Path of Exile 2: New Features of the Witch Class

If you’re a fan of Path of Exile and excited for POE 2, then you’re probably wondering what’s up with the Witch class. Well, good news: the Witch is coming back, but with some big changes that make it feel fresh and different from what we’ve seen before. Let’s dive into what’s new with the Witch, how it’s changed, and what makes it stand out in POE 2.

What’s New with the Witch?

First things first, the Witch is still an Intelligence-based class, but her role has shifted a bit. In the original POE, the Witch was known for her elemental spells and lightning-fast nukes. Now, with the new Sorceress class taking over the elemental side, the Witch is focusing more on Chaos Damage and summoning minions—think dark magic and raising an army of the dead. It’s like the Witch is embracing her spooky, occult side.

Sceptre Weapon 
One of the coolest updates is the new weapon: the Sceptre. This is going to be the Witch’s main tool for summoning minions. Early on, the Sceptre lets you summon Skeletal Warriors and provides Spirit, which you’ll need to fuel your army. So instead of constantly running out of mana to resummon your minions like in the original game, the Sceptre makes it a lot smoother. As you level up, the Sceptre gets more powerful, allowing you to summon even stronger minions. Plus, you can craft mods on it to boost your Spirit.

Auto Revive for Minions 
Let’s face it: anyone who’s played a summoner build knows the pain of having to resummon your minions every time they die. Well, POE 2 has made things easier with the Auto Revive mechanic. This means your minions will come back to life on their own after they die—no need for constant micromanaging. However, temporary minions, like those from certain skills, won’t revive, so you’ll still need to keep an eye on them.

Commands 
Now, here’s where things get interesting: POE 2 introduces a new system called Commands, which lets you control your minions more actively. You can tell them to move to specific locations, attack certain enemies, or even interact with the environment, like opening doors. Some skills also have special effects that you can trigger with commands, giving you even more control over your minions. It’s all about making you feel like a true necromancer in control of your undead army.

Key Skills for the Witch

If you’re planning to play as the Witch, you’ll be using a lot of new and old skills. Most of them will either summon minions or deal Chaos damage. Here are some highlights:

Contagion: A cool DoT skill that infects enemies and spreads when they die, dealing more damage as it spreads to others.

Skeletal Warrior: Summon a basic warrior to fight for you.

Skeletal Sniper: A ranged summon that can shoot a gas arrow, dealing damage over time to enemies in the area.

Essence Drain: A single-target DoT skill that hits hard and can spread if the target is infected with Contagion.

Unearth: A skill that launches spikes from the ground, creating Bone Constructs when you kill enemies or hit their corpses.

There are tons of other cool minions and support skills, like Bone Cage, Raise Zombie, and Skeletal Frost Mage, so you’ll have lots of ways to customize your build. Whether you want a huge army or just a few powerful minions, there are plenty of options to play around with.

Summoner or Self-Cast?

One of the great things about the Witch is that you can choose how you want to play. You can go full summoner and let your army do all the fighting, or you can focus on self-casting and use powerful Chaos Damage spells like Contagion and Essence Drain to deal massive damage over time. It’s totally up to you! Want to hang back and let your minions tank all the hits? Go for it. Prefer to cast spells and control the battlefield yourself? That works too. The Witch offers a ton of flexibility.

What About Ascendancies?

We don’t have all the details yet, but we know the Witch will have three different Ascendancy options. Given the Witch’s focus on Chaos Damage and Summons, it’s likely that one Ascendancy will enhance your minion gameplay, while the others will focus on boosting your Chaos or Poison damage for a self-cast build. Once we know more, we’ll update you, but the possibilities are pretty exciting!

Final Thoughts

The Witch class in Path of Exile 2 is shaping up to be a really fun and versatile class. With new features like Auto Revive for minions, Commands, and a focus on Chaos Damage and occult magic, it’s going to feel different from the original POE, but still familiar. Whether you’re into commanding an army of undead or casting powerful Chaos spells, the Witch has something for everyone.

If you love the idea of summoning minions to do your bidding while you focus on debuffing enemies and dealing damage, the Witch is going to be a blast. And with all the quality-of-life improvements, it’s a great pick for both new players and veterans alike. Hardcore players may enjoy keeping the Witch safe while the minions do the heavy work. Overall, if you also like strategic summoner games, come and check it out at u4gm, we'll accompany you in POE 2 battle.