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PoE 2 Build

[0.4] ED Contagion League Starter (Level 1 to Endgame)

Witch

Lich

Verified

0.4 TLotD

End Game

Starter

Speed Leveling

By DEADRABB1T

Updated on Dec 8, 2025

Dec 8, 2025

Build Overview

This Build is an Endgame Setup for the Lich Ascendancy and one of the best League Starters due to its extremely good defensive layers, overall tankyness and simple and satisfying Gameplay while still being able to deal high amounts of sustained Damage even on a lower investment Level.

STEP BY STEP LEVELING GUIDE

Although it is mostly suited and optimized for the Witch Class and Lich Ascendancy, it can absolutely be played by any other Class or Ascendancy to easily get through Campaign and into early Endgame as fast and smooth as possible.

Soulless Form, Atziri's Disdain and Heavy Buffer give this Build an out of the gate damage mitigation of 25% with the use of the core Ascendancy Node of Eternal Life. With a big focus on Energy Shield with high ES Bases as our Gear and basically picking up every % increased maximum Energy Shield Node on the Passive Tree, we can easily reach up to and above 10K Energy Shield while also maintining high Energy Shield recharge rate and a fast start to Energy Shield recharge.

Our main Damage Abilities are Essence Drain with Contagion to spread the Debuff, with also utilizing Dark Effigy paired with Despair for even more clear and good single target DPS.

This Build excels at High Tier Maps, especially with high monster density. With its very simple and efficient rotation of applying Contagion and Essence Drain the Build has amazing clearing capabilities while being extremely tanky and incredibly hard to kill.

The 0.3 Patch has buffed this Build in multiple ways, mainly due to more synergies for the Low Life Mechanics being added, increasing mainly the Single Target DPS and Movement and Cast Speed.

Included in this Build Guide are a leveling Setup for using Essence Drain and Contagion through the Campaign and into Endgame, an early Endgame Mapping Setup to get from T1 into T15 Maps and two different high investment Endgame Setups, one using the Low Life Trick to get some advantages from some of the Low Life Bonuses from Execute III, Tecrod's Gaze, Final Barrage and Quick Response and one regular Full Life Setup without the use of that Trick but still going with very high Cast Speed and Energy Shield Recharge.

If you have any Questions or Suggestions about the Build, feel free to tune into my Stream at twitch.tv/DEADRABB1T where I stream every day.

I am always happy to answer any questions that may arise!

Strengths and Weaknesses

Simplicity
Clearing
Survivability

Mana Hungry

Build Variants

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T1 - T15 MAPS

ENDGAME (FULL LIFE)

ENDGAME (LOW LIFE)

High Investment Endgame Setup with a focus on High ES Bases, +Level of Chaos Spells and as much Chaos/Spell Damage and Cast Speed as possible. Capping all Resistances including Chaos is a must.

In this Version we are also utilizing the Low Life Trick to stay below 30% of our Maximum Life with Visage of Ayah and Lifetap to enable us to use Final Barrage and Quick Response on the Passive Tree. It is also possible to use Wondertrap for 50% Increased Rarity while on Low Life.

Equipment

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T1 - T15 MAPS

ENDGAME (FULL LIFE)

ENDGAME (LOW LIFE)

Set 1

Set 2

Equipment Priority

+11

Item Priorities with Stat Priorities in Order:

Atziri's Disdain is probably the biggest Core Gearpiece of the Build, we are going for one with high Energy Shield from Maximum Life and Corrupted 2 Sockets.

Wand: +Level of Chaos Skills -> Chaos/Spell Damage -> Cast Speed
Focus: +Level of Chaos Skills -> Chaos/Spell Damage -> High ES -> Cast Speed
Amulet: +Level of Chaos Skills -> Maximum ES -> Increased Maximum ES -> Spell Dmg/Cast Speed
Body Armor: High ES -> Resistances -> Maximum Life
Rings: Chaos Damage -> Cast Speed -> Resistances -> Maximum Life
Gloves/Boots/Belt: High ES -> Resistances -> Maximum Life

Offensive Upgrade Priority should always be Wand, Focus and Amulets with a big emphasis on +Level to Chaos Skills. Second Priority offensively is Spell Damage and Chaos Damage, getting Cast Speed is important to reduce the Cast Time on both Essence Drain and Contagion, especially when Mapping this makes the Build feel much smoother and less clunky, its not an extremely high priority to increase Essence Drain Damage, but getting high Cast Speed makes a big difference in making the Build just feel good.

Most important offensive Gear Piece is the Wand, Stat priority here is +Level of Chaos Skills, Chaos/Spell Damage and Cast Speed. Getting "Gain extra Damage as Lightning Damage" on the Wand enables the Shock Ailment on Enemies with the use of Dark Effigy.

