The Lich Witch Ascendancy storms into Path of Exile 2 with the Dawn of the Hunt update, bringing a chaotic twist to the witch's toolkit. This third Ascendancy option blends energy shield mastery, curse synergy, and some wild mechanics that could redefine how you approach Wraeclast. In this guide, we'll dissect each branch, explore synergies, and throw out build ideas to help you harness this undead powerhouse. Whether you're a theorycrafting fiend or just curious, let's dive into the madness!
Crystalline Refractory: Jewel Powerhouse
Kicking things off, this two-point branch lands you a jewel socket with a twist: Crystalline Refractory doubles the effect of any non-unique basic jewel you slot in (100% increased effect) while slapping a 50% more mana cost penalty if your energy shield (ES) hits zero. Slide in your best rare jewel - think high-damage or defensive mods - and watch it shine twice as bright. The catch? You need ES to avoid mana problems, in keeping with the Lich's ES-centric theme. It's versatile enough for any build, but crafting a top-tier gem for this socket isn't cheap - but it's worth it for the boost.
Cursed Branch: Explosions and Control
The four-point Cursed Branch on the left is a mapper's dream. Rupture the Soul gives cursed foes killed by you or your allies a 33% chance to explode, dealing 25% of their maximum health as chaos damage - hello, chain-clearing! Pair this with automated curses like Blasphemy (boosted by a 25% increased Curse AoE from small nodes), or smooth it out with Windscream for instant self-casts. The capstone, Domination of Flesh, allows you to cast an additional curse and makes curses stick to hexproof foes. Stack an offensive curse for damage or a defensive one like Temporal Chains - either way, you're in control.
Unholy Might Branch: Chaos for All
Next, the Unholy Might four-point branch redefines the buff (now 30% of all damage as extra chaos damage—stronger than PoE 1's version). Necrotic Conduit gives you and nearby allies this buff as long as you're above 35% mana, but you lose 5% of your maximum mana per second. Minion builds love this - your skeletons get a chaotic kick - but you'll need mana sustain. Base regen (4% max mana/sec) needs a 25% boost to break even, plus extra for spellcasting. The big payoff? Blackened Heart scales Unholy Power (4% per 100 max mana). At 1,500 mana, that's 48% extra Chaos damage - stack it with intelligence or mana gear like Eternal Gaze for a crazy return.
Eldritch Empowerment: ES-Fueled Damage
This two-point notable screams damage: Eldritch Empowerment adds 30% more damage to non-channeling spells, costs 3% of maximum ES per cast, and keeps ES recharge rolling even when spent. It's a solid boost when recharge is up (masking the cost), but when it's down - say, after a hit - that ES drain stings. Without Grim Feast (likely to be nerfed soon), ES recovery gets tricky. One workaround? Zealous Oath plus Health regeneration to keep ES dripping-risky, but it might save you from mana/ES starvation mid-fight.
Price of Power: Charge Chomper
On the flip side, Price of Power (another two-pointer) consumes Power Charges for 25% more damage on non-channeling spells. It's a hefty multiplier, but it eats up charges on every cast - even utility spells like Curses. Perpetual Charge support can preserve some charges, while Profusion support juices up generation. Mix in channeling spells (which are unaffected) to build up charges, then unleash non-channeling chaos bombs. Charge management is key - don't get caught empty-handed.
Soulless Form & Eternal Life: The Crazy Combo
Now the right four-point branch goes wild. Soulless Form ditches the inherent mana regen (4% max mana) for 6% of max life as mana regen per second, lets 10% of damage bypass ES, and sets up Eternal Life: your life can't change while you have ES. At the starting point (2,000-2,500 life), that's 120-150 mana/sec - enough to make up for the 75 mana/sec loss from Necrotic Conduit (at 1,500 mana) with some left over. If the mana regeneration mods don't scale it (which they probably won't, given the "equal to" wording), then life scaling becomes your focus.
Then Eternal Life flips the script. That 10% bypass? It tries to hit life but can't, effectively reducing damage taken by 10% while ES holds. Items like Serial Disdain (if it keeps the bypass post-nerf) or Black Doubt (DoT bypass) could amplify this - potentially making you DoT-immune with ES up. One-shots? Probably strip ES first, then kill if life is exposed - safer design-wise. Poison and Bleeding may also fizzle out, unable to touch life. Blood Magic or Demon Stitcher? Either you 'spend' life without losing it, or you can't cast - FAQ pending, but the potential is crazy.
Theorycraft Build Ideas to Spark Chaos
Curse Mapper: Stack Rupture the Soul with Blasphemy Curses, Crystalline Refractory with a Chaos Jewel and ES gear. Clear packs with explosions while staying tanky.
Mana stacker: Max mana with Blackened Heart, Necrotic Conduit and Soulless Form. Use Everlasting Gaze for ES and Chaos damage scaling minions or spells, your choice.
ES Tank: Lean into Eternal Life, Zealous Oath, and Health Regen. Pair with Eldritch Empowerment for spell damage and dodge hits.
Charge Blaster: Price of Power with Charge Generation (Profusion, Channeling spells) and Crystalline Refractory. Shatter bosses with non-channeling chaos hits.
Thanks for Reading
The Lich Witch in Path of Exile 2 is a chaotic marvel—part ES juggernaut, part curse maestro, part mad experiment. With Dawn of the Hunt on the horizon, test these ideas, tweak your playstyle, and keep an eye on MMOJUGG for more Wraeclast wisdom!
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