Lich is one of the Ascendancies for the Witch class inPath of Exile 2’s first League, Dawn of the Hunt. It’s a very interesting class that brings major changes on how to build the class, but also a brand new gameplay which is quite fun.

Additionally, the Lich Ascendancy is extremely powerful, and it can deal a lot of damage both in the early game as well as in the late game. If you’re one of those players who is looking to play the Lich, here’s a build guide that will cover all the necessary details.

Witch class overview screen in Path of Exile 2.

While the Lich build is very strong, Path of Exile 2 is still in Early Access and builds will get nerfed or buffed once the full game launches at somepoint in the future.

Lich Overview

SinceLich is an Ascendancy of the Witch, your groundwork will be done on the base class itself until you unlock the upgrade. This means you will have to go through Act One playing as the base Witch until you unlock Lich in Act 2, and even then, most of your power will come from the upgrades to the base class.

The mosticonic part of the Witch is the ability to summon minionsand play as a Necromancer. While that is still a key part of the gameplay, this timeyou’ll be focused on Damage Over Time, also known as DoT, and focus mainly onChaos damage by using Chaos skills.

Contagion skill overview in Path of Exile 2.

You will afflict the enemies with spells likeContagionand then shut them down withChaos BoltandEssence Drain. While you do this, your minions, such asSkeletal ArsonistandSkeletal Sniper, will deal damage from a distance, making the game very easy.

One of the issues that several players have faced in Dawn of the Hunt is that the early game has been rough. While some of the patches have improved on the pain points,defeating bosses like Jamnara and Geonor can still be difficult for an average player.

Lich class display in Path of Exile 2

The Chaos Witch build and eventually its upgrade into Lich solves that problem, sinceyou just drain through the boss’s HP with ease. Apart from making the campaign clear incredibly quick, yourmapping will also become quite efficient, thereby making the DoT Lich build one of the strongest in the game.

If you want, you can completely skip all the minion aspects and solely focus on Chaos DoT damage. However, one of the problems that the Witch runs into quite a lot is survivability. As such,running Minions will help you survivesince enemies will occasionally get drawn towards them, which will provide breathing room to heal or recover your shield.

Witch passive skill tree in Path of Exile 2.

Lich Build Leveling Guide

TheLich will have the smoothest levelingyou might have ever witnessed so far in Path of Exile 2, since most of your key skills are acquired very early, and they deal a lot of damage to enemies.

Act 1

In Act One, you will be primarily focusing on using Contagion and Essence Drainas much as possible. You will tag enemies with Contagion and then hit enemies with Essence Drain, and everyone will die. You will need to attachMagnified Effect and Arcane Tempoto ContagionandChain and Swift Affliction to Essence Drain.

You will also unlockSkeletal Sniper and Skeletal Arsonist in Act One, though it is recommended you use the latter more than the former for the time being.Attach Martial Tempo to Skeletal Arsonist as well.

Witch Chaos build in Path of Exile 2.

You’ll alsoneed the Unearth skill as it will come in quite handyas you progress. Finally,defeat the King of the Mists boss to unlock your first Uncut Spirit Gemand get the skillWithering Presence.

The rest of the Gems you get in Act One can be used to upgrade Contagion and Essence Drain as much as possible for even more DPS. Here’s how your skills will look towards the end of Act One:

Unearth

Act 2

Once you enter Act Two, most of the time will be spent going through the campaign, especially the early section, sincethe next upgrades will take a while. Once you start unlockingUncut Skill Gem Nine, you’ll have to unlockDespair and Dark Effigy, both of which are very important skills.

You will also need to attachWithering Touch and Acceleration to Dark EffigyandHeightened Curse to Despair. TheLich Ascendancy will also be unlocked in Act Two,and you will unlock theLife and Soulless Form nodes.

Here’s how your skills will look towards the end of Act Two:

Act 3

In Act Three, this same build will continue,but you will look to enhance its strength even further. Unlocknew slots for both Essence Drain and ContagionwithLesser Jeweller’s Orband attachUnleash and Considered Casting respectively. You’ll also receive one more Uncut Spirit Gem here, and you canunlock the skill Blasphemy.

You’ll need toattach Ritualistic Curseto this skill and leave it like that for the time being. The rest of the skill gems can be used to level up the ones you are using. Complete Trial of Chaos and furtherupgrade the Lich Ascendancyby unlockingEnergy Shield and Eldritch Empowerment.

Here’s how your skills will look like at the end of Act Three:

Cruel Mode and Mapping

In Cruel Mode,the two skills you will need are Temporal Chains and Blink. The second one can be unlocked by an Uncut Spirit Gem, but you won’t be able to do so until Cruel Mode. You can also remove Skeletal Arsonist, but make sure Unearth is still there, since you can resurrect corpses that will help you in fights.

Make sure toattach Ingenuity to Blink. Here’s how your skills will look at the end of Cruel Mode and will also be your Mapping setup:

Ingenuity

Passive Skill Tree

When it comes to the Passive Skill Tree,you will focus on both Minion Health as well as Chaos Damage in the early game. Intelligence will be your primary stat focus, but you will need a few points in Dexterity to attach certain Support Gems like Chain and Swift Affliction. you’re able to solve this issue with high Dexterity on your armor pieces.

Once you reach theendgame, completelyfocus on Chaos Damage as you will get rid of all the minion skills. Additionally, you will also need skills that amplify Spell Damage, so pick up any node that focuses on those.

Gear Requirement

Tips To Play Lich

Playing this build is very simple asin the early game let your minions tank the bossesand other enemies while you use Contagion and Essence Drain to deal damage. Eventually, as you unlock more skills,you will first use Contagion and Essence Drain, then follow it with Despair and Dark Effigy.

Against basic mobs, you won’t need Dark Effigy as it will mostly come in handy against bosses. Finally,whenever you feel you are in danger, use Blink to dodgeand protect yourself, especially in the late game.