Arc Sorceress or Witch Leveling Build

Build Introduction

This guide has been updated for Return of the Ancients (Patch 0.5) and can be used for the league start. The site tools for the Passive Tree and tooltip descriptions will be updated soon.

The Arc Sorceress (or Witch) excels at leveling with destructive Lightning damage. Orb of Storms creates 3 orbs with a single cast to simultaneously zap targets while casting Arc. Once the orbs expire, they generate Lightning Infusions to empower Arcs to chain additional times and deal 3 times more damage. Snap finishes off enemies and is another source of Lightning Infusions. This leveling build is viable in solo self-found mode and extremely effective as a league starter.

This guide can be used to level a new character for any endgame builds involving ascendancies for Sorceress (Stormweaver, Chronomancer, and Disciple of Varashta) or Witch (Blood Mage, Infernalist, and Lich). Notes are included for both the Sorceress and Witch, with the only differences being the ascendancy nodes and a few passive nodes early in the tree. Due to the Witch having Physical Damage nodes instead of Elemental Damage, the Bonestorm Witch Leveling Build is more ideal for the class.

After finishing the campaign, switch to the Blood Mage Arc Comet or Stormweaver Ice Nova Comet endgame guides.

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Strengths and Weaknesses

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Video Guide

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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, a Sorceress has the option to ascend to Stormweaver or Chronomancer. Stormweaver is highly recommended for the easiest leveling experience in the campaign. If you intend on playing another Ascendancy in the endgame, it can be changed later by repeating a Trial of the Sekhemas or Ultimatum. This build can also be used to level a Witch, as the setup is almost identical except for some early nodes in the passive tree and Ascendancy nodes.

Stormweaver Sorceress

The Stormweaver is the best Sorceress Ascendancy to increase damage output against bosses. Allocate Storm’s Recollection after completing the first Trial of the Sekhemas to generate 6 Lightning Infusions per cast of Orb of Storms. Obtain Constant Gale after the second trial for a permanent Arcane Surge buff.

Chronomancer Sorceress

The Chronomancer is another viable choice to level a Sorceress due to its boosts to damage output. After completing the first Trial of the Sekhemas, allocate Quicksand Hourglass to grant the Sands of Time buff for increased Area of Effect and Skill Speed. Obtain Inevitability after the second trial, unlocking Inevitable Agony to cast against bosses.

Blood Mage Witch

The Blood Mage is another popular choice for an endgame build due to its Ascendancy nodes for survivability, damage, and unlimited resources for spell costs. Allocate Sanguimancy and Vitality Siphon to sustain Life costs, and then Sunder the Flesh for 15% Base Critical Hit Chance for Spells.

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General Leveling Advice

Path of Exile II’s campaign is not meant to be taken lightly, and decent gear is necessary to progress smoothly. A Spellcaster’s damage output is highly dependent on having a well-rolled Staff or Wand and Focus setup. Refer to the Gearing Progression section for the ideal stats.

Use the following methods to obtain items outside of monster drops, focusing on Staves to upgrade damage output:

• Check the vendors every time you visit a town after leveling, as their inventory refreshes. The gear you can get from vendors scales with your level, making it a great way to search for upgrades.
• Gamble Staves from the vendor in town for a chance of receiving an upgrade or a base item to craft. Do not forget to pick up loot to sell for gold to gamble.
• Crafting currency can be used to make a decent Staff or other gear. Apply Transmutation and Augmentation orbs to base items. If a Magic item has ideal stats, upgrade it to a rare with a Regal Orb. Alchemy and Chaos Orbs can be used to create a Rare item with random results. Add additional affixes to Rare items with Exalted Orbs.
• Keep in mind that Exalted Orbs are also valuable currency for trading, and can often be traded for better items with more efficiency than crafting. Use the Trade Site to search for upgrades.

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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Leveling Passive Tree

The Passive Tree sections below for the Arc Sorceress can be followed through to the end of the campaign. Beyond that point, use an endgame guide to level further. Follow along as you level by using the left and right arrows in the tool to track the allocation order.

