Dawn of the Hunt PoE 2 League Starter Build Guide for Witch Ascendancy Bone Minions

This is a reliable league starter for The Leech, the new Witch ascendancy in Path of Exile 2, Dawn of the Hunt. It focuses on ranged minions, Flaming Wall, and Bonestorm, creating a hybrid playstyle that blends summon-heavy pressure with self-cast utility and AoE control.

This build relies on smart use of support and skill gems to synergize minions and utility.

Build Overview

The core concept is simple but effective:

• Use minions (Skeletal Snipers or Arsonists) as your main damage output
• Cast Flaming Wall to enhance their projectiles and summon Raging Spirits
• Use Bonestorm for single-target damage and added AoE

Rather than watching your minions fight while you sit back, this build puts you in an active role. You’ll be moving, casting, and managing your field, but without overwhelming complexity.

Early Game Setup & Minion Progression

The early acts are smooth, especially for a summon-based build. Here’s how to set things up as you level:

Act 1–2:

• Start with Unearth to get minions going early
• Pick up Minion Instability to deal burst damage when your minions die
• Prioritize Skeletal Snipers for reliable ranged attacks

Act 2–3:

• Once you’ve completed King in the Mist, you’ll unlock the ability to summon Raging Spirits
• Around this point, you should have enough Spirit capacity to begin swapping in Skeletal Arsonists as a more powerful replacement for Snipers
• Arsonists work especially well with Flaming Wall, thanks to their fire synergy

Note: Avoid Skeletal Warriors in this build—they don’t bring much to the table, and we’re aiming for ranged, fire-enhanced minion output.

The Flaming Wall Combo

This build makes clever use of Flaming Wall, which has two main functions:

1. Boosting minion projectiles: When Snipers or Arsonists shoot through the wall, they gain additional fire damage
2. Summoning Raging Spirits: Every time you cast Flaming Wall, spirits are summoned automatically

Flaming Wall quickly fills your spirit cap, letting you focus on positioning and dealing damage instead of juggling summon skills.

Bonestorm for Single-Target Damage & Bosses

While Flaming Wall and your minions handle most trash mobs, Bonestorm is your answer to high-health targets.

• Cast it directly at the enemy (cursor placement is key—it spawns where you aim).
• Combos well with Flaming Wall: if Bonestorm is cast within the area of the wall, it gains additional fire damage.
• Still a strong option despite recent nerfs to its boss damage.

For boss fights, double-cast Flaming Wall, then Bonestorm to maximize damage output. It also helps with mob cleanup when you’re moving between packs, making it a versatile secondary tool.

Combat Flow

1. Start with Flaming Wall: Flaming Wall enables your spirits and minions to deal damage through both projectiles and AoE bursts.
2. Maintain 10 spirits by recasting Wall as needed
3. Position Bonestorm carefully for bosses or elite enemies
4. Repeat as you rotate through packs—minimal downtime, consistent damage

It’s a smooth rhythm once you get used to it, with very few dead moments in your rotation.

Support Gems – Making the Build Actually Feel Good

The right support and skill gems are what bring this build together. It revolves around smart use of skill gems to maximize synergy between your minions and utility tools. Whether you’re linking Bonestorm, Flaming Wall, or your Raging Spirits, efficient skill gem setups are key to smooth progression.

We’ll go by skill: minions, raging spirits, Bonestorm, and Flaming Wall.

Minion Supports – Snipers & Arsonists

So, here’s the thing: Scattershot got nerfed. It used to be the golden standard, but with the new 35% less damage penalty (up from 20%), it’s no longer an auto-pick for league start. Don’t worry though—we’ve got options.

Early on, your best bet is:

• Martial Tempo – gives your Snipers and Arsonists that nice early attack speed bump. It feels smoother and helps keep the pressure up when your gear is trash.
• Last Gasp – this one’s for survival. It gives your minions a bit more staying power, especially before you’ve got decent Spirit generation going.

