Hi, fellow gamers! Welcome to a fresh build guide for the Path of Exile 3.24 Necropolis League. This time, I'll walk you through 3 minion-centric builds that come highly recommended. If you're keen on trying out any of these builds, you'll find all the necessary information in this guide.
Mage Skeletons Guardian
Let's start with this classic minion build which is the Mage Skeletons Guardian with the Templar class. Remember how transforming regular skeletons into Mages required the Unique jewel Dead Reckoning? Thanks to the new transfigure gems, this is no longer the case.
Now, with the Summon Skeletons of Mages, you can naturally summon Mage Skeletons without needing any Unique items, and at a much lower cost. This makes Mage Skeletons an even better minion build option than before.
Pros & Cons
Here are some pros of this build, starting with survivability. With the Guardian Ascendancy, you get nearly a 75% chance to block both attacks and spells, significant life regeneration, and the new Summon Sentinel of Radiance that absorbs 20% of the damage you take.
This build is particularly safe to play because it's a minion build. You can stay behind your minions and kill enemies from a distance. Additionally, the Summon Elemental Relic provides 3 damage auras for you and your minions at no extra cost, significantly boosting your boss damage.
The cons is that Mage Skeletons can't move, which means that you need to keep re-summoning them while clearing maps. And this version lacks the 30% boost to all elemental resistances for you and your minions. As a result, your zombies and specters might die from Elemental damage if you don't prioritize minion resistance on your rare gear.
Budget
As for budget, this build is more affordable than ever. You can start destroying early endgame maps with around 50 Chaos. For advanced Yellow Maps, it's recommended to invest about 120 Chaos. To easily complete the Atlas, around 4 Divines Orbs is suggested, but it's definitely possible to succeed with less investment.
Performance Ratings
For clear speed, I'll give it an 8 out of 10. This build have numerous skeletons launching projectiles at a rapid casting speed. I deducted 2 points because the mage skeletons don't move, requiring constant resummoning. Additionally, the Guardian does not get the Flesh Offering speed boost like the Necromancer.
The boss damage is also amazing, deserving 9 out of 10. With the new Returning Projectiles Support, 100% of projectiles will hit enemies twice. However, since it's not as powerful as the nerfed Anomalous Faster Projectiles Support, I took 1 point out for this.
When it comes to survivability, I rate it a perfect 10 out of 10. This build has a robust array of defensive layers, including high armor, a 75% chance to block attacks and spells, and a minion that absorbs 20% of the damage for you. Plus, being a minion build, you are far from danger most of the time.
Archer Skeletons Guardian
Now, let's take the previous build to another level with the Archer Skeletons Guardian. By now, you're probably familiar with the popular Mage Skeletons build. Thanks to the new transfigure gems, we can now utilize Archer Skeletons as well.
Pros & Cons
Let's look at the pros of this build. Unlike the Mage Skeletons build, it has a much smoother clear speed and can deal even more damage to bosses. It's also easy to assemble, requiring only 1 mandatory Unique item that is quite affordable. As a Guardian, you benefit from 3 damage auras for free and have a minion that absorbs 20% of the damage you would otherwise take.
Now, let's address the cons. While this build is still very tanky and safe, it's not as tanky as the Mage Skeletons version because of having less block chance. However, if you are mindful of your positioning, it will still be difficult for enemies to kill you.
Budget
In terms of budget, this build is inexpensive. You can effectively clear earlygame maps with an investment of only around 80 Chaos. For smoother progression into Yellow Maps, I suggest allocating approximately 150 Chaos. To facilitate easier completion of the Atlas, consider investing around 4 Divines.
However, it's entirely feasible to achieve success with less investment. The only mandatory Unique item required for this build is the Lioneye's Vision armour. This piece already provides the Pierce Support and enables us to add another support gem for our skeletons.
Performance Ratings
In terms of clear speed, this build deserves a rating of 9 out of 10. The abundance of Archer Skeletons rapidly firing arrows at a high attack speed significantly contributes to its effectiveness. Unlike the Mage skeletons version utilizing the Spell Echo Support, we can effortlessly summon 4 skeletons simultaneously in various locations, thereby enhancing their range of destruction.
The boss damage output is equally impressive, with a rating of 9 out of 10. This build excels at decimating formidable bosses within a matter of seconds, even with the recent buffs.
Regarding survivability, I would also assign a rating of 9 out of 10. The playstyle ensures that you remain distant from the fray while your minions handle the combat with over 990,000 effective HP. The only deduction in rating is because of the absence of a staff, resulting in slightly reduced block chance and effective HP compared to the Mage Skeletons version.
Poison Raging Spirits Guardian
Then, we have a remarkably potent endgame build: the Poison Raging Spirits Guardian. This build capitalizes on the ability to summon many Raging Spirits, enabling us to accumulate a staggering amount of poison on our adversaries. By opting for the Guardian subclass, although sacrificing a slight portion of damage output, we gain nearly triple the survivability.
Pros & Cons
When considering the pros of this build, its boss damage stands out prominently. Upon completion, we're capable of swiftly dispatching even the most formidable bosses in just seconds. The build boasts exceptional survivability, benefiting from all the defensive layers inherent to a Guardian on a minion-focused setup.
Speaking of cons, it's essential to acknowledge that this build may not be suitable for everyone. It demands a substantial amount of currency to assemble. Additionally, there's the challenge posed by the short duration of Raging Spirits, necessitating frequent interruptions to resummon them.
Budget
In terms of budget, this build requires a significant investment, typically necessitating at least 10 Divine Orbs. It's considered relatively expensive to assemble because of the need for 4 mandatory Unique items.
The first essential item is the United in Dream sword, which bestows the Envy Aura, inflicting substantial chaos damage to our minions. Additionally, it grants them a 60% chance to poison enemies upon hits. Another crucial piece is the Darkness Enthroned belt, featuring 2 Abyssal sockets necessary to achieve a 100% chance to poison on our minions.
In addition, it has become imperative to obtain Covenant body armour, which provides Level 29 additional chaos damage support for our Raging Spirits, greatly increasing their chaos damage output. The Ancient Skull serves as another indispensable item, granting a substantial increase in damage and attack speed to our minions.
Performance Ratings
In terms of clear speed, I'd rate this build at 9 out of 10. While it boasts numerous fast minions capable of obliterating enemies within seconds, their short duration necessitates frequent re-summoning, hence the deduction of 1 point.
For boss damage, it unquestionably merits a perfect score of 10 out of 10. With the potential to exceed 30 million DPS, this build effortlessly dispatches any boss encountered in the game.
Regarding survivability, it also earns a perfect 10 out of 10 rating. As a minion-focused build, you naturally remain distant from danger, but this particular build incorporates numerous defensive layers from the Guardian Ascendancy, resulting in an effective HP of 250,000.
That's all for today! What are your thoughts on these minion builds in Path of Exile 3.24? Wishing you a fantastic day ahead, and remember to keep building!
