[2.1 Video Guide] Hybrid ES/Life Tanky Zombie/Specter Summoner - The Puppet Master [HC/SC viable]

So, quick question. it may have already been asked and answered, but, not gonna lie, I'm just too lazy to read through 16 pages to see.

been following this guide since I had a Matua, and then while playing it a bones of ullr dropped for me, so things are going pretty good! But now I'm running into some annoyance

when linking spell echo with spectres, how do i get it so that my dudes still double cast but I don't double cast raise spectre? Because echoing the raising spell is making it hard to control what guys I raise

do I have to remove spell echo when raising guys then put it back in? would the spectres still have spell echo if I did that?

"

Blissey1 wrote:

So, quick question. it may have already been asked and answered, but, not gonna lie, I'm just too lazy to read through 16 pages to see.

been following this guide since I had a Matua, and then while playing it a bones of ullr dropped for me, so things are going pretty good! But now I'm running into some annoyance

when linking spell echo with spectres, how do i get it so that my dudes still double cast but I don't double cast raise spectre? Because echoing the raising spell is making it hard to control what guys I raise

do I have to remove spell echo when raising guys then put it back in? would the spectres still have spell echo if I did that?

Take off spell echo, summon them, put it back on. They update with the spell echo whenever you move gems around in their links.

"

ogresamanosuke wrote:

Now that a lot of the outrage over the Revenant nerf seems to have calmed down, I'm curious if anyone has run some damage tests to compare them with Evangelists again, since we now need to run LMP instead of L.Pen.

I'm personally interested to see the difference as well, since I'm using Mon'tregul's for super zombies and am going the route of crafting mod + Grave Intentions for the 5th super zombie. Wondering if running 5 of the mega beefed up zombies are worth running Hatred over Wrath for and switching back to Evangelists. (but I don't want to keep wasting chromatics to test, I'm not that rich)

I have 116% minion dmg from nodes + jewels, 86% phys from Grasp, and +56% net from links (+48 MinDmg, -30 Multi, +38 Fort) for 258% total. If my math is right, that means the average melee would gain 652.4 cold dmg from Hatred, compared to the meager 14-231 lightning damage from Wrath. I'm just not sure if Revenant damage is that much crazier to still justify using them over Evangelists. (Who wouldn't be sacrificing dmg for links, but gaining Added Fire along with Hatred)

I am running 77 maps easy with revenants. Lmp instead of lightning penetration and cursing conductivity. Most gems q20 I feel there really balanced now and I believe they do more damage than evangelist. There is a slight difference as I run midnight. Bargain so I get 4 spectres as I see no point in having 1/2 my zombies and I find it not a good weapon. I even argue my zombies do not need the extra health from mon'tregul so what's the point. Keep in mind I could not do this on hardcore as I have 30% life reserve + prism guardian aura reserve on life. I could but would need shavronne.


I can not give numbers it's just I think there stronger. Poke me in game and we run a map together.

First, i would like to thank Lift for the marvelous post and build. I always had something against summoners in poe, perhaps because of Necromancers, Kadavrus the Defiler, i`m talking about you...
So i`m currently in Act 4 Cruel and have some experiences to help kill some bosses, there is a skill gem that helped me out in many occasions as a summoner.
Just because this build is focused in Zombies and Specters, it doesn`t mean that you can`t use Vaal Summon Skeletons. Seriously, i`ve been using it on every boss and it was insane. When you have 10 minion hitting a boss, i must say, it feels great, but when you have 40+ minions buffed on Wrath+Anger+Generosity and Flesh Offering it is insane. I`ve basically been killing every single boss so far in less than 5s with that. There`s one exception, Malachai. Since you can`t carry the skeletons with you to other maps, you have either to face him in one of the battles the usual way, or you can use the Vaal Summon, face him, go back, farm souls and finally kill him.
And Vaal Summon is very good at dealing with Strongboxes, since you outnumber the box, killing exiles and Warband Groups and pretty much anything in the game.

So, that`s what i have to say.
Thanks guys, thx Lift. Keep with the good work!

