[2.5] Saltizard's Raging Summoner [CI SRS]

Hello everyone, this is my first attempt at a build guide, i'll try my best to keep it clean, and to complete it regularly.

Now on this league i wanted to play a summoner, but not one of these slow clear speed Zombie/Spectres one, so i decided on SRS, first planned an Hybrid build, but when i realized i had 5K ES and i could run the essential auras with only my mana pool : https://poe.mikelat.com/#Gf3R75/mH8l.u/9b.5d= , i decided to go CI.

And honestly, i went much farther than i expected to with this character, i'll get to it later, now for the build itself!












Breach League :

Playing with a +3 fire bow and Soul Strike now that we don't need much cast speed, gonna take Essence Surge in the tree and see how it feels.

Added Spectres in the helmet, these daresso statues are insanely tanky, they even survived an uber atziri flameblast, pretty insane

Managed a Uber Atziri Run with 19/20 SRS and empower 3, went a bit sketchy cause it's still lacking a bit, but with lvl 21 gems it could get pretty smooth to farm her.

Basically more solotarget damage but less clear speed, might want to swap elemental focus to minion speed for mapping if you don't have minions speed jewelry

Ended up respeccing the char into a lowlife chaos/poison SRS/Golemancer, no build for that, just wanted to try xD


My IGN is Charizard_AnothaOne if you want to contact me about anything :)

really complete review, i guess it makes it clearer what to expect!

"

ovogancho wrote:

I wanted to use SRS for the first time, so I played this build until level 90 in (Breach League; bow version) and here's my review for anyone interested:

Pros:

Spoiler

• Very strong
• Fun to play once you're set up.
• Fast & clean - Spirits clean up corners and irregular topology (eg. docks in Quay, levels in Beacon).
• Free mapping - In 2.5 "Smothering" maps don't affect mana anymore, and "Hemomancy" (BM) is gone, so with a backup Mana Flask for "Statis" (no regen) you can do any map.
• Most bosses - Are trivial. You can farm Breachlords and Atziri at will.

Cons:

Spoiler

• Not beginner friendly - Requires smart flask usage and precise gearing.
• Still summoner - Annoying spectre/zombie raising and micromanagement.
• Kinda hard to gear - Gotta manage STR, DEX, resists, mana regen and gem levels.
• Somewhat fragile - Even with high ES, you're very dependent on your meatshield and flasks.
• Not really cheap - Unless you get lucky when crafting your weapon.
• Few bosses - Are not worth fighting. More on that below.

I did different:

Spoiler

• Spell Echo ► Ele Focus - Still better for map clearing and damage is already good, so I don't even bother swaping for bosses.

• Added Fire Damage ► Empower 2/3 (+1 from weapon) - I believe Add Fire brings more damage than Empower 2/3, so I keep it in the main setup and swap Empower for Melee Splash if I want a boost for bosses. When Empower reaches 3/4 it's back on the setup and Add Fire becomes the mistress.

• Blink Arrow ► Flame Dash - I don't trust flame dash.

• Energy From Within - Dropped one. Used it. Kept it.

• Flasks - Kiara plays a huge role in this build, and it needs to be up more often. So I'm using an extra anti-freeze and sometimes The Overflowing Chalice for fast recharge. I also recommend a Quartz flask for safety (phasing).

I should've done different:

Spoiler

• Valyrium ► Kiara - Realying on a flask that consumes 40 of 60 charges on use for stun protection doesn't work for me; specially if your meatshield dies and you have to run for your life. Plus, Kiara costs a fortune and Valyrium is pretty much free. Chayula is not worth it tho; Blue Pearl amulet is kind of a big deal.

Tips for gearing:

Spoiler

• STR/DEX - You'll need 111 str and 155 dex to level gems up to 20. Use Soul Strike (dex), gloves (dex), belt (str) and big nodes in the tree. If that's not enough you can craft your acessories, but I would save them for ES.

• BBBRRR 6L +3 Bow - Every part of this description is a nightmare. 6 links, 6 off colors, and a level 8 master meta-crafting. Skip some trouble by buying one halfway done (or ready to go).

• Pledge of Hands - Get a 5L one until you fix your bow right.

The wall:

Spoiler

I managed to kill all Guardians of the Shaper. Hydra and Phoenix have attack routines and somewhat stationary adds. Positioning makes these encounters really easy.

Now Minotaur and Chimera can be trouble. The thing is your meatshield (even spectres) will die at some point and the boss will come for you. Resummoning is useless, you can't outrun them and Kiara has a single use (if that). To make matters worse, the lightning barriers on Maze of the Minotaur slow down your Raging Spirits, building a dike.

My workaround is to swap Inc Duration for a Decoy Totem to build distance between me and the boss, spamming spirits non-stop. You might wanna keep Melee Splash in to deal with Chimera adds, since the boss itself is the easy part (I also recommend an additional Quicksilver for the mist phase).

I didn't face Shaper. I'd lose my meatshield and wouldn't be able to defend Zana, dying to the purple shit everytime. I'm sure he's killable, but it's probably not worth it at this stage (19/20 gems, Empower 2).

Bump.

Okay Let´s see how it works..... Will start a new Char now for this :D I really enjoy playing SRS. Keep it up its a really good Guide.
Maybe you can post your leveling way, but at the ends its just 1 route that split short on the Witch for more Minion dmg. I have a way in my mind but i didnt know if its the right way to lvl as a SRS.

"

ExiledEUW wrote:

Okay Let´s see how it works..... Will start a new Char now for this :D I really enjoy playing SRS. Keep it up its a really good Guide.
Maybe you can post your leveling way, but at the ends its just 1 route that split short on the Witch for more Minion dmg. I have a way in my mind but i didnt know if its the right way to lvl as a SRS.

You mean the Passive Tree progression?
Or how i managed with leveling, cause i have something about it, but that's not really a powerleveling way to do it, i just didn't want to have to change the gameplay or passive past a certain point.

Hi, yeah i was talking about the progression. i think its okay to go straight for the temp area w/o taking any jew slot ? from there back to the witch ? and at least the CI notes ? is that the way you where running ? i started leveling with SRS and zombies, its slow for sure but you learn the way you have to play it i belive.
I played only life base SRS this will be my first CI SRS try.

"

ExiledEUW wrote:

Hi, yeah i was talking about the progression. i think its okay to go straight for the temp area w/o taking any jew slot ? from there back to the witch ? and at least the CI notes ? is that the way you where running ? i started leveling with SRS and zombies, its slow for sure but you learn the way you have to play it i belive.
I played only life base SRS this will be my first CI SRS try.

I'll make a progression tree, you'll take CI around lvl 70 if you have some gear for it, if that's not the case, just level as hybrid, and as i put in my leveling spoiler in the guide, pickup a reverberation rod and put SRS-Minion Damage-Melee Splash in it, it makes SRS leveling a thing, basically.

Okay i'm too lazy to put up multiple spoilers and trees, so i just added a paragraph under the hybrid tree that explains the order to pick up things

Bump

I want to shoot for 100 or as close as I can with my SRS witch before league ends. Not interested in rerolling.

I am life based, but have the currency to switch.

Should I?

Using a 6L Pledge with great results btw.

First time trying srs and currently loving it.

But I'm not sure about ele equilibrium, as far as i can see
srs only deals fire damage (converted from physical) and no other ele damage
so what's the point of ele equilibrium

Thanks for your time putting this guide togheter

Have a nice day