Introduction to a Forgotten Relic
In the sprawling arsenal of Last Epoch, few items catch the eye quite like Downfall of the Righteous. For many players, it’s just another Warlock relic with a cool name. But tucked inside its modifiers is a mechanic that can reshape your entire approach to Witch Fire. That’s exactly what this guide is about — putting together a Witch Fire Warlock build that turns passive area-of-effect damage into an unstoppable tide.
When you read that it boosts curse damage and channels that power directly into Witch Fire, it sounds like a relic built for explosive synergies. But few builds use it — possibly because the mechanics seem too niche or underwhelming at a glance. We're here to break that myth. This isn't just about creating another dot-based spellcaster. It's about turning your screen into a fire-and-necrotic hazard zone while remaining mobile and unbothered.
The Problem with Base Witch Fire
Witch Fire by itself is... fine. It ticks for 600 fire and 600 necrotic damage over 12 seconds — and while that sounds good on paper, it doesn’t stack, which puts a hard limit on its output. Early buffs in Season 1 gave it a bit more bite, doubling its damage, but it still didn’t scream “endgame viable.”
It’s also locked behind a specific Warlock passive — Ashen One — which makes it less accessible in typical builds. Without the right setup, Witch Fire is just visual flair with mild damage.
That’s where Downfall of the Righteous comes in — it converts your increased curse damage into multiplicative Witch Fire damage, significantly boosting its potential. But the item needs the right environment to thrive. You’ll need overload mechanics and a rotation that plays into its strengths.
Unlocking Witch Fire: The Passive Tree Path
Getting Witch Fire online requires a deliberate investment in your passive tree. Specifically, you’ll need five points in Ashen One to even access the ailment. This node is your entry ticket — no Ashen One, no Witch Fire. Once unlocked, Witch Fire activates when either Ignite Overload or Damned Overload is triggered.
That means you also need to invest in passives that can fuel those overloads. Let’s walk through both overload paths.
Ignite Overload: Fueling Fire Damage Scaling
To trigger Ignite Overload, you’ll need to put five points into Infernal Lash — a passive that checks for 25 ignite stacks on nearby enemies when you cast fire skills. If the condition is met, it triggers the overload, granting 1% more fire damage per 20% ignite chance from your fire skills.
The beauty here is how synergistic it is. You’re already stacking ignite; now you get scaling multipliers for doing it well. Combine that with Witch Fire’s fire component, and you’ve got a solid path toward burning everything around you efficiently.
This path pairs naturally with abilities like Infernal Shade, Flame Burst, and anything that drops consistent ignite stacks over time.
Damned Overload: Going Necrotic and Grim
The necrotic side of the equation involves Damned Overload, unlocked through the Chains of Ruin passive. Here, casting necrotic skills while nearby enemies have 20 stacks of Damned activates the overload. When it triggers, you gain 1% more damage to Damned enemies per 2% missing health on both you and the enemy.
This one feels darker, riskier, and very Warlock-flavored. The payoff is significant if you’re willing to play closer to danger and keep both health pools under control. It’s less predictable than Ignite Overload, but very rewarding if managed well.
Combining both overloads creates a consistent setup where Witch Fire can trigger almost continuously.
Downfall of the Righteous: The Core Engine
This relic isn’t subtle. It has increased curse damage baked into both its implicit and explicit stats. More importantly, it transforms a percentage of your curse damage into additional Witch Fire damage. That’s a straight funnel — no conversion games or secondary scaling.
What pushes this item into game-changing territory, though, is its secondary bonuses. You get:
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Health leech for fire and necrotic damage over time
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A boost to max health, increasing survivability
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Curse scaling in a way that directly benefits overload mechanics
The result? Your Witch Fire ticks harder, keeps you alive, and turns proximity into power.
Early Game Setup and Chaos-Driven Testing
The campaign run with this build felt like a sandbox. You’re not forced into one rotation. One moment it’s Exploding Zombies, next it’s Hungering Souls, and at times, a lonely Bone Golem walks alongside for support.
Nothing really stops you through the early chapters, especially with some points scattered into both fire and necrotic skill trees. The goal isn’t optimization early — it’s experimentation. You’re setting the stage for Downfall of the Righteous to shine at level 70 and beyond.
Once unlocked, it’s like switching on a machine that never shuts off.
Midgame Momentum: The Ailment Engine Awakens
From level 70 to the early 80s, the build hits a rhythm. Hunter Corruption becomes trivial. Harbingers fall without issue. You’re not casting constantly — you’re existing, walking through mobs, and watching them dissolve.
Because of Witch Fire’s radius, anything close to you gets afflicted immediately. With both overloads firing and the curse damage pumping through the relic, the build hits a state of low-input high-output.
It's not flashy spell-spamming — it's smooth, passive destruction.
Late-Game Plateau: The Boss Damage Dilemma
As corruption climbs past 600, a familiar issue creeps in — single-target boss damage. The build crushes trash mobs and echoes, but bosses begin to slow things down. They don’t melt the same way, and Warlock doesn't have too many strong, scalable single-target nukes in this setup.
At this point, rethinking the core rotation becomes necessary. It’s not about abandoning the Witch Fire engine — it’s about supercharging it for boss phases.