Most attribute nodes must be allocated to Intelligence to meet gear and gem requirements. Equip Energy Shield items and avoid equipment with high Strength and Dexterity requirements while leveling. A minor amount of Strength or Dexterity may need to be allocated to socket Support Gems.

If you are playing Witch, a few of the starting Passive Nodes are different than the Sorcerer Passive Tree shown below. Elemental Force becomes Power of the Dead instead, and you need to skip any nodes around it that no longer provide Elemental Damage. The rest of the setup is the same for both Witch and Sorceress characters.

Check the Ascendancy section of this guide for their node allocation.

The Passive Tree tool has not yet been updated with the newly added nodes in Patch 0.5, but you can still follow the setup.

Skill Gems

The Arc Sorceress/Witch obtains the following Skill Gem setups for each Act, selected in the tool through the dropdown menu. Refer to the Act Note sections below the Skill Gem tool for more details.

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Act 1 Notes

Start your new character with Spark as your main source of damage. The Sorceress receives this skill from the gem chest in the starting zone. As a Witch, craft Spark with the first Level 1 Uncut Skill Gem received in town.

Craft Frost Bomb as your second Skill Gem. An extra Uncut Skill Gem can be found in the campfire site in Clearfell if needed. Frost Bomb applies Elemental Exposure to increase the damage of other Skills and generates Cold Infusions to enhance Spark. Do not level up Frost Bomb to keep its Mana cost low.

Optional speed boost: Equip a Changeling Talisman (check vendor or weapon racks) in Weapon Set 2 and select Werewolf form for a faster Dodge Roll. Hold Werewolf’s Dodge Roll to Sprint for a second before repeating to move quickly. To further improve this setup, craft Pounce with an extra Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem (do not level up).

Craft Orb of Storms with the first Level 3 Uncut Skill Gem you obtain. Support Orb of Storms with Overabundance I and Unleash to create two orbs at a time. A third orb is possible once you obtain Secrets of the Orb in the Passive Tree.

Craft Arc to replace Spark as your main Skill when you get the first Level 5 Uncut Skill Gem.

Support Arc with Zenith I and Rapid Casting I. Zenith requires you to consume your Mana Flask often to maximize damage against bosses. Obtain increased Mana Regeneration Rate on gear (Staff, Rings, and Amulet) to help keep Mana above 90%.

Craft Snap with the second Level 5 Uncut Gem you obtain. Snap can be cast on Shocked enemies to cause explosions and generate additional Lightning Infusions. Shocked corpses can also be targeted to replenish Lightning Infusions after a fight. Do not obtain the Extra Cold Damage stat in this build, as it can cause enemies to be shattered on death, preventing Snap from being used on a corpse.

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

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Act 2 Notes

Level 2 Uncut Support Gems start to drop from monsters in Act 2. Prioritize crafting Considered Casting for Arc, Orb of Storms, and then Snap.

Lesser Jeweller’s Orb starts dropping from Level 25 monsters to unlock the third socket on Arc, Orb of Storms, and then Snap.

Craft Elemental Weakness (Level 7 Uncut Skill Gem) to cast on bosses for a damage boost.

Optional damage boost: Search monster drops and vendors for a Chiming Staff (Level 25 minimum) to equip in Weapon Set 2, which unlocks Sigil of Power. The affixes on the Chiming Staff do not matter, as it is only briefly swapped to cast Sigil of Power. Ensure that all your other skills are set to only be used with Weapon Set 1, so you automatically swap back. Only one optional setup, between the Chiming Staff (damage) or Werewolf form (speed), can be used at a time.

Follow the main questline to gain access to the Trial of the Sekhemas. Complete the trial to ascend the class of your character, and allocate ascendancy nodes. Life Remnants is only utilized by the Blood Mage.

