Key Takeaways:

1. Versatile Minion Summoner: The Witch class thrives on summoning minions and casting powerful spells, offering flexibility for both new and experienced players.
2. Glass Cannon Playstyle: While capable of massive damage, the Witch is vulnerable in close combat. Strategic positioning and minion support are crucial.
3. Build Customization: The Witch can adapt to various playstyles, focusing on minions, chaos spells, or fire damage, depending on the Ascendancy and skill setup.

Every action RPG needs a class that delves into dark magic and summons minions to fight on their behalf. In Path of Exile 2, the Witch serves as a master of infernal spells and undead summoning. Similar to the Necromancer from Diablo, the Witch allows players to dominate the battlefield with powerful minions and devastating fire spells.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through crafting the best Witch build in Path of Exile 2. From skills and passives to gear and Ascendancies, you’ll find everything you need to unleash the full potential of this powerhouse.

Best Witch Build: The Summoner Infernalist

The Summoner Infernalist build capitalizes on the Witch’s Infernalist Ascendancy, enabling her to summon fiery minions and cast powerful area-of-effect (AoE) fire spells. This build is ideal for players who want to dominate from a distance, relying on minions to tank damage and overwhelm enemies.

Playstyle Overview

• Strengths:
  • High damage output through minions and fire spells.
  • Effective in large-scale fights with AoE capabilities.
  • Flexible skill progression allows adaptation to different scenarios.
• Weaknesses:
  • Vulnerable to direct attacks due to low health and energy shield.
  • Requires careful positioning and minion management.

Ascendancy: Infernalist

The Infernalist Ascendancy is essential for this build. It enhances your fire damage, minion strength, and survivability. Unlock this Ascendancy by completing the Trial of Sekhemas or Trial of Chaos in Act 2.

Key Ascendancy Abilities:

1. Loyal Hellhound: Summons an additional minion that ignites enemies and reduces incoming damage by 20%.
2. Altered Flesh: Converts 20% of Cold and Lightning damage to Fire and 20% of physical damage to Chaos.
3. Beidat’s Will: Boosts your Spirit at the cost of reserving 25% of your life.
4. Beidat’s Hand: Reserves life for energy shield, adding survivability.

Core Skills for the Witch Build

Active Skills

Skills are assigned to Uncut Skill Gems, which can be enhanced by cutting them with Support Gems. As you level up, prioritize the following setup:

1. Summon Skeletons (Skeletal Warrior, Sniper, Arsonist): Your bread-and-butter summoning skill.
2. Chaos Bolt: A powerful early-game spell that deals chaos damage.
3. Unearth: Summons temporary Bone Constructs, ideal for building early minion armies.
4. Contagion: Spreads chaos damage over time to nearby enemies.
5. Essence Drain: A high-damage chaos spell that synergizes with Contagion.
6. Flame Wall: Adds fire damage to enemies and enhances minion attacks.

Support Gems

Equip your active skills with the following support gems to enhance their effectiveness:

• Minion Damage Support: Boosts the damage of your summoned minions.
• Increased AoE: Widens the effect of AoE skills like Contagion.
• Added Fire Damage: Adds fire damage to minion attacks.

Passive Skill Tree: Optimal Nodes for the Infernalist

Your passive skill tree determines your Witch’s overall strength. Follow this progression to build a solid foundation:

1. Raw Destruction: Early damage buff for spells.
2. Power of the Dead: Boosts spell and minion damage.
3. Spiral into Depression: Adds defensive stats like energy shield.
4. Deadly Swarm: Increases minion damage.
5. Necrotic Touch: Boosts critical hit chance.
6. Lord of Horrors: Unlocks additional minions.

Recommended Gear: Armor, Weapons, and Charms

Equipping the right gear can make or break your Witch build. Look for items that enhance fire damage, chaos damage, or minion attributes.

Best Armor and Stats

• Energy Shield Armor: Focus on gear that boosts your energy shield for survivability.
• Minion Stat Boosts: Prioritize stats like Minion Damage and Minion Health.

Weapons

• Scepter: Increases Spirit, allowing more minions.
• Wand: Boosts spell damage, perfect for a hybrid summoner/caster build.

Charms

• Minion Life Flask: Replenishes both your health and that of your minions.

Early Game Tips for the Witch

• Focus on Minions: In the early game, minions like Skeletal Warriors are indispensable for survival.
• Maximize Spirit: Equip a scepter to increase your Spirit pool, enabling more summons.
• Use Unearth: Summon temporary Bone Constructs for added firepower.
• Stack Intelligence: Boosts mana and allows you to equip advanced energy shield gear.

Advanced Combat Strategies

1. Synergy Between Minions and Spells: Use Contagion to spread chaos damage while minions keep enemies busy.
2. Position Wisely: Stay at the backline, letting minions soak up damage.
3. Boss Fights: Use Essence Drain and Contagion to deal consistent damage to bosses while managing minion health.

FAQs

1. Is the Witch good for beginners?

Yes, the Witch is beginner-friendly, especially when focusing on minions. They provide a defensive buffer, allowing new players to learn the game mechanics.

2. Can I play the Witch without minions?

Absolutely! Opt for the Blood Mage Ascendancy and focus on chaos or fire spells for a non-minion playstyle.

3. What is the best Ascendancy for solo play?

The Infernalist is ideal for solo play due to its combination of high damage output and minion support.