Defensively, getting a high ES Body Armor should be the first priority, getting a Flowing Raiment is recommended due to the implicit Mana regeneration Rate it provides. In general getting high flat Energy Shield on all your Bases (Body Armor, Gloves, Boots, Focus) is first priority when deciding on Gear.

Ofcourse getting Elemental Resistances capped and also getting Chaos Resistance as close or over the Cap as possible is an absolute given for the Endgame Version of this Build.

Getting Ingenuity is also an absolute possibility if you manage to get very optimized Rings.

I personally prefer to have a 3 Charm Slot Rare Belt with Tri Resistances, Maximum Life and Mana.

Socketables on Gear:

Wand: +1 All Spells Rune, % Damage added as Chaos Damage Rune or Greater Iron Rune
Greater Iron Rune in Body Armor
Focus: Atmohua's Soul Core of Retreat
Atziri's Disdain: Talisman of Egrin
Gloves: Fenumus' Rune of Draining
Boots: Tecrod's Gaze

Soul Core of Tacati for Chaos Res is a good option in any Slot you can do it !

Valley of the Titans Medaillons: 2x Charm charges gained

Venom Vial Quest Rewards: Stun Threshold

Act 4 and Interlude Rewards: Resistances

Skill Gems

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T1 - T15 MAPS

ENDGAME (FULL LIFE)

ENDGAME (LOW LIFE)

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 30

Dex 40

Int 110

Expand all

Essence Drain

Dark Effigy

Contagion

Chaos Bolt

Despair

Blasphemy

Withering Presence

Ravenous Swarm

Convalescence

Sigil of Power

Gem Priority

+35

Jewellers Orb Priority:

Essence Drain
Dark Effigy
Despair
Contagion

Quality Priority:

Withering Presence
Dark Effigy
Despair
Contagion
Convalescence

For Essence Drain we are using Chain and Sione's Temper for Mapping and general Clearing, for Bossing and other Single Target DPS we slot in Deliberation and Considered Casting instead of Chain and Sione's Temper for more Damage.

For Contagion we are using either a Level 1 Skill Gem for lesser Mana use or a higher Level Contagion and than use Arcane Surge for the Mana Reg and Cast Speed Buff it provides.

For Dark Effigy we are using Ancestral Urgency for Mapping and switch that out for Execute when Bossing.

This Version requires 155 Spirit for Withering Presence with Clarity I Support (40 Spirit), Blasphemy (55 Spirit with Quality), Convalescence (30 Spirit) and Ravenous Swarm (30 Spirit).

Chaos Bolt should always be used on Single Target Encounters to keep up our Withered Stacks, which increases our overall Chaos Damage by alot !

LOW LIFE TRICK:

Put on Visage of Ayah and refund Enhanced Barrier to loose your Energy Shield, use Dark Effigy with Lifetap and when you're below 35% of you maximum Life, you put back your Atziri's Disdain to lock the Life number in place.

Passive Tree

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ENDGAME (LOW LIFE)

main:

123

set 1:

set 2:

Reverberation is Annointed on the Amulet for improved Contagion AOE spread Range mainly for better clearing when Mapping.

Other options here are Spaghettification for Offense and Calibration for Defense.

Red Lines = Weapon Set 1

Green Lines = Weapon Set 2

Weapon Set 2 Nodes are mainly taken to Increase the Potency of Despair which next to Sigil of Power are the only Skills used on Weapon Set 2.

Ascendancy Order:

Soulless Form
Eternal Life (Pick up ES Damage Bypass first with Atziri's Disdain and Heavy Buffer)
Eldritch Empowerment is incredibly good if you can sustain it with your ES and ES Recharge
Rupture the Soul is very good for early Mapping, switched out for Crystalline Phylactery once we reach Late Endgame and especially when we have picked up a good Jewel.

Jewel Stat Priority:

Increased Maximum Energy Shield (Prefix 1)
Spell Damage or Chaos Damage (Prefix 2)
Cast Speed (Suffix 1)
For the second Suffix slot you want to go for Mana Regeneration or ES based Stun Threshold
Increased Effect of Wither is extremely good for pure Single Target Damage
In the Prefix Slot, instead of Spell Damage you can also take Energy Shield Recharge Rate or faster start of Energy Shield Recharge

Atlas Tree

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T1 - T15 MAPS

ENDGAME (FULL LIFE)

ENDGAME (LOW LIFE)

Endgame Atlas Setup for Mapping, focused on Map Juicing and some added Strength through the Shrine Nodes Places of Worship and Seasonal Blessing. If Maps become too hard, you can always take out Unstable Energies for 3 other Nodes.