S-TIER | BUILD SORCIÈRE ABYSSAL LICH PROJECTILE SPEED TWISTER (@787prada) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

This Abyssal Lich build elevates the Witch to one of the fastest and most devastating characters in Path of Exile 2. The concept is simple but brilliantly executed: phantom skeletons called Skeletal Snipers are never actually summoned — the ascendancy node Umbral Well converts them into souls, granting 15% increased Projectile Speed per sniper. With 10 snipers and the support gem Projectile Acceleration III (×1.4 multiplier), you can easily reach 210% increased Projectile Speed, which simultaneously translates into additional damage thanks to the gem’s bonus.

The main skill is Twister: tornadoes that burst forward, clearing packs in mere fractions of a second. The damage rotation relies on stacking Frenzy Charges (via Armour Break and the keystone Resonance, which converts Endurance Charges into Frenzy), then using Barrage to fire Twister up to seven times in succession. The Olroth’s Conviction support even allows triggering this combo three times in a chain. Against bosses, the build shifts to pure critical strikes, with Snipers Mark and Power Charges to reach a ×1.25 critical multiplier.

The movement loop is equally unique: on weapon set 1, Whirling Slash chains at a frantic pace thanks to the Skeletal Reavers (each granting 6% Skill Speed) and the Dance with Death node (×1.25 multiplier to all Skill Speed), making this character both extremely mobile and offensively powerful. Defense is built around Energy Shield (ES), with a swap to Chaos Inoculation around 5–7k ES for optimal Endgame survivability.

Strengths / Weaknesses

Skill Gem Setup by Step

This build offers 1 progression step from leveling to the final build. Select a step to view the corresponding gem setup.

Default

Default

11 skills • 42 gemmes

Jet de lanceSpear Throw

Pureté du feuPurity of Fire

Héraut du tonnerreHerald of Thunder

Tir de barrageBarrage

Rituel profaneProfane Ritual

Régulation des chargesCharge Regulation

Taillade tourbillonnanteWhirling Slash

TrombeTwister

Tireurs d'élite squelettiquesSkeletal Sniper

Marque du tireur d'éliteSniper's Mark

Ravageurs squelettiquesSkeletal Reaver

Recommended Equipment

• Spear (Main Hand) : look for a spear with high physical damage (Fizz) — essential for armour break. The Ordained spear is the best budget choice (built-in physical damage + critical). For crafting, aim for increased Fizz, critical strike chance ≥ 12 % and attack speed. Never use a spear dealing purely elemental damage (Ellie) — armour break would not work.
• Off-hand (Set 2 — Sceptre) : prioritise a sceptre with as much Spirit as possible. Sacred Flame is the BIS (unique sceptre granting bonus damage). On a budget, a rare sceptre with Purity of (an element) unlocks « free » supports that do not consume your Spirit.
• Off-hand (Set 1 — Spear) : a soaring spear with maximum attack speed and no other damage concern — it is solely used for movement via Whirling Slash.
• Rings : The Taming (prismatic unique, BIS) allows Twister to benefit from all three ground effects simultaneously (+100 % elemental damage gain). Until you get The Taming, use a rare ring with flat damage. On the other ring: flat damage + resistances.
• Gloves : flat damage (prefixes), ideally with Fizz and lightning for armour break and shock.
• Boots : rare with Energy Shield + runic Ward. In early game / progression, Wake of Destruction (unique, 1 exalt) makes it easy to apply shocked ground while waiting for good rares.
• Charm : The Fall of the Axe is a unique breach charm equipped in this build — excellent for onslaught and armour break.
• Flasks : Laviangas Spirits is the unique mana flask used in this build — its charges recharge efficiently and it contributes to resource management in combat.
• Helmet : Energy Shield as the priority. Controlled Metamorphosis (unique jewel) can be socketed here to obtain critical notable passives for free.
• Body Armour : essential to have maximum Spirit — this is the primary source of projectile speed via the Skeletal Snipers.
• Amulet : maximum Spirit as well. Heart of the Well is a very powerful unique jewel (bonus gain on all your skills). As a progression goal, Rite of Passage (unique, Wolf variant) is excellent for armour break and skill speed.
• Belt : Mageblood (absolute BIS — 3 × Legacy of Silver for ×30 % skill speed each, amplified by the 41 % buff). Headhunter is also excellent but conditional. On a budget, a rare belt with resistances and ES.
• Jewels : Controlled Metamorphosis first. Otherwise, aim for ES + crit + crit. Magnitude of Ailments with a Diluted Liquid Iron to guarantee max ES as a prefix.
• Rakiatas Flow (support gem) : this support is linked to Twister — it reverses resistances. Combined with Sacred Flame which lowers resistance to 0 %, the damage output is explosive. Recommended first « super baller » purchase.

