Lich Death Seal Endgame Build for Last Epoch

Last updated on Nov 30, 2023 at 20:30 by AaronActionRPG

Welcome to our Last Epoch Lich Death Seal build guide for the Acolyte class. Here you will learn everything about the Lich play style, passives, skills, strengths, and weaknesses to conquer the world of Eterra.

1.

Build Introduction

Transform into a Reaper, cursing your enemies as the souls of the damned radiate out from you. The waves of Necrotic energy will wash over your enemies, covering them in Necrotic damage and sucking their souls away from them.

Strengths icon Strengths
  • +Big damage
  • +Great AoE
  • +High defense
  • +Two movement skills
Weaknesses icon Weaknesses
  • -Required skill rotation
  • -Clicky

Our skill selection for this build focuses around keeping ourselves in our Reaper Form as much as possible and then stacking damage leech to push back against the health cost on many of our skills. The damage from this build is augmented around Necrotic damage boosts and the use of Death Seal Icon Death Seal to provide an AoE radiating from us. Rip Blood Icon Rip Blood is used to trigger more Necrotic damage, with each kill recasting the skill once again. The build synergizes with built in auto-cursing and an amazing traversal skill, granting us the needed mobility to keep ourselves in the fight.

2.

Class and Skill Passive Trees

Class Passives Skill Passives
Acolyte Lich Necromancer
Rip Blood Reaper Form Bone Curse Transplant Death Seal

Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered an opportunity to select a Mastery class once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has three possible masteries to choose from, for the Acolyte we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancer, Lich and Warlock. Upon selecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.

For this Lich Harvest build, we will be picking Lich as our mastery class. We will utilizing the majority of our Passive Points for the Lich Passive Tree. Our Passive Points will be targeting augments for our damage and boosting their survivability. Each of the Passive Trees and their points are broken down below.

2.1.

Acolyte Passive Points

Acolyte Passive Tree
  • 4 points into Blood Aura: Adds flat damage.
  • 8 points into Forbidden Knowledge: Increases necrotic resistance and intelligence.
  • 8 points into Stolen Vitality: Gain Vitality points.

Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered an opportunity to select a Mastery class once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has three possible masteries to choose from, for the Acolyte we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancer, Lich and Warlock. Upon selecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.

For this Lich Harvest build, we will be picking Lich as our mastery class. We will utilizing the majority of our Passive Points for the Lich Passive Tree. Our Passive Points will be targeting augments for our damage and boosting their survivability. Each of the Passive Trees and their points are broken down below.

2.2.

Lich Passive Points

Lich Passive Tree
  • 10 points into Apocrypha: Increases our Intelligence and Mana Regen.
  • 8 points into Survival of the Cruel: Increases our Health and grants Spell Damage Leech.
  • 8 points into Dance with Death: Increases our Damage, triple this effect at low life.
  • 5 points into Grasp of Fate: Increases our Necrotic damage.
  • 8 points into Crippling Insight: Increases our Intelligence, but reduces our Health Regen.
  • 8 points into Three Plagues: Increases our Physical, Necrotic and Poison Penetration.
  • 5 points into Deathbringer: Increases our Critical Strike Chance, Attack and cast speed.
  • 5 points into Darkguard: Increases our Critical Strike Chance and grants Ward on Critical Strike.
  • 10 points into Necrotic Energy: Increases Necrotic damage for us and our minions.
  • 5 points into Clairvoyant Insight: Increases our Critical Multiplier.
  • 5 points into Ageless Ascetic: Increases our Attack and Cast Speed, Movement Speed, Leech Health.
  • 5 points into Wands of the Fallen: Increased Spell Damage.
  • 5 points into Soul Maw: Increased Damage Leech.

Our base class is the Acolyte, which acts as a generic spell caster and summoner. Our character will be offered an opportunity to select a Mastery class once we have completed the first act of the campaign. Each base class has three possible masteries to choose from, for the Acolyte we have access to the Mastery Tree Passives for Necromancer, Lich and Warlock. Upon selecting a Mastery and placing 20 Passive Points into the Acolyte Tree, you'll then be able to place Passive Points into the Mastery Trees.

