Harness Witchcraft and hunt the Headrotten in Season 7 2.1 PTR!
Harness Witchcraft and hunt the Headrotten in Season 7 2.1 PTR!
Last Updated:November 27, 2024
Blizzard just released the 2.1 PTR Patch Notes for the upcoming Season 7 on Diablo 4 Vessel of Hatred! This time around, the new seasonal mechanic will be available during the PTR! Discover the PTR Patch Notes here on Maxroll and get ready for PTR on December 3rd!
New Powers of Witchcraft
Wield new powers and harness Witchcraft in your arsenal of abilities.
There are three schools of Hawezar sorcery to learn and master:
Eldritch—Wield magic that harnesses destructive energies and polymorphy.
Psyche—Wield defensive powers of the mind and spirit to create visions, focus your attacks, and induce madness in your enemies.
Growth & Decay—Wield magic that both heals and harms, boosting Life, Resource. These incantations can create horrific diseases and disruptions.
Plus, discover rare Lost powers of Witchcraft that have since been rediscovered.
Each school of Witchcraft gives you the chance to experiment between new styles of power. Tinker with your build to create something strange and terrible. Some Witchcraft Powers are also Witchcraft Effects which will apply as Eldritch, Psyche, and Growth & Decay powers.
To learn Witchcraft, earn Seasonal reputation from completing new Whisper bounties and defeating hulking Headrotten enemies to earn Restless Rot. At specific Tiers, you’ll unlock the ability to learn more Witchcraft Powers.
Visit a Coven’s Altar at the Tree of Whispers and offer Restless Rot in exchange for new Witchcraft powers, or to upgrade them. Note that any Witchcraft powers listed below are subject to change before the Public Test Realm begins.
Eldritch Powers
Firebat Servants
A deadly swarm of Firebats swarm enemies every 2 seconds, inflicting X total Fire damage over 1 total attack.
At Higher Ranks: Enemies are Stunned for 3 seconds after being hit 5 times by your Firebat Servants.
Abyssal Resonance
Every 250 Resource spent, release an explosion dealing X Shadow damage. Each explosion triggered within 10 seconds of the last increases the size and damage by 130%. Stacking up to 3 times.
At Rank 10: The third explosion pulls enemies towards you before detonating.
Wave of Woe
Release a Wave of Woe when damaging an enemy with your skills. Wave of Woe deals an additional X Shadow damage and echoes this damage to all other nearby enemies of the same type.
At Rank 5: Damage is increased by 15% each time damage is echoed and is guaranteed to echo at least 5 times. May strike the same target multiple times.
Purging Touch
Eldritch Effects X increased damage against Headrotten.
At Rank 10: This damage bonus now extends to all monsters.
Shaken Soul
Eldritch Effects apply Vulnerable to enemies for X seconds.
At Rank 10: Damage from Psyche and Growth & Decay Effects will also apply Vulnerable at half the duration.
Hex of Flames
Lucky Hit: You have up to an X chance to apply Hex of Flames. Hex of Flames deals 1,600 additional Fire damage each time you deal damage to the target.
At Rank 7: Hex of Flames explodes dealing damage to all nearby enemies when you land a Critical Strike.
Doom Orb
An ominous orb of pure Eldritch energy circles you, damaging any enemy it touches for X Fire damage. Doom Orb may launch itself at distant enemies before returning.
At Rank 5: Kills or damage to Bosses empower the orb’s damage by 5%. After 100%, the orb explodes dealing 5,200 damage to nearby enemies before reforming 3 seconds later.
Psyche Powers
Life Link
Automatically link your life force with up to 3 nearby enemies. X of the damage you take is shared with the linked targets as physical damage. Cannot Life Link to enemy Players.
At Rank 15: For 10 seconds after using a Defensive, Macabre of Subterfuge Skill, any linked damage will be a guaranteed Critical Strike.
Hex of Shattering
Damage done by your Witchcraft Effects afflicts enemies with Hex of Shattering causing them to deal X reduced damage for 5 seconds.
At Rank 8: When any Hex Effect is applied to Headrotten, all damage will be guaranteed Critical Strikes for 5 seconds.
Aura of Misfortune
Enemies near you have X chance for their attacks to be interrupted. Does not work on bosses.
At Rank 5: Aura of Misfortune increases your Movement Speed by 5% and Slows enemies by 30%.
Aura of Lament
When you first strike an enemy, it is afflicted with an Aura of Lament that Slows it and other nearby enemies by 70%. For each enemy inside Aura of Lament, you gain 1 Primary Resource each second. If the initial enemy dies, Aura of Lament is passed onto another nearby enemy retaining the duration. Lasts X seconds.
