Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2) has taken the action RPG genre by storm with its deep mechanics, challenging endgame content, and a revamped combat system that leans into a more "soulslite" approach. This shift has forced players to adapt to fewer but more powerful enemies, making positioning, strategy, and build optimization more critical than ever. Among the many powerful endgame builds available, the Infernal Witch stands out as a formidable choice, especially when built around a Minion Army. This build not only subverts many of the game's challenges but also offers a unique playstyle that combines summoning, fire magic, and strategic positioning. In this guide, we’ll dive deep into how to create and optimize a Minion Army Infernalist Witch build for PoE 2’s endgame.

Why Choose the Infernal Witch Minion Army Build?

The Infernal Witch is one of PoE 2’s most versatile and powerful classes, particularly when built around minions. While the game’s new combat system emphasizes careful positioning and resource management, the Witch’s kit allows players to stay relatively safe while their minions do the heavy lifting. This doesn’t mean the Witch can stand still and ignore mechanics—positioning and survivability are still crucial—but the class excels at creating a buffer between the player and enemies.

The Minion Army Infernalist Witch build focuses on summoning a horde of minions to overwhelm enemies while supplementing their damage with powerful fire spells. This build is perfect for players who enjoy a strategic, almost "commander-style" playstyle, where you direct your minions to do your bidding while supporting them with debuffs and area-of-effect (AoE) spells.

Best Equipment for the Minion Army Infernalist Witch

The Best Offense Is a Good Defense

The Witch’s survivability hinges on her energy shield, which acts as a secondary health pool. For this build, prioritize armor pieces that maximize energy shield. While some players may opt for mixed armor pieces that provide both energy shield and physical armor, the majority of your gear should focus on energy shield to ensure you can absorb as much damage as possible. Be cautious of poison damage, as it bypasses energy shields, so consider investing in poison resistance or mitigation where possible.

Key Items: Scepters and Amulets

Scepters: These are essential for summoning minions. Look for scepters with high Spirit boosts, as Spirit is required to summon minions and use Spirit Gems. Additionally, prioritize scepters that buff minion damage, attack speed, or movement speed. These stats will significantly enhance your minions’ effectiveness in combat.

Solar Amulet: A Solar Amulet is a must-have for this build. It boosts your maximum Spirit, allowing you to summon more minions, and can provide bonus levels to minion skills, further increasing their power.

Sub-Stats to Prioritize

When selecting gear, look for the following sub-stats:

Armor: Provides additional physical damage reduction.

Maximum Life: Increases your overall survivability.

Energy Shield: Enhances your secondary health pool.

Elemental Resistances: Reduces damage from fire, cold, and lightning attacks.

Movement Speed: Found on boots, this stat helps you stay mobile and avoid enemy attacks.

Intelligence: Boosts your mana pool and unlocks access to higher-level skills.

Best Skill Gems for the Minion Army Infernalist Witch

Raising an Undead Army

The Skill Gems you choose will define your playstyle and effectiveness in endgame content. For the Minion Army Infernalist Witch, the following Skill Gems are essential:

Skeleton Clerics: These minions heal and revive other minions, ensuring your army stays intact during prolonged fights.

Pain Offering: This skill turns one of your minions into a totem that buffs the damage and survivability of nearby minions.

Detonating Dead: This spell allows you to detonate corpses, dealing massive AoE damage. It synergizes perfectly with the numerous corpses your minions will create.

Optional Skill Gems

Depending on your playstyle, you can supplement your build with additional Skill Gems:

Reavers: High-damage minions that excel at taking down bosses.

Arsonists: Tankier minions that draw enemy attention, allowing you to focus on positioning and survival.

Flame Wall: Creates a wall of fire that damages enemies over time.

Flammability: A curse that lowers enemy fire resistance, amplifying your fire-based damage.

For a more fire-focused variant of this build, consider using Raging Spirits, a Spirit Gem that summons temporary fire minions when you cast fire spells. Pair this with Flame Wall and Flammability for a devastating combination of debuffs and AoE damage.

Best Passive Skills for the Minion Army Infernalist Witch

Prioritization Is Key

When allocating Passive Skills, focus on enhancing your minions’ effectiveness. Look for clusters of nodes that provide the following bonuses:

Minion Damage: Increases the damage output of your minions.

Minion Maximum Life: Improves their survivability.

Minion Elemental Resistances: Reduces damage from elemental attacks.

After investing in minion-related passives, allocate any remaining points into defensive stats for your Witch:

Energy Shield: Enhances your secondary health pool.

Elemental Resistances: Reduces incoming elemental damage.

Maximum Life: Increases your overall survivability.

While offensive passives can be tempting, remember that your minions are the primary damage dealers in this build. Prioritizing their effectiveness will yield better results than focusing on your own damage output.

Best Spirit Gems for the Minion Army Infernalist Witch

Complementing the Playstyle

Spirit Gems are a unique feature in PoE 2 that can significantly enhance your build. For the Minion Army Infernalist Witch, the following Spirit Gems are highly recommended:

Grim Feast: This gem causes enemies and minions to drop essences upon death. Collecting these essences refills or overflows your energy shield, providing a crucial source of sustain during combat.

Raging Spirits: Summons temporary fire minions when you cast fire spells. These minions deal high damage in a short amount of time and synergize well with fire-based skills like Flame Wall and Flammability.

Best Ascendencies for the Minion Army Infernalist Witch

A Clear Path to Follow

Ascendencies are powerful upgrades that define your character’s late-game potential. For the Minion Army Infernalist Witch, the following Ascendencies are ideal:

Loyal Hellhound: Summons a tanky Hellhound minion that absorbs 20% of the damage you take. This provides an additional layer of survivability.

Altered Flesh: Converts 20% of Cold and Lightning damage to Fire damage and 20% of Physical damage to Chaos damage. This simplifies resistance building and emphasizes Fire and Chaos damage.

Beidat's Will: Reserves 25% of your life but grants 1 maximum Spirit for every 25 Maximum Life. This significantly boosts your minion summoning capabilities.

Beidat's Hand: Reserves 25% of your life but grants 1 energy shield for every 8 Maximum Life. This provides a substantial boost to your energy shield, enhancing your survivability.

Final Thoughts

The Minion Army Infernalist Witch build is a powerhouse in PoE 2’s endgame, offering a unique blend of summoning and fire magic. While the playstyle may not be for everyone, the satisfaction of commanding an army of minions to decimate your enemies is unparalleled. To optimize this build, focus on acquiring the best possible gear, Skill Gems, and Passive Skills to enhance both your minions’ effectiveness and your own survivability. With the right setup, the Infernal Witch can become one of the strongest characters in Path of Exile 2, capable of conquering even the most challenging content. So, gather your POE 2 Currency, hunt for the best Path of Exile 2 items, and prepare to unleash your minion army upon the world!