Last updated on Jul 17, 2024 at 01:00 by GhazzyTV and Lavender
Welcome to our Last Epoch Lich Drain Life build guide for the Acolyte class.Here you will learn everything about the Lich play style, passives, skills, strengths, and weaknessesto conquer the world of Eterra.
1.
Build Introduction
Ever wondered what an undead Rambo looks like? It's this build. Pick upyour Necrotic Gatling Gun (a lump of coal) and go to town. Lich isn't messing aroundanymore. Any enemy that decides to talk back is going to be filled with lead by theGrim Reaper.
Strengths
Reaper Form makes you invincible while active.
Gate of entry is incredibly low, easy to gear.
Fantastic sustain with Health leech.
Weaknesses
Losing Reaper Form drops damage output.
Mismanagement of Mana will kill your damage.
2.
Skill Selection
Drain Life is the main damage skill for this build. It's converted into a Hitspell through the Unique Catalyst
Stygian Coal and then scaled to deal very high damagein quick bursts. It is no longer channeled, allowing us to be fully mobile while dealing damage.All other skills taken in the build are taken in order to supplement the damage Drain Life deals.
Death Seal is used as a way to force us into Low Life status, increasing our overall damagewhile active.
Bone Curse will need to be applied manually, but applies Marked For Deathwhen it hits a target.
Wandering Spirits will remain so long as Drain Life is active once they've beencasted, and for each Spirit that expires we gain Mana. This is incredibly important for keeping our damagepotential at max. Finally,
Reaper Form is taken in order to make us invincible, boost our Critical Rate andadd a base of Necrotic Damage to everything we do.
3.
Class and Skill Passive Trees
Class PassivesSkill Passives
AcolyteLichWarlock
Drain LifeWandering SpiritsReaper FormBone CurseDeath Seal
Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered anopportunity to select an Advanced Mastery once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has threepossible masteries to choose from. For the Acolyte, we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancers, Lich and Warlock. Uponselecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.
Lich as our advanced class for the build. We will utilize the majority of our PassivePoints for the Lich Passive tree, but will also invest a portion of points into the Warlock tree. The Lich passives will focusaround scaling Low Life Damage, Necrotic Penetration, Intelligence, and boosting our Critical Hit Damage. To help flesh the build out,we'll be looking to use Warlock in order to add Leech, sizable amounts of Mana (used to scale damage), and provide some minor defensive scalingin the form of Ward and Armor.
3.1.
Acolyte Passive Points
- 8 points in Forbidden Knowledge: Intelligence and Necrotic Resistance.
- 8 points in Stolen Vitality: Additional Health and Poison Resistance.
- 1 point into Mania of Mortality: Traversal node.
- 3 points into Unnatural Preservation: Ward Retention, Necrotic Resistance, and Poison Resistance.
Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered anopportunity to select an Advanced Mastery once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has threepossible masteries to choose from. For the Acolyte, we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancers, Lich and Warlock. Uponselecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.
Lich as our advanced class for the build. We will utilize the majority of our PassivePoints for the Lich Passive tree, but will also invest a portion of points into the Warlock tree. The Lich passives will focusaround scaling Low Life Damage, Necrotic Penetration, Intelligence, and boosting our Critical Hit Damage. To help flesh the build out,we'll be looking to use Warlock in order to add Leech, sizable amounts of Mana (used to scale damage), and provide some minor defensive scalingin the form of Ward and Armor.
3.2.
Lich Passive Points
- 10 points in Apocrypha: Intelligence and Mana Regen.
- 8 points in Dance with Death: Increased damage, the effect tripling when in Low Life with
Death Seal.
- 5 points in Grasp of Fate: Increased Necrotic Damage.
- 8 points in Crippling Insight: Intelligence gain.
- 8 points in Three Plagues: Necrotic Penetration.
- 4 points in Deathbringer: Increased Cast Speed and Critical Strike Chance.
- 5 points in Darkguard: Increased Critical Strike Chance, as well as Ward generated per Critical Hit.
- 10 points in Necrotic Energy: Added Spell Necrotic Damage.
- 5 points in Clairvoyant Insight: Critical Strike Multiplier.
- 2 points in Ageless Ascetic: Small boost to Attack Speed, Movement Speed, and Leech on Hit.
- 10 points in Mind Over Body: Intelligence at the cost of Health drain per second.
Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered anopportunity to select an Advanced Mastery once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has threepossible masteries to choose from. For the Acolyte, we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancers, Lich and Warlock. Uponselecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.
Lich as our advanced class for the build. We will utilize the majority of our PassivePoints for the Lich Passive tree, but will also invest a portion of points into the Warlock tree. The Lich passives will focusaround scaling Low Life Damage, Necrotic Penetration, Intelligence, and boosting our Critical Hit Damage. To help flesh the build out,we'll be looking to use Warlock in order to add Leech, sizable amounts of Mana (used to scale damage), and provide some minor defensive scalingin the form of Ward and Armor.
3.3.
Warlock Passive Points
- 5 points into Soul Stealer: Increased Mana Regen, but also provides a chance per Curse on the target to gain Mana on hit.For this build, both
Bone Curse and Marked For Death will be the Curses being applied to enemies.
- 8 points into Occultist's Mind: Intelligence gains, and added Mana per Intelligence point. Massively important to scale the damage in this build.
- 5 points into Harrowing Armor: Taken specifically for the increased Armor per Curse on the target bonus.
In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill shine in the build.While some of these skills do allow for some variation to exist depending on your own custom choices, we recommend utilizing the skilltrees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.
3.4.
Drain Life
Drain Life, while usually a Damage over Time skill, has been converted to a Hit skill through
Stygian Coal.This is our main damage skill for the build, thus everything we do going forward will be an attempt to maximize the damage.The channeling aspect of Drain Life is killed through the Passive Tree in favor of a casted version that costs more Mana. Our huge Manareserve laughs at this cost though, and
Wandering Spirits are used in tandem with this to ensure we make the Mana cost back.
3.4.1.
Order of Skill Points
- 2 points in Thoughtsteal: 20% Mana cost reduction.
- 4 points in Condemnation: Drain Life will now apply stacks of Damned to enemies it hits.
- 3 points in Unholy Mass: Drain Life scales off stacks of Damned, dealing more damage up to a 63% cap.
- 2 points in Word Of Conviction: Damned inflicted by Drain Life lasts longer.
- 1 point in Eternal Servitude:
Wandering Spirits will now remain active while using Drain Life and only disappear if Drain Life ends.
- 3 points in Ravenous: Drain Life now leeches a portion of the damage dealt.
- 2 points in Insatiable: More Health Leech, but at the cost of more Mana.
- 1 point in Dark Shackles: Drain Life is no longer a channel, instead it's casted and lasts 3 seconds.
- 2 points in Enduring Night: Drain Life lasts an extra 2 seconds, for a total of 5, but costs for Mana.
In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill shine in the build.While some of these skills do allow for some variation to exist depending on your own custom choices, we recommend utilizing the skilltrees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.
3.5.
Wandering Spirits
Wandering Spirits will for the most part be a cast and forget ability. Once casted, so long as you have
Drain Life active, the Spirits will persist. The ghosts do two things for the build:
- Spirits will apply Necrotic Shred to nearby enemies as they pass through them.
- Every time a Spirit expires, we regain 8 Mana.
3.5.1.
Order of Skill Points
- 3 points in Souls of Rage: Spirits will move faster, but this is a forced node we have to take for pathing.
- 1 point in Medium: Another pathing node.
- 1 point in Sheltering Spirits: Ward gained per Spirit, but mostly pathing node.
- 2 points in Infusing Souls: Mana gained every time a Spirit expires.
- 2 points in Spirit Swarm: Pathing node.
- 5 points in Drained Will: Spirits now shred the Necrotic Resistance off enemies they pass through.
- 5 points in Thin Veil: Spirits now reveal at a 35% increased rate.
- 1 point in Sins of the Forgotten: Last point, best used for a bit of AoE application of Damned.
In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill shine in the build.While some of these skills do allow for some variation to exist depending on your own custom choices, we recommend utilizing the skilltrees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.
3.6.
Reaper Form
Reaper Form is pretty much used as a stat stick for the build. It increases the Necrotic Spell Damage we deal,boosts our Critical Multiplier, and increases our Critical Strike Chance. Like any build using Reaper Form, you cannot be killedwhile under the effect of the transformation. However, as is typical, gameplay while outside of Reaper Form is considerably worse.This build can still kill things while a Human, however extra care should be taken while doing so.
3.6.1.
Order of Skill Points
- 1 point in Soul for a Soul: Pathing node.
