-06 | Timesaver 2026-10-07 | AION2HUB 2026-10-11 | AionBuilds 2026-09 | AllThingsHow 2026-08-05 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gladiator | PvE S PvP S | PvE A | Solo Strong Overall S | — | PvE C | Overall A | PvE A PvP A | Overall S |
| Templar | PvE B PvP A | PvE S | Solo Weaker Overall A | Solo Weaker | PvE B Solo Weaker | Overall A | PvE A PvP B | Overall C |
| Assassin | PvE A PvP S Solo Strong | PvE A | Overall A | — | PvE S | Overall A | PvE A PvP S | Overall S |
| Ranger | PvE S PvP S Solo Strong | PvE A | Solo Strong Overall S | — | PvE B | Overall A | PvE A PvP A | Overall B |
| Sorcerer | PvE S PvP B | PvE A | Overall A | Solo Strong | PvE S | Overall S | PvE S PvP S | Overall B |
| Spiritmaster | PvE S PvP B Solo Strong | PvE A | Overall B | — | PvE A | Overall B | PvE S PvP B | Overall C |
| Cleric | PvE B PvP A | PvE S | Solo Weaker Overall A | Solo Strong | PvE A Solo Weaker | Overall S | PvE S PvP A | Overall A |
| Chanter | PvE A PvP A | PvE A | Solo Weaker Overall A | Solo Strong | PvE B | Overall A | PvE B PvP B | Overall B |
- Game8: editorial PvE and PvP tiers; solo picks named in the text.
- Mein-MMO tiers: editorial PvE grades split into tank / healer / damage lists (the article also shows a Korean-client damage chart, but its grades are opinion); we use each class's best grade across those lists.
- KeenGamer: reference only: published October 2, before the October 5 global launch; one overall tier, solo notes in the text.
- Mein-MMO classes: class overview; solo leveling comments only.
- Timesaver: PvE tiers from early global damage meters, Korean logs as a secondary hint; no PvP letters; solo comments in the text.
- AION2HUB: reference only: one list with no stated mode, labelled an estimate by its authors.
- AionBuilds: reference only: built on Korean/Taiwan server data.
- AllThingsHow: reference only: written before the global launch, one overall tier.
How we rank
- We read the published AION 2 tier lists above and record only their grades and dates.
- Only lists written after the global launch, for the global client, with a separate grade for that column count. Lists built on Korean or Taiwan data, pre-launch lists and lists with no stated mode are shown for reference.
- A class gets a PvE or PvP tier when at least 2 counted lists grade it and their grades are at most one step apart; we show the middle grade, rounding down. For solo, at least 2 lists must agree outright.
- Otherwise the class is Pending. A split community is useful information, not something to paper over.
- Each placement gets a one-line reason in our own words, linked to where it came from.
- After a global balance patch we re-check every list and note what moved on the sources and patch log.
Picked a class? Open its build: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster, Cleric, Chanter. Still deciding? Try the best class picker.