Path of Exile 2 Dawn of The Hunt: Witch league starter build

Lich Ascendancy for Witch (Image via GGG)

The 'Witch' is a fan-favorite among the Path of Exile 2 community, as most of the minion builds emerge from this specific class. However, given the challenges in the Update 0.2.0 campaign, players are struggling to find the right combination of abilities, passives, and Ascendancy to help them reach the endgame.

This article lists the best league starter build for the Witch to help players have a smooth experience from Act I to early mapping.

Disclaimer: This article does not list the endgame gears for Witch.

Key mechanics and Skills for the Witch Leveling build in Path of Exile 2

When players hear 'Witch,' the first thing that comes to their minds is 'minion.' The class was tailor-made for her little friends to fight alongside her, with other utilities helping to make the best out of everything. However, Update 0.2.0 doesn't make things easier for the Witch class, as almost every minion has been nerfed for the early game.

Owing to this, we are going to follow a spell DOT (damage over time) build that can clear out huge mob groups, while also dealing decent damage to single-target bosses. Unlike other characters, the Ascendancy for Witch does matter, and will contribute heavily to the build's damage.

To start, your two primary skills should be Essence Drain and Contagion. The former can be obtained from level 3 skill gen, while the latter can be obtained from level 1. Once you have these two, you can start blasting through enemies in every region. The next skills should be Unearth for minions to tank damage for you, alongside Despair and Withering Presence.

When it comes to damaging bosses, the key is to cast Contagion and then continuously follow it up with the Essence Drain skill.

Here's an overview of the skills, along with their respective support gems:

Contagion: Persistence, Unleash.
Essence Drain: Swift Affliction, Controlled Destruction, Considered Casting.
Withering Presence aura: Clarity.
Unearth: Brutality.
Despair curse spell: Heightened Curse, Decaying Hex.
Dark Effigy: Envenom, Arcane Tempo.

Once you get Despair and Dark Effigy, the skill rotation should be as follows: Despair>Essence Drain>Dark Effigy>Contagion>repeat.

Itemization for Witch leveling in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0

League starter builds do not often have a unique piece. Hence, this guide will go over some of the rare armor pieces with required affixes on them:

Wand: Spell damage, level to chaos spell skills, and cast speed.
Focus: Increased Chaos damage and level to all spell skills.
Helmet: Increased energy shield, maximum energy shield, maximum life, and resistance of your choosing.
Body armor: Maximum life and resistance.
Gloves: Maximum life and resistance.
Boots: Movement speed.
Rings: Resistances and cast speed.
Belt: Maximum life, maximum mana, and resistance.
Amulet: Level to all spell skills and spell damage.

The base intrinsic stat for all armor pieces should be Energy Shield.

Lich vs Infernalist vs Bloodmage: Which one to ascend to in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0?

Between Lich, Infernalist, and Bloodmage, go for the new Lich Ascendancy. The passive node caters heavily to the skills we are going for, alongside the minions in the endgame as well. The Necromantic Conduit grants Unholy Might, converting 100% of physical damage to Chaos damage.

Passive node progression for Witch leveling in Path of Exile 2 0.2.0

For the best passive skills while leveling your Witch, you can follow the tree as shown in the image below:

Passive skills for Witch leveling (Image via GGG/Maxroll)

In terms of prioritizing the nodes, go for Entropy first, followed by Potent Incantation and Lingering Horror. Next, before the Ascendancy, get the Open Mind and Pure Energy nodes with the two connected minor mana regeneration nodes.

Next, get the Lich Ascendancy and pick up Necromantic Conduit. For the second Ascendancy, get the Soulless Form passive. Between the first and second Ascendancy, focus on going to the top of the tree, and getting the Dark Entries passive before investing in the other nodes.

Check out our other guides on the game:

About the author

Soumyadeep is a Journalist on Esports & Gaming at Sportskeeda, specializing in Destiny 2, and Gacha games. He holds a diploma in Computer Science and is also keen on digital illustrations and motion graphic designing. He enjoys spending his free time learning new languages and digging into MMORPGs, manga, and light novels.

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Edited by Abhishek Manikandan