- 4 points in Reaper's Curse: Increased Damage and Increased Critical Chance.
- 3 points in Deathtouch Scythe: Adds a base of 6 Necrotic Damage to all actions while in Reaper Form.
- 5 points in Executioner: 50% Critical Multiplier.
- 2 points in Mistress of Decay: Pathing node.
- 3 points in Harbinger of Blood: Increased Leech, which is our main form of self sustain.
- 4 points in Reaper's Ascendance: You will gain a stack of Reaper's Ascendance for every 5 seconds spent in Reaper Form. Eachstack will boost your Spell Damage by 4% up to a maximum of 100%.
- 2 points in Reaper's Supremacy: Reaper Ascendancy now accumulates 80% faster.
In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill shine in the build.While some of these skills do allow for some variation to exist depending on your own custom choices, we recommend utilizing the skilltrees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.
3.7.
Bone Curse
Bone Curse will need to be applied manually in this build, but that's perfectly fine. Since
Drain Lifelasts 5 seconds, you really don't have much to do in between casts. Use this time to cast Bone Curse and applyMarked For Death to enemies. Bone Curse will deal a sizable amount of damage on it's own for this build, andit comes with a nifty 12% Kill Threshold as well.
3.7.1.
Order of Skill Points
- 4 points in Conflation: Amplifies the size of Bone Curse by 120%.
- 1 point into Sigil of Mortality: Casts Marked For Death on enemies hit by Bone Curse.
- 2 points into Reaper's Mark: Pathing node.
- 1 point into Misery: Converts Bone Curse into a Necrotic spell.
- 1 point in Oppressive Gaze: Bone Curse may only be applied to one target at a time, however Marked for Death now lasts until the enemy dies.
- 5 points into Iron Maiden: 50% more damage.
- 3 points into Brittle Bones: Additional damage and Kill Threshold.
- 3 points in Defile Defenses: 60% chance to Shred Armor.
In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill shine in the build.While some of these skills do allow for some variation to exist depending on your own custom choices, we recommend utilizing the skilltrees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.
3.8.
Death Seal
Death Seal is used almost entirely to throw us into Low Life. The effect of Death Seal is youdeal more for the amount of Health you're missing. In order to make this effect consistent, we force Death Seal to putus at 33% Health for the duration it's active. This synergizes well with the Lich Mastery Passive node Dance with Death.
3.8.1.
Order of Skill Points
- 5 points in Corrupted Consciousness: Increases your damage based on how much Health you're missing.
- 3 points in Desperate Shroud: Added Armor for missing Health.
- 1 point in Deadlock: Forces your Health down to 33%, maximizing damage gains.
- 1 point in Life Tap: If you drop below 10% Health, Death Seal automatically releases.
- 1 point in Grim Scale: Increases Mana Regen while Death Seal is active at the cost of Health.
- 3 points in Moratorium: Death Seal now has a longer duration.
- 1 point in Soul Stability: Death Seal now prevents Health drain from any effect that continuously drain Health,but does not effect things like
Reaper Form.
- 1 point in The Quick And The Dead: When Death Seal releases, you gain Haste.
- 1 point in Flesh Pact: When Death Seal releases, you'll gain 35 Health per second.
- 3 points in Pustulent Presence: These points are forced, but it does grant your Stygian Beams a chance to Poison on hit.
Image courtesy of Last Epoch Tools
4.
Build Mechanics and Playstyle
There's a lot of moving parts involved with this build, but the end result is a smooth gameplay experience. Due to the large amount ofHealth Leech in this build, the Stygian Beams coming off Drain Life will constantly keep us at full Health. In order to maximize damage,enter
Reaper Form, activate
Death Seal and
Wandering Spirits, apply
Bone Curse, then use
Drain Life. From hereeverything is fairly simple. Drain Life will last for 5 seconds, so it needs to be used again before that timer runs out in order to keep your Spiritsactive. Wandering Spirits is how this build maintains Mana, so it's important to make sure the skill doesn't end seeing as they'll persist so long asDrain Life doesn't end. Since damage off Stygian Beams is scales directly with current Mana, keeping Mana high is of utmost importance.
5.
Equipment and Gear Affixes
The barrier of entry in order to enjoy this build is very low. The only required item is the Catalyst, Stygian Coal.All other items are either Exalted or the Unique we have listed is meant to help scale the build in order to properly climb Corruption.Be on the lookout for gear with Intelligence and Mana on them, as those two affixes will be the fastest way to scale the damage on
Stygian Beam.