For this Lich Harvest build, we will be picking Lich as our mastery class. We will utilizing the majority of our Passive Points for the Lich Passive Tree. Our Passive Points will be targeting augments for our damage and boosting their survivability. Each of the Passive Trees and their points are broken down below.

2.3.

Necromancer Passive Points

Necromancer Passive Tree
  • 6 points into Elixir of Hunger: Adds flat Health and increases our Hunger duration.

In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill perform as best as possible 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 skill trees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.

2.4.

Blood Rip

Rip Blood Skill Tree

Blood Rip is our main DPS skill. We will be triggering several buffs on our character as we stay in Reaper Form Icon Reaper Form and Transplant Icon Transplant to leap from pack to pack. This skill produces Splatter Blood pools and has a chance to auto trigger on each enemy you kill with the skill. It has solid damage and, with boosted Cast Speed, is ultra quick to use.

2.4.1.

Order of Skill Points

  • 3 points into Hemomancer: Increases our Cast Speed.
  • 3 points into Thirst: Decreases our Mana cost and increases our Cast Speed.
  • 5 points into Splatter: Grants us a chance to create Blood Splatters.
  • 1 point into Eviscerate: Increases our chance to make Blood Splatters.
  • 4 points into Arcane Absorption: Grants us a global Spell Damage buff on hit.
  • 1 point into Rip Spirit: Converts the skill and Blood Splatter Icon Blood Splatter into Necrotic.
  • 4 points into Run Dry: Increases our damage with this skill.
  • 1 point into Blood Catalyst: Automatically recasts this skill on kill.

If you manage to acquire more points for this skill they can go into Crimson Flood.

In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill perform as best as possible 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 skill trees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.

2.5.

Reaper Form

Reaper Form Skill Tree

In this build, we aim to stay in Reaper Form as much as possible. We take advantage of several specific nodes in the skill tree to increase our duration and stack our damage. Please note while in Reaper form you are going to slowly lose health as you kill enemies which means we must prioritize health leech to counteract this.

2.5.1.

Order of Skill Points

  • 1 point into Soul for a Soul: Increases damage, but lowers Healing Effectiveness.
  • 4 points into Reapers: Gain more damage increases at the cost of Health.
  • 2 points into Death Comes Quickly: Gain a chance for the swiftness buff on kill.
  • 3 points into Rapid Destruction: Attack and Cast Speed increase.
  • 3 points into Deathtouch Scythe: Increase base Necrotic damage.
  • 3 points into Executioner: Increases Critical Strike Multiplier.
  • 2 point into Haunting: Gain a chance to apply Marked For Death to enemies.
  • 1 point into Swift Harbinger: Reap cooldown reduction.
  • 1 point into Unholy Dominion: Separates Reap and Transplant Icon Transplant cooldowns.

Any additional skill points you gain from gear can go into maxing out Executioner, Deathtouch Scythe.

In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill perform as best as possible 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 skill trees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.

2.6.

Bone Curse

Bone Curse Skill Tree

This skill has perfect synergy with this build and is applied naturally through our movement skill, Transplant Icon Transplant. This buffs every aspect of our build and amplifies all of our damage abilities.

2.6.1.

Order of Skill Points

  • 3 points into Iron Maiden: Increases damage.
  • 1 point into Acute Infliction: Increases Bone Curse's damage, but lowers duration.
  • 3 points into Brittle Bones: Grants kill threshold.
  • 5 points into Cursed Limbs: Grants Bone Curse on hit after manual application.
  • 5 points into Defile Defenses: Provides 100% Armor shred.
  • 3 points into Marrow Thief: Chance to cast Bone Armor on yourself on kill.

In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill perform as best as possible 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 skill trees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.

2.7.