"

Harmster wrote:

I dont feel like vulnerability is worth it for just 40% increased damage, but if you dont need surviveability from curses I understand why. I just like to use enfeeble + temp chains as it completely cripples the monsters. Temporal chains also makes monsters slower which means you will have an easier time at recharging your energy shield.

EDIT: sorry didnt see you used elemental equilibrium already. Nice :p

I've been having a lot of problems with survivability and I'd never considered swapping out Vulnerability and Elemental Weakness for defensive curses because I'd just assumed they were essential to the DPS. Now I've replaced them, my clearspeed has stayed more or less the same while I feel much safer. Thanks for that idea!

In the same vein, do any of you have troubles surviving as well? Right now I have 2k health and 2k energy shield at level 74 and I'm working towards the remaining life passives. The only thing I'm missing is a Prism Guardian, and therefore Arctic Armor and Discipline. When I finally acquire one (come on Exalts), will I notice a marked increase in survivability thanks to these auras or is there something else that might be wrong? Maybe I just need some better +% life rolls on my equipment? I am of course resistance-capped, wouldn't be complaining if I wasn't.

Edit: To be clear, I use Evangelists for extra survivability. They help with projectile spam, of course, but not direct in-my-face murder.

"

roetetoet wrote:

I am running 77 maps easy with revenants. Lmp instead of lightning penetration and cursing conductivity. Most gems q20 I feel there really balanced now and I believe they do more damage than evangelist. There is a slight difference as I run midnight. Bargain so I get 4 spectres as I see no point in having 1/2 my zombies and I find it not a good weapon. I even argue my zombies do not need the extra health from mon'tregul so what's the point. Keep in mind I could not do this on hardcore as I have 30% life reserve + prism guardian aura reserve on life. I could but would need shavronne.


I can not give numbers it's just I think there stronger. Poke me in game and we run a map together.

Yeah, I've having no issue with maps so far, was simply curious on the damage difference.

I'm rather happy with Mon'tregul's Grasp personally, having half the zombies isn't really noticeable IMO (I have 5 now) with enough HP and literally nothing has been able to drop them and they do damn respectable damage on their own. (They carried me through stupid Merciless Derasso who pretty much instant killed my revs.)

how do you keep spectres alive against corrupting blood?
and does it matter which difficulty i summon spectres from?

"

lcm5506 wrote:

how do you keep spectres alive against corrupting blood?
and does it matter which difficulty i summon spectres from?

As to your first question, the only thing you can do is to use Convocation for the heal. Ideally, your zombies should be eating most of the corrupting blood. Also, judging by your second question, you'll be fine when you get stronger spectres.

And yes, it matters. Higher difficulty zones are higher level zones with higher level enemies. If you summon a spectre from a lv20 zone in Normal it can only be as high as lv20. If you summon it from a lv60 zone in Merciless it can only be as high as lv60. So, summoning from the highest-level zone available will produce much stronger spectres simply because they'll be of a higher level.

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Ladamar wrote:

In the same vein, do any of you have troubles surviving as well? Right now I have 2k health and 2k energy shield at level 74 and I'm working towards the remaining life passives. The only thing I'm missing is a Prism Guardian, and therefore Arctic Armor and Discipline. When I finally acquire one (come on Exalts), will I notice a marked increase in survivability thanks to these auras or is there something else that might be wrong? Maybe I just need some better +% life rolls on my equipment? I am of course resistance-capped, wouldn't be complaining if I wasn't.

yes, prism guardian will be an insane durability boost for you, at least it was for me! I was also at 2kish health/es, and being able to run discipline alone gave me over 1k extra es! and arctic armor is a noticeable boost as well! to to mention prism guardian put me way over resist cap. I have to find some new rings now...

the dex boost is also really nice, as it lets you get higher levels on haste, vaal haste, chain and any other dex gems you might be using

First time playing summoner with your build so ...
Noob summoner question again.. :p

My zombies and spectres often times don't attack mobs around them and follow me around unlike flame totem build that I played b4.
And they seem to only attack mobs that are close proximity of my char.
Is there any way to give orders to attack?
Or am I supposed to walk up to the mob and take the risk?