People can't stop talking about the Mercenary buffs in 0.4, but if you've been quietly leveling a Witch, you already know where the real power is. I've spent the last week on a fresh Lich, pushed it up into the mid‑90s, and the biggest change isn't a flashy damage number—it's how the minions behave now. They don't just soak circles on the ground and melt. They fan out, swap targets fast, and stop clumping like tourists around one rare. If you've been stocking up on path of exile 2 currency for a reroll, this is the kind of build that actually makes the investment feel worth it.
What Changed in Maps
The patch notes made the AI tweaks sound minor, but you feel it the second you hit dense T16s. Before, I'd spend half my time babysitting: resummon, reposition, pray they don't stand in the bad. Now you sprint, the pack pops, and the minions keep moving like they've got a plan. It's not "perfect," sure, but it's way less of that awkward stop‑start rhythm. You'll notice it most in tight layouts where your army used to pile into doorways and waste seconds.
The Setup That Finally Clicked
I started with the usual Spectre approach, and it worked, but it felt stiff when the screen got crowded. So I swapped into a hybrid Skeleton swarm setup and it immediately smoothed out. Skeletons in the 6‑link with Multistrike is the engine. Feeding Frenzy is the attitude—without it, they feel half awake. In the helmet, I keep utility Spectres with Deathmark so I can point at the nastiest rare and say, "No, that one." The standout item is Echoes of the Abyss. I lucked into one from a Heist contract, and the chaos conversion on crit turns boss phases from "long" to "wait, already." A rare amulet with +1 minion levels holds you over, but you'll want the chaos scaling once you can.
Staying Alive While Your Army Works
People see "summoner" and assume it's either paper thin or slow and miserable. This version's neither. I grabbed Unyielding Command early for the minion life boost, because living minions are basically extra layers of defense. My character's sitting around 5k life and 2k ES, and Bone Offering makes block feel unfair in a good way. I've done Uber fights without the usual panic deaths, and the real test was repetition: dozens of blight‑ravaged maps in a row with zero wipes. It's not the fastest mapper on the planet—Sorceress still zooms harder—but the calm, steady clears add up.
Gearing, Prices, and Real Talk
Minion gear is getting pricey, and stuff like Coming Calamity can be a rough ask if you're not living in the game. I've been farming via Delirium mirrors and selling whatever drops, but not everyone's got the patience for that loop. Some players just want to get online, buy a couple key pieces, and start clearing, and that's where sites that sell currency and items get mentioned in guild chat. If you do decide to shortcut the grind, at least be smart about it and stick to reputable options like U4GM, because the whole point of a strong Lich is enjoying the content, not stressing over sketchy trades.