Transplant

Transplant Skill Tree

Transplant Icon Transplant is used as our movement skill to bounce from pack to pack, but it also is a trigger for applying Bone Curse Icon Bone Curse automatically in the area where we land. For the skill tree, we focus on lowering the cooldown, health cost of the skill and buffing our defenses whenever we use the skill.

2.7.1.

Order of Skill Points

  • 3 points into Fleeting Form: Increases our cooldown recovery.
  • 3 points into Anemia: Lowers the health cost of the skill.
  • 3 points into Bone Armor Icon Bone Armor: Bone Armor increases Armor and reduces damage taken.
  • 2 points into Plated Bone: Increases our Bone Armor Icon Bone Armor buff.
  • 3 points into Apostasy: Increases Bone Armor Icon Bone Armor duration.
  • 3 points into Acolyte's Fervor: Adds Haste and Frenzy buffs upon skill use.
  • 1 point into Reign of Blood: Adds an additional detonations upon arrival.
  • 1 point into Doom Bringer: Curses all enemies with Bone Curse Icon Bone Curse on arrival.
  • 1 point into Sticky Blood: Adds pools of blood to Slow enemies.

In this section, we will break down each skill and highlight the key passives we have selected to make the skill perform as best as possible 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 skill trees as presented until you have a strong understanding of the build itself.

2.8.

Death Seal

Death Seal Skill Tree

Death Seal Icon Death Seal is the key to the low life aspect of this build. Death Seal locks our health at a certain value and holds it there, granting us a massive damage boost for the percentage of health we are missing. This skill amplifies our damage output, but does create some risk to your play style.

2.8.1.

Order of Skill Points

  • 5 points into Corrupted Consciousness: Increases our damage related to our missing life.
  • 1 points into Mortal Pulse: Activates a death wave every second.
  • 4 points into Tachycardia: Increases the frequency of our death wave pulses and its Critical Strike Chance.
  • 3 points into Desperate Shroud: Increases armor related to our missing life.
  • 1 point into Deadlock: Sets the threshold of our low life at 33%.
  • 2 points into Moratorium: Increases duration of the skill.
  • 1 points into Soul Stability: Removes any health drain.
  • 1 points into The Quick and the Dead: Adds Haste to our character on release of the seal.
  • 2 points into Doomcall: Gain Damned stacks for more damage.

Any additional points you acquire put into Doomcall.

Image courtesy of Last Epoch Tools
3.

Build Mechanics and Playstyle

This build is played akin to a damage aura build, using Death Seal Icon Death Seal's constant damage pulse to deal damage to enemies while we run around with Bone Curse Icon Bone Curse and Transplant Icon Transplant. Bone Curse Icon Bone Curse gets automatically applied to enemies as we 'arrive' at locations with Transplant Icon Transplant, applying Bone Curse Icon Bone Curse on hit for a short duration after jumping. These two skills have such great synergy by not only helping to maintain our curses, but each of them also grants buffs (Frenzy, Haste, Bone Armor Icon Bone Armor) and offer a chance to Shred Armor. Bear in mind that our Death Seal Icon Death Seal will keep us at low-life, but will trigger a multitude of buffs.

The next component of this build is our main DPS skill, Rip Blood Icon Rip Blood. This has been augmented to include Splatter and Eviscerate to help generate Blood Splatters on the battlefield for added DPS. This skill also is specced for a chance to auto-cast on kill, providing more triggers for larger DPS gains. Overall this build doesn't necessarily have a set rotation, but you will want to keep in mind your curses and apply them to as many targets as possible. This build is great at feeding on smaller trash mobs and mid-tier elites, but high-health targets are going to take some time, especially if you cannot get close enough for you Death Seal Icon Death Seal waves and curses to apply properly.

4.

Equipment and Gear Affixes

For this build, we will be focusing on several main affixes for each piece of non-unique gear, as well as working towards acquiring the specific Uniques needed to make this build operate correctly. Our equipment will focus on these specific affixes for the Implicits and Modifier stats.

