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In Path of Exile 2, the Witch class stands out as a master of necromancy, commanding an army of minions to do her bidding while wielding potent chaos magic. Summoning and managing minions is central to the Witch’s gameplay, offering players a dynamic way to control the battlefield by overwhelming enemies with undead forces. Understanding how to effectively summon, sustain, and optimize your minions is key to unlocking the Witch’s full potential.

The Spirit Resource: Your Summoning Currency

Unlike traditional mana-based casting, the Witch uses a unique resource called Spirit to summon minions. Spirit functions similarly to auras in that it is reserved to maintain active minions, and your total Spirit pool determines how many and what kind of minions you can command at once. Early in the game, your Spirit pool is limited, but it grows as you level up, acquire better gear, and complete quests.

To increase your Spirit capacity early on, equipping a Sceptre is essential. Sceptres often grant significant Spirit bonuses and come with innate minion skills, such as summoning Skeletal Warriors. These weapons not only provide a starting minion but also boost your overall Spirit, allowing you to field a larger undead army. Interestingly, if you have the Skeletal Warrior skill both on your Sceptre and as a separate skill gem, they function independently, letting you customize and level each summon separately for greater power and versatility.

Types of Minions and Their Roles

The Witch’s minions come in various forms, each fulfilling distinct roles on the battlefield:

• Skeletal Warriors: Durable frontline melee fighters that soak up damage and protect you.

• Skeletal Snipers: Ranged attackers who deal high damage from a distance but are more fragile.

• Zombies: Tough tanks summoned from corpses, ideal for holding enemy attention.

• Skeletal Storm Mages and Clerics: Support minions that provide area-of-effect damage or healing buffs to your army.

Balancing these minions effectively allows you to create a well-rounded force capable of handling diverse combat scenarios.

Temporary Summons and Corpse Skills

In addition to permanent minions, the Witch can summon temporary minions using skills like Unearth. Unearth raises bone constructs from corpses or enemies you kill, which last for a short duration (around 12 seconds) but can be summoned in large numbers. This skill is particularly useful for beginners because it quickly swells your minion count, providing crowd control and damage without heavy Spirit investment.

Corpse-based summons like Zombies require you to kill enemies first, adding a tactical layer to combat. Managing corpses and timing your summons ensures you maintain a steady frontline while your other minions dish out damage.

Managing Your Minions Effectively

Since each minion consumes Spirit, managing your Spirit pool is crucial. You may find situations where you cannot summon additional powerful minions due to Spirit limits but can still summon cheaper ones. Prioritize minions that best complement your playstyle and build.

Minions automatically respawn upon death, except for some unique summons like Zombies, which must be manually re-summoned using corpses. This auto-respawn mechanic allows you to focus more on your own positioning and casting while your undead army maintains pressure on enemies.

Gear and Skill Synergies

To maximize your summoning potential, focus on gear that increases your Spirit pool and boosts minion damage and survivability. Many Sceptres come with modifiers that increase Spirit or enhance specific minion skills. Additionally, passive skill tree nodes dedicated to minions improve their health, damage, and resistances.

Support gems can further empower your minions by increasing their attack speed, damage, or granting additional effects like life leech. Combining these with buffs and curses amplifies your army’s effectiveness.

Mastering summoning and managing minions as a Witch in Path of Exile 2 offers a rewarding and strategic playstyle. By understanding the Spirit resource, choosing the right mix of minions, and leveraging temporary summons like Unearth, you can build a formidable undead army that dominates the battlefield. With the right gear, skill support, and Spirit management, your minions will serve as both shield and sword, allowing you to conquer Wraeclast with necromantic might.