The Infernal Shade + Cathonic Fisher Fix
The solution turned out to be the Return Below node from Cathonic Fisher, paired with Infernal Shade. Here's why this combo works:
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Infernal Shade explodes when purged — Return Below triggers that purge
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The node increases spirit frequency, meaning faster purges and more explosions
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You still stack Witch Fire and overloads while adding burst damage from detonations
What used to be a slow-ticking build suddenly becomes explosive. Now, you’re stacking ailments, detonating them, and dropping bosses without needing to babysit timers.
The Build Comes Together: From Flame to Furnace
Once the Infernal Shade detonation setup was live, everything changed. Boss fights that previously dragged on became fast-paced takedowns. Each cast of Infernal Shade now packed burst potential, especially with the damage modifiers from Return Below stacking on top of Witch Fire’s consistent area damage.
This wasn’t just a build anymore. It was an ailment engine, mixing passive area denial with active detonation. You walked into packs, they ignited. Bosses got tagged, detonated, and drained — often before their second phase even kicked in.
By this point, the setup had become second nature:
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Keep overloads triggering
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Maintain constant movement
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Drop Infernal Shade at the right moments
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Let Downfall of the Righteous convert all your curse scaling into destructive Witch Fire ticks
There’s no need to babysit cooldowns or spam buttons. The build flows. And it’s surprisingly durable, thanks to health leech and a strong base health pool.
Trial by Fire: The Abberoth Test
Every strong build in Last Epoch eventually faces its reckoning. For this Warlock, it came in the form of Abberoth — a fight that checks your positioning, survivability, and damage output under stress.
The battle opened well enough. After one slam, Abberoth was already chunked down to 85%, which showed promise. The build’s slow buildup of ailments meant the opening always felt mild. But once the stacks ramped, the health bar started melting.
A few hits landed, dropping health to 1300, but the leech effect from Downfall of the Righteous kept recovery smooth. As the fight progressed, there were no real panics — just steady damage and occasional repositioning.
Then came the void wind phase. A misstep landed me right in its center. Normally a death sentence, but not this time. The build tanked it, shrugging off the blow. Between leech, high max health, and sustain, even big hits weren’t enough to derail momentum.
At 5% health, a common mistake hit — forgetting Transplant’s kill threshold. For a moment, I was confused why he wasn’t going down. Then I remembered, flung a Transplant into his face, and Abberoth dropped instantly.
Post-Fight Reflection: Is the Build Worth It?
Absolutely. For those who love ailment-based builds, enjoy passive area control, and want to build around unique items like Downfall of the Righteous, this setup is deeply satisfying.
It excels at:
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Clearing echoes quickly
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Auto-applying Witch Fire without active casting
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Scaling off both fire and necrotic
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Being tankier than expected
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Melting packs by walking near them
It struggles a bit with:
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Initial single-target burst (until the detonation mechanic is added)
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Mobility-based bosses who can run outside the Witch Fire radius
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Heavy resist stacking if you don’t manage ailments well
But overall, it’s low maintenance, high impact, and thematic as hell.
Final Thoughts: Relic-Driven Builds in Last Epoch
Downfall of the Righteous doesn’t just boost Witch Fire. It makes it viable. With the right overload paths and a few smart rotations, it becomes the centerpiece of a completely unique Last Epoch warlock build.
This isn’t meta-chasing. This is item-driven theorycrafting turned practical — and it works. For any Warlock fans looking for something different, this setup delivers power, style, and automation all in one.
Conclusion
This build proves that Witch Fire isn't just a niche ailment — it can become the core of a high-performing Last Epoch Warlock setup with the right support. By centering the build around Downfall of the Righteous, investing in both Ignite and Damned Overload, and pairing it with Infernal Shade detonations, you unlock a loop that’s both destructive and low-effort to maintain.
It clears maps effortlessly, sustains through heavy encounters, and performs well against bosses once the detonation element is added. If you're looking to experiment with off-meta relics or want a build that rewards smart synergies and passive scaling, this Witch Fire setup should be high on your list.
Whether you’re a long-time Warlock player or just diving into ailments for the first time, this is one of the most satisfying and thematic ways to dominate the echoes in Last Epoch.
FAQ: Witch Fire Warlock with Downfall of the Righteous
Q: Is Witch Fire strong enough for endgame content in Last Epoch?
A: Yes, but only with the right support. On its own, it's underwhelming. With Downfall of the Righteous, overloads, and proper scaling, it becomes a strong area-control option.
Q: How do I trigger Witch Fire?
A: Allocate 5 points into Ashen One in the Warlock passive tree, then activate either Ignite Overload or Damned Overload through their respective passives and ailment stacking.
Q: What skills pair best with this build?
A: Infernal Shade, Transplant, and any spell that reliably applies ignite or damned. The Return Below node in Cathonic Fisher supercharges single-target damage.
Q: Is this build beginner-friendly?
A: It’s easy to play once set up, but requires moderate understanding of ailment stacking, overload mechanics, and curse scaling. Mid-level experience recommended.
Q: Can this build handle high corruption levels?
A: Yes, especially with detonation mechanics added. It cleared up to 634 corruption comfortably with strong sustain and consistent damage output.
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