In thisPath of Exile 2article, we will be taking a look at how to put togetherthe Demonic Witch buildfor you to use to get into the late game or endgame.Path of Exilehas become notorious for the sheer amount of skills and build possibilities available in the game, and the sequel follows suit with an extensive skill tree and multitude of skill gems. This guide is here to help you get through all that and lay out a path for you to follow as you reach the end of the campaign and prepare for your Cruel playthroughs or endgame.
Introduction
The Demonic Witchis a spellcasting build that will allow you to burn your enemies with the flames of hell, leaving nothing but ash. With this build, we will be trying to maximize the effectiveness of our spells, allowing us to reduce them to cinders quickly and easily.
Starter Class
For this build, we will be starting withthe Witch class, which is one of the seven available for now.
On the expansive skill tree, the Witch will start on the northern side. This side of the skill tree consists mainly of passives related to spell damage, spellcasting, and minions, which we will be taking advantage of to maximize our effectiveness with this build.
Passive Skill Tree
For ourDemonic Witch build, we will be focusing on making our spells more powerful early on by going for the more offensive route among the two main paths available. We will be taking the nodes that increase our spell damage and go throughthe Raw Destructionnode.
Afterwards, we will take the three nodes that increase our cast speed withthe Practiced Signsnode.
From here, we’ll go north along the axis of the skill tree and take all five nodes, includingthe Critical Overloadnode.
These nodes will increase our spell damage along with the critical hit chance when using our spells, withthe Critical Overload skillnode increasing our damage even further after a critical hit.
Following this, we will take the nodes to the west at the intersection and invest in the three passive skill nodes that will increase our fire damage penetration along with our Strength attribute by going forthe Breath of Fire passive node.
After we have invested in these three nodes, we will continue on the northern axis of our passive skill tree, taking the attribute nodes until we reach the gem slot.
From here, we will go for the two nodes that increase our elemental damage from the circular passive skill group, but will not go for the rest of the nodes initially as we want to maximize our raw damage first.
Then, we will go for the opposite side and takethe Climate Change nodeby selecting the cold and fire damage nodes.
This will increase both our fire damage and our ice damage, helping our overall damage output.
Moving on, we will continue westward along the attribute axis and then invest our points in the half-circular skill group that increases our fire damage and area of effect when using our spells. In addition to the increase in fire damage,the Intense Flames nodewill increase our damage against burning enemies, andthe Explosive Impactskill node will give us a chance for burning enemies we kill to explode, dealing damage to the surrounding area.
After this passive skill group, we will work our way towards the outer ring of the passive skill tree and head for the Flame passiveskill group. We will be investing in all of the nodes of this group, which will increase our fire resistance penetration, our chance to ignite enemies, and our fire spell damage.
These passive skills form the core of our build, and prioritizing them will ensure we are able to deal massive amounts of damage as early as possible in our playthrough.
After these core groups, we can invest in skill nodes that will increase the damage using other elements or invest in nodes that increase survivability, such as energy shield nodes or nodes that allow us to recoup our life from damage taken.
Ascendancy
For our Ascendancy with this build, we will be takingthe Infernalist class, which allows us to enterDemon Formthroughthe Demonic Possessionnode.
This is a class-specific spell that allows us to transform into a winged demon, making our spells more powerful and increasing our casting speed.
The power of a demon comes at a price, with our life draining at an increasing rate the longer we stay inDemon Form.
While in Demon Form, we gainDemon Flame, with the rate at which we lose health and our spell damage increasing per stack.
Althoughthe Demon Flameis limited to 10 stacks initially, after takingthe Mastered Darknessnode, this limit is removed, allowing us to deal even more damage with our demonic might.
Active Skills Setup
For this build, although we are starting with the Witch class, we will not be relying on occult skills. Instead, we’ll be using elemental spells.
The first of these spells isFlame Wall, which creates a wall of fire that ignites any enemy passing through it.
Additionally, any projectile you shoot through the wall will gain bonus fire damage, increasing your overall damage output if you lay down yourFlame Wallsstrategically.
The second spell, and ourmain damage spell against bosses, isEmber Fusillade.
This spell allows us to conjure multiple fire projectiles that hover above us before firing at our target, with each successive ember dealing more damage.
The number of projectiles you can conjure increases as the skill levels up, and a fully conjured fusillade can deal massive amounts of damage, easily melting rare enemies and bosses.
