This is a leveling build for the Witch in Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2)'s Dawn of the Hunt Update that uses Skeletal Arsonist, Flamewall, and Raging Spirits to finish Act 3. Check out this Witch leveling build, including its progression, equipment, socketables, skills, playstyle, and recommended builds!

Witch Build Summary

Arsonist Minion Witch Leveling Build

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Arsonist Minion Build
Arsonist Minion Build
Very easy to play Outputs consistent DPS Strong against mobs and bosses Some enemies will ignore your minions Fire resistant enemies may take longer to kill Reliant on gear for extra spirit

Arsonist Minion Build
Arsonist Minion Build
Very easy to play Outputs consistent DPS Strong against mobs and bosses Some enemies will ignore your minions Fire resistant enemies may take longer to kill Reliant on gear for extra spirit

Arsonist Minion Build
Arsonist Minion Build
Very easy to play Outputs consistent DPS Strong against mobs and bosses Some enemies will ignore your minions Fire resistant enemies may take longer to kill Reliant on gear for extra spirit

This build ramps up very early, and takes off as soon as you defeat the King in the Mists to get your first uncut Spirit Gem. This allows you to use the Raging Spirits skill, which will skyrocket your DPS output.

The second act provides Flammability, which increases the damage output of your Serial Arsonists and Raging Spirits. It's also where you get your first Ascendancy points, giving you access to the Infernal Hellhound if you choose to go Infernalist. Other Ascendancies can continue to use this build into the third act, as the damage from both passive nodes and Skill Gems is enough to get you through to the end.

There won't be many changes to the build in the third act, other than the ability to socket more support gems provided by Jeweler's Orb and getting more Spirit sources to put more Serial Arsonists out in the field.

Build FAQs (Optional)

How Do I Manage My Spirit?

Early on, your minions would be limited by how much Spirit you have. Ideally, your Skeletal Warriors would be provided by your scepter, freeing up your spirit reserves for offensive minions.

Experiment with your minions to see how many offensive minions you can get away with and how many frontline Skeletal Warriors you need, but ideally, you would only need those that are provided with the sceptre.

Arsonist Minion Witch Equipment

Equipment
Weapon					Helmet						Offhand
					Body Armour
Gloves						Belt				Boots
Health Flask			Ring 1			Amulet				Ring 2			Mana Flask

Weapons

Throughout all the acts, your main weapon will primarily be a sceptre. Preferably, the sceptre you would use would roll useful modifiers such as increased level to All Minion Spells, and percentage bonuses to your Spirit.

Keep an eye on these stats as they are the primary sources of DPS increase, as the Arsosnist Minion build does not benefit from Socketed Weapons.

List of Weapons

Armor

Survivability would be the main priority, so stacking lots of Cold Resist in the first act is preferred to make the fight against Geonor a little easier, but not required.

For Acts II through III, focus on the pieces that give you the most survivability. Health and Energy Shield will be your first priority, with Elemental Resistances coming in second.

You would only really start to focus on specific stats towards the endgame as you gain more Ascendancy Points and your chosen build becomes more fleshed out, so don't hesitate to change items often as you only need to look for specific stats towards the end.

List of Armors

Accessories

None of the ring modifiers can directly affect minion damage. As a result, the focus of rings is solely on life and elemental resistances. Increasing the rarity of items you find is a good modifier to have, but not necessary for progression at this point.

Solar Amulet

The Solar Amulet has an implicit stat that provides a bonus to Spirit, allowing you to summon more minions. This makes it the best option for a minion-centric build, as it is one of the few ways to increase your overall DPS.
List of Amulets

Runes and Soul Cores

Equipment	Sockets
Weapon	-
Armor	Desert Rune Glacial Rune Storm Rune

If you come across any equipment with sockets, slot a rune with the elemental resistance you're currently lacking into it. Balance them out and use runes to supplement any elemental resistances you may be deficient in.

Minions do not benefit from weapon runes, with the exception of Soul Core of Quipolatl, which provides some Spirit. Even then, Sceptres provide the most base Spirit, making them the best option for Minion builds despite the lack of sockets.

