Introduction to the Chaos Bolt Lich
The Chaos Bolts Lich build Last Epoch is one of the most unique setups to emerge in Season 3. Unlike high-risk, glass-cannon spellcasters, this version prioritizes tankiness while still dishing out respectable damage through bleed-focused scaling. Built around low-life mechanics, the Lich thrives on massive health pools, ward generation, and clever use of ailment conversion to bleed.
What makes this setup shine is its consistency. While it won’t break records for raw DPS, it remains a steady and reliable option capable of handling Uber bosses and pushing corruption past 1,000. If you want a build that makes you feel nearly unkillable without sacrificing endgame viability, this is the one.
Core Mechanics of Chaos Bolts
Chaos Bolts are the centerpiece of this build. Each cast launches multiple projectiles that apply ailments, which, thanks to conversion mechanics, become bleeds. The damage primarily comes from stacking multiple bleed effects, not from the initial hit of the bolts.
The true engine of the build, however, is the low-life synergy. By using nodes that increase damage based on missing health, Chaos Bolts scale dramatically when you purposely keep your life pool at around 50%. Combined with ward stacking and massive health totals, you’re essentially playing with 8,000 effective health but always counting as “low life” for bonus scaling.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Every build comes with trade-offs, and the Chaos Bolts Lich is no exception.
Strengths:
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Extremely tanky with multiple defensive layers
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Reliable damage output against both bosses and large packs
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Scales well with health investment, making gearing straightforward
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Consistent sustain thanks to strong leech and ward mechanics
Weaknesses:
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Not the highest raw damage build in Last Epoch
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Reliant on specific gloves for the bleed conversion version
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Mana costs can feel clunky without proper investment
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Clear speed suffers slightly until bug fixes on explosion mechanics
This balance makes the Chaos Bolts Lich ideal for players who value safety and steady progression over flashy burst numbers.
Low-Life Tanky Setup Explained
At the heart of this build lies the low-life mechanic. By taking the 50% HP node, your character is always considered to be missing half their health. This missing health directly boosts the damage of Chaos Bolts thanks to a scaling node that grants damage over time based on missing life.
For example, with an 8,000 HP pool, you’ll constantly be missing around 4,000 HP, translating to roughly 200% more damage. That’s an enormous multiplier, achieved simply by stacking health and then letting the low-life condition work in your favor.
Ward generation further strengthens this setup. With items like Twisted Heart of Uhkeiros, your missing health is converted into ward, giving you an additional buffer that refreshes during combat. The result is a build that feels unkillable while simultaneously hitting harder the lower your visible life pool is.
Skill Setup & Rotations
The build revolves around a few key skills, each serving a specific role.
Chaos Bolt
Your main offensive ability. Every cast applies multiple stacks of bleed thanks to ailment conversion. Investing in nodes that reduce mana cost is crucial since the skill is expensive to spam. Fortunately, leech mechanics and curse-based mana recovery offset this in endgame.
Aura of Decay
Normally a risky skill, Aura of Decay becomes an asset here. Converted into physical, it both reduces enemy resistances and heals you in Reaper form, doubling as offense and sustain.
Harvest
Though not your main attack, Harvest plays a critical role. It automatically procs when casting Chaos Bolts, providing physical shred and additional bleed chance scaling with Intelligence. This interaction adds surprising DPS for minimal effort.
Transplant
Your main mobility and utility skill. It grants frenzy, haste, and bone armor, while also giving you emergency mana sustain when out of Reaper form. Many players consider this a flex slot, but its utility is too strong to ignore.
Optional Choices
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Death Seal for even more low-life synergy, though not mandatory.
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Rip Blood as a utility option, though largely unnecessary once you’re fully geared.
Damage Scaling Breakdown
The Chaos Bolts Lich build Last Epoch thrives on multiple overlapping damage multipliers.
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Missing HP Multiplier: Every point of health missing increases your damage over time.
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Bleed Conversion: Poison, ignite, and similar ailment chances are converted into bleed through gloves, maximizing application rate.
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Intelligence Scaling: Each point adds bleed chance with Harvest and boosts damage indirectly.
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Aura of Decay Conversion: Reduces enemy physical resistance, effectively increasing all your bleed damage.
The result is a character who steadily ramps up damage with each cast while still feeling immortal behind massive sustain.
Gear Recommendations
Gearing is straightforward but does require specific items to unlock the bleed version.
Essential Uniques
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Bleed Conversion Gloves: The centerpiece of the build. Without these, you’ll play the poison variant instead.
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Titan Heart: Boosts your tankiness significantly, allowing you to scale health effectively.
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Twisted Heart of Uhkeiros: Converts missing health into ward, perfectly synergizing with low-life mechanics.
Other Key Gear
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Boots with bleed duration, movement speed, and HP.
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Helm with chance to cast extra projectiles.
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Rings: Red Rings for attribute thresholds, or alternatives like double-crafted HP rings.
