Summary

  • Unholy Might adds 30% base damage as extra Chaos damage which applies only to hits and not damage over time.
  • Unholy Might is mainly available through the Witch’s Lich Ascendancy or unique items like Vis Mortis for minions. 
  • Pure Chaos Damage builds benefit most from Unholy Might due to damage scaling applying both to base and extra damage portions.

Witch players in Path of Exile 2 can equip the Unholy Might to provide buff to their current damage. It is available through Lich Ascendancy or unique items and works best with pure Chaos Damage builds. Here’s how you can better understand Path of Exile 2 Unholy Might buff works.

Explaining Unholy Might Mechanics

Beside the 30% base damage, Path of Exile 2 players get an extra Chaos damage for all attacks with Unholy Might. It won’t increase your initial attack damage but rather serves as Chaos Damage bonus. Once activated, it gives a 30% Chaos Damage on top of the original damage that comes up with the attack.

After dealing 100 Lightning damage with an attack, the Unholy Might Works as an additional 30 Chaos Damage. The attack will result in a total of 130 damage, adding the original and chaos damage together. So, don’t expect that it’ll appear directly as an increase to the original attack damage.b+

Moreover, the Unholy Might only applies to hit damage and does not include damage over time effects. With this, the buff leans more toward hit-based builds than DoT-focused characters. Activating Unholy Might helps to maximize the impact and enhance the overall damage output.

How Damage Scaling Works with Unholy Might

One of the important features of Unholy Might is its interaction with damage scaling modifiers. The provided extra Chaos Damage comes from your base damage before increases or modifiers were applied. 

If you happen to have 80% increased Lightning damage then it’ll raise your 100 base Lightning damage to 180. However, the extra Chaos damage earned from Unholy Might remains at 30. Overall, you only have 210 total damage, combining the Lightning damage and Chaos damage from the buff. 

Now, if you have modifiers increasing Chaos damage specifically, it’ll apply only to the extra Chaos portion. So from the initial 30 Chaos damage, it’ll increase to 45 as a result of the 50% increase.

The most efficient way to scale Unholy Might damage is by using the “increased damage” modifiers. It’ll be best to equip modifiers that apply to all damage types or specifically to Chaos damage. Usually, Chaos damage-focused builds benefit the most from the Unholy Might buff as it scales both base and extra damage.

How to Acquire Unholy Might in PoE 2

While it may benefit Witch players in Path of Exile 2, there are only two primary methods to access Unholy Might. It can be either through choosing Lich Ascendancy or equipping unique items:

  • Lich Ascendancy: Witch players who choose the Lich Ascendancy can gain Unholy Might through two passive skills:
    • Necromantic Conduit: Grants Unholy Might to you and allies in your Presence while you are not on Low Mana. This comes with the cost of losing 5% of your maximum Mana per second while the Presence is active.
    • Blackened Heart: Another Lich Ascendancy passive that provides Unholy Might.
  • Unique Items: The unique body armor Vis Mortis grants Unholy Might to your minions. Note that with this item, only your summoned minions receive the buff, not your character.

Understanding Presence and Area of Effect

Unholy Might works through the “Presence” mechanic which acts as an area of effect (AoE) surrounding your character. It has a 4-meter radius by default that increases by using specific modifiers. Keep in mind that only the “Presence Area of Effect” modifier can increase the Presence area. 

Modifiers like “Increased Area of Effect” or “More Area of Effect” do not affect the Presence radius. Usually, these presence modifiers are found on the following:

  • Passive skill tree Notables like Enveloping Essence, Long Distance Relationship, and Profane Commander
  • Sceptres
  • Time-Lost Jewels

Builds relying on sharing Unholy Might with allies or minions will benefit in increasing the Presence area. This will enhance their current team’s overall damage output.

Conclusion

The Unholy Might gives Path of Exile 2 players, particularly, Witch, a powerful buff to enhance their gameplay. With this, players can get 30% extra Chaos Damage on top of their original damage for attack. This buff won’t be helpful if you’re not using a build that focuses on Chaos Damage. Make sure that your playstyle fits with this buff to maximize the damage bonuses it can provide for your team.