S-TIER | BUILD SORCIERE LICH INFERNAL LEGION (@jungroan) | SAISON 5

Build Video

Build Overview

This is arguably the most broken league starter available in Path of Exile 2 right now. This Witch build with the Lich ascendancy revolves around Infernal Legion I, a support gem that makes your minions burn and deal fire damage equal to 25% of their maximum life to nearby enemies. In endgame, the Bogfelled Commoner summoned via Bind Spectre exceeds 43,000 health — basically a walking « level 41 essence train », which technically doesn’t even exist in the game.

The concept is simple: you summon your spectre, you apply your curses via Blasphemy (Temporal Chains + Elemental Weakness), you cast Frost Bomb and Thunderstorm to ramp up Cold Exposure and Shock, then you run. The spectre burns everything that gets close. No button to spam in combat, no rotation to memorize: the build is literally a « walking simulator ». With an Omen Scepter equipped with Malice, your ignites can crit, which multiplies the damage scaling even further.

Creator jungroan tests this build as a PSA (Public Service Announcement): he pushed it to T15 mapping in less than 7 hours from a fresh character, without tryharding and with very little optimization. The build is playable from level 22, any Witch class can start it, and it’s inspired by the very detailed guides from oscrix and pr3vie. The 0.5 patch on May 21st may bring significant nerfs — until then, it’s the perfect window to test it.

Strengths / Weaknesses

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.

Endgame

Endgame

8 skills • 22 gemmes

Malice

Levée de bouclierRaise Shield

BlasphèmeBlasphemy

OrageThunderstorm

Bombe de givreFrost Bomb

Adjonction spectrale

Malice

Levée de bouclierRaise Shield

Recommended Equipment

• Weapon (set 1): Omen Scepter with Malice — this is what unlocks crit on the ignite of Infernal Legion I. Farm it as soon as possible in act 3, it’s the DPS pivot.
• Shield: Buckler with Energy Shield, life if possible, and ideally +1 skill or cast speed to boost the support spells (Frost Bomb, Thunderstorm).
• Weapon set 2: a second weapon setup unlocks weapon set passives on the tree — a massive free damage multiplier for this build.
• Helmet: look for +X minion skills (up to +3 on endgame bases) and ES. A +2 or +3 minion literally doubles the spectre’s damage.
• Body Armour: stack as much Energy Shield as possible (target: 700+ in mid-game, 1000+ in endgame). You tank everything with ES + Temporal Chains.
• Gloves & Boots: ES + resistances + 30% movement speed minimum on the boots (the build sprints constantly).
• Rings & Amulet: double rare with Intelligence (for ES + spell damage), resistances, and +1 to all elemental skill levels in endgame.
• Belt: Lightning Threads on a belt (seen in the video), capped resistances, and stun threshold.
• Target spectre: Bogfelled Commoner (the tree-boss at the start of act 3) — 43k HP base, massive scaling with Infernal Legion I. It’s THE spectre of the build.

Gameplay Tips

• Leveling 1-22: classic Witch. Unearth + Essence Drain + Contagion. At level 22, transition to Infernal Legion I + Bind Spectre as soon as act 3 (Bogfelled Commoner becomes available).
• Ascendancy choice: Lich offers map explodes (very smooth for clearing). Pathfinder is still solid (slow immunity, temp chains via cluster), Infernalist and the new companion ascendancy are also viable.
• Map rotation: summon the spectre, activate Blasphemy with curses, cast Frost Bomb on packs (exposure), Thunderstorm on bosses (shock + shock conduction), and walk. That’s it.
• Weapon swap: use the weapon set passives on the minion damage / fire damage / curse effect nodes. It’s a free multiplier that many people overlook.
• Skill gem levels: monitor your gem levels in mapping. If you push to T11+ without Frost Bomb / Thunderstorm at the required level, you’ll lose 50% of your damage. Solution: farm trials / sanctum to level your gems.
• Constant sprint: this build is a « walking simulator » that sprints everywhere. Grab the +% movement speed on boots ASAP. Avoid maps with chilled ground if possible.

How Infernal Legion Works: The Core of the Build

Infernal Legion I is a support gem that turns a minion into a walking fire bomb. Concretely, it adds a burning aura around the minion that deals fire damage equal to a percentage of the minion’s maximum life. At level 3, you hit around 25%, and with bonuses from the tree, gear, and gem levels, you quickly reach absurd numbers.

The thing is, minion maximum life is a scaling vector that Path of Exile has always struggled to balance. With a Bogfelled Commoner at 43,000 HP, you deal the damage of a level « 41 essence train » spell, which doesn’t even exist in the game. Add to that the minion damage / increased damage / more damage multipliers, cold exposure via Frost Bomb, shock via Thunderstorm, and the ability to crit ignite via Malice: you reach damage-per-second numbers that rival the best endgame builds, all without pressing a single button.

Why Choose the Lich Ascendancy?

The Lich ascendancy introduced in season 4 is the most versatile for this build, mainly thanks to its « map explodes » node that explodes corpses on death, dramatically boosting clear speed on packs. Lich also offers solid defenses (damage reduction, life on corpse) and a damage boost for chaos / fire spells that synergizes with the ignite of Infernal Legion I.

Pathfinder is still an excellent alternative: slow immunity (very important for a build that sprints), temp chains integrated via cluster, and global defense bonuses with attribute stacking. Infernalist (classic Witch ascendancy) is also viable, especially for demon setups. The new companion ascendancy introduced in season 4 could also work wonders with the announced x3 companion buff from GGG.

The Double Weapon Set Mechanic

The build uses two weapon sets: the first equipped with an Omen Scepter with Malice (for crit), the second with an alternative configuration (probably a focus or an offhand with extra spirit). This system gives access to weapon set passives on the skill tree — nodes that only activate on a specific weapon set, but offer massive bonuses (minion damage, fire damage, curse effect).

In practice, you double-tap these nodes: they count for both weapon sets in some cases, and provide huge stats for just a few points. It’s one of the best scaling tools of the season, and this build exploits it to the fullest. Note: the weapon swap sprint penalty isn’t critical for this build because you almost never fight directly.

Progression and Leveling: From Level 1 to Endgame

The build has a two-phase leveling structure. Phase 1 (level 1 to 22): you play a classic Witch with Unearth + Essence Drain + Contagion, the safest combo to start in PoE2. From level 6-7, you add Bonestorm to help with single target. This phase is essentially auto-pilot because the early zones are trivial.

Phase 2 (level 22+): once you obtain Infernal Legion I (level 22) and reach act 3 to summon the Bogfelled Commoner, you transition to the final build. From this moment, the build comes « online » — the « Infernal Legion I swap » mentioned at 1h28 in the source video.

Phase 3 (mid to endgame): around act 6 / start of mapping, you secure your Omen Scepter with Malice (the « bogfelled swap » at 2h01 in the video). From this point, the build is fully « online » and you can push T15 maps in a few more hours. Most of the endgame leveling is about raising support gem levels so you don’t lose exposure and shock on high-tier maps.

Passive Tree