Despite still being months away from its official launch, Path of Exile 2 is already shaping up to be one of the most anticipated action RPGs in years. With developer Grinding Gear Games teasing more refined mechanics, immersive visuals, and deeper character progression, it’s no wonder that fans of the original are closely following every detail. Among the many returning elements, one class is already generating significant buzz: the Witch.
A staple of dark fantasy archetypes, the Witch has always represented the macabre and mystical within the Path of Exile universe. In POE 2 Currency, she remains true to her roots—capable of summoning devastating magical forces and an ever-expanding undead army. But now, she comes equipped with enhanced necromantic abilities, particularly through the Raise Spectre (or Bind Spectre) skill, allowing her to dominate the battlefield like never before. Let’s dive into what makes the Witch—and specifically, the Raise Spectre skill—such a formidable force in Path of Exile 2.
The Witch: A Master of Death
In Path of Exile, classes are defined less by rigid roles and more by their starting location on the passive skill tree and their affinity for certain playstyles. The Witch starts in the Intelligence-heavy region, which naturally lends itself to spellcasting, elemental damage, and—most notably—necromancy.
In the first game, the Witch’s necromancer archetype was a fan favorite for summoner builds. But in Path of Exile 2, her power has been significantly expanded, making her arguably the strongest summoner class in the early builds revealed to the public. From a gameplay perspective, she is designed for players who enjoy controlling the flow of combat through minions, spells, and a deep bag of utility tricks.
With new skills, revamped mechanics, and improved AI for minions, the Witch no longer just commands an army—she leads a specialized, tactical squadron of death. And at the heart of this reimagining lies one key spell: Raise Spectre.
Raise Spectre: The Soulbinding Core
Raise Spectre (also referred to in some builds as Bind Spectre) allows the Witch to resurrect fallen enemies and bind their spectral forms to her will. These spectres retain their original abilities—meaning if you raise a spellcaster spectre, it will continue casting spells; a melee bruiser will remain a frontline tank. This creates an extraordinarily versatile minion archetype that adapts to the area you're fighting in.
This is a powerful deviation from traditional minion skills like Raise Zombie or Summon Skeletons. Whereas those summon standardized undead, Spectres offer customization based on the enemies you encounter. You could summon a group of archer spectres in one zone, then switch to AoE spellcasters in another, adjusting your strategy dynamically based on what lies ahead.
How to Obtain and Use Raise Spectre in Path of Exile 2
While the official release is still pending, early gameplay previews and developer commentary give us a fairly good idea of how Raise Spectre will function in PoE2. Here's a breakdown of what we know so far:
1. Acquiring the Skill Gem
Raise Spectre is a skill gem, just like in the original game. It can be socketed into gear that matches its color (most likely blue, due to being Intelligence-based) and requires an appropriate character level and stat threshold.
While the exact level or quest that provides Raise Spectre in PoE2 hasn't been officially confirmed, if it follows the original’s pattern, it will become available mid-to-late Act 1 or early Act 2, shortly after the Witch gains access to other summoning staples.
2. How It Works
To use Raise Spectre, you simply target a corpse of a slain enemy, and the skill resurrects it as a minion under your control. Spectres have their own health pool, AI behavior, and skill set, meaning they can perform complex tasks like area denial, spellcasting, or targeted attacks depending on the corpse used.
The key difference from traditional summons is enemy-based diversity. For example:
Raise a Frostcaster enemy to gain a minion that hurls chilling spells.
Bind a Brutal Axeman to have a melee spectre that cleaves through foes.
Reanimate an Elemental Wyrm for ranged elemental attacks.
3. Spectre Bonding and Upgrades
One of the major improvements in PoE2 is the bonding system for spectres. This new mechanic allows Witches to enhance and specialize their spectres further than before.
Once a spectre is bound, you can potentially apply upgrades—passive effects or gear modifications that increase health, grant aura support, or even give new skills to your spectres. This turns Raise Spectre from a utility skill into a core tactical element of the Witch’s arsenal.
4. Managing Spectres
As in the original game, there are likely limits to how many spectres can be summoned at once. However, PoE2 seems to be leaning into spectral quality over quantity—so you might start with one powerful elite spectre, with the potential to scale up to a full squad of enhanced spectral warriors through gear, support gems, and passive tree investment.
Expect the new game to include tools for swapping or preserving spectres, so players don’t lose their carefully selected minions every time they transition zones or log off.
Strategic Depth: Spectre Builds and Synergies
Raise Spectre doesn’t exist in isolation—it’s the centerpiece of minion synergy builds, particularly those that combine other summoning or support mechanics. Here are a few directions you could take:
Spectre + Summon Skeletons or Zombies
This classic combo overwhelms enemies with numbers. Skeletons and zombies serve as frontline fodder, distracting enemies while spectres deal high, consistent damage from behind.
Spectre + Auras
Spectres benefit heavily from aura support. Use skills like Hatred, Haste, or Vitality to buff your spectral companions, turning them into pseudo-player characters capable of handling large packs or bosses with minimal input.
Spectre + Curse Support
Using curses like Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, or Temporal Chains allows your spectres to take less damage or deal significantly more. Combined with linked curse-on-hit mechanics, your spectres become battlefield controllers.
Spectre + Offering Skills
The Witch can boost her minions even further with Offering skills like Flesh Offering or Bone Offering, which increase minion attack/cast speed or survivability, respectively. These boosts apply directly to spectres and can be timed before major encounters.
Raise Spectre and the Future of PoE2’s Summoner Meta
In the current previews, it’s clear that Raise Spectre is poised to become a defining skill of Path of Exile 2’s summoner playstyle. Not only does it carry forward the thematic depth of the Witch, but it expands on it in mechanically meaningful ways. The customization potential, tactical flexibility, and power scaling of spectres make this skill a playground for creative players.
But perhaps more importantly, Raise Spectre embodies the design philosophy behind PoE2: player freedom, deep customization, and strategic experimentation. You’re not just summoning skeletons anymore—you’re commanding a curated legion of spectral horrors, handpicked and optimized for your build.
This opens the door for content creators and theorycrafters to explore endless combinations. Imagine a Witch build that uses Raise Spectre to command frost-based spectres that slow enemies, supported by curse auras and cold-themed gear, or a lightning-focused spectre team that zaps enemies while the Witch plays a passive support role. The flexibility is staggering.
Final Thoughts: The Witch’s Time to Shine
Path of Exile 2 promises to be more than just a sequel—it’s a reinvention. And within this new paradigm, the Witch stands tall as the queen of the undead. With Raise Spectre at her command, she becomes more than just a summoner—she’s a battlefield commander, a puppeteer of souls, a spectral strategist cheap Path of Exile 2 Orbs.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of summoner builds or a newcomer intrigued by the power of necromancy, the Witch in Path of Exile 2 offers one of the most compelling gameplay experiences. Raise Spectre isn’t just a skill; it’s a statement—an affirmation that in the dark world of PoE2, the dead serve the living... and the Witch serves no one.
So when Path of Exile 2 finally launches, and you’re faced with the choice of class, consider this: why fight alone, when you can have the power of an entire spectral army at your side?