Gear Slot Implicits Modifiers
One-handed Weapon Unique Wand
Marina's Lost Soul Icon Marina's Lost Soul
Legendary Potential
Critical Strike Multiplier
Off-Hand Catalyst Intelligence
Spell Critical Strike Chance
Ward Retention
Prefixes
Critical Strike Multiplier
Cast Speed

SuffixesResistances
Chance to Chill Attackers
Head Cooldown Recovery
Armor
Prefixes
+ Level to Death Seal
Increased Spell Damage

+Level to Rip Blood and Spell Damage

Suffixes
Health %
Flat Health
Chest Armor
% Endurance
Prefixes
+ Level to Reaper Form
Flat Health

Increased Necrotic Damage While Transformed

Suffixes
Health %
Flat Health
Gloves Armor
% Endurance
Prefixes
Cast Speed
Intelligence

Suffixes
Hybrid Health
Chance to Shred Armor
Feet Movement Speed
Resistances
Prefixes
Movement Speed
Intelligence

Suffixes
Hybrid Health
Flat Health
Amulet Less Damage Over Time taken Prefixes
Critical Strike Multiplier
Increases Necrotic Damage

Suffixes
Chance to Shred Armor on hit
Chance to apply Frailty oh hit
Belt Armor
Potion slots
Prefixes
Increased Necrotic Damage
Mana Regen

Suffixes
Hybrid Health
Health %
Flat Health
Rings Increased Cooldown Recovery Speed
All Attributes
Prefixes
Intelligence
Increased Necrotic Damage

Suffixes
Critical Strike Avoidance
Needed Resistances
Relic Necrotic Damage
Minion Necrotic Damage
Prefixes
Cast Speed
Critical Strike Multiplier

Suffixes
Needed Resistances
5.

Idols

Idol slots are gained throughout the campaign, unlocking small bonuses and unique affixes for the player to discover and augment their builds with. The Idol screen consists 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.) it will open up different affixes for you to use. This can be a great way to add some more customization to your build.

For this particular build, we will be focusing on increasing our Health and Resistances for our character, an attribute we neglected during our passive point allocation. We will be stacking as much health as we can with Idols, so sizes and specific idols do not matter. Try to find Hybrid Health Idols with both flat and percent Health increases.

6.

Blessing

Blessings are permanent buffs that are permanently applied to your character. These come in two different powers, Standard and Grand. Grand blessings are significantly stronger 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 you will be awarded a choice of three blessing with a random value.

Blessing Name Affix Timeline
Grand Echo of Solarum Icon Grand Echo of Solarum + Critical Strike Multiplier The Black Sun
Grand Bastion of Divinity Icon Grand Bastion of Divinity + Lightning Resistance Ending the Storm
Grand Resolve of Grael Icon Grand Resolve of Grael + Physical Resistance The Age of Winter
Grand Promise of Death Icon Grand Promise of Death +% Chance to Shred Necrotic Resistance on Hit Spirits of Fire
Grand Survival of Might Icon Grand Survival of Might + Critical Strike Avoidance Reign of Dragons

The Blessings listed above cover the most important slots, with the remaining Blessing Slots being filled with whatever the player may be lacking for stats.

A loot filter made specifically for the gear table above may be copied by pressing the button below. Once in the 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
7.

Uniques

Now, let's look at the required Uniques for this build.

Marina's Lost Soul Icon Marina's Lost Soul is the Unique Wand that fits perfectly with our build, adding an augment to our Damned stacks granting increased Necrotic Penetration per stack. When you have all 7 stacks you will have a 140% Necrotic Penetration, however, you will also have 7 stacks of Damned. Each stack of Damned on you will deal a slow DOT tick to you health and reduce your Health Regeneration to almost nothing. Be careful to manage your stacks of Damned and don't build up too high unless you have enough leech to cover the lack of Health regeneration. This Unique Wand can be target farmed from the Timeline "The Stolen Lance" with the "Unique or Set Wand or Catalyst" echo reward.

Marina's Lost Soul Last Epoch Unique
8.

Changelog

  • 30 Nov. 2023: Guide Added.
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