[2.6 Video Guide] Beginner's Build: 5 Keystone Horror Summoner [HC/SC/Atziri Viable]

For a more detailed explanation of the build check out the video guide: 5 Keystone Horror Summoner Build Guide Video

If you are new or uncertain how summoners work, how they are scaled or behave, check out this video guide: Generic Summoner Mechanic Guide

Atziri is doable by changing the Knitted Horrors for Undying Evangelists. A high budget version of this build can handle Uber Atziri.


If you have any questions you can always come to my twitch stream to get them answered or just to enjoy the stream:

Ghazzy's Livestreaming Channel

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Is this build for you?

1. If you are looking for an amazing Necromancer build.

2. A build that is not only viable in both hardcore & sofcore, but also Atziri and even Uber Atziri later on.

3. Insanely high eHP with really good clearing speed that is NOT SRS.

4. If you prefer a build guide that has a video linked to it.

5. You're bored of the ordinary spectres we necromancers are using.


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Defence & Utility

The build utilizes Flame Dash to help with labyrinths and got a massive army of meatshields to cover your insanely high eHP thanks to the use of the 3 Keystones: Mind Over Matter, Zealot's Oath & Eldritch Battery on top of this we are using Elemental Equilibrium to further enhance our damage output of our spectres. Outside of these keystone we are pushing it further by adding Necromantic Aegis with Victario's Charity

The EE is applied via a Curse on Hit - Ball Lightning ability with 1 defensive curse & 1 offensive to even further enhance your survival as well as damage output!


Here is a link to a downloadable calculator for how much effective HP you'll have with Mind Over Matter: Mind Over Matter eHP Calculator

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Why we are using Knitted Horrors

Seeing as 95% of all good summoner builds are Witches now since Scions Necromancer Ascendancy is completely worthless. This makes 95% of all good summoner builds use extrremely identical skilltrees, the differences are in the utility decisions, ammount of auras being used and/or the decision of how the defensive stats are planed (EB/ZO/MoM vs armour HP vs Hybrid ES/Life vs ES vs Low life (which is also budget locked)).
On top of the skilltree looking very simmilar to one another the spectre choices were looking very much alike as well;
You chose Evangelists for zombies focused builds and Flame Sentinels for Spectre focused builds, for obvious reasons. To some degree Evangelists could be used as an offensive choice as well, but has the same issues the Knitted Horrors have... their AI.

So the decision came to this;
Knitted Horrors as well as Evangelists deals Physical dmg which we all can agree is substantially easier to scale and thanks to Poison is superior in almost all kind of ways for minions to work with. So I started working on creating a solution for their AI, which obviously is impossible, but what was not impossible was to work around it, minimize the impact of their behaviour. Which was solved via speeding them up via Commander of Darkness stacking together with Frenzy charges from Victario's Charity. The Knitted Horrors are vastly better at clearing over Evangelists till you meet highest tier bosses like t14-t15 bosses where the defensive use of Evangelists are superior. However, till then the Knitted Horrors are amazing.


TLDR; Super strong with AI issues which we are minimizing the impact of to show people there are more than 2 options.

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Skill-gems & Setups:

Spectres:

5L:
- Raise Spectre, Minion DMG - PPAD - GMP - Added Fire
6L:
- Raise Spectre, Minion DMG - PPAD - GMP - Pierce - Poison

Meatshields:

- Raise Zombie, Minion Life, Fortify + Possible Animate Guardian (Could switch for Minion Resist)

Curse on Hit:

- Ball Lightning, Curse on Hit, Enfeeble, Vulnerability

Utility:

- Flame Dash, Flesh Offering, Vaal haste, Increased Duration

Auras & Utility:

- Generosity + Hatred + Desecrate

Auras:

- Enlighten LvL 2+, Arctic Armour - Discipline

Unset Rings

- Convocation
- Vaal Lightning Trap (can switch for Vaal Summon Skeletons vs Atziri trio-boss)


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Skill-tree & Ascendancy Nodes:

Ascendancy Nodes:
Rush Soul Weaver, then pick up Commander of Darkness and finish hard with Mistress of Sacrifice to further enhance your clear speed!


