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PoE 2 Build

1M+ Dmg Per HIT! Detonate Dead Crit Blood Mage

Witch

Blood Mage

ds lily

End Game

Starter

Verified

By ds_lily

Updated on Jan 22, 2025

Jan 22, 2025

Build Overview

Build Rating: MORE ⭐ = BETTER

Single Target: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Map Clear: ⭐⭐

Defense: ⭐⭐⭐⭐(High HP/ES Pool in maps anyways, harder to sustain in bosses)

How Easy to get the Gear: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SSF VIABLE: ✔️

HC VIABLE: ✔️

IMPORTANT: This build is definitely not for everyone, it can be super clunky at times. Once you get used to it it's not that bad honestly but takes getting used to.

Why it's clunky:

- You are relying on minions to explode for damage, you are kind of at their will and sometimes they get stuck / dead.
- Some maps have too narrow of a path for them to move through which is annoying

-If you run too far from the minions they die and go on cooldown

-If you shield charge in your offhand and 1 minion is dead, they will all go on cooldown, so you cant really use a movement skill unless you fit blink but then you go too far from minions anyways and they die.

-Have to specifically target the Skeleton Brutes for damage

-Minions can end up all dead in boss fights and you're stuck waiting for them to respawn.

Leveling: Could go minions / SRS if you have no leveling gear, if you have leveling gear probably go lightning arrow / rod into gas arrow with widowhail and big quiver, you can swap to DD at lvl 58 when you get sacrifice, lvling guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nUO0dTOJ4k

Venom Draughts: Elemental Ailment Threshold + Chaos Resistance

Build Variants

This version of the build is basically just critting the Skeleton Brutes for big damage with archmage chucked in and not super mana stacking. I think the best version of the build is archmage and actually focusing on mana since it's scaling is so insane. If you can get enough spirit you should probably just throw it in. I have about 1k mana on my character without even intentionally getting it, this leads to 80% extra damage as lightning from archmage. Numbers are just insane on archmage.

Equipment

Set 1

Set 2

Base set of gear is super cheap, should be able to clear t15s and lvl 80-81 end game bosses on like 10-20 ex budget if you purchase items with the correct stats. Focus on getting res capped with life on gear then start getting additional energy shield / mana.

Gear Affix Priority: GET LIFE ON ALL GEAR + RES CAPPED WHEREVER NEEDED FIRST.

Helmet: Atziri's Disdain is cheap and very good, high end rare get minion level, mana, and hp.

Wand : Enezun's Charge with corrupted higher chance to not destroy corpses or cast speed seems to be the best

Focus: You can swap out Enezun's Charge with Threaded Light Focus for bossing

Sceptre : MALICE IMPLICIT +minion skills > spirit

Amulet : Anoint: Mental Perserverance for defence Spirit > Life > %ES > Minion Level

Ring: Life > Res > Rarity

Belt: Life > Charm > RES

Gloves: Life > Res > Energy Shield

Boots: Movement Speed > Life > Res > Energy Shield

Jewel: Minion Life > Global Phys Damage > Dmg Against Enemies with Broken Armor > Magnitude of Bleeding > Armour Break Duration / Stun Druation / Stun Buildup / etc

Skill Gems

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 25

Dex 20

Int 70

Detonate Dead

Skeletal Brute

Skeletal Cleric

Soul Offering

Mana Tempest

Sacrifice

Grim Feast

Archmage

Fireball

READ ME, VERY IMPORTANT INFO HERE!!!!:

Support gems are listed in order of MOST important to LEAST important.

THE SUPPORT GEMS IN DETONATE DEAD ARE FOR MAP CLEARING. The site does not let me put in a second detonate dead setup for single target so I will list the supports here: Concentrated effect, considered casting, minion pact, spell echo, corpse conservation (might not need if you get enough minions but i run out sometimes on bosses), or inevitable critical.

THERE IS NO REASON TO LEVEL UP DD PAST LEVEL 7. It will NOT scale your damage, it will just increase the mana cost.

DO NOT run Archmage until you have enough spirit to run like 6 minions with it enabled.

I am not sure the optimal minion ratio, probably 2 clerics and 3 brutes is good

POSSIBLE INTERACTION: Heft support would be good if increases the corpse damage but I am not sure if it actually works.

Can get an unset ring to run conductivity / enfeeble if you want

FIREBALL IS FOR CLEARING WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE A MINION TO DETONATE, IT IS GOING TO BE LOW DPS. YOU PROBABLY NEED AT LEAST 2K MANA TO MAKE IT FEEL DECENT FOR CLEARING AND SET UP WEAPON SET PASSIVES WHICH I AM NOT GOING TO PUT BECAUSE EXPLAINING BOSS RESPECING AND STUFF IS TOO MUCH WORK AND WOULD TAKE 25 YEARS AND 3000 CHARACTERS, JUST CLICK THINGS ON YOUR WEAPON SET THAT YOU THINK WOULD BE GOOD ITS PROBABLY GOOD

Passive Tree

main:

123

set 1:

set 2:

Ascendancy Order: Sanguimancy > Gore Spike > Sunder the Flesh > Grasping Wounds

Don't take energy shield nodes until you have some energy shield gear, also do not use this tree to level, swap to it when you are able to actually use sacrifice to detonate dead.