Witch Bonestorm Leveling Build

Build Introduction

With the sweeping balance changes to every system coming in Patch 0.2, builds require additional testing to make any optimizations. We will do our best to get guides updated as soon as possible. Make sure to check back often to see if any changes have been made.

The Bonestorm Witch excels at leveling with destructive physical spells. Bonestorm is channeled to fire multiple projectiles that deal high burst damage against individual targets. Once an enemy dies, Detonate Dead explodes their corpse to kill groups of enemies.

This leveling build is viable in solo self-found mode and extremely effective as a league starter. It can be used to level a new character for any endgame builds involving Blood Mage, Lich, or Infernalist.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Ascendancy

Select your first Ascendancy after completing the Trial of the Sekhemas in Act 2. The trial is not difficult, so complete it within the level range of 20-30. During the early access of Path of Exile 2, the Witch can ascend to Blood Mage, Lich, or Infernalist. This choice is permanent and should be made with your endgame build in mind!

Blood Mage

The Blood Mage is the most popular class chosen for a Bonestorm build due to the Critical Damage Bonus from Gore Spike. Gaining enough Life to scale Gore Spike is difficult during the campaign, but it can be effective in an endgame build.

Allocate Ascendancy points to obtain Sanguimancy and then Between the Cracks. Wait to allocate Sanguimancy until after you finish the second trial for Ascendancy points.

Lich

The Lich is a newly added class in the Dawn of the Hunt League (Patch 0.2). The Ascendancy can provide Unholy Might for extra Chaos damage that can be scaled with Maximum Mana. A decent amount of damage reduction can also be obtained through Eternal Life.

While leveling, allocate Eldritch Empowerment with your first Ascendancy points to increase the damage of Detonate Dead. Complete the second trial to allocate Rupture the Soul for additional explosions on enemy death.

Infernalist

The Infernalist is not a good choice for a Bonestorm build, so only select the Ascendancy if you have a different endgame build planned. Allocate Ascendancy points to obtain Demonic Possession and then Mastered Darkness.

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Progression Basics

Path of Exile II’s campaign is not meant to be taken lightly. The best way to get gear while leveling is by checking the vendors every time you visit a town after leveling up. The gear you can get from vendors scales with your level, making it a great option for finding upgrades, especially weapons. 

Check for the following items from vendors:

1. Staves with a focus on Levels to Physical / All Skills and Physical / Spell Damage. A Wand and Focus combination can provide more stats, but obtaining 2 optimal items is more difficult while leveling.
2. Any gear with Maximum Life, Resistances, or Energy Shield.

Crafting currency can be used on decent gear, but keep in mind that you might be able to trade currency for better items. Consider searching the trade site to buy upgrades with your Exalted Orbs, especially for weapons.

Do not forget to pick up loot and vendor it for gold. Gamble the gold at vendors for a chance at receiving gear upgrades, focusing on your most outdated items.

Kill enemies in groups to gain experience efficiently. Skipping too many enemies can cause you to be under-leveled, putting you at a disadvantage later on.

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Act I

Start your new Witch character by picking up Unearth from the chest in the first zone, and then craft Frost Bomb with your first Level 1 Uncut Skill Gem in town.

Frost Bomb deals massive damage for a Level 1 Skill, at the cost of a cooldown. Lure groups of enemies into the explosion to kill them in one hit. Support Frost Bomb with Magnified Effect and then Controlled Destruction to get started.

Unearth provides supplemental damage when Frost Bomb is on cooldown. It can also be used on a group of corpses to raise minions that explode when supported by Minion Instability. Frost Bomb can shatter enemies and leave no corpses, so the minions work better with Bone Cage.

Bone Cage becomes the main damage-dealing skill once you obtain a Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem. Support Bone Cage with Brutality and Concentrated Effect for huge damage multipliers.

Craft Bonestorm from the Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem rewarded for killing the Executioner (complete the quest in town). Immediately support Bonestorm with Scattershot, as it drastically reduces its charge up time for additional projectiles. Arcane Tempo is the second Support Gem as the cast speed makes the skill feel smoother to play.

Arctic Armour can be activated once you obtain 30 total Spirit from defeating The King in the Mists (Freythorn, Act 1).

By the end of Act 1, achieve the starter Gem Setup listed below:

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2
Unearth	Minion Instability	Persistence
Frost Bomb	Magnified Effect	Controlled Destruction
Bone Cage	Concentrated Effect	Brutality
Bonestorm	Scattershot	Arcane Tempo
Arctic Armour	–	–

Once you have crafted all the skill mentioned above, utilize the following starter Skill Rotation to optimize damage output:

1. Cast Bone Cage for area of effect damage against groups of enemies. The pinning effect also provides safety from melee attacks.
2. Charge and release Bonestorm to deal high single-target damage, especially against elites and bosses.
3. (Optional) Cast Unearth on corpses after killing groups of enemies to raise minions.

Passive Tree during Act 1:

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Act 2

Continue through Act 2 to craft Detonate Dead and then Vulnerability from Level 7 Uncut Skill Gems. Lesser Jeweller’s Orb starts dropping from Level 25 monsters to unlock the third socket on Bonestorm.

Bonestorm projectiles explode even if Power Charges are not consumed, so Concentrated Effect is supported to increase single-target damage.