Our third spell is the primary tool for clearingmobs during mapping—Incinerate.
This spell lets us unleash a flame stream like a flamethrower, dealing continuous damage as long as you hold the button. The flame stream has multiple stages, with each stage increasing the damage dealt. At its max stage, it also inflictsfire exposure, increasing the damage enemies take from fire. This is extremely effective for burning through mobs and synergizes well with Flame Wall andSolar Orb.
Solar Orbis the next skill we’ll use frequently while mapping. It summons a floating ball of fire that pulses AoE fire damage and ignites enemies repeatedly.
Next,Fireballshoots out a large flaming projectile that explodes on impact, releasing a nova of smaller firebolts.
The multiple projectiles make this excellent for clearing groups of enemies at range, especially where Incinerate can’t reach.
Firestormis another strong AoE spell.
When cast, it rains down fire bolts. If the targets are already ignited, the spell consumes the ignite to summon larger fire bolts that deal more damage and have a wider AoE. This combos well with Firewall and Solar Orb.
Our final active spell isFlameblast— a channeled spell that unleashes a powerful explosion either around you or around a Solar Orb. It’s great for finishing off mobs or bosses just before Solar Orb expires.
With this build, the aim is toquickly eliminate enemiesusing overwhelming firepower while inDemon Form, since staying transformed too long can kill you. Your idealskill rotationis: lay downFlame Wall, castSolar Orb, then follow up withFireballorIncineratedepending on the range, and finish withFirestormorFlameblast.
Against bosses, Solar Orb and Flame Wall provide consistent damage, whileEmber Fusilladedelivers the burst.Incineratehelps strip fire resistance, making foes vulnerable to all your spells.
Support Gems
Tomaximize fire damage, our support gem choices are critical:
UsePersistence(extends duration) andFortress(creates a circular wall instead of a segment). This helps you surround enemies or encircle bosses.
UseArcane Tempo(increases cast speed, enabling full conjuring) andControlled Destruction(boosts damage by 25% at the cost of crit chance — a worthwhile trade for consistent DPS).
Slot inEternal Flame(increases ignite duration) andFire Infusion(boosts raw fire damage and ignite DoT).
UseOverabundance(lets you summon two orbs simultaneously) andClarity(boosts mana regeneration when orbs are active).
UseAcceleration(increases projectile speed) andChain(makes bolts bounce between targets, perfect for large packs).
UseMagnified Effect(increases AoE by 30%) andIgnition(raises ignite chance, helping trigger larger fire bolts).
UseBurgeon(increases damage up to 40% based on channel time) andExpanse(expands AoE up to 50% in exchange for a longer cooldown — acceptable since it’s used situationally).
Additionally, we’ll use theRaging Spiritsspirit gem.
This passive lets you summon flaming skulls as you cast fire spells. Since we’ll be doing that constantly, we’ll spawn skulls frequently, adding to our overall fire damage output.
Gear and Equipment
This build doesn’t rely onUnique gear, making it accessible. Yellow-rarity gear with the right affixes performs well.
For weapons, useAshen StafforPyrophyte Staff:
Look for equipment that boostsspell damage,fire spell levels,cast speed, ormaximum life. Gear that supportsmana regenandenergy shieldalso synergizes well with this build’s demands, especially in longer fights or while in Demon Form.
Leveling Guide
This build levelssmoothlythanks to its powerful AoE options. Incinerate, Fireball, and Flame Wall make clearing early content a breeze.
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As you level, consider takingStrength attribute nodes— they allow you to equip strength-based support gems and raise your max life. More life = more time in Demon Form, which = more damage before reverting and healing.
Mapping and Bossing
This build excels at both mapping and bossing. In maps, your wide-area spells combined with mobility allow you to clear efficiently.
During boss fights:
Keep your time in Demon Formcalculated— too long and you’ll burn out. Know when to revert to recover.
Endgame Scaling and Optimization
Endgame scaling is achieved throughcluster jewelsthat increaseCast Speed,Movement Speed, andSpell Damage.
You can build toward either:
This build performs well inSSFand can be viable inHardcore, though caution is advised. Thehigh-risk, high-rewardnature of Demon Form means a single mistake can end your run — not ideal for newer players or HC purists.
So, this wraps up my article for theDemonic Witch build guideforPath of Exile 2. I hope you found this guide helpful, and if you have any suggestions or tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section.
