In Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), the Witch class is the ultimate choice for players who revel in commanding an undead army to fight their battles. If summoning skeletal warriors, fiery spirits, and spectral archers sounds appealing, the Witch Minion build offers an engaging and powerful playstyle that scales well into the endgame. This guide will introduce you to the fundamentals of the Witch class, minion mechanics, and the paths you can take to maximize your effectiveness on the battlefield.
Why Choose the Witch Class?
The Witch in PoE 2 embodies the essence of the Necromancer archetype. She specializes in summoning and empowering various types of minions, including skeletal warriors, archers, bombers, and spellcasters. This versatility allows for creative build crafting, adapting to different combat scenarios and offering a hands-off, strategic approach to combat.
Advantages of the Witch Minion Build:
- Hands-Free Damage: Minions attack automatically, allowing the Witch to focus on movement and defense.
- Scalability: Minion power scales with gear, passives, and support gems, making it easy to improve over time.
- Survivability: Minions serve as distractions, keeping enemies at bay while the Witch stays at a safe distance.
- Versatility: The Witch can summon different types of minions to handle mobs, bosses, and area clearing.
However, the build does have its challenges. Early on, minions can be fragile, and the Witch herself lacks strong defensive options. Strategic positioning and consistent upgrades are essential to progress smoothly.
Minion Mechanics and Spirit Management
In PoE 2, summoning minions relies on a resource called Spirit. Spirit determines the number and type of minions you can summon at any given time. Early in the game, Spirit is limited, which can restrict the size of your undead army. As you level up and acquire better gear, Spirit capacity increases, allowing you to summon more powerful minions.
Key Spirit Management Tips:
- Prioritize Spirit Nodes on the passive tree to increase capacity.
- Equip gear that grants additional Spirit or enhances minion durability.
- Use skills like Bonestorm and Raging Spirits to maximize the efficiency of your Spirit expenditure.
Early bosses in PoE 2 often ignore minions and focus directly on the player. This makes it essential to bolster minion survivability while ensuring the Witch can withstand direct attacks.
Ascendancy Choices: Infernalist vs. Blood Mage
The Witch can choose between two Ascendancies: Infernalist and Blood Mage. Each path offers unique bonuses, but not all are equally viable for minion builds.
- Infernalist (Recommended):
- Grants powerful bonuses to fire-based minions.
- Unlocks Loyal Hellhound, a potent companion that deals massive damage.
- Synergizes well with fire-themed skills like Flame Wall and Skeletal Arsonist.
- Blood Mage:
- Focuses on sacrificing life to cast spells.
- Less effective for minion-focused builds.
- Requires significant investment in life regeneration to offset health costs.
Why Infernalist is Better: The Infernalist’s synergy with minion damage and survivability far outshines the benefits of Blood Mage, making it the clear choice for minion builds.
Early Game Survival and Damage
Early in the game, minions are fragile and can die quickly. To mitigate this, prioritize gear that boosts minion health and resistances. Skills like Flame Wall and Contagion can supplement minion damage, providing additional AoE and debuffs.
Essential Early Game Skills:
- Unearth: Summons skeletal minions that deal consistent damage.
- Bonestorm: A powerful AoE skill that deals damage over time.
- Flame Wall: Adds fire damage to projectiles, boosting minion damage.
- Gas Arrow: Synergizes with Flame Wall for explosive AoE potential.
Gear and Currency Recommendations
To thrive as a Witch in PoE 2, upgrading your gear consistently is vital. Look for wands or scepters that enhance minion damage, as well as armor that provides Spirit bonuses and life regeneration.
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Quick Gear Tips:
- Prioritize items with +Minion Damage and +Minion Life.
- Use Jeweller’s Orbs to add additional gem slots for minion support.
- Seek out resistance gear to bolster survivability in higher acts.
Final Thoughts
The Witch Minion build in Path of Exile 2 offers an exciting and dynamic playstyle that appeals to players who enjoy summoning and strategic gameplay. By understanding minion mechanics, managing Spirit, and choosing the right Ascendancy, you can create a powerful undead army capable of conquering even the toughest content.
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If you want to know more, you can read this article: Path of Exile 2 Real Build Guide: Witch Infernalist Summoner – Master of Fire and Chaos