Gameplay Tips

• Cast Twister before entering the room: never walk into a corridor surrounded by monsters without launching your tornadoes first. Send Twister ahead, then run toward the tornadoes to « chase » your projectiles — monsters are already dead by the time you arrive.
• Boss positioning — key rule: the boss must be outside your presence area when you use Twister. If Sacred Flame drops resistance to 0% during your presence, Rakiatas Flow has nothing to reverse and you lose the massive damage burst. Move the boss away and cast from a distance.
• Frenzy rotation and Barrage: while farming maps, break monster armour with Twister to build up frenzy charges (converted from endurance charges via Resonance). Once the gauge is full, trigger Barrage — it will repeat Twister 6–7 times. Olroth’s Conviction lets you chain the combo three times in a row for instantly cleared packs.
• Against bosses, switch to crit mode: apply Snipers Mark to the target. On crit, you gain a power charge via Charge Regulation, boosting your critical chance by ×1.25. Use Profane Ritual to stack endurance charges and temporarily inflate your energy shield to ~9,500 ES.
• Manage your Whirling Slash carefully: 3 whirlwind stacks = dense and powerful tornadoes. With fewer stacks, your Twister deals significantly less damage. Keep the Flow of the weapon set 1 attack speed high to constantly refresh stacks while moving.
• Profane Ritual and Endurance: this activates on both weapon sets. If you only have it on one set, the ES buff disappears on swap. Make sure it is active on both sides to permanently maintain your energy shield pool.

How to Unlock the Abyssal Lich Ascendancy

Before you can play Abyssal Lich, you must first unlock the standard Lich ascendancy (Witch). Once you are a Lich, progress through the Abyss questline in your maps until you obtain a Kulemak invitation via the Well of Souls. You then have 6 attempts to kill Kulemak before he resets.

After killing Kulemak for the first time, return to place the ring back in the chamber and repeat the fight several times. At each stage, steal the power of the lich on the right — this is crucial. Note: Abyss damage is tri-elemental, so make sure your resistances are capped throughout the entire process. Once the arena is split in two and the boss is defeated, the « Embrace Abyssal Power » option unlocks your new ascendancy and the Umbral Well node.

Scaling Projectile Speed (Umbral Well)

The Umbral Well is the heart of the build. For each Skeletal Sniper you would have summoned (but that the node converts into a soul), you gain 15% increased projectile speed. With 10 snipers, that translates to 150% — which the Projectile Acceleration III gem multiplies by 1.4 to reach 210% projectile speed. This bonus serves a dual purpose: it speeds up your tornadoes (increasing their reach and area coverage) AND it converts into additional damage thanks to the gem’s own bonus.

In practice, the damage tooltip of Twister goes from ~78k (without Skeletal Snipers) to ~109k (with 10 snipers) — a 40% gain without changing any other piece of gear. The more spirit you stack to invite additional snipers, the faster and more powerful your tornadoes become.

The Twister + Sacred Flame + Rakiata’s Flow Combo

The boss burst of this build is a three-step interaction. First, Sacred Flame (unique sceptre equipped in the off-hand) reduces the target’s elemental resistances to 0%. Then, Rakiatas Flow (support gem on Twister) reverses the target’s resistances — turning that 0% into massive negative resistances. The result: your Twister damage explodes into the target with no protection whatsoever.

Critical condition: the boss must be outside your presence zone at the moment you activate Twister. If Sacred Flame triggers while you are inside the zone, resistance drops to 0% — but Rakiatas Flow can only reverse positive resistances. With no resistance left to reverse, the combo does not work. Make it a habit to cast Twister from a distance, from outside the boss’s presence hitbox.

Progression and Purchase Order

Budget (league start) : an Ordained spear (physical damage + built-in crit) for 1–2 divines, a pair of Wake of Destruction (1 exalt, applies shocked ground for Twister), a body armour and amulet with Spirit, rare gloves and a ring with flat damage. That’s all you need to get the build running.

Super Baller Purchase Order (endgame) : Controlled Metamorphosis → Heart of the Well → The Fall of the Axe → The Taming + new boots → Sacred Flame → 3× Legacy of Silver Mageblood (or Headhunter) → Rite of Passage (Wolf version). In that order, each purchase significantly improves either your damage or your survivability. The Taming can also be crafted cost-efficiently via the Ashen Mines Easter egg (three Barracks rings combined) to save 8–10 divines.

Switching to Chaos Inoculation

Swapping to Chaos Inoculation (CI) is recommended once you have 5,000 to 7,000 ES, depending on your risk tolerance. CI makes you immune to chaos damage while reducing your life to 1 — but on a build entirely defended by Energy Shield, this is a significant net gain. It also frees up Purity of (element) supports on your sceptre, which you may have been using for free resistances before the swap.

Once on CI, Purity of (element) supports are no longer as useful since life regeneration sources disappear. You can then replace those supports with more offensive gems on your sceptre. Check your sceptre at the time of the swap to optimise your gem configuration accordingly.

Skill Tree