Note that you can finish the leveling phase of the game without socketing any runes at all, so feel free to save them for later if you have no survivability issues.

Charms

Sapphire Charm	・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second
Topaz Charm	・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second
Antidote Charm	・Increased Charges ・Gain Charges Per Second

Realistically, your amulet choices will be limited, but there are three charms you can get to help you against the act bosses.

Sapphire Charm

The Sapphire Charm provides an implicit Cold Damage resist buff that allows you to withstand Count Geonor's attacks a little better if you get hit. This can be obtained consistently on every playthrough by talking to Finn after defeating the King in the Mists.

Topaz and Antidote Charms

The Topaz Charm is used against the Act II boss, Jamanra, and the Antidote Charm is used for most of Act III. These charms are tailored to these encounters and are completely optional, provided the player can consistently dodge enemy attacks.

List of All Charms

Arsonist Minion Witch Skills

※ The Support Gems' priority are arranged in a descending order. The first one being the most important and the last being the least crucial.

Act 1

Act 2

Act 3

Skill	Support Gems
Skeletal Warrior	Meat Shield Last Gasp
Skeletal Sniper	-
Unearth	Brutality
Flame Wall	Fortress Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist	Scattershot
Raging Spirits	Fire Infusion
Pain Offering	Persistence Elemental Army
Enfeeble	-

The build starts out strong from the get go, and it's core mechanics will retain it's core mechanics from the the first Act to the last, with just upgrades in between.

• Skeletal Warriors will mainly serve as frontline tanks and will not do the most damage out of all your minions..
• Skeletal Sniper will be the first skill gem you use, and will serve as a stopgap until you gain access to Skeletal Arsonist.
• Unearth will be the primary damage skill coming from the witch, with the main goal of raising additional minions by using it on fallen enemy corpses.
• Flamewall itself is used not to deal damage, but to buff projectiles thrown by your Skeletal Arsonists and to summon your Raging Spirits per cast.
• Your Skeletal Arsonist will be one of your main DPS tools, replacing the Skeletal Sniper as soon as you get access to it. Use as many as you can, as much as your Spirit reserves allow. It works well with Unearth in the early game. You can detonate a lot of Bone Construct minions because they are expendable.
• Raging Spirits is your other damage skill that attacks enemies for a short duration. You can summon a maximum of 10 at a time, but they don't last long, so be sure to recast Flamewall when they're about to expire to maintain maximum uptime.
• Pain Offering is used to buff all of your minions for a short duration, acting as a burst window. Use it on enemies that won't go down easily, such as bosses or elite mobs.
• Enfeeble is used to debuff a single or a pack of dangerous enemies, reducing the damage they inflict on you or your minions. If you and your minions have no trouble mowing down your enemies, feel free to skip this skill.

Skill	Support Gems
Summon Infernal Hound	Meat Shield Elemental Army
Skeletal Warrior	Meat Shield Last Gasp
Flammability	Persistence
Flame Wall	Fortress Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist	Scattershot
Raging Spirits	Fire Infusion
Pain Offering	Persistence Elemental Army
Raise Zombie	-

For the second act, you will gain new skills and drop others as they become less effective.

• Summon Infernal Hound will be the first skill you get once you finish the Trial of Sekhemas and get your first Ascendancy points. Aside from serving as your frontliner, your Infernal Hound ignites the enemies close to it.
• Flammability is great for increasing the damage you deal to more resilient targets or elite mobs that are resistant to fire. Persistence is great for bosses, as you would need to use it less often for longer fights, while Magnified Effect is a gem that excels in mobbing, but is optional at this point, as you would have no trouble mowing them down at this time.
• Raise Zombie is a nice skill to have when you need additional frontline minions. There may be situations where your Skeletal Warriors are insufficient for tanking because you cannot upgrade your weapon at the moment, and Raise Zombie can alleviate that problem during mobbing. It's completely optional if you don't think you'll need it, just keep in mind that you might not have any corpses to use during bossing.

