Path of Exile is a MAJESTIC incline

[T. Reich]

Summoner builds are notorious for having very little gem slots to spare.

The strongest persistent summoner builds are spectre-centric supported by zombies.
The strongest temp minion summoner build is SRS, supported by tanky zombies.
Animate weapon/zombie-as-main-minion/skeleton builds are possible, but aren't nearly as strong as those two.
It's also normal for a spectre/zombie summoner to go heavy on auras, to the point of going low-life (via shavs) and running tons supped-up of auras.
It's also normal to be able to cast more than one curse, to make your minions/allies even stronger.

The gem slots are usually distributed as follows (with a lot of variation actually):
5-6L for main summon.
4L for secondary summon, if you have it.
4L for auras
4L for support skills (flesh offering, movement skill, convocation, desecrate, though the lwo latter are optional depending on your build)
3L for curses (can also use curse on hit, but then need a 4L for that)
3L for more supports. Can be used for more auras, or more curses, or for some extra minions like skeletotem or golem, or for vaal skills etc.

Here's my staff SRS build links breakdown, I'm using it as my char in 1MSC right now:
2H staff = SRS + 4 support gems in a 5L; 6th socket is flame golem.
Armor = 6S, linked 3L+2L+1S; 3L for arc totem (for proccing EE), 2L for clarity on BM gem, 1S for vaal gem.
Helmet = 4S; 3 auras, 2 of which are linked to generosity gem in a 3L, and 3rd aura is in a separate 4th socket.
Gloves = 4L zombies with tanky support gems; I have 6 zombies total, and they can actually even do some noticeable damage on top of being good distraction for the mobs.
Boots = 4L containing 3x support spells (flesh offer + flame dash + curse) linked to faster casting.

This is a very tight set-up, and I only wish I had a spare socket or two in form of unset rings to put my golem there (when I get a 6L staff) and a simple aoe spell to break urns and such.

 

[Saark]

I used ball lightning with avatar of fire to proc EE for my revenants. Never liked the arc thingy to proc EE, especially in totems and it worked well for urns and such.

 

[Veelq]

I have played Nulls bow summoner in Tempest, very fun build based on tempo playstyle. I used animate weapon + srs in my bow + supports and used Raid of Arrows to proc it. Made it to 85 fairly easy.

 

[Radech]

If you're using a golem you can also put it on the left mouse button, it will only cast if you hold shift while clicking and saves you another hotkey.

NIOCE! fucking annoying having to switch in my golem whenever he dies(very rare though with fortify and minion life)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDrgs9Fg7NM

saw that video and thought maybe time to give skelebros another shot - played srs back in nemesis - imo it's too boring a build to stick with, run around a corner and cast untill everything is dead... What i really really love about skeletons is that they spawn where you click, so they're as much a barrier/cc as anything else(though with a couple damage boosts they really shred bosses, but that's probably comparable to SRS)

Not gonna go with spectres - they're too fiddly and I don't want to have to worry about keeping my minions alive - this is an IG build, I have backups they don't

current hotkeyed gems are (move but from now on chaos golem :D )flame totem, summon skellies
flame dash, flesh offering, desecrate, summon zombies(only linked to offensive gems so i resummon in battle often - which is fine IG), curse(enfeeble, will probably switch to temp chains or dual curse+curse on hit spell, annoying when things run away from my skellies).

playing hardcore btw, so going 1hand and shield, and will eventually go dual curse(i think making shit up as i go, first proper summoner since beta ), and EB so i can reserve 100% mana for auras.

 

[T. Reich]

Spectres are ok as a support unit (in a 4L ,say). If you treat them like a good expendable fire support and are not spergy about EFFICIENCY, you can always roll with what maps you run are offering you. There are plenty of strong ranged/caster monsters in the game as is.

I saw that vid, too, and it's pretty impressive, but I still don't really like the skellies as the main attack skill. Mostly because of 1 sec base cast time - soooo slow! And they move and attack too damn slow as well, though that can be fixed by minion speed gem nicely.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

Skellies can be absurdly overpowered. I ran around PVP a few times and saw some folks spewing skellies like a machine gun. It's like homing missile. It's the best way to kites bosses too.

Animate guardian though, anyone successfully use this skill as a main summon?

 

[Saark]

Well, if you're running skeletons EB will probably be required, yes. Usually the amount of mana you spend is very minimal since you seldom resummon so having like 5-10% mana left is usually enough to spamcast your CoH spell (it can stay level 1 and curse on hit has no mana multiplier)

Having a curse on hit setup as a summoner serves two purposes by the way. Not only applying stronger curses more easily and cheaper, but also because with elemental equilibrium you can improve your minions damage by a very large amount. Minions do not trigger EE themselves, so by using a for example a lightning spell with curse on hit and elemental equilibrium, your minion instability explosion will deal significantly more damage.

Edit:
Animate guardian is crappy and only really useful as a support. Since it keeps the items you put into it even when logging out, you can put a dying breath as a weapon in it and a leer cast, and it will increase everyones damage by a small bit. Not too shabby for a 1 socket gem.

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

I was speaking about the fiery heads.

Shame animate guardian isn't really useful. Like a golem.

 

[Radech]

yup already running clarity and hatred(switching between that and wrath, can't really figure out which is better, but with hatred my zombies chill white mobs) - can't summon more than two zombies at a time without having to wait for regen, rest is fine though(but not if i drop clarity which i obviously want to).

