People won't stop chatting about the Mercenary buffs in 0.4, but after a week on my new Lich I'm convinced the real story is Witch. I've been grinding hard, hit 96, and the whole minion feel has changed because of the AI tweaks. They don't just stand in burning ground anymore, and they don't dogpile a single target while everything else chews on you. They spread out, swap targets fast, and it makes those messy T16 rooms feel way less annoying. If you're gearing up or testing the build early, having a bit of poe 2 currency ready can smooth out the rough spots without derailing your whole league plan.
What Changed In Actual Maps
I started out doing the usual Spectre setup, and it worked… until it didn't. Dense packs, weird pathing, bad timing, and you'd watch your army hesitate while you're trying not to get clipped. The new behavior is the difference maker. Your minions fan out, they don't all eat the same AOE, and you can feel the retargeting kick in when a rare shows up. It's not some tiny quality-of-life line in patch notes anymore; it changes how confident you play. You stop babysitting every corner and start pushing forward like you mean it.
Skeleton Swarm Setup That Actually Clicks
By Friday I swapped into a hybrid Skeleton swarm and it finally clicked. Skeletons in the 6-link with Multistrike and Feeding Frenzy is the core, and yeah, Feeding Frenzy is non-negotiable. That aggressive pacing is what keeps your clears steady when the screen's full of junk. In the helm I run utility Spectres with Deathmark so I can tell them, "No, that one," when a tanky rare is dragging the fight out. The big jump came from the "Echoes of the Abyss" amulet. The chaos conversion on crit is stupidly good on bosses. If you can't get it yet, a rare with +1 minion levels does the job for a while, but you'll notice the ceiling fast.
Staying Alive Without Playing Scared
The funniest part is how safe it feels for a build that's basically an angry swarm. I grabbed Unyielding Command early for the minion life multiplier, because if your front line doesn't fold, you don't either. I'm sitting around 5k life and 2k ES, and Bone Offering gets block where it needs to be. I've gone through Uber bosses without deaths, and I ran 50 blight-ravaged maps in a row with no wipeouts. It's not the speed king—Sorceress still flies through content—but the consistency is what makes it addictive.
Gearing Reality And The Nerf Cloud
Prices are climbing, and you can feel it every time you search for minion gear. Coming Calamity being 15 to 20 divines is rough if you're not living in Delirium mirrors. I farmed my way up, but I've also watched guildmates shortcut the early grind when they just wanted the build online for the weekend, grabbing currency and items through U4GM and getting straight back into mapping. Either way, if you've been on the fence about rolling a summoner, now's the window—because this Lich power level doesn't feel like it'll survive 0.5 untouched.
What Changed In Actual Maps
I started out doing the usual Spectre setup, and it worked… until it didn't. Dense packs, weird pathing, bad timing, and you'd watch your army hesitate while you're trying not to get clipped. The new behavior is the difference maker. Your minions fan out, they don't all eat the same AOE, and you can feel the retargeting kick in when a rare shows up. It's not some tiny quality-of-life line in patch notes anymore; it changes how confident you play. You stop babysitting every corner and start pushing forward like you mean it.
Skeleton Swarm Setup That Actually Clicks
By Friday I swapped into a hybrid Skeleton swarm and it finally clicked. Skeletons in the 6-link with Multistrike and Feeding Frenzy is the core, and yeah, Feeding Frenzy is non-negotiable. That aggressive pacing is what keeps your clears steady when the screen's full of junk. In the helm I run utility Spectres with Deathmark so I can tell them, "No, that one," when a tanky rare is dragging the fight out. The big jump came from the "Echoes of the Abyss" amulet. The chaos conversion on crit is stupidly good on bosses. If you can't get it yet, a rare with +1 minion levels does the job for a while, but you'll notice the ceiling fast.
Staying Alive Without Playing Scared
The funniest part is how safe it feels for a build that's basically an angry swarm. I grabbed Unyielding Command early for the minion life multiplier, because if your front line doesn't fold, you don't either. I'm sitting around 5k life and 2k ES, and Bone Offering gets block where it needs to be. I've gone through Uber bosses without deaths, and I ran 50 blight-ravaged maps in a row with no wipeouts. It's not the speed king—Sorceress still flies through content—but the consistency is what makes it addictive.
Gearing Reality And The Nerf Cloud
Prices are climbing, and you can feel it every time you search for minion gear. Coming Calamity being 15 to 20 divines is rough if you're not living in Delirium mirrors. I farmed my way up, but I've also watched guildmates shortcut the early grind when they just wanted the build online for the weekend, grabbing currency and items through U4GM and getting straight back into mapping. Either way, if you've been on the fence about rolling a summoner, now's the window—because this Lich power level doesn't feel like it'll survive 0.5 untouched.