Skill	Support Gems
Summon Infernal Hound	Meat Shield Elemental Army
Skeletal Warrior	Meat Shield Last Gasp
Flammability	Persistence
Flame Wall	Fortress Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist	Scattershot Fire Penetration Martial Tempo
Raging Spirits	Fire Infusion Fire Penetration
Pain Offering	Persistence Elemental Army
Skeletal Cleric	Arcane Tempo Ingenuity

For Act III, you would gain access to a new minion as well as tier 2 support gems, but the overall core aspects of the build remain the same.

• Skeletal Cleric is for minion longevity, making sure your frontline minions last long enough for your other offensive minions to take down your enemies.
• Fire Penetration is an excellent support gem for your offensive minions, accelerating takedowns against fire-resistant targets.

List of Skills

Arsonist Minion Witch Passive Tree

Passive Tree Progression

Passive Nodes
1.	Raw Destruction	2.	Vile Mending
3.	Necrotic Touch	4.	-

Minion builds are fairly straightforward, as the passives needed to strengthen minions both offensively and defensively are easily seen on the passive tree with the word Minion in the description. As such, passives that benefit minions are prioritized.

The path starts out in the left side, taking minor minion damage nodes until you reaach the Raw Destruction node, providing a huge increase to all the damage that minions deal. Get Power of the Dead for more damage, then go right and get Dampening, Pure Energy, and Melding for survivability.

The same principle applies to the Vile Mending and Necrotic Touch nodes, which is to maximize the damage you get from minions while taking survivability nodes along the way.

Passive Skill Tree Guide and List of Passives

Arsonist Minion Witch Progression

Act 1 Progression

To progress through Act 1 and beat Count Geonor using the Arsonist Minion leveling build, follow these steps:

#	Step by Step Guide to Act 1 Leveling
1	Equip Unearth and defeat The Bloated Miller .
2	Head for the Mysterious Campsite at Clearfell to get a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in Brutality .
3	Defeat Beira of the Rotten Pack to obtain Head of the Winter Wolf for the Cold Resistance to prepare against Count Geonor.
4	Complete Treacherous Ground to get another Level 1 Uncut Support Gem and slot in Fortress .
5	Proceed to Grelwood and defeat Areagne, Forgotten Witch to get an extra Level 1 Uncut Support Gem. Note: Make sure to loot the Witch Hut to get Medium Flasks.
6	Defeat The Brambleghast to get a Level 2 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade your Unearth . Note: Replace Skeletal Sniper with Skeletal Arsonist as soon as you get a Level 3 Uncut Support Gem
7	Defeat The Rust King to get a Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem and replace Skeletal Sniper with Skeletal Arsonist .
8	Progress to The Grim Tangle and defeat The Rotten Druid to obtain another extra Level 1 Uncut Support Gem.
9	Look for the Haunted Treasure Inside the Tomb of the Consort to acquire a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem. Note: Make sure to make a Spell Cascade support gem and equip it to your Flame Wall skill if you don't have one yet at this point.
10	Defeat The Crowbell at the Hunting Grounds to obtain a Book of Specialisation for additional passive points. Note: Look for the Dryadic Ritual in this area to get an extra level 1 Uncut Support Gem.
11	Search and complete your first Ritual in the same area to get a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use this to upgrade your Skeletal Arsonist.
12	Enter Freythorn to defeat The King in the Mists for +30 Spirit and a Level 4 Uncut Spirit Gem . Note: Equip Raging Spirits as soon as you obtain the Level 4 Uncut Spirit Gem from Finn. When prompted, select the Sapphire Charm as your Charm Reward.
13	Complete The Lost Lute at the Ogham Farmlands to obtain a Book of Specialisation for more passive points. Note: Search for the Crop Circle in this area to defeat Vargir the Feral Mutt and obtain a Level 4 Uncut Skill Gem and use it to upgrade Skeletal Arsonist .
14	Proceed to Ogham Village and defeat The Executioner to free Leitis and acquire a Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem.
15	Head for The Manor Ramparts and look for The Gallows to get a free Uncut Support Gem.
16	Search and defeat the Candlemass, the Living Rite at Ogham Manor to get the Candlemass' Essence for the free +20 Maximum Life.
17	Continue and defeat Count Geonor to complete Act 1. Note: Make sure you have Medium Flasks since this boss fight has 2 Phases so you will be spending a good amount of time learning and surviving.