I'm running two of these http://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Army_of_Bones and planning on getting more as my cast speed increases so I'm going to be summoning skellies most of the time(I already am but it's mainly just for repositioning), I don't really plan on taking too many other minion nodes instead just going cast speed and jewel sockets(bought those jewels for 5 alts, so they're practically free) - should've gone scion, maybe next league

I was thinking firestorm for curse on hit, because I'm not going to have time to recast it constantly, so probably no EE for this build, unless if go flametotem + curse on hit or spelltotem with just one curse.

fiery heads are SRS (summon raging spirits), it's pretty much been a tier 1 build since they were added(but imo dreadfully boring to play)

Edit:
reading comprehension fail, did use SRS for pvp once(just a duel with friends), just like pve, if they do enough damage to stun they're some of the best CC around

 

[tyrannosaurus rex]

(but imo dreadfully boring to play)

Which good build isn't? I purposely design 4 multi skills build even if they suck ass because spamming the same ranged crap and kite like most of those pro builds is awfully dull.

 

[e-mailio estevez]

Crit FP terrible? Yeah, right...

How many builds do you know that can do Hall of Grandmasters?

And his gear isn't even top-tier, just good.

Your post inspired me to make a FP Witch.

I've gotta thank you because it's some of the most fun I've had playing an ARPG, period. Running into a room and chunking groups of monsters is too much fun. And after slapping a Karui Ward on her and getting 20q freezing pulse gems, I can chunk swathes of creatures from off-screen. Feels more like I'm playing Tyrian more than anything at this point.

I always liked POE, but never really got into after my first foray as a 'meh' LA ranger back in beta. Never made it past the Ledges with that character and just put the game down. But I've been having a real blast with it thanks to some Codex-reviewed builds.

 

[Veelq]

PoE possibilities just for you ( dont ask me if its viable hc ).

 

[T. Reich]

PoE possibilities just for you ( dont ask me if its viable hc ).

That's my favourite video among the recent ones:


15 APS pales in comparison with 99% reduced run speed.

 

[Veelq]

Those are things that we call "ghudda shit"

 

[LeStryfe79]

New expansion. Infinitron

https://www.pathofexile.com/ascendancy

 

[Zdzisiu]

New expansion. Infinitron

https://www.pathofexile.com/ascendancy

And it looks all kinds of amazing.

 

[made]

New expansion. Infinitron

https://www.pathofexile.com/ascendancy

Like he's going to promote the better POE at the cost of Obsidian's shovelware.

Nice surprise tho; didn't expect them to come out with new content so soon after 2.0.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Padre]

http://www.gamespot.com/images/1300-2968484

This is pretty sweet.

 

[dibens]

Traps. Hardcore just got real.

 

[Black_Willow]

Wow, those prestige classes.

 

[made]

Wow, those prestige classes.

Have to see how they play out in the end but at first glance t seems like they'll lead to more cookie cutter builds and less customization options. Why make anything but a Shadow trapper if all the juice trap passives are in the Saboteur tree?

 

[Saark]

Every build has multiple ways of scaling to become better in regards to clearspeed/survivability/quality of life, so while the saboteur is great for some parts, other ascendancies cater to certain trapper builds aswell. The assassin crit-stuff for example would work amazingly well for arc-trappers, while the saboteur is more suited to firetraps/the new ice trap that was teased in the saboteur trailer itself. Crit-EE trappers may go for inquisitor for the resistance nullification, works amazingly well with EE. Who knows what the witch ascendancies have in store for trappers, or the 3rd ranger one.

The only thing it actually does is redefine the classes, which is somewhat necessary in my opinion. Classes mostly differ in the first 5 points in regards to what they can do what another class cannot, which e.g. means that for all caster builds there is literally no reason not to play scion thanks to jewels, while almost every bow build will go ranger/melee will go mara. Now even a summoner will have to decide between whatever the scion offers (since scion currently is the best class for most summoner builds), go necromancer for the direct dmg/duration boosts, or even play something like a duelist so you can buff your minions with Inspirational while having Fortitude for even more survivability. There is currently no way to gain fortitude without attacking a monster, so going champion seems to be the only way to get fortitude damage reduction against the new traps for example.

 

[IDtenT]

Every build has multiple ways of scaling to become better in regards to clearspeed/survivability/quality of life, so while the saboteur is great for some parts, other ascendancies cater to certain trapper builds aswell. The assassin crit-stuff for example would work amazingly well for arc-trappers, while the saboteur is more suited to firetraps/the new ice trap that was teased in the saboteur trailer itself. Crit-EE trappers may go for inquisitor for the resistance nullification, works amazingly well with EE. Who knows what the witch ascendancies have in store for trappers, or the 3rd ranger one.

The only thing it actually does is redefine the classes, which is somewhat necessary in my opinion. Classes mostly differ in the first 5 points in regards to what they can do what another class cannot, which e.g. means that for all caster builds there is literally no reason not to play scion thanks to jewels, while almost every bow build will go ranger/melee will go mara. Now even a summoner will have to decide between whatever the scion offers (since scion currently is the best class for most summoner builds), go necromancer for the direct dmg/duration boosts, or even play something like a duelist so you can buff your minions with Inspirational while having Fortitude for even more survivability. There is currently no way to gain fortitude without attacking a monster, so going champion seems to be the only way to get fortitude damage reduction against the new traps for example.

Nerd alert over here. Right guys? Rite?

 

[Saark]