Weapon and Relic Choices
For weapons, prioritize spell damage, health, and bleed chance scaling. The build isn’t tied to a single weapon, but higher-tier crafts with health and intelligence are preferred.
For relics, Twisted Heart remains the go-to option. However, once you unlock Uber relics, you can experiment, though the survivability from Twisted Heart often outweighs alternatives.
Defensive Layers & Tankiness
Tankiness defines this build. Your survival doesn’t come from one mechanic but from several overlapping defenses.
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Armor: Reaper form grants strong armor values, pushing you into 6k+ territory.
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Ward: Constantly refreshed by Twisted Heart and bleed application.
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Leech: Chaos Bolts consume life but immediately return it through leech, making them effectively free.
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Bone Armor: Provides physical damage mitigation, layered on top of other defenses.
This synergy ensures you can tank even the heaviest hits in endgame corruption.
Passive Tree & Important Nodes
The passive tree emphasizes three pillars: health, bleed chance, and intelligence.
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Low-Life Node: Grants the missing health damage multiplier.
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Bleed Duration and Chance Nodes: Amplify your main damage source.
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Intelligence Scaling: Adds damage, bleed chance, and attribute thresholds.
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Aura of Decay Conversion: Reduces enemy resistances while healing you.
The early game should focus on securing leech and bleed nodes to smooth out the leveling process.
Idol Setup
Idols play a supporting role in boosting bleed damage. Prioritize:
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Increased bleed duration idols.
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Ward retention idols for more defensive uptime.
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Health-scaling idols if bleed modifiers are already maxed.
Blessings for Endgame
Blessings complete the build by patching weaknesses and reinforcing strengths.
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Bleed Chance Blessing: Ensures maximum ailment uptime.
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Ward Retention Blessing: Extends survivability.
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Armor or Resist Blessings: Reduce incoming damage for smoother high-corruption farming.
Leveling Guide
You won’t start as a bleed Chaos Bolts Lich right away.
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Early Game: Use poison-based setups since poison scales well without gear.
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Transition: Once you secure the bleed gloves, respec into the full bleed version.
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Campaign: Chaos Bolts clear effectively even before reaching endgame scaling, though mana costs can be rough until your tree is optimized.
This smooth progression makes the build accessible for new and returning players alike.
Endgame Viability
The Chaos Bolts Lich build Last Epoch excels in endgame content. Capable of comfortably pushing 1,000+ corruption, it maintains strong survivability even in high-density scenarios. Uber bosses are manageable, though fights take longer compared to burstier setups. The trade-off is unmatched safety and consistency.
Playstyle & Tips
To maximize performance:
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Always stay in Reaper form for bonuses to survivability and sustain.
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Use Aura of Decay for both offense and healing.
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Keep Transplant on cooldown for mobility, frenzy, and bone armor.
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Maintain curses to reduce resistances and restore mana.
The rotation becomes second nature: cast Chaos Bolts, refresh buffs, teleport as needed, and let your bleed stacks do the work.
Alternative Build Variations
Not every player will have access to the gloves immediately. In that case, the Poison Chaos Bolts variant is a great starter, relying on Aura of Decay for poison overload.
Other variations include:
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Double-Crafted Rings: For players who skip Red Rings.
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Aura-Focused Defensives: Doubling down on survivability if hardcore mode is your priority.
Pros & Cons Recap
This build offers a clear balance of safety and effectiveness.
Pros
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Extremely durable with multiple defensive layers
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Scales damage naturally through HP stacking
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Endgame viable with Uber capability
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Smooth playstyle once fully geared
Cons
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Requires gloves for the bleed version
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Mana cost feels clunky without investment
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Slower clear compared to top-tier DPS builds
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Chaos Bolts Lich build Last Epoch beginner friendly?
Yes, especially since you can start with a poison variant and transition into bleed later.
Do I need specific uniques to play this build?
Yes, the bleed gloves are essential for the full version, though you can start with poison.
Can this build handle hardcore mode?
Absolutely. Its tankiness and sustain make it one of the safest options for hardcore players.
Is this build viable without the bleed gloves?
Yes, but it becomes a poison build until you secure the gloves.
What’s the maximum corruption this build can handle?
Comfortably over 1,000 corruption with proper gearing and blessings.
Should I use Twisted Heart or an Uber relic?
Twisted Heart remains strong even into late game, though Uber relics can be an option if you prefer more raw damage.
Conclusion
The Chaos Bolts Lich build Last Epoch is a shining example of how low-life mechanics, bleed scaling, and layered defenses can create an incredibly resilient character. While it won’t top DPS charts, its blend of tankiness, steady bleed damage, and simple gearing path make it one of the best low-life setups available in Season 3.
If you’re looking for a build that lets you stand toe-to-toe with the hardest content in Last Epoch while shrugging off hits that would kill others, the Chaos Bolts Lich is your best bet.
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Excellent overview.
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