When you’re focused on maximizing minion damage, prioritize Martial Tempo and Scattershot. These offer the highest impact on clear speed and sustained pressure, especially in multi-target scenarios.

• Scattershot + Martial Tempo becomes a viable pair again later—just keep in mind that the nerf hurts a little more at lower gear levels. Consider using it only when your base damage scaling can effectively offset the significant 35% less damage penalty, or when consistently clearing large packs where the extra projectiles provide overwhelming value.

Whether you’re still on Snipers or have made the switch to Arsonists, this support combo carries you cleanly through the acts.

Raging Spirit Supports – Fire Ghost Gang

Raging Spirits are your backup brawlers—automatically summoned when you cast Flaming Wall, they bring the heat, but they need a little help scaling.

Start simple:

• Fire Infusion is your go-to here. It leans into the fire theme of the build and buffs up their base damage nicely.

Once you’re settled in and feeling comfy, slot in a second support:

• Martial Tempo works great here too, giving your spirits more hits in less time, which stacks nicely with their limited uptime.

Fire Infusion + Martial Tempo is the ideal midgame setup for Raging Spirits—but even running them solo early on works just fine.

Bonestorm Supports – Spin to Win (or Burn)

Considered Casting	Adds flat spell damage and scales well with frequent casting	This support makes Bonestorm feel impactful from the start. Great synergy with how you’re already casting Flaming Wall and other spells. Helps it scale naturally into midgame.
Arcane Tempo	Increases casting speed for smoother skill use	Prevents clunky Bonestorm animations. Essential to keep your flow going in fights and avoid being caught mid-cast by enemy attacks.
Brutality (optional)	Great physical damage boost but disables fire scaling	Only use if you haven’t taken your Ascendancy yet or before you’re fully leaning into fire scaling. Remove it once Flaming Wall is core to your setup—it will block its fire benefits.

Flaming Wall Supports – Keep It Simple

Flaming Wall is the backbone of this build’s setup, but early on, it doesn’t need much to do its job.

• Force is your main support here when you’re starting out—it boosts spell effectiveness and keeps the wall impactful.
• Later on, you can upgrade to Spell Cascade if you want more coverage, letting you layer multiple walls and hit more enemies with fire projectiles.

Not essential at league start, but it’s a nice upgrade as you move into maps. Until then, Force handles everything you need.

Unearth & Minion Instability – Early Game Tools

Unearth is just your stepping stone. It gets you through the first few acts until you unlock better minions. Once you’re summoning Snipers or Arsonists consistently, Unearth can go.

As for Minion Instability—this is a passive tree keystone, not a support gem. It’s a fun mechanic early on, especially when your early Unearth minions have low survivability and are dying frequently, causing them to explode for damage. However, it’s generally not effective for Raging Spirits, as they usually expire based on their duration rather than taking lethal damage, meaning they won’t trigger the explosion reliably. You’ll typically allocate passive points away from this keystone as your main minion setup becomes more robust.

Passive Tree & Leveling Path – Where to Point Those Skill Points

Let’s talk passive tree. Good news: this one’s straightforward. You’re not juggling six different archetypes or weaving in obscure nodes for tiny gains. You’re taking minion stuff, defensive stuff, and mana sustain stuff—in that order.

This path is efficient, smooth, and gets you what you need when you need it.

Early Game Pathing: Left, Right, Minion Might

• Start by heading left from the Witch starting area towards the minion and spirit nodes near ‘Heavy Buffer’. Crucially, take the bottom side of the loop path here instead of the top; this route grants +30% Maximum Shield while sacrificing 10 points of a base attribute (like Strength or Dexterity), offering valuable early defense.
• Grab every minion node you see along this path—damage, life, accuracy, it’s all good.
• Your goal is consistent damage and uptime early, so don’t skip anything just because it looks “minor.”
• Then swing over to the right side for even more minion-focused nodes.
  • You’ll find a really nice cluster that boosts minion movement speed, cast speed, and even accuracy—key stats that keep your minions snappy and effective.
• Be sure to pick up:
  • +40% Minion Life – boosts survivability across the board
  • Gravedigger – fallen minions revive faster, and you heal 2% life each time one gets revived. That bonus heal might not sound like much, but the healing effect adds up noticeably during longer encounters.

