The Witch class in Path of Exile 2 has been redesigned in this follow-up, but how should this erratic character be used? Currently, just six classes—many of which are the strongest solo classes—are available for early access to PoE 2. More classes will be offered during the six-month term, according to Grinding Gear Games.
Despite these modifications, minions, cumulative damage, and curses continue to play a major role in the Witch class. In the early game, it may begin slowly, but as more advanced abilities are obtained, it picks up speed. This class has more mobility than its predecessor thanks to the new dodgeball mechanism. PoE 2 feels soulslike because of this mechanic and many others.
Best Equipment For a Witch Build In PoE 2 To Boost Survivability And Damage
Despite the fact that PoE 2 has made its classes more adaptable, each class has unique tools and abilities. For witches, energy shields and optimal health are paramount. Realistically, the energy shield should function as a backup health bar and replenish quickly enough to prevent significant, if any, harm to the body. This increases the likelihood of receiving energy shield augments and makes the best clothes, such as lighter gear, sandals, and robes, inherently energy-shielded.
Depending on the preferred playstyle, weapons are a little more adaptable. Since scepters are the only means of calling forth minions, they are typically necessary. This can be disregarded if one so chooses, but doing so eliminates minions from the build and the Witch’s fundamental emotion. As a result, scepters are used with shields for protective setups or wands for more attacking ones. Witches can handle shields more easily, especially the lighter or more focused kind, which also provides more beneficial boosts like energy or mana shields.
Best Skill Gems For a Witch Build In PoE 2
Burning minions and chaos damage are the two main builds that have been used to fill the Witch class thus far. Skeleton Arsonists, Pain Offering, Flame Wall, Flammability, and Detonate Dead are all surrounded by burning minions. By lowering the adversaries’ fire resistance in the target region, flammability makes it possible for the Flame Wall and Skeleton Arsonists to deal greater damage. Pain Offering works best on the standard Skeleton Warriors that Scepters create, and it greatly enhances the minions around it. A useful boost is Detonate Dead, which will detonate every corpse the minions leave behind.
This build can dip somewhat toward the Elemental route because it has a lot of fire-resistant shreds. It is possible to increase damage without significantly depleting the minions by using basic fire talents like Solar Orb or Fireball. But since minions are the focus of this build, any remaining PoE 2 skills shouldn’t interfere with the core rotation.
Second, chaos damage is still a useful alternative, although being significantly nerfed. For Witches, in particular, the challenge with chaotic damage is that it is nearly always damaged over time. Fortunately, it is compensated for by the best abilities in Dark Effigy, Despair, Profane Ritual, and Contagion. Contagion is a straightforward spell that gradually deals minor harm but increases in damage if the target dies. Corpses that undergo profane rituals eventually develop into circles of chaos and harm. A placeable turret/totem, Dark Effigy, assaults anything that has been debuffed with chaos.
High levels of the Despair curse are played around in this build. All of this damage over time will be more effective because this curse will weaken the enemy’s resistance to chaos. A little initial impact and gradual damage can be achieved by combining this with other abilities, such as Essence Drain.
Best Passive Skills For a Witch Build In PoE 2
Witch pathways are typically easy, even if the PoE 2 skill tree includes a huge synthesis of all the classes. The paths for minion builds are almost the same, particularly for the burning minions. You should concentrate on increasing your elemental resistance, attack speed, health, critical stats, minion damage, and revive speed. By themselves, minions are strong natural forces capable of eliminating the majority of adversaries; this ability is further enhanced by the use of Pain Offering.
The passive skill tree becomes somewhat more unpredictable with Chaos builds. This is because in order to make Witches well-rounded, it is necessary to raise a bit of everything outside of physical harm. The best options here are the chaos damage and status duration boosts, which maximize the damage and duration of its effects. Minions require care as well, but this can be restricted to resistance and health, making them frontline tanks and relieving some of the character’s strain.
Best Spirit Gem For a Witch Build In PoE 2
Most builds in Path of Exile 2 can be made or broken by the Spirit gems, but Witch builds are particularly vulnerable. No matter the build, Grim Feast is essential to survival. As a result, the Witch’s energy shield will be replenished when Grim Remnants are dropped by opponents on occasion. This and the elemental path’s Raging Spirits are used in the burning minions build. Before it expires, the latter will use the Flame Wall ability to call out tiny fire skulls to strike any nearby opponents.
Note – Since Witches also use Spirit to summon Minions, maxing out Spirit with equipment is essential.
The Spirit talent Withering Presence is useful for passively boosting chaos damage in chaotic builds. This skill stacks up to 10% because of the time constraints, and it will inflict Withered on nearby foes every few seconds. In conjunction with the Despair skill, withered increases the damage that chaos skills will inflict on infected individuals.
Ascendencies For a Witch Build In PoE 2
There are three Ascendency classes for each class in PoE 2, however, the Witch can only have two at the moment. The Infernalist is by far the greatest choice. The emphasis of this class is on enhancing spell damage and fire damage. Loyal Hellhound and Demonic Possession are the preferred choices in this category. With the former, a resurrecting Hellhound is called forth, which absorbs 20% of the character’s damage and is tanky but does less damage. The Witch loses some health when in Demonic Possession, which transforms her into a Demon with enhanced skill level, spell damage, and cast speed.
Bloodmage is the lesser option of the two but has some potential. Its powers center around losing health and defenses to improve the overall damage to all talents. Some of its powerful choices include Sunder the Flesh and Gore Spike, which increase base critical chance and damage. Unfortunately, Bloodmage is just the inferior option when contrasted with the Infernalist and the Witches, who are now at the top of the game.
The Witch makes up for her poor start by becoming as a formidable option in PoE 2. If there is one drawback to Witch, it is that there isn’t much potential for customization because minions are the main component of their kit. Attempting to use Witches in any other way either weakens or eliminates the minions. It would be wiser to play another class at that point. You may create a fun and strong character in Path of Exile 2 by properly building the greatest Witch.
