When is a necromancer not a necromancer? When it’s a Witch, obviously. If you’re the sort of ARPG player who takes the suggestion of “making friends” a bit too literal — and a whole lot more macabre — then you’ll be the sort of person interested in the Witch class gameplay showcase from Path of Exile 2.
Yes, the Witch is capable of summoning undead minions, but it works a bit differently than one might expect: Minions aren’t individual summon skills but are instead bound to an off-hand scepter weapon that both provides a latent set of minions at all times and grants a spirit resource that lets the Witch summon other minions that she wants. If minions die, they revive after every battle so long as no other minions die recently, and they can be directly ordered to do things like move, attack specific enemies, or open doors and chests.
In addition to dedicated minions, the Witch can cast a spell that grants additional temporary bone constructs, reanimate corpses into hardy zombies, or utilize minion command skills that engage different attacks or effects. The kinds of minions the Witch has access to changes depending on level, with choices like mages, brutes, or arsonists, and there’s also a spirit capture mechanic that lets players capture an enemy’s soul to use as a minion, though its spirit cost changes depending on the monster’s power level. The Witch can also spread debuffs to foes, use corpses to power up other spells, or impale a minion as an offering in order to buff other minions.
In short, the Witch can command an impressive army, even at lower levels. The video demonstration before grants a pretty good overview of the Witch’s arsenal, and for more POE2, be sure to check out Andrew’s hands-on and interview from the SGF 2024 game floor.