Only 1 enemy may be afflicted at a time. May only occur every 30 seconds.
Vengeful Spirit
Every 19 Seconds, a Vengeful Spirit Servant appears for X seconds. While active, all damage taken is instead taken by the spirit.
At Rank 5: When the Vengeful Spirit’s Life is fully depleted, it rushes towards up to 8 enemies dealing 2,000 Shadow damage.
Twilight Warding
Every X seconds, gain a Barrier for 5 seconds absorbing 100 damage.
At Rank 12: Twilight Warding reflects enemy projectiles while active.
Growth & Decay Powers
Poison Frog Servant
Summon a Poison Frog Servant that attacks and Poisons enemies for X damage over 3 seconds. On death, the frog explodes violently dealing X Poison instantly damage to nearby enemies. This explosion will always Critically Strike.
At Rank 5: Poison Frog attacks will pull enemies towards itself and Taunt enemies for 1 second.
Soul Harvest
Feed upon the life force of nearby enemies whenever you use a skill with a cooldown, increasing your primary stat by 3% per monster for X seconds.
At Rank 9: Soul Harvest does not lose duration so long as enemies are nearby.
Hex of Whispers
Dealing damage to an enemy afflicts them with Hex of Whispers that deals X Shadow damage the next time damage is dealt. Afterwards, Hex of Whispers will jump to another enemy up to a maximum of 6 times. Hex of Whispers may only be applied once every 5 seconds.
At Rank 7: After bouncing onto 6 enemies, the hex bounces back to you granting X Fortify and removing all crowd control and negative status effects.
Decay Augmentation
Your Witchcraft Effects deal X of the damage dealt over 5 seconds. The damage type is based on your class.
At Rank 10: When your damage-over-time effects exceed 85% of the target’s total Life, they immediately die.
Grow
After casting an Ultimate Skill, your Servants, Minions, and Companions are empowered with dark magics. Growing larger in size and dealing X bonus damage. Lasts 15 seconds.
At Rank 11: Your Servants, Minions and Companions gain 100% Critical Strike Chance while enlarged.
Aura of Siphoning
Conjure an aura of decay that deals X Poison damage to enemies every second.
At Rank 10: Each time Aura of Siphoning deals damage, you are healed for 1% of Maximum Life.
The Cycle
Dealing any damage with your skills has a 15% chance to grow a flower from the ground. When an enemy is near, the flower deals X Poison damage to that enemy over 5 seconds. If an ally is near, the flower heals for 6% maximum Life. The flower withers away after use. A flower may grow once every 5 seconds per enemy.
At Rank 5: The damage and healing affects all enemies or allies near the flower.
Lost Powers
Breath of the Coven
Dealing damage or applying a Crowd Control effect with any of your Witchcraft Effects increases your Attack Speed by X for 10 Seconds, stacking once per unique Witchcraft Effect.
Witchcraft Effects are Eldritch, Psyche, and Growth & Decay.
At Rank 8: Gain 40% Lucky Hit chance while bonuses from Eldritch, Psyche, Growth & Decay are active at once.
Hex Specialization
Increase the potency of your Hex Effects by X.
At Rank 10: Increase the Critical Strike Chance by 10% against enemies afflicted by your Hex Effects.
Aura Specialization
The size of your Aura Effects are increased by X.
At Rank 10: Increase the Critical Strike Damage by 50% against enemies inside your Aura Effects.
Piranhado
When an enemy is afflicted by both a Hex and an Aura Effect, a Piranhado is summoned pulling enemies towards it and dealing X Physical damage over 12 seconds. May occur once every 20 seconds.
At Rank 5: Piranhado moves itself towards nearby enemies.
Hunt the Headrotten
The Headrotten are the newest gruesome enemies to face across Sanctuary. Sick in the mind and spirit, strike them down to release them from their prison of twisted flesh.
The Headrotten are powerful foes, Hunt them within the Headhunt subzone.
The Tree of Whispers will offer Bounties to hunt the Headrotten.
There are unique boss variants of Headrotten to slay, which includes the Headless Husk and Fugitive Head.A Fugitive Head has the parasitic Stolen Head attached, which is extremely rare to find. If you manage to defeat them, the reclaimed Head drops for you to return to Gelena near the Tree of Whispers for Occult Gems.
While killing Headrotten will earn you Restless Rot, returning the Fugitive Heads to the Tree of Whispers will grant you Occult Gems.
Headhunts
Discover newly intensified Whispers of the Dead to guide you towards Headhunts.
Headhunts will give you a general area where you might be able to flush out a Headless Husk or Fugitive Head.