Defensive & Utility Picks

After your minions are up and running, start padding out your defenses and utility:

• Entropic Incarnation and Vile MainThese give your minions life regen, which helps offset chip damage in tougher fightsGreat mid-game pickup, especially when you start to rely more on your Arsonists or when mapping gets spicier
• Potent IncantationThis one’s optional. If Bonestorm feels a bit underwhelming against bosses, grab it. It can boost Bonestorm’s damage by around 30%, which is no joke.If you’re short on points or feeling fine on single-target, skip it for now and come back later.

Must-Have Keystone Areas (aka “Don’t Skip These”)

When you’re deeper into the tree—either during Act 5+ or early maps—you’ll want to look for the big upgrades:

• Lords of Horse – Gives you reservation efficiency, which becomes important once you’re juggling multiple auras or supports
• Right Hand of Darkness – Adds AoE for your minions. Bigger fireballs, more corpse explosions—what’s not to love?
• Left Hand of Darkness – Adds resistances and life for your minions. Super handy for survival
• The Wizard – Really solid for Leech synergy and spellcasting consistency
• Together, these nodes give your minions the breathing room they need to actually stick around and do their job

Restless Dead & Growing Swarm – Late Game Cleanup

These two are for late-game polishing:

• Restless Dead improves your army’s uptime
• Growing Swarm gives more oomph to your minion horde in longer encounters

Don’t worry about these while leveling—they’re goals for later, when your tree is filling out and you’re refining your map performance.

Mana, Shield & Timing Tips

• Leaving That (yes, that’s the name) – grab it for a flat mana boost, especially useful once you unlock your Leech ascendancy
• Mana Blessing – skip it until you have your ascendancy. Without the Leech effects triggering mana drain, this node won’t do much for you

For additional utility:

• Dampen and Shield – easy pick, early defense boost. Worth it.
• Open Mind – only take it after your first ascendancy, when mana usage starts to ramp up. Before that, it’s more of a liability than a help.

Optional: Energy Shield Path

If you’re feeling a bit squishy or want a little buffer:

• Swing right for Energy Shield nodes and Elemental Resistance, especially:
  • Enhanced Barrier – good synergy if you’re dabbling in hybrid defense setups
• Not mandatory, but nice if you’re feeling vulnerable in early mapping

TL;DR Tree Strategy

• Go minions first, always
• Add utility & regen mid-game
• Layer in damage boosts & defense after Ascendancy
• Prioritize mana & survivability to handle Leech mechanics without stress

Gear & High-Level Support Gems – Powering Up Your Leech

Let’s get your Leech Witch properly geared and linked up. Once you’re past the early campaign and heading into higher levels, you’ll want to start fine-tuning your gear and optimizing your support gems. Prioritize gear that grants +Level to all minion skills — this affects Snipers, Arsonists, and Raging Spirits alike, significantly boosting their scaling.

The good news? This build doesn’t demand any crazy uniques or expensive affixes—just smart picks that boost your core mechanics: minions, spirit economy, and spell utility. Keep an eye out for any uncut spirit gems along your way.

