The Duelist and Knight Ascendancy in Path of Exile 2 1.0, Explained

By Cassio Cabral · Updated November 9, 2026 · 2 min read

This comes from the two ExileCon 2026 streams, and all of it can still change before the December 11 launch. Each point is labelled so you can tell what GGG said from what is still open.

What kind of class is it

• Confirmed Duelist is a Strength and Dexterity sword class built around Ready Stance, parry, Blood and Sand stances, and combos. Day 1, 2:26:14
• Confirmed The first design note for the class was that Cyclone needs to feel good. Day 2, 1:05:17

In plain terms, this is a melee class where timing and positioning matter more than standing still and swinging. Stances set how you fight, and parry is a way to turn an enemy attack into your opening. We have not seen exact numbers yet, so we cannot say how forgiving the parry window is.

Skills shown so far

• Confirmed Bloody Blade is the starting skill. Day 2, 1:10:47
• Confirmed Earthrend buries blades in the ground, and the blades turn into Tesla coils. Day 2, 1:12:21
• Confirmed World Cutter, Hemorrhage and Cyclone were shown. Cyclone absorbs elemental ground effects and blood ground. Day 2, 1:15:48
• Confirmed Rending Dash was shown. Day 2, 1:25:00
• Confirmed Intimidate was shown, during the fight with the cyclops Thrax in the Grand Arena. Day 2, 6:56:23

Cyclone soaking up ground effects is the detail worth noting. It suggests the skill is meant to play with the terrain, not only to spin in place.

The Knight ascendancy

• Confirmed Knight is the first Duelist ascendancy. Day 1, 2:27:35
• Confirmed Squire is a minion you can equip with armour, weapons (unique ones included) and socketed skills. Day 1, 2:27:35
• Confirmed The Banner Lord notable gives war banners standards tied to a culture. Day 1, 2:27:35
• Confirmed Honourbound turns the Glory you spend into Valor. Day 1, 2:27:35
• Confirmed Mounted Charge plants a banner and stuns enemies, including rares and uniques. Day 1, 2:27:35

The Squire is the part most players will care about. A minion that wears your gear means gear choices matter twice, once for you and once for it. How strong it is in practice is not known yet.

What is not here yet

• Confirmed Duelist gets two ascendancies in 1.0. The second is Master-at-Arms. GGG
• Confirmed A shield throw skill was cut for now. Day 1, 5:08:06
• Unknown How Master-at-Arms plays. GGG has named it and described its theme, but has not shown its skills.

What to watch for

The full patch notes arrive about a week before launch. They should show the full skill list and any numbers behind the stances. For the sister class, see our Shadow guide, and for the wider picture what ExileCon left unanswered.