PoE2 Lich Class Reveal: Dawn of the Hunt Overview
Time: 2025-03-29 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide Tags: 0.2.0 Class Preview
Yesterday, March 27, 2025, Grinding Gear Games dropped the Dawn of the Hunt (Patch 0.2.0) reveal for Path of Exile 2, set to hit us on April 4. After the Amazon, Ritualist, and Smith of Kitava, it's the Witch's turn with her third ascendancy: the Lich. Infernalist and Blood Mage have been T0 titans—absolute meta monsters—and now the Lich steps up with chaos, curses, and some wild shenanigans. Can it outshine its busted siblings? MMOJUGG's here to dissect this undead powerhouse—let's dive in!
Lich: The Chaos-Cursed Undead Queen
The Lich trades mortality for mastery, sacrificing life to juice energy shields while slinging chaos and curses. Where Infernalist torches everything with fire and Blood Mage drowns foes in gore, Lich leans into a trickier, tankier vibe—think unkillable spell-slinger with a dark twist. With 100+ new uniques and support gems in Dawn of the Hunt, here's what this ascendancy's packing.
Key Notables: The Full Arsenal
The Lich's nodes mix sustain, damage, and chaos utility—some safe, some begging for exploits:
Price of Power (2-pointer): Non-channeling spells eat a power charge for 25% more damage. Power charge generation's already solid—new gems might make it trivial. A no-brainer for any spell build; 25% more is chunky for two points.
Soulless Form + Eternal Life (4-pointer): 10% damage bypasses energy shield, no innate mana regen, but you get 6% max life as mana regen per second. Eternal Life's the kicker: Life can't change while you have ES. Pair with uniques like Dane's Helm (25–30% ES bypass, corruptible) and Demonstitches (sacrifice 15% life for ES on spell cast)—if life's locked, you're taking 35% less damage and gaining ES without losing HP. Broken? Maybe—GGG might nerf it fast.
Crystalline Felactory (2-pointer): Socket a non-unique jewel with 100% increased effect; 50% more mana cost if ES is zero. ES builds laugh at the downside—jewels are stat goldmines (aura effect, chaos boosts), and doubling their power's a steal. Stack a rare jewel, and this sings.
Eldritch Empowerment (2-pointer): Non-channeling spells cost 3% max ES, deal 30% more damage. If Soulless Form's combo holds, the cost's a joke—30% more damage is absurdly efficient. Spell-slingers rejoice.
Rupture of the Soul + Blackened Heart (4-pointer): Cursed enemies you kill have a 33% chance to explode—great clear juice. Blackened Heart scales Unholy Might (30% damage as extra chaos) by 4% per 100 mana. Mana's ripe for a nerf post-Archmage, so this might be underwhelming. Still, chaos fans have options.
Necroantric Conduit + Dominion Over Flesh (4-pointer): You and allies get Unholy Might when not low on mana (lose 5% mana/sec—offset by Soulless Form's 6% regen). Dominion adds +1 curse and pierces hexproof. Double curses (Despair + Temp Chains?) on anything? That's a chaos build's wet dream.
Lich vs. Infernalist/Blood Mage: Can It Top T0?
Infernalist's a firestorm—ignite everything, scale DoTs, and melt bosses. Blood Mage bleeds and leeches, turning HP into a weapon. Both are T0 for their brainless power and scaling. Lich feels different—less “nuke now,” more “outlast and overwhelm.” Eternal Life's potential invuln trick (35% less damage, infinite ES gain) could eclipse Blood Mage's sustain, while Dominion's curse stacking might out-DPS Infernalist's raw chaos output. The price of Power and Eldritch Empowerment keep damage competitive—30% more on spells is no joke.
But here's the rub: Infernalist and Blood Mage are plug-and-play. Lich needs setup—ES stacking, charge generation, and curse synergy. If GGG lets the Soulless/Eternal combo slide, it's a defensive god; if they gut it (or nerf mana), it's just “solid.” Titan's still the Warrior King for raw might—Lich might not dethrone its Witch sisters outright, but it's got a shot at T0 quirkiness.
Meta Potential: Broken or Balanced?
The Lich screams, “Exploit me.” Eternal Life + Dane's/Demonstitches could make you untouchable—600 ES per cast off 2000 life, no HP loss? Add Eldritch's 30% more damage and Dominion's curses, and you're a chaos-spewing tank—Crystalline's jewel-doubling teases aura or stat stacking—niche but nasty. Rupture's clear is gravy. Mana nerfs might kneecap Blackened Heart, and Temper Weapon-style animation clunk could haunt any delayed buffs here.
It's not Infernalist's instant carnage or Blood Mage's self-healing blitz—it's a slower burn with a god-tier ceiling if the stars (and GGG) align. Dawn of the Hunt's new toys could push it over the edge—watch for ES or curse unique.
What's Coming?
Patch 0.2.0's numbers will settle it—energy shield scaling, jewel tweaks, and mana adjustments. The Eternal Life combo's too juicy to last unnerfed, but without it, Lich has legs: curses, more damage, and ES sustain. Builders will feast on this—chaos DoTs, curse bots, or unkillable casters. Titan's throne might be safe, but Lich could steal the Witch crown if GGG doesn't swing the hammer.
Thanks for Reading
That's the Lich straight from yesterday's Dawn of the Hunt reveal! It's a chaotic, cursed twist on the Witch—maybe not Titan-tier, but brimming with funky potential. MMOJUGG's stoked to see it unfold in Patch 0.2.0—keep posted for more!
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