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PoE 2 Build

Deadrabbit [0.3] ED Contagion Lich League Starter (Level 1 to Endgame)

presentationWitch
presentationLich
End Game
Starter
0.3 TTE
By Perra
Updated on Sep 2, 2025
Sep 2, 2025

Build Overview

This Build is an Endgame Setup for the Lich Ascendancy, especially suitable as a League Starter due to its extremely good defensive layers for very little investment.

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.

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, 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
  • Single Target Damage Ceiling

Build Variants

This Setup designed to get you through the Campaign, using Essence Drain and Contagion right from Level 1 onwards. For early Campaign we are also adding Flame Wall for clear, Bonestorm for Single Target DPS and Unearth to get a Meatshield of Minions. On the Passive Tree we are trying to get to Potent Incantation, Lingering Horror, Void and Dark Entries as fast as possible before focusing more on Energy Shield Nodes like Melding and Patient Barrier.

Equipment

item
1
item
8
item
6
item
3
item
7
item
9
item
2
item
4
item
10
item
5
item
item
item
Equipment Priority
+10

Stat Priority during Campaign:

  • +Chaos/All Spell Skills
  • Spell/Chaos Damage
  • Resistances
  • High Energy Shield Bases
  • Maximum Life
  • Maximum Mana

If you can get some Cast Speed on Wand, Focus, Amulet or Rings thats a nice Bonus !

Check Vendors as often as you can to look for +Chaos Level Gear, Movement Speed for Boots or any other Upgrades you can get (High ES Gear, Resistances, Maximum Life)

Valley of the Titans Medaillons: Charm Charges Gained

Venom Vial Quest Rewards: Stun Threshold

Act 4 and Interlude Rewards: Resistances

Skill Gems

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 5

Dex 15

Int 45

1

Essence Drain

supportzenithplayer
supportchainplayer
supportswiftafflictionplayer
2

Contagion

supportunleashplayer
supportmagnifiedareaplayer
supportrapidcastingplayer
3

Chaos Bolt

supportwitheringtouchplayer
supportrapidcastingplayer
4

Unearth

5

Flame Wall

6

Withering Presence

moredurationsupportplayer
7

Bonestorm

supportbrutalityplayer
8

Dark Effigy

supportincreaselimitplayer
supportfastercastplayer
9

Despair

supportcurseeffectplayer
supportcursedgroundplayer
10

Enfeeble

supportdecayinghexplayer
Gem Priority
+15

The usual Skill Rotation for clearing is casting Contagion into Essence Drain and make sure the Essence Drain DoT is nicely spread by the Contagion, in the very early Stages of Campaign we also add Flame Wall to support the Contagion Spread, since alone it is sometimes not able to reliably kill the Mobs. We also use Unearth on the resulting Corpses to keep up an Army of Minions for extra Damage and a Meatshield.

Our Single Target comes from casting Essence Drain and Bonestorm which we add as soon as we get a Level 5 Skill Gem and hit Level 16.

Adding Enfeeble with Decaying Hex can also be a nice DPS improvement.

Once available, using Despair and Dark Effigy on Tanky Rare Mobs and Bosses is gonna help that Single Target DPS alot!

You can remove Flame Wall and Unearth at any point, if you feel like you don't need any of these anymore !

Passive Tree

main:
123
123
set 1:
20
20
set 2:
20
20

While Leveling prioritize the Damage Nodes like Potent Incantation, Lingering Horror, Void and Dark Entries. After we get a few of our Items with Energy Shield on it, we can start to also allocate the Energy Shield increasing Nodes like Melding and Heavy Buffer.

Go for Damage first and than slowly start to scale the Energy Shield we are getting throughout the progression of the Campaign.


Ascendancy Order:

  • Soulless Form
  • Eternal Life (even better if we get Atziri's Disdain early and Heavy Buffer)
  • Rupture the Soul (Very good for clear when we get Blasphemy with Temporal Chains and Whispers of Doom)
  • Eldritch Empowerment (only take this when you can actually sustain the ES cost)


If you get a good Jewel switch out Rupture the Soul for Crystalline Phylactery

Atlas Tree

For an Atlas Setup once we reach early Endgame and complete the first few Atlas Points, check the T1-T15 Maps Build Variant.

Quest Rewards

Check which quests you’ve completed on your character
Clearfell — Beira of the Rotten Pack
Not Specified1 choice
Hunting Grounds — The Crowbell
Not Specified1 choice
Freythorn — The King in the Mists
Not Specified1 choice
Ogham Farmlands — Una's Hut
Not Specified1 choice
Ogham Manor — Candlemass, the Living Rite
Not Specified1 choice
Keth — Kabala, Constrictor Queen
Not Specified1 choice
Valley of the Titans — Medallion
Not Specified2 choices
Deshar — Final Letter
Not Specified1 choice
The Spires of Deshar — Sisters of Garukhan
Not Specified1 choice
Jungle Ruins — Mighty Silverfist
Not Specified1 choice
The Venom Crypts — Venom Draught
Not Specified3 choices
Jiquani's Machinarium — Blackjaw, the Remnant
Not Specified1 choice
The Azak Bog — Ignagduk, the Bog Witch
Not Specified1 choice
The Molten Vault — The Molten Vault
Not Specified1 choice
Aggorat — Blood Sacrifice
Not Specified1 choice
Journey's End — Captain Hartlin
Not Specified1 choice
Eye of Hinekora — Navali's Rest
Not Specified1 choice
Halls of the Dead — Yama The White
Not Specified1 choice
Halls of the Dead — Tawhoa's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Abandoned Prison — Goddess of Justice
Not Specified2 choices
Halls of the Dead — Tasalio's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Halls of the Dead — Ngamahu's Test
Not Specified2 choices
Wolvenhold — Oswin, the Dread Warden
Not Specified1 choice
The Khari Crossing — Akthi and Anundr
Not Specified1 choice
The Khari Crossing — Molten Shrine
Not Specified1 choice
Qimah — Tabana's Pillar
Not Specified7 choices
Kriar Village — Lythara, the Wayward Spear
Not Specified1 choice
Howling Caves — The Abominable Yeti
Not Specified1 choice

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Video Guide

Table of Contents

1. Build Overview2. Strengths and Weaknesses3. Build Variants4. Equipment5. Skill Gems6. Passive Tree7. Atlas Tree8. Quest Rewards

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