Whenever a new league opens in Path of Exile, one of the most crucial tasks is choosing a class that suits the league or your own playstyle, and then using available builds to level up as quickly as possible to unlock more mechanics.
Besides the basic class, in 3.27 league, you can now gain more skills to improve yourself through Ascendancy class and Bloodline system.
While Bloodline is a new addition to Keepers league, unlocking Ascendancy classes should be earlier and more important, as Bloodline is only a “secondary Ascendancy class”.
To unlock an Ascendancy class, you need to level up your character to the maximum level to complete Trial of Ascendancy, which allows you to more safely enter and complete Labyrinths, unlocking your Ascendancy class and the skill points you can allocate.
Based on this, POECurrency.com guide will use Witch class as an example to introduce the optimal leveling routes and strategies for playing as a Witch in 3.27 league, helping you acquire the abilities needed to unlock Ascendancy class earlier.
A Pre-Game Tip
If you haven’t created your character yet or have just started playing in a new league, congratulations! You still have time to utilize this tip to gain extra items before becoming a Witch.
First, create a character playing as a Templar. Then, control them into Act 1 to quickly find the support gem Elemental Proliferation on The Twilight Strand. Use it to kill enemies and earn loot, especially items with linked sockets.
The principle behind this tip is that playing as a Templar allows you to find Elemental Proliferation earlier than a Witch (Witches need to enter Mud Flats to find it), thus obtaining gear with linked sockets sooner.
Afterwards, you can delete Templar, create your Witch character, and re-enter the game. Then, using the previously acquired gear with the linked mechanic, link Fireball to Arcane Surge, another support gem you found as a Witch.
This link’s combat effect allows you to clear hordes of regular enemies faster in Act 1, accumulating PoE currency and other items early in the league. You can then take these loot items to town and begin your official leveling journey.
In Act 1
Completing Enemy at the Gate quest in this act will reward you with Rolling Magma skill, giving you three usable skills (including Elemental Proliferation and Arcane Surge).
Note that you shouldn’t rush to upgrade these skills at this point. Instead, leave town and head to the coast, then enter Mud Flats to find Rhoas’s nests and complete Breaking Some Eggs quest.
Afterwards, find NPC Tarkleigh to claim your reward. We generally recommend choosing the skill gems Flame Wall and Frost Bomb. Next, travel to Lioneye’s Watch to find another NPC, Nessa, to accept a quest to obtain the skill Summon Phantasm.
Since Nessa is also a merchant, you can buy PoE currency firstly, then exchange it for Holy Flame Totem from her. Linking these together allows you to use totems to kill enemies and summon a phantasm minion as an assistant.
In Act 2
The effect of cycling through the skills you unlocked in Act 1 is sufficient to advance to Act 3. While you could farm more skill gems in Act 1, Act 2 offers more options.
First, complete Intruders in Black quest to unlock the skill Herald of Thunder, then continue until you defeat the final boss of Act 2, Vaal Oversoul, to unlock access to Act 3.
To defeat this boss, you first need to complete Deal with the Bandits quest to obtain one reward, The Apex, which can be used to summon Vaal Oversoul.
After completing the boss fight, don’t rush into Act 3. Instead, return to the town from Act 2 and sell any useless loot you acquired for usable PoE currency for sale, allowing for more free trading in the next act.
In Act 3
Upon entering this act, you’ll first arrive at The Crematorium. Here, you need to defeat the boss Piety in Lost in Love quest to obtain Flammability, your first skill from Act 3.
This skill makes your enemies more susceptible to fire damage. Combined with all your previous skills, you’ll be able to progress smoothly through Act 3 until you encounter the boss General Gravicius.
After completing Act 3, you should have enough XP to max out your character’s level, given the numerous quests and bosses across the three acts.
Next, complete Trial of Ascendancy and defeat the final boss in Labyrinths to unlock your Ascendancy class. Witch offers three unlockable Ascendancy classes: Occultist, Elementalist, and Necromancer.
If you want to further enhance your character beyond the max level to better complete Trials and Labyrinths, you can re-explore Acts 1-3 to find more usable skills to replace existing ones, or reset your talent tree.
How To Choose Your Ascendancy Class?
Of the three Witch Ascendancy classes, Occultist excels at dealing sustained frost and chaos damage and can trigger curse effects, especially if you use Profane Bloom, which can trigger a curse explosion to quickly eliminate enemies.
Elementalist’s advantage lies in enhancing the power of elemental ailments, utilizing different exclusive Ascendancy skills to increase elemental damage or enhance your resistance to elemental damage from enemies.
Necromancer, on the other hand, excels at using summoning, auras, and offering skills, or gaining bonuses through skills related to corpses, making it the top choice for players who prefer summoning classes.
In short, each of the three Ascendancy classes has its strengths, but whichever you choose, leveling up and enhancing your character are unavoidable prerequisites!
That concludes our introduction. If you plan to continue playing Witch in 3.27 league, our advice should be helpful!