Weapon	Cast Speed, Spell Damage, or Spell Physical Damage	Use a Bone Wand for smoother Bonestorm casting. Faster casting = smoother gameplay. Prioritize anything that scales spell efficiency or fire conversion.
Offhand	+Level to All Minion Skills, Increased Spirit, Allies Deal Increased Damage	Rattling Scepter is ideal. Boosts overall Spirit economy and minion output. Look for global damage mods for added pressure.
Helmet	+Level to All Minion Skills, Life, Mana, Energy Shield	No need to overthink early—just get a base with minion scaling. Any defensive stat is a bonus for survivability.
Body Armour	Increased Spirit, Life, Resistances	Spirit is your priority for summoning bigger armies later. Until then, pick up life/resist gear to stay stable through the acts.
Gloves	Life, Resistances, Energy Shield, Attributes	Nothing flashy needed here. Focus on defenses and stats (especially Intelligence) to support gem and gear requirements.
Boots	20%+ Movement Speed, Life, Mana, Resistances	Mobility is key in this build. Prioritize movement speed above all else, then layer defense afterward.
Amulet	+Minion Skill Levels, Increased Spirit	If you can get both, that’s ideal. Even one of these makes the amulet worth equipping—great slot for scaling.
Belt	Resistances, Life	Golden Belt is a strong upgrade for utility and rarity later. Grab minion regen or utility mods if you see them.
Charm	“Immune to Freeze” mod	Equip this at level 12. It’s simple but saves your life more often than you’d expect—mandatory for smoother progression.
Jewels	Minion Damage, Cast Speed, Spell Damage	Generic damage boosters work great early. Don’t over-invest—slot whatever gives your army more output or casting ease.

Minions & Gem Links – Building Your Undead Army

Your minion progression starts with Skeletal Snipers, and transitions into Skeletal Arsonists around the end of Act 2. Here’s the breakdown:

Skeletal Snipers

• Supports:
  • Martial Tempo
  • Last Gasp or Scattershot (your choice depending on how durable they feel)
• Note: Scattershot was nerfed, so it’s not quite what it used to be—still usable, just temper expectations

Skeletal Arsonists (Mid-Game)

• Replace Snipers once you unlock Arsonists. Depending on personal preference and enemy density, running a mix of Snipers and Arsonists can also be effective, especially before reaching maps.
• Use the same support setup:
  • Martial Tempo
  • Scattershot (with the caveat mentioned earlier about its heavy damage penalty)
  • Last Gasp
• Transition is smooth, no need to change playstyle—just plug and play if replacing fully.

Skeletal Cleric (Optional Utility)

• Only need one. Support with Impunity. They help with revives and minion healing—a great QoL upgrade for the skeletal cleric.

Raging Spirits

With Fire Infusion and Martial Tempo linked, your Raging Spirits can deal significant damage even before scaling with more advanced gear.

• Use them as soon as you unlock 30 Spirit capacity
• Start with:
  • Fire Infusion
• Then add:
  • Feeding Frenzy (great for scaling and helping your minions focus targets)

Bonestorm

• Your single-target nuke
• Recommended supports:
  • Considered Casting
  • Arcane Tempo
• Optional Early Game Swap: Use Brutality if you haven’t taken your Ascendancy yet, but remove it later—it conflicts with fire damage from Flaming Wall

Movement Skill

• Slot Shield Charge into your weapon swap setup
• It’s fast, reliable, and works great with high mobility builds like this

Pain Offering (Optional Buff Layer)

(Note: Final PoE 2 mechanics may differ; Pain Offering might not function as a directly supportable spell as in PoE 1, or its mechanics could change entirely. Treat this as a potential buff layer pending confirmation.)

• Excellent damage amplifier if mechanics allow.
• Potential Links (if applicable):
  • Persistence
  • Font of Rage (gives minions Rage buffs)
  • Expanse or Mid-Shield for more tankiness if needed

Curse Setup

• Primary Curse: Flammability
  • Don’t bother with anything else at the start—this is your best choice by far
• Later, Despair might become viable if you’re leaning more into chaos, but not recommended early
• Support Flammability with:
  • Heightened Curse
  • Curse Ground (optional, helps apply more easily in group fights)

Flaming Wall – Core of the Build

• Cast it often, place it smartly—it powers up your minions’ projectiles
• Start with Force Support
• Later, consider:
  • Spell Cascade (for wider spread)
  • Or stick with Fortress if you prefer better uptime

Important: Don’t use Brutality on anything interacting with Flaming Wall—it messes with the fire damage scaling.

