The strongest picks right now, ranked from S to D. Rankings combine patch notes with what experienced players actually run.
0.5 Return of the Ancients · updated October 17, 2026
An editorial ascendancy ranking for general endgame play in the 0.5 Return of the Ancients era, October 2026. It blends community build performance, is not official and will change with the 1.0 release.
| Tier | Pick | Type | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Deadeye | Ranger | Extra projectiles, Tailwind speed and high accuracy. Popular: Ice Shot Deadeye. |
| S | Martial Artist | Monk | A combo striker built around bells, hollow form clones and fast attacks. Popular: Whirling Assault Martial Artist. |
| S | Spirit Walker | Huntress | A totemic whirlwind and spirit-beast build with fast projectile clear. Popular: Twister Spirit Walker. |
| S | Stormweaver | Sorceress | Summons elemental storms with critical damage and shock stacking. |
| A | Acolyte of Chayula | Monk | Darkness-based defenses and mana leech with chaos strikes. |
| A | Amazon | Huntress | A spear fighter that scales crit and accuracy with elemental weapon infusions. |
| A | Chronomancer | Sorceress | Manipulates time to freeze foes, rewind and reset cooldowns. |
| A | Disciple of Varashta | Sorceress | A djinn conjurer who commands powerful spirits. Popular: Djinn Disciple of Varashta. |
| A | Gemling Legionnaire | Mercenary | Runs extra support gems and boosts skill quality. Popular: Grenades Gemling Legionnaire. |
| A | Infernalist | Witch | A fire witch with a hellhound, hellfire or demon form. |
| A | Invoker | Monk | A flexible elemental force that uses energy shield and evasion. |
| A | Lich | Witch | An energy shield focused chaos caster that curses foes and triggers chain explosions. |
| A | Pathfinder | Ranger | Flask-powered concoctions and poison that spreads between foes. |
| A | Shaman | Druid | A beast-and-storm wildcaller that mixes spells with shapeshifting. |
| A | Titan | Warrior | Hits once, hard, with aftershocks and crushing blows. |
| A | Warbringer | Warrior | Breaks enemy armor, uses totems or wins through war cries. |
| A | Witchhunter | Mercenary | Shields against elemental damage, interrupts spellcasters and executes weakened foes. |
| B | Blood Mage | Witch | Trades life for power with spell leech and critical strikes. |
| B | Oracle | Druid | A prophetic elemental seer with a more defensive spell-focused style. Popular: Grim Pillars Oracle. |
| B | Ritualist | Huntress | Sacrifices monsters or self for extra affixes and rings. |
| B | Smith of Kitava | Warrior | Enchants armor and weapons for fiery melee damage. |
| B | Tactician | Mercenary | Supports allies with banners, buffs and artillery. |