Detonate Dead replaces Bone Cage as the area skill to clear groups of enemies. Kill at least one enemy with Bonestorm, and then spam Detonate Dead on corpses to create explosions.

Search monster drops and vendors for a Chiming Staff (Level 25) to equip in your second weapon set for access to Sigil of Power. The affixes on the Chiming Staff do not matter, as it is only briefly swapped to cast Sigil of Power.

The added/moved Support Gems are numbered in order of crafting priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2
Bonestorm	Scattershot	1. Concentrated Effect	2. Arcane Tempo
Detonate Dead	3. Magnified Effect	4. Brutality	5. Execute
Vulnerability	6. Heightened Curse	7. Persistence	–
Sigil of Power	–	–	–
Arctic Armour	–	–	–

Cast Sigil of Power and Vulnerability against bosses to maximize damage output.

Follow the main questline to gain access to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Complete the trial to ascend the class of your character.

Passive Tree during Act 2:

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Act 3

Level 2 Uncut Support Gems start to drop from monsters in Act 3. Add Spell Echo, Considered Casting, and Ritualistic Curse to the Skill Gem setup.

The added/moved Support Gems are numbered in order of crafting priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2	Support Gem 3
Bonestorm	Scattershot	Concentrated Effect	3. Brutality
Detonate Dead	Magnified Effect	1. Spell Echo	2. Considered Casting
Sigil of Power	Persistence	–	–
Blasphemy	Vulnerability	4. Ritualistic Curse	–

Switch Arctic Armour to Blasphemy supported by Vulnerability once you obtain 60 Spirit from defeating The King in the Mists (Freythorn, Act 1) and Ignagduk (The Azak Bog, Act 3). Vulnerability is automatically applied by Blasphemy and no longer needs to be cast.

Follow the main questline to gain access to Ultimatum in the Temple of Chaos. Complete Ultimatum to gain 2 additional Ascendancy points.

Passive Tree during Act 3:

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Progressing Beyond Act 3

Level 3 Uncut Support Gems start to drop from Level 53 monsters in Cruel Act 2. Progress towards the final Skill Gem setup as you unlock the rest of the sockets with Greater and Perfect Jeweller’s Orbs.

Craft Eye of Winter (Level 13 Uncut Skill Gem) to apply Critical Weakness to bosses for maximum damage output.

Add Clarity to support Blasphemy once you obtain 100 Spirit from boss rewards during the campaign. Defeat The King in the Mists (Act 1, Normal Difficulty) and Ignagduk (Act 3, Normal and Cruel Difficulty) for the base Spirit rewards.

The final changes are highlighted and numbered in order of priority.

Skill Gems	Support Gem 1	Support Gem 2	Support Gem 3	Support Gem 4	Support Gem 5
Bonestorm	Scattershot	Concentrated Effect	Brutality	1. Considered Casting	2. Physical Mastery
Detonate Dead	Magnified Effect	Spell Echo	3. Execute	4. Ambush	5. Mobility
Sigil of Power	Persistence	–	–	–	–
Blasphemy	Vulnerability	Ritualistic Curse	6. Clarity
Eye of Winter	6. Unleash	7. Deceleration	–	–	–

Passive Tree at the end of the campaign:

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Rotation

The Bonestorm and Detonate Dead combo is used to kill groups of enemies. Utilize the full Skill Rotation to optimize damage output against bosses:

1. Precast Sigil of Power for a damage buff.
2. Cast Eye of Winter once to apply multiple stacks of Critical Weakness to bosses.
3. Fully charge and release Bonestorm.
4. Continue to spam Bonestorm while keeping the other buffs active.

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Gearing Progression

The Bonestorm Witch build equips item upgrades to enhance damage and survivability during the campaign. A Staff provides a significant increase in damage output while leveling. Equipment with Energy Shield base types are ideal to increase survivability early while leveling.

Offensive Gear

The most important item equipped is your Staff (or Wand and Focus later on). Prioritize the following stats on your weapons, in order of importance:

1. Levels of Physical / All Spell Skills
2. Increased Physical / Spell Damage
3. Critical Hit Chance and Critical Hit Damage
4. Cast Speed

Defensive Gear

Prioritize the following stats on armor and jewelry to increase survivability, in order of importance:

1. Energy Shield
2. Maximum Life
3. Resistances

Socketables

Insert Runes into gear for additional stats while leveling. Prioritize Runes that provide any resistances you are lacking the most.

Dismantle unwanted equipment with sockets dropped from monsters at the Salvage Bench to obtain Artificer’s Orbs. Use the crafting material to add sockets to equipped gear.

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Campaign Buffs

Quest rewards during the campaign offer a selection of buffs to your character. Choose the following buffs for the Bonestorm Witch:

• Valley of the Titans Altar
  1. 15% increased Mana Recovery from Flasks
  2. 15% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
• Venom Draught
  1. 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
  2. 10% Chaos Resistance

For more details, check the guide on Campaign Difficulties and Permanent Stat Bonuses.

Flasks and Charms

Throughout leveling, you will frequently find various charms and flasks. Make sure to swap them out for upgrades.

Prioritize the following Flasks and Charms:

• Health and Mana Flasks
  • Prefix: Increased Amount Recovered
  • Suffix: Increased Charges or Increased Charges Gained
• Charm: Stone Charm or Thawing Charm.

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Changelog

April 3rd, 2025: Guide created for Path of Exile II, Early Access