Gear Slot | Implicits | Modifiers |
---|---|---|
Dagger | Melee Damage Critical Strike Chance Spell Damage | Prefixes Mana, Increased Mana Regen Critical Strike Multiplier Suffixes |
Off-hand Catalyst | ![]() | Legendary Potential Increased Spell Critical Strike Chance Critical Strike Multiplier |
Head | Endurance Reduced Bonus Damage Taken from Critical Strikes | Prefixes ManaIntelligence Suffixes |
Amulet | ![]() | Legendary Potential Mana |
Chest | Armor Maximum Health gained as Endurance Threshold | Prefixes +4 Levels of Reaper Form, Health Mana Suffixes |
Belt | Poison Resistance Cold Resistance | Prefixes Increased Necrotic Damage Increased Mana Regen Suffixes |
Gloves | Armor Increased Critical Strike Chance | Prefixes Increased Critical Strike Chance Intelligence Suffixes |
Ring | Elemental Resistance | Prefixes Intelligence Increased Mana Regen Suffixes |
Ring | Increased Critical Strike Chance | Prefixes Intelligence Increased Critical Strike Chance Suffixes |
Feet | Armor Increased Movement Speed Reduced Damage Taken from Critical Strikes | Prefixes Increased Movement Speed Intelligence Suffixes |
Relic | Increased Necrotic Damage Increased Minion Necrotic Damage | Prefixes Critical Strike Multiplier Increased Spell Critical Strike Chance Suffixes |
A loot filter made specifically for the gear table above may be copied by pressing the button below. Once inthe Loot Filter portion of the in-game menu, choose the "Paste Clipboard Contents" option to import the code.
Copy Loot Filter to Clipboard
Press the Copy 📋 button to copy the following text to your clipboard
6.
Uniques
6.1.
Stygian Coal
Stygian Coal: This item might look like a rock, but it's really an AK-47. This Catalyst converts
Drain Life froma damage over time spell into a spell that "hits" enemies. The rate of fire scales directly with Intelligence, while the damageit deals scales directly with your current Mana. The build is unplayable without this, however you do not need Legendary Potentialto start gunning enemies down. If you're looking to target farm this, head over to "The Stolen Lance" and aim to completeEchoes within that timeline, specifically ones that drop Wands and Catalysts.
6.2.
Orian's Eye
Orian's Eye: Quite rare, Orian's Eye is the ideal Amulet for this build. The added Mana is unmatched, and it completely removes Void Damagefrom the list of things we need to worry about building resistances for as it converts all Void Damage dealt to us into Fire Damage, then reduces thedamage that Fire deals to us. With the new Nemesis system, gaining Legendary Potential is now a realistic goal. Keep that in mind.
7.
Idols
Idol slots are gained through the campaign, unlocking small bonuses and unique affixes for the player to discover and augment their builds with. The Idol screenconsists of a grid system for the player to fill out with different sized idols, eventually filling in every part of the grid. As the Idol shape increases (1x1, 1x2,1x3, 1x4, etc.) the stronger an affix you might find for your build.
This build does not have any mandatory Idols. Your top priority, as always, will be ensuring your Resistances are capped. Beyond that, every Idol shouldbe used to increase your Health.
8.
Blessing
Blessings are permanent buffs that are applied to your character. These come in two different powers, Standard and Grand. Grand blessings are significantlystronger than the Standard Blessings. In total, there are 10 Blessing Slots, one for each Monolith Timeline. When you complete a Monolith and defeat the final boss youwill be awarded a choice of three blessing with a random value.
Blessing Name | Affix | Timeline |
---|---|---|
![]() | Health | The Black Sun |
![]() | All Resistances | Reign of Dragons |
![]() | Endurance | Spirits of Fire |
![]() | Physical Resistance | The Age of Winter |
![]() | Mana | Ending the Storm |
9.
Changelog
- 17 Jul. 2024: Small optimizations within gear affixes and passive trees. Build still functionally the same, but the changes increase the overall damage output.
- 14 Jul. 2024: Changed weapon from Wand to Dagger for better Critical scaling. Nodes changed in Death Seal, skill functions similarly to before.
- 08 Jul. 2024: Guide Added.
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