Leveling skill-tree, 35 points

Leveling skill-tree, 73 points

Leveling skill-tree, 90 points

Finished skill-tree


A few notes:

1. Once the skill-tree is finished, just focus 100% on more jewel slots.

2. Only pick up EB, ZO, MoM when you have the gear to sustain it which is minimum of 4000 HP and a minimum of 1800 ES(EB) / unreserved Mana

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Leveling Tips:

1. Fire Trap / Freezing Pulse till you can equip yourself with Firestorm & Flame Totem.

2. Abberaths Horn and/or Lifesprig is amazingly nice to use whilst LvLing .

3. Once Firestorm deals enough damage you can remove Flame Totem.

4. Use Herald of Ice & Lightning whilst LvLing to further enhance your lvling speed.

5. Change in to a summoner when you reach Act 4 Cruel difficulty Dried Lake.


Bandits:

- Normal: Help Oak: 40+ Life
- Cruel: Kill them all for 1 extra skill point.
- Merciless: Kill them all for 1 extra skill point.

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Gearing & Stat Priorities

Defensive Stats:

1. Life
2. ES
3. Resistances
4. Strength
5. Armour

Offensive Stats:

1. Minion Damage
2. Minion Life


My current gear:



Jewels:

1. Minion Damage
2. Increased Max Life
3. Minion Life
4. Resistances
5. Minion Block
6. Minion Resist

Flasks:

2x Seething Divine Life Flasks <w/e sufix>
1x Ample Eternal Life Flask of Staunching
1x Ample Granite Flask of Staunching
1x Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat

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Recommended Unique Items:


Recommended LvLing Uniques:


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Outro:

This build thread is merely a rough guide to lead you in to the builds basics. If you wish to see more details about this beautiful build check out the video guide: 5 Keystone Horror Summoner Build Guide Video

Before you start posting questions I would recommend checking the video. I am, as always available in my stream!

Hope you guys will enjoy the build! Below you can access my other build guides:

Build Guides


//Ghazzy

* Reserved


2.6 Update Notes:
* Can add 1-2 Unending Hunger jewels, though with 2 you can't get any souls for Vaal spells. I'd recommend using 1 for heavier spectre effeciency.

Solid guide I give it three thumbs up.

Perfect timing too. Decided yesterday that my next character will be a summoner, and I never played one before. I just didn't know where to start. But now I do. :)

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iAxum wrote:

Solid guide I give it three thumbs up.

3/5? Daum that's bad :<

"

Redfeather_1975 wrote:

Perfect timing too. Decided yesterday that my next character will be a summoner, and I never played one before. I just didn't know where to start. But now I do. :)

Nice!
Glad i could be of assistance!

3/2 because I only have two hands :p

You should mention in the written guide about why you're using Knitted Horrors, how they scale and pros/cons compared to other spectres maybe.

so the knitted horrors can really be used as main damage dealers, great to know
decent guide

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dandan88 wrote:

You should mention in the written guide about why you're using Knitted Horrors, how they scale and pros/cons compared to other spectres maybe.

Horrors are an odd minion

the defining traits for that monster are:
piercing projectiles (100%)
high hp pools
and an attack that is a split between physical and bleed damage.

they technically barely qualify for what makes a good spectre as their ai has some unfortunate issues
but they do have that built in aoe component via pierce
they do have a damage source that is scalable
and they do have a highish level zone in story mode from which to be drawn from.


the main issues for them as is with most monsters .. is their ai. in the case of horrors they like to get too close for their own good. what this means it is much easier for trash mobs to tie them up in melee (horrors like most ranged mobs have a weaker melee to their excellent ranged attack).


The reason why they can contend with flame sentinels at all is because of the damage scaling via hatred and grip of the council which is made effective via ee (so even monsters with resists still take most of the elemental damage) and the fact that poison is hilariously op. seriously it is retarded how op poison is.

i would like to ask why mistress of sacrifice instead of spirit eater for the last ascendancy point?