[0.5] PoE 2 BUDGET LEAGUE STARTER – THE PURPLE DEATH - RETURN OF THE ANCIENTS - PoE 2 Builds

Overview

This build is a budget-friendly league starter for Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5, the Return of the Ancients update. It plays the Witch with the Lich ascendancy and leans on the classic Essence Drain plus Contagion chaos damage-over-time combination, dubbed “The Purple Death.” The core loop is to apply Essence Drain to a target and pair it with Contagion so that when an infected enemy dies, the chaos degeneration spreads to nearby foes, clearing packs through a chain reaction of damage over time. As a ranged spellcaster it keeps its distance, layers stacking degens onto tougher targets, and relies on cheap, accessible gear to get rolling early in a fresh league. A dedicated leveling guide makes it a strong choice for taking through the campaign from scratch.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Extremely cheap to start, designed around minimal currency investment.
• Strong, low-effort pack clear once Contagion spreads Essence Drain across a screen.
• Ranged, safe playstyle that stays away from melee danger.
• Beginner-accessible with a full leveling section covering the campaign.

Cons

• Damage-over-time ramps rather than bursting, so single-target can feel slow until the combo is set up.
• Relies on applying and maintaining debuffs rather than instant kills.
• Endgame scaling and bossing are more modest than dedicated burst builds.

Key Skills

• Essence Drain — the primary chaos damage-over-time spell, applied directly to targets to stack degeneration.
• Contagion — spreads the Essence Drain degen to nearby enemies on death, turning single applications into screen-wide clear.
• Wither — commonly paired with chaos DoT builds to amplify chaos damage taken on cursed targets.
• Despair — a chaos-focused curse that increases damage taken and supports the degeneration loop.
• Support gems — chaos and damage-over-time multipliers to scale the degens further (specific links to be confirmed against the source video).

Gear & Anointments

This is a budget setup, so it is built to function on cheap, easily obtained items early in the league rather than chase rares or expensive uniques. As a Lich Witch it prioritizes energy shield for survivability alongside chaos damage, damage-over-time multiplier, skill duration, and cast-related stats. Anointments and any specific uniques to be confirmed against the source video.

Credits & Source

Build credited to Path of Exile Builds. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: [0.5] PoE 2 BUDGET LEAGUE STARTER – THE PURPLE DEATH.