Grinding Gear Games has a habit of sneaking the good stuff in sideways, and this Sorceress reveal feels exactly like that. Mark Roberts steps in, skips the polished stage vibe, and suddenly we’re looking at the Disciple of Varashta like, wait… this is an Ascendancy? If you’re already thinking about gearing and planning ahead for the economy, it’s the kind of class that’ll have people watching PoE 2 Currency prices before the meta even settles, because it doesn’t play like the usual “summoner equals permanent zoo” setup.

Lore That Actually Changes the Feel

The hook isn’t just window dressing. Varashta is a big deal in Maraketh history, and her power sits behind the Trial of the Sekhemas. You don’t simply hit a level breakpoint and click a node. You clear the trial, you earn the right, and then the fantasy lands: you’re not learning a new spellbook, you’re binding elemental djinn. It makes the Ascendancy choice feel heavier, like you picked a path and paid for it with a run that could go wrong.

Command Skills, Not a Permanent Army

Here’s the part players will obsess over: the djinn aren’t always out. You can bind up to three, but they show up when you use specific Command skills, then slip back out. That changes your moment-to-moment decisions. You’re not babysitting minion pathing all map long. You’re timing a summon like it’s a tool. Pop one for a burst window, pull another when you need control, then keep moving. It’s closer to swapping forms or hitting stance buttons than it is to classic Necromancer pacing.

1, 2, 3 Djinn Choices That Push Different Builds

Ruzhan is the fire option, the one you pick when you want pressure and you don’t want to be polite about it. Kelari’s leans into speed and crit-friendly play, more like an executioner that rewards you for setting up clean kills. Navira is the “thank God” button for resource flow, helping with mana and energy shield so you can keep casting without that awkward stop-start rhythm. The fun bit is you’re not locked into a single identity; you start basic, then Ascendancy points open up deeper commands, so you can run one djinn as a main plan and the others as situational tech.

Why This Ascendancy Might Warp Early Meta

You’ll probably see people testing weird hybrids fast: caster builds that only “summon” when it’s efficient, crit setups that use djinn to finish packs, or even pseudo-summoners who chain commands like a rotation. And because it’s flexible, it’s also hard to price. The same node choices could mean totally different gear needs, which is usually when the market gets messy and everyone argues in chat. If you’re the type who likes to prep, keep an eye on what the first successful versions demand, because that’s when gold path of exile 2 starts getting talked about like it’s part of the build, not just the shopping list.