After completing a Whisper in a Headhunt subzone, locate the Exposed Roots that appear.
There is a rare chance for the Exposed Root to be an Uprooted Cocoon, which holds a Headless Husk or Fugitive Head to defeat.
These can be active in multiple spots across Sanctuary at one time.
These areas shift after a duration of time, similar to Helltide.
Return your Grim Favors at the Raven found within Headhunt subzones.
There will be a few ways to improve the chances you’ll see a Headrotten possessed by a Fugitive Head:
Increases by Torment Tier.
By using a Draught of Whispers
Rootholds
Seek out these micro-dungeons as an additional way to hunt the Headrotten, with bonus challenges and rewards.
Perform dangerous rituals to turn Headrot into power.
Rootholds are only accessible by using “Whisper Wood,” sigils found in Whisper Caches and Silent Chests.
One of these can be found in the Fractured Peaks in the PTR.
Occult Gems
If you manage to slay a Headrotten possessed by a Fugitive Heads, you’ll be able to use this reclaimed Head at the Tree of Whispers to earn Occult Gems.
These powerful Seasonal socketables are crafted.
Meet with Gelena at the Tree of Whispers, who crafts Occult Gems in exchange for Fugitive Heads, Restless Rot, and Gem Fragments.
These can provide additional affixes, strongly compliment Withcraft powers, add Witchcraft tags to your Skills, and more. It is rumored Occult Gems had once even been used to cheat death, if you believe the legend.
You can craft powerful higher tiers of Occult Gems with the following Materials:Fugitive Heads, Restless Rot, Gem Dust, Occult Gems.
Each Occult Gem provides 160 Armor and 8% Resist All. Craft the following Occult Gems at Gelena:
Occult Gems
Wicked Pact
Your Non-Unique Eldritch Witch Powers gain 25% Potency.
Heart of Anima
Your Non-Unique Psyche Witch Powers gain 25% Potency.
Toadling's Wish
Your Non-Unique Growth & Decay witch Powers gain 25% Potency.
Phantom String
You deal 40% more Overpower damage to Hexed enemies.
Elder Sigil
Your Agility, Corpse, Incarnate, Mastery, Weapon Master, and Wrath Skills deal 25% increased direct damage to Hexed enemies.
Killing Wind
While you have three or more Eldritch Witch Powers slotted, gain 25% Movement Speed and 15% Critical Strike Chance.
Witching Hour
While you have three or more Eldritch Witch Powers slotted, every 5 seconds, the next Core Skill you cast gains the Eldritch tag.
Raging Enigma
Your Unique Witchcraft Powers deal 40% more damage.
Voice of the Stars
While you have an Aura active, your Ultimate Skills gain each Grimoire tag and deal 10% more damage.
Mind Wreath
While you have three or more Psyche Witch Powers slotted, your Defensive, Macabre, Trap Skills gain 20% Cooldown Reduction.
Spiral Coin
While you have three or more Psyche Witch Powers slotted, gain 30% Control Duration and 20% Lucky Hit Chance.
Cornucopia
While you have three or more Growth % Decay Witch Powers slotted, you generate 30% more Barrier, gain 30% more Fortify and have 30% more Thorns.
Vulture Talon
While you have an Aura active, you deal Damage Over Time 35% faster.
Pointed Finger
Your Summons deal 25% more direct damage to Hexed Elites.
Vile Phylactery
While you have a Witch Power with the Summon tag slotted, if you would take fatal damage, instead prevent that damage. Then gain a Barrier equal to 100% of your Maximum Life and disable your Witchcraft Powers with the Summon tag for 6 seconds. This can only occur once every 75 seconds.
Friend of the Bog
While you have three or more Growth & Decay Witch Powers slotted, you gain 10% primary stat, 10% Maximum Life and you are always Unhindered.
Moonlight Ward
For each rank in your slotted Unique Witchcraft Power, you gain 3% Damage Reduction and 1% Maximum Resistance to All Elements.
Dust Stone
For each of your Auras and Hexes an enemy is afflicted by, they take 4% increased damage from you.
Hungering Void
While you have an Aura active, pull Nearby enemies toward you every 8 seconds.
What's Next?
We hope you enjoy the Season of Hatred Rising and the Vessel of Hatred expansion with the aid of our Season 6 compendium update. Our focus is now on the upcoming 2.1 PTR and the Season 7 game update while following various Season 6 changes. We're also continuing to work on more updates for D4Planner!
With that said, head over to our Discord to stay up to date with our content development and to make the most of your Season 6 experience! Also don't forget to check out our Youtube channel!