Path of Exile 2's The Third Edict update, launched on August 29, 2025, marks a transformative milestone for the game, introducing Act 4, the Rise of the Abyssal league, asynchronous trading, and significant class reworks. Among the most exciting additions is the Abyssal Lich, a new ascendancy class for the Witch, building on the existing Lich ascendancy with a darker, more chaotic twist. This article dives into the mechanics, skills, build potential, and strategic considerations of the Abyssal Lich, offering insights for players eager to harness its ruinous powers. For those looking to optimize their builds, POE 2 Currency will be essential to acquire the gear and gems needed to fully realize this class's potential.

Overview of the Abyssal Lich

The Abyssal Lich is a modified version of the Lich ascendancy, tailored to synergize with the Rise of the Abyssal league mechanic. Revealed as an Easter egg in The Third Edict update, it requires players to ascend as a Witch into the Lich class and then unlock the Abyssal Lich through a specific questline. To access it, players must defeat Abyssal Bosses in Abyss encounters to obtain Kulemak's Invitation, which unlocks a "Jump" option at the Well of Souls in the Mastodon Badlands of Act 2. This process transforms the Lich into the Abyssal Lich, introducing a green-hued aesthetic and replacing three notable skills with new ones themed around the Abyss mechanic.

The Abyssal Lich is designed for summoners and chaos-damage enthusiasts, offering a high-risk, high-reward playstyle. It emphasizes minion synergy, curse explosions, and energy shield mechanics, making it a complex but rewarding choice for players who enjoy strategic build-crafting. Unlike the straightforward power of ascendancies like the Infernalist, the Abyssal Lich demands careful gearing and skill management to unlock its full potential, particularly in the endgame.

Key Mechanics and Notable Skills

The Abyssal Lich introduces several unique mechanics that differentiate it from the standard Lich ascendancy. Three of its notable skills have been reworked to align with the Abyss theme, offering new ways to leverage minions and chaos damage:

Umbral Souls: Instead of creating skeletal minions, this notable grants Umbral Souls for each minion that would have been summoned. These souls enhance the player's abilities, providing temporary buffs to chaos damage and curse effectiveness. This mechanic shifts the focus from traditional minion summoning to a hybrid playstyle where the player benefits directly from minion-related skills.

Offering Skills on Monsters: A standout feature allows players to use Offering Skills (like Bone Offering or Spirit Offering) on monsters within cull range, redirecting buffs to the player instead of minions. The potency of these buffs scales with the strength of the target, making rare monsters and unique bosses prime targets for enhanced effects. This introduces a strategic layer, encouraging players to prioritize high-value targets to maximize buffs.

Infinite Curse Duration: Curses applied by the Abyssal Lich have no duration limit, significantly boosting their utility in prolonged fights. However, casting spells sacrifices a portion of the player's energy shield, increasing the risk for players who mismanage resources. This trade-off makes energy shield regeneration and management critical for survival.

Additionally, the Abyssal Lich retains core Lich nodes like Crystalline Phylactery, which doubles the effect of a non-unique jewel at the cost of increased mana costs if energy shield is depleted, and Eternal Life, which grants immunity to poison and reduced damage taken when energy shield is active. These mechanics suggest a potential "immortal loop" where maintaining even a single point of energy shield could prevent death, though interactions with damage-over-time effects like poison or ignite remain unconfirmed.

Build Synergies and Playstyle

The Abyssal Lich excels in chaos-damage-focused summoner builds, particularly those leveraging minions like Skeletal Sniper, Skeletal Arsonist, and Vaal Guard Spectres. Its synergy with the Rise of the Abyssal league mechanic makes it a natural fit for tackling Abyssal Depths and crafting with Abyssal Bones, a new currency that adds Desecrated Modifiers to gear. These modifiers enhance chaos and minion-related stats, further amplifying the Abyssal Lich's power.

A recommended build path includes:

Core Skills: Use Unearth, Skeletal Sniper, and Bind Spectre with support gems like Feeding Frenzy and Muster to maximize minion damage and survivability. For single-target damage, Skeletal Arsonists paired with Flame Wall can trigger explosions via ignited enemies.

Passive Tree: Prioritize nodes that boost chaos damage, minion life, and energy shield regeneration. The Necromantic Conduit and Blackened Heart nodes enhance mana and chaos synergy, while Rupture the Soul improves clear speed through curse explosions.

Gear: Focus on items with high energy shield, chaos damage, and minion modifiers. Abyssal Eyes, exclusive to Abyssal Depths, offer powerful socketable effects but are limited to one per type. Unique items like the Undying Hate Timeless Jewel can transform passive tree sections for Abyss-themed bonuses.

The playstyle revolves around maintaining energy shield to leverage Eternal Life's defensive benefits while using Offering Skills strategically to boost personal damage. The infinite curse duration makes skills like Temporal Chains or Despair devastating in endgame maps and boss fights. However, the energy shield sacrifice mechanic requires careful mana and health management, making this build less beginner-friendly but rewarding for veterans.

Challenges and Considerations

The Abyssal Lich's complexity lies in its reliance on energy shield and precise resource management. The energy shield sacrifice per spell cast can leave players vulnerable if not paired with high regeneration or leech. Additionally, the build's reliance on specific gear, such as high-energy-shield armor and chaos-focused uniques, means players will need to invest in POE 2 Currency to acquire optimal items through the new asynchronous trade system.

The Rise of the Abyssal league introduces dense enemy packs and challenging bosses, which the Abyssal Lich handles well with its area-of-effect curse explosions and minion durability. However, players must adapt to the new sprint mechanic to navigate Abyssal fissures safely, as taking damage mid-sprint can be punishing. The build's high ceiling comes with a steep learning curve, making it less forgiving than S-tier ascendancies like Deadeye or Blood Mage.

Endgame Potential and Crafting

In the endgame, the Abyssal Lich shines in Abyssal Depths and new endgame maps introduced in The Third Edict. The ability to use Offering Skills on powerful enemies scales exceptionally well against pinnacle bosses like the Vessel of Kulemak. Crafting with Abyssal Bones and high-tier currency like Perfect Chaos Orbs or Perfect Essences allows players to tailor gear with high-level chaos and minion modifiers, pushing the build's damage and survivability to new heights.

The Undying Hate Timeless Jewel and Lineage Support gems, exclusive to Abyssal Depths, offer unique build-crafting opportunities. For example, socketing Lineage Supports can enhance minion skills with additional effects, while the jewel transforms passive nodes for chaos-focused bonuses. Players should prioritize farming Abyssal content to access these rewards, as they significantly boost the Abyssal Lich's performance.

Conclusion

The Abyssal Lich is a thrilling addition to Path of Exile 2's The Third Edict update, offering a complex and rewarding playstyle for summoner and chaos-damage enthusiasts. Its unique mechanics, such as Umbral Souls and infinite curse duration, provide a fresh take on the Lich ascendancy, while its synergy with the Rise of the Abyssal league makes it a standout choice for tackling new content. However, its high setup requirements and resource management challenges make it better suited for experienced players. To fully unlock the Abyssal Lich's potential, players should leverage the asynchronous trade system to buy POE 2 Orbs and secure top-tier gear, ensuring they can dominate Wraeclast's darkest depths. Whether you're chaining curses or commanding spectral armies, the Abyssal Lich offers a chaotic, exhilarating journey through The Third Edict.