Complete Act 1 Walkthrough

Act 2 Progression

To progress through Act 2 and beat Jamanra, the Abomination using the Arsonist Minion leveling build, follow these steps:

#	Steps
1	Complete the Earning Passage quest for a Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem .
2	Defeat Balbala, The Traitor to gain access to The Trial of Sekhemas. Ascendancy: You can attempt to finish the Sekhema's Trial to get your first Ascendancy Skill: ┣ Infernalist : Upon picking the Infernalist, it is recommended to get Summon Infernal Hellhound for minion builds, and the "Demon Form" node for Demon Form builds. ┗ Blood Mage : Bloodmages should opt to take the Saguimancy skill with their first few points. ┗ Lich minion builds can take the Rupture the Soul node.
3	Clear Mobs in Keth until you get the Kabala Clan Relic .
4	Defeat Kabala, Constrictor Queen to get a Book of Specialisation .
5	Defeat The Ninth Treasure of Keth in the Galleria for a random Jewel.
6	Locate the Golden Tomb for an Uncut Spirit Gem Level 7. Note: Use this spirt gem to level your Raging Spirits skill to level 7.
7	Open the Guarded Sarcophagus for a Level 1. Uncut Support Gem .
8	Three Elemental Offering Ring choices: Ruby Ring, Sapphire Ring, and Topaz Ring for flame, cold, and lightning resistance respectively. It is recommended to choose the Topaz Ring to prepare for Jamanra, the Abomination .
9	Clear The City of Seven Waters for an Uncut Support Gem.
10	Destroy the Effigy located in the Shrine of Bones for a Level 1 Uncut Support Gem .
11	Clear Mobs in The Bone Pits until you get the Sun Clan Relic .
12	Complete A Theft of Ivory quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 1.
13	Place both Relics in the Valley of Titans to complete the Ancient Vows quest. Note: Choose the Sun Clan relic for increased mana recovery.
14	Complete A Crown of Stone quest for an Uncut Support Gem Level 1.
15	Complete the Tradition's Toll quest to get a Book of Specialisation .
16	Defeat the Watchful Twins for a Djinn Barya .

Complete Act 2 Walkthrough

Act 3 Progression

To progress through Act 3 and beat Doryani using the Arsonist Minion leveling build, follow these steps:

#	Steps
1	Defeat Rootdredge to get Uncut Skill Gem Level 9 and use it to level your Skeletal Arsonist .
2	Loot the basket found in the Orok Campfire to get a Lesser Jeweller's Orb and use it on Skeletal Arsonist .
3	Defeat the Mighty Silverfist for a Book of Specialisation .
4	Complete The Slithering Dead to get the Venom Draught of the Lost . It is recommended to take Mana Regeneration for more mana sustainability in the endgame.
5	Interact with the Ravaged Corpse in the Jungle Grave to get a rare Belt. Take the Linen Belt for more increased mana recovery when using flasks.
6	Defeat Ignagduk, the Bog Witch for 30 Spirit and Uncut Spirit Gem Lvl 10 and use it to level your Raging Spirits .
7	Submit the Tribal Vengeance to get a charm. Choose the for increased defenses against Poison.
8	Blackjaw, the Remnant for +10% Fire Resistance. Note: The Infernalist Ascendancy benefits greatly from increased Fire Resistance thanks to Altered Flesh, so be sure not to neglect this boss.
9	Use the Paquate's Mechanism to Corrupt gear. Try corrupting a scepter, but make sure to keep a spare in case the corrupted one does not yield a good roll.
10	Obtain an Uncut Spirit Gem Lvl 10 from Treasures of Utzaal.
11	Offer the Mushrooms in Apex of Filth to obtain Ultimate Mana Flask and Ultimate Life Flask .
12	Use the Sacrificial Heart for Weapon Set Skill Points.

