Pathfinder Player Core 2 Review

Player Core 2 is the second half of the remastered Pathfinder 2e player rules. Whether you need it comes down to one question: does anyone at your table play one of its classes? A lot of the main ones are here, including the Champion, Sorcerer and Barbarian. At my table, half the party's classes came from this book, so for me it was essential. It's a 16 out of 20, a Hit.

For the system as a whole, see our Pathfinder 2e review, and for the first player book, our Player Core review.

What I reviewed

My special edition hardcover, faux leather with two ribbon bookmarks, plus the PDF from my Paizo subscription. Player Core 2 came out August 1, 2024, at 320 pages, and it finished the remaster. I ran Curse of the Crimson Throne in 2e and then through the remaster, with a Champion and a Sorcerer in the party.

Rules15/20

It's hard to judge the rules on their own, because most of this book is updates. There are eight remastered classes: the Alchemist, Barbarian, Champion, Investigator, Monk, Oracle, Sorcerer and Swashbuckler. The feats, spells and equipment are brought up to the remaster too, along with more than 40 archetypes.

A few classes changed more than the rest. The Champion had alignment at its core, so its causes were rebuilt around the remaster's holy and unholy, and it gained a champion's aura. The Alchemist's versatile vials were reworked to refill steadily and scale on their own, with a different use for each research field.

What's new is the ancestries: catfolk, hobgoblins, kholo, kobolds, lizardfolk, ratfolk, tengu and tripkee. Kholo and tripkee are the remaster's new names for gnolls and gripplis. Some of these weren't available before, and others used to live in separate sourcebooks. Having them in a core book makes them much easier to get to.

It isn't a book every Pathfinder table needs. But a good chunk of the main classes live in it, so for a lot of tables it will be.

Layout17/20

It follows the regular flow of Paizo books: ancestries, classes, archetypes, feats, spells, then treasure. Everything is exactly where you'd expect, and that consistency across Paizo's whole line is rare. Once you know one of their books, you can find your way around any of them. I'm sure there are extras that could push it to a 20, but it's a 17 for me.

Usefulness17/20

This depends entirely on your table. If anyone wants to play one of its eight classes, it's effectively a second core book, and it'll be open every session. My Crimson Throne group needed it. If your group only plays classes from the Player Core, it can stay on the shelf.

Value16/20

There's a lot in it for the money: eight classes, eight ancestries, archetypes, feats, spells and treasure. The special edition is $79.99 at Paizo, which is a hard sell if you only need one or two classes. Players who already owned the original Advanced Player's Guide felt pressure to buy much of it again.

But Paizo gives you options here too, from the standard hardcover to the special edition to a pocket edition that's often around $20 on Amazon. That's hard to beat.

Who it's for

Any group with a Champion, Sorcerer, Barbarian, Monk or one of the other classes in it. If that's your table, it's not really optional. If not, start with the Player Core and come back to this one when someone wants a new class.

The verdict

A 16, a Hit. Not every table needs it, but if yours plays its classes, it's as essential as the Player Core, and the pocket edition makes it an easy yes.