Path of Exile 2 | Witch Build Guide

I was pretty nervous at the start of running this build. It felt just a bit slow while coming online, so early-stage survival was fairly rough. The more I continued, the more the build came together, and the more astonished I was at what was possible from it. 

Bursts of health, energy shield, and mana- this build is really a powerhouse. When I finally hit the sweet spot, I was doing around 3,000 HP, 1,500 energy shield, comfortable in the knowledge that I wasn't going to get one-shot by bosses anymore. Walking into bands of mobs and just wiping them off the floor was never this good.

The Arc Blood Mage really comes into his own when it comes to dealing damage in spurts to keep you safe while you're working out those hazardous monster dynamics. Okay, it wasn't the fastest build to get going-it didn't really feel effective until Act 3-but, boy, was the payoff ever worth it. If you like a good challenge and the thrill of playing a somewhat riskier but super-rewarding build, this is it.

Skill and Gems

Arc is an important gem in my build since this has always been my highest priority. This is a lightning-based skill that chain attacks enemies, destroying packs in seconds. In supporting Arc, I would slot in such gems as Lightning Penetration to shred through enemy resistances, unleash for quick casting of spells, and Controlled Destruction for bigger hits when casting spells. All this allows me to just unleash these hurtful bursts of damage and then move on fast to the next target.

This makes it even more useful, especially when used with things like Orb of Storms with Magnified Effect for better area coverage and Controlled Destruction for increased damage. Coming a bit later in the game, another quite important component is Mana Tempest. It will severely increase damage at the price of your very fast mana and health drain. To counter it, I used precise positioning, timed bursts, and fast dodging between spells.

I support my build with a lot of supportive talents: Grim Feast restores energy shields by collecting life bits from defeated mobs. Similarly, Life Remnants and Mana Remnants make sure that my reserves stay full during elongated battles. Clarity and Vitality are my picks for mana and life sustain, respectively. The balance here means I can keep casting throughout a fight without depleting my resources.

Gear and Equipment

My staff's been the backbone of this build; additional spell damage and increased chaining for Arc-the usual. Served well, but I know an upgrade is going to see me significantly increase my damage. I am looking forward to getting better gloves and rings that'll further help with resistance, characteristics, and survivability.

Among my clothes, surely, my boots are the standout sort of item. Great movement speed, life, mana, and resists-they have been a real game-changer for me and made it tenfold easier to avoid mechanics. The second would be my belt for the flash regeneration, HP regen, and resists. Everything else is quite solid, like the chest and helm, though there is surely a lot of room for an upgrade with exalted orbs and better rolls.

Skill Tree and Ascendancy Options

This is a super-focused build concerning the trees for lightning damage, crit, and survivability. Most nodes give incremental values in spell damage, cast speed, and Energy Shield in order for the character to be survivable and capable of kills. The important nodes will include increased Lightning Penetration, increased Critical Spell Chance, and increased Energy Shield.

My ascendancies are based on the archetype of Blood Mage. I started with Sanguine Mastery, which gives more survivability due to better resource management. The biggest priority after that will be Base Crit Chance ascendancy, which increases Arc's base crit chance from 9% to 15%, skyrocketing the overall damage of it. This tweak alone will double or even triple my critical hits, increasing my damage output dramatically.

Playing Style and Strategical Surviving 

The Arc Blood Mage is a heavy investment into strategic gameplay. Most bosses demand minute evasions with short bursts of damage. I usually set up Mana Tempest, Unleash, and move out of the way before they retaliate. It's almost like a hit-and-run to keep me safe but manage to take out some of those tougher enemies.

Mapping feels as smooth as Arc chains through monsters, clearing huge packs with ease. The build really relies very heavily on mobility, so it is very important to invest much in movement speed to avoid mechanics, too.

Challenges and Further Plans

This Arc Blood Mage is super rewarding to play, but bear in mind that it has some quite big caveats: It's going to be super dependent on good mechanic knowledge and gear optimization, skill tree design included; it feels super slow or super fragile early on; and the drop for upgrades such as jewels and better gear will be super low.

Much later down the track, I'd perfect my gears: Putting in much more focus on Jewel sockets, investigating Nodes like Whispers of Doom to bring more Curse utility, doing research upgrades to Ascendancy, adding in staff for that much-needed increase in overall damage and survivability.

Final Remarks

It has become one of my favorite builds to play despite a steep learning curve and initial hurdles in understanding. The Arc Blood Mage is really fast-paced, does a huge amount of damage, and is able to survive confrontation-really exciting for anyone who's prepared to put in the time and effort required to master this build.

Give it a go if you want an unusual build that is somewhat entertaining and powerful in its way. This guy was funny to see grow bigger, so I’m curious to see just how big he will get.

Also, check our Path of Exile 2 Review and other guides below:

• Path of Exile 2 Class Guide | Which Class Should You Pick
• Path of Exile 2 | Monk Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Warrior Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 Beginner's Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Ranger Build Guide
• Path of Exile 2 | Mercenary Build