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Act 3 Notes

Level 3 Uncut Support Gems start to drop in Act 3. Prioritize crafting Support Gems for any unlocked third sockets, and then upgrade equipped Support Gems to Zenith II.

Replace Mana Remnants with Blasphemy and move Elemental Weakness into its socket once you obtain 60 Spirit from defeating The King in the Mists (Freythorn, Act 1) and Ignagduk (The Azak Bog, Act 3).

Follow the main questline to gain access to Ultimatum in the Temple of Chaos. Complete an Ultimatum to earn 2 additional Ascendancy points. Inevitable Agony is only utilized by the Chronomancer.

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Act 4 Notes

Level 4 Uncut Support Gems start to drop in Act 4. Prioritize crafting Support Gems for any unlocked fourth sockets, and then update equipped Support Gems to Rapid Casting II.

Greater Jeweller’s Orbs can drop at an extremely low chance, so do not count on them appearing. Prioritize using them on Arc and then Orb of Storms.

Add Siphon Elements with Clarity I as your second persistent buff once you obtain 100 total Spirit from boss rewards during the campaign. Defeat Lythara in the Interlude Act to earn the final Spirit reward.

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Rotation

The Arc and Snap combo deals enough damage to kill most groups of enemies. Utilize the full Skill Rotation to optimize damage output against bosses and tough elites:

1. (Optional) Precast Sigil of Power from a Chiming Staff equipped in Weapon Set 2 to buff damage.
2. Cast Orb of Storms to create 3 orbs to deal supplemental damage. The +2 orb limit is granted by Overabundance I and Secrets of the Orb in the Passive Tree. The orbs generate 3 Lightning Infusions when they expire to empower Arc.
3. Cast Frost Bomb to apply Elemental Exposure.
4. Cast Elemental Weakness, if it is not yet socketed into Blasphemy.
5. Spam Arc to deal damage until Orb of Storms expires, and then recast the orbs.

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Gearing Progression

Equip 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 is ideal to increase survivability early while leveling.

Offensive Gear

The most important item equipped is your Staff. A Wand and Focus combination can also be acceptable, but obtaining 2 optimal items is more difficult while leveling. A Voltaic Staff has the most potential, as it can roll Lightning Spell Skill Levels and Lightning Spell Damage. Prioritize the following stats on your weapons, in order of importance:

1. Lightning/All Spell Skill Levels
2. Extra Lightning/Cold/Fire Damage
3. Increased Lightning/All Spell Damage
4. Critical Strike Chance and Critical Spell Damage Bonus
5. Cast Speed

Defensive Gear

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

1. Maximum Life
2. Resistances
3. Energy Shield
4. Mana Regeneration Rate

Runes

Insert Runes into gear for additional stats while leveling. Insert Storm Runes into your weapon to gain Extra Damage. For other gear, prioritize any needed attributes or resistances you are lacking the most.

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Campaign Buffs

Quest rewards during the campaign offer a selection of buffs to your character. Some of these choices are permanent. If you have chosen an endgame build to work towards, check the endgame guide for the most optimal permanent buffs.

Choose the following buffs for the leveling build:

• Valley of the Titans Altar: 30% increased Charm Charges gained
• Venom Draught: 25% increased Mana Regeneration Rate (Sorceress) or 25% increased Stun Threshold (Witch)
• Trial of Ngkanu: Resistances
• Goddess of Justice: 20% increased Life Recovery from Flasks
• Seven Pillars: 12% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate

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
• Charms
  1. Thawing Charm: Increased Duration
  2. Stone Charm: Increased Duration
  3. Silver Charm: Increased Duration

Progressing into the Endgame

To continue your progression into endgame maps, follow the Blood Mage Arc Comet or Stormweaver Ice Nova Comet endgame guides.

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Changelog

• May 27th, 2025: Guide updated for the Return of the Ancients league (Patch 0.5).
• December 9th, 2025: Guide updated for The Last of the Druids League (Patch 0.4).
• March 28th, 2025: Guide created for Path of Exile II, Early Access.