With this full gem and gear setup, your Leech Witch is ready to take on high-tier content with ease. From a solid league start to pushing maps, this setup scales naturally and gives you the tools to adapt along the way.

Path of exile 2 Ascendancy Choices – The Leech Path to Power

Choosing the right ascendancy nodes is what makes or breaks the build’s identity. For The Leech, you’re balancing raw power, mana sustainability, and a bit of strategic planning. But don’t worry—it’s not as complicated as it sounds.

Let’s break it down.

1. Necromantic Conduit (Core Pick – Take First)

This is the heartbeat of your build early on: “You and allies in your presence have Unholy Might while you’re not on low mana. Lose 5% of current mana per second.”

Why it’s great:

• Unholy Might adds a solid chunk of chaos damage to your and your minions’ attacks/spells.
• The mana drain stops if you hit low mana (typically 35%), but you also lose the Unholy Might buff while in that state. Keeping your mana comfortably above this 35% threshold is crucial for consistent damage uptime and to ensure the buff remains active.

Tip: After taking this, immediately invest in some mana regeneration or mana recovery on your tree or gear. It’s essential to keep the effect up consistently and avoid dipping into low mana during combat.

2. Rupture the Soul (Recommended Second)

“Cursed enemies killed by your allies have a 33% chance to explode.”

This one boosts clear speed nicely:

• Works great with Flammability curse
• Adds explosions to your minion kills, making packs disappear faster
• No tricky interactions—just effective AoE

3. Soulless Form + Eternal Life (Advanced Option)

This combo adds survivability and some life-to-mana recovery scaling, but it comes with a warning label:

• You regenerate mana equal to 6% of your maximum life
• Sounds good—but only works if you’ve stacked enough life and regeneration
• Requires careful balancing of your resource pool, and may not feel great in the early campaign

If you go this route:

• Avoid picking mana-focused passives
• Instead, invest in life nodes wherever possible
• You can use a mana flask to help bridge gaps

This is more of a late-game tanky variation, so if you’re not up for the micromanagement, consider skipping it on your first playthrough.

4. Blackened Heart (Late Game Utility)

This node scales better once you have access to:

• More mana reservation tools
• Higher spirit count
• Aura stacking

It’s not the best during campaign progression due to its dependency on maximum mana, but it shines in endgame builds where efficiency matters.

5. Crystalline Factory (Flexible Final Option)

This one’s your “tech choice”:

• Works well once you’ve unlocked Jubil
• Adds some utility to the build, especially when paired with Rupture the Soul
• If you don’t go the Soulless Form route, this is a solid fourth node

Recap – Ascendancy Order Suggestions

Safe Path (Recommended for Most Players):

1. Necromantic Conduit
2. Rupture the Soul
3. Crystalline Factory
4. Blackened Heart

Riskier Path (Tanky + Advanced):

1. Necromantic Conduit
2. Eternal Life
3. Soulless Form
4. Blackened Heart (or Crystalline Factory if mana is too rough)

Remember: You can respec nodes within your ascendancy anytime, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Find what feels right for your playstyle and gear situation.

Final Thoughts – Leech is Looking Strong

That wraps up this Leech Witch Minion Starter Guide! Right now, Leech is shaping up to be one of the most flexible and promising ascendancies in Path of Exile 2—especially for minion lovers.

It’s got:

• A clean early game
• Great synergy with minions and spirits
• Active spellcasting that doesn’t overwhelm
• And the potential to scale into Specters or even hybrid builds later on

Hopefully this guide gives you a solid foundation to start the campaign with confidence—and maybe a bit of flair. If this build doesn’t really tickle your fancy, we have Bleed Huntress and/or Ranger-danger build guides as well! Make sure to give them your attention as well, appreciate it. Good luck out there, and may your spirits rage and your Bonestorms burn!