Complete Act 3 Walkthrough

Arsonist Minion Witch Playstyle

Skill Rotations

※ Press on what type you are fighting for a more detailed explanation on the playstyle and skill rotation.

Type	Skill Rotation
Mobbing	2x
Bossing and Elites	▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

Mobbing

For general mobbing, two casts of Flamewall will suffice to reach the maximum of 10 Raging Spirits. Your minions will take care of the rest, just be sure not to miss out on any important loot as you blaze through the map.

Bossing and Elites

For bosses or elite packs, you can open up fights with this rotation.

• Use your first Flamewall to summon your first wave of Raging Spirits.
• Follow up with Flammability to reduce their resistances.
• Cast Flamewall a seccond time to reach the Raging Spirit cap.
• Use Pain Offering to empower all of your minions.
• Cast Enfeeble to lower your opponent's damage.

Keep in mind that dodging boss attacks is a top priority, so do not hesitate to deviate from the rotation, especially to prioritize Flamewall to maintain the uptime of Raging Spirits.

Arsonist Minion Witch Recommended Builds

After completing Act 3, these are the recommended build options that will allow you to progress through the Cruel Mode and clear the Endgame pinnacle content:

Lich Necromancer

Lich Necromancer NEW

Focus: Minion, Chaos, AoE, Curse

If you would like to transition into the new Lich ascendancy while focusing on minions, we recommend using our Lich Necromancer build. Just make sure to save up some Gold so you can respec your passive tree easily.

Cast on Ignite Comet Infernalist

Cast on Ignite Comet Infernalist NEW

Focus: AoE, Mobbing, Freeze, Ignite

If you prefer a more fast-paced style of play, where you move around the map quickly while filling the screen with a fiasco of spells , the Cast on Ignite Demon Form Infernalist might be just what you are looking for.

Spark Blood Mage

Spark Blood Mage NEW

Focus: Lightning, Critical Hit, Life Leech

If critical hits and calling upon lightning to smite your foes are more your thing, the Spark Blood Mage is currently one of the most strong builds to play!

Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) Related Guides

List of All Builds

Dawn of the Hunt Best Builds

Rank	Build
	Lightning Spear Amazon Glacial Lance Deadeye Spark Blood Mage Cast on Ignite Comet Infernalist
	Dark Effigy Lich Slam Bleed Titan Bleed Bow Deadeye Ballista Tactician Storm Wave Invoker Poison Bleed Rapid Assault Ritualist Poison Pathfinder
	Flaming Smith of Kitava Lich Necromancer Bleed Twister Amazon Thorns Smith of Kitava Mana Stack Chayula Grenadier Gemling Legionnaire Fire Grenade Witchhunter Lightning Arrow Deadeye
	Warcry Warbringer Ice Lightning Invoker Spark Stormweaver

Dawn of the Hunt Leveling Builds

Strike Warrior	Lightning Ranger	Spark Sorceress
Arsonist Minion Witch	Lightning Mercenary	Lightning Monk
Bleed Huntress

All Build Guides

List of Builds by Class
Huntress				Mercenary				Monk
Witch				Sorceress				Warrior
Ranger				-				-
Other Build Guides
Dawn of the Hunt Leveling Builds						How to Make a Good Build

Witch Leveling Builds

Arsonist Minion Witch NEW

Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT

Witch Endgame Builds

Minion Infernalist	Focus: Minions, Crowd Control, DoT
Bonestorm Blood Mage	Focus: High Single Target Damage
Demon Form Infernalist	Focus: Fast Clear, AoE
Detonate Dead Blood Mage	Focus: High Damage, Fast Clear, Minions
Lich Necromancer NEW	Focus: Minion, Chaos, AoE, Curse
Cast on Ignite Comet Infernalist NEW	Focus: AoE, Mobbing, Freeze, Ignite
Dark Effigy Lich NEW	Focus: Chaos, AoE, Curse, Totem
Spark Blood Mage NEW	Focus: Lightning, Critical Hit, Life Leech

Witch Class and Ascendancy Guides

Base Class
Witch
Ascendancies
Infernalist	Blood Mage	Lich