Best Witch Builds in Path of Exile: A Comprehensive Guide
Path of Exile (PoE) is renowned for its deep character customization and complex gameplay mechanics, making it a favorite among action RPG enthusiasts. Among the various classes available, the Witch stands out as a versatile and powerful choice, capable of wielding a wide array of spells and magical abilities. Whether you’re a seasoned player or a newcomer, crafting the best Witch build can be a game-changer. In this guide, we’ll delve into the top Witch builds in PoE, exploring their strengths, playstyles, and the strategies to make the most out of them.
The Witch Class: A Brief Overview
Before diving into the builds, it’s essential to understand the Witch class. The Witch is a pure intelligence-based class, excelling in dealing elemental damage through spells. She is highly flexible, capable of specializing in fire, cold, or lightning magic, or even a combination of these elements. Her ascendancy classes—Elementalist, Occultist, and Necromancer—offer unique playstyles that cater to different preferences.
The Witch’s ability to manipulate the battlefield with area-of-effect spells, summon minions, or apply debilitating curses makes her a formidable opponent. However, her reliance on mana and positioning can be challenging for newer players. To maximize her potential, it’s crucial to choose the right build and optimize it with appropriate gear and passive skill tree allocations.
Top Witch Builds in Path of Exile
1. Elementalist (Fire/Cold/Lightning)
The Elementalist is a popular choice for Witch players, focusing on dealing massive elemental damage. This ascendancy class is ideal for those who enjoy a fast-paced, high-damage playstyle. By harnessing the power of fire, cold, or lightning, the Elementalist can annihilate enemies in seconds.
Key Features:
High Elemental Damage: The Elementalist excels at scaling elemental damage, making it one of the best Witch builds for mapping and boss killing.
Flexible Playstyle: Whether you prefer the explosive power of fire, the chilling grasp of cold, or the electrifying strikes of lightning, the Elementalist offers a build to suit your preference.
Summoning Skills: The Elementalist can also summon elemental minions, such as golems, to aid in combat, providing additional damage and crowd control.
Recommended Skills:
Fireball or Blazing Salvo for fire-based damage.
Ice Nova or Glacial Cascade for cold-based damage.
Arc or Lightning Tendrils for lightning-based damage.
2. Occultist (Curses and Chaos Damage)
The Occultist is a more sinister take on the Witch class, focusing on curses and chaos damage. This build is perfect for players who enjoy manipulating the battlefield and applying debilitating effects to enemies.
Key Features:
Curses: The Occultist can apply multiple curses simultaneously, weakening enemies and making them more vulnerable to damage.
Chaos Damage: This build excels at dealing chaos damage, which is particularly effective against high-health enemies and bosses.
Summoning: The Occultist can summon wandering spirits to deal additional damage and distract enemies.
Recommended Skills:
Bane for applying multiple curses at once.
Essence Drain or Contagion for chaos damage over time.
Summon Chaos Golem for additional damage and crowd control.
3. Necromancer (Summoning and Minion Damage)
The Necromancer is the ultimate summoner build for the Witch class, focusing on raising an army of undead minions to do your bidding. This build is ideal for players who enjoy a more passive playstyle, letting their minions handle the bulk of the combat.
Key Features:
Minion Army: The Necromancer can summon a variety of minions, including zombies, skeletons, and golems, to overwhelm enemies.
Minion Damage Scaling: This build focuses on scaling minion damage and survivability, making it one of the tankiest Witch builds in the game.
Corpse Utilization: The Necromancer can use corpses to fuel powerful spells and abilities, adding an extra layer of strategy to the playstyle.
Recommended Skills: