[3.6 Video Guide] Beginner's Guide SRS Baron Life [HC/SC/Atziri/Uber Izaro/Shaper Viable]

For gameplay footage & verbally describing the build, check out this video guide: SRS Baron 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

WITH SPECTRES:
Path of Building Link for the guide: https://pastebin.com/2VTeWBHV
Simply go to "Import/Export Build" > Click the "Import from Pastebin" paste the link in there, and then click "Import"

WITHOUT SPECTRES:
Path of Building Link for the guide: https://pastebin.com/bHXYEHvX
Simply go to "Import/Export Build" > Click the "Import from Pastebin" paste the link in there, and then click "Import"



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 a #1 Necro viable race build that is not a Necrobot.

2. A build that is not only viable in both hardcore & softcore, but also Atziri, Uber Atziri & Uber Izaro.

3. Insanely high eHP with really good clear speed.

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

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Build Enabling/Enhancing Items:


The Baron Helmet is an amazing helmet, however, it is far from build enabling. Before you can afford or chance your way to a Baron you can use a simple +2 minion gem helmet. You will be very fine without it.

With the use of a few other uniques you can enhance the quality of the build, these items would be:
Grip of the Council
Astramentis this helps you not just get extra life & sort the inevitable issues of Dexterity requirements for Vaal haste as well as Faster Attacks, but also provides tons of extra damage for your minions thanks to the Baron Helmet.


The last enhancing unique can be either of the following 2:
Bisco's Leash or The Dancing Dervish the difference between the 2 outside the loss of IIQ & IIR from the belt is that to "kickstart" the Rampage buff from the Dancing Dervish. To do that you have to wear the Dervish on your offslots and make sure the SRS gem is slotted in the exact same position as the SRS you have in your main weapon, then summon the SRS and get at least 1 kill but not enough to see the rampage buff in which case you quickly switch back and continue the map with a sustainable Rampage buff ticking. I personally found this method effective but messy, specially pre-shaped map running where you'd lose the buff rather frequently and I couldn't be arsed to switch all the time. Due to this I found the Bisco's Leash much more efficient.


Rampage Information:

Rampage is a very underestimated buff for minion builds as every 10 stack grants your minions 2% minion damage as well as 1% movement speed which is the same stats you as a player receives, this becomes extremely beneficial when running shaped maps on top of the cool & efficient effects that comes from the Rampage buff alone.

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Defence & Utility

The utility options are rather vast with this build depending on how you decide to gear it (check gear section further down). If you are using a Staff then Leap Slam might not be as effective as Flame Dash which generally depends on the "off-mods" you get besides the +2 lvls to fire gems on the weapon.

The EE is applied via a Ball Lightning with GMP as well as a Curse on Hit setup using Enfeeble to lower the enemies damage on top of increasing your minions damage output.

Optionally you could use Vaal Lightning Trap to help ease the time spent on bosses, I strongly recommend using this for 3.0 content and forward due to the massive HP boost they've given map bosses.

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Pantheon Choices:

Pantheon List

Major God:

- Soul of Lunaris
Basically just helps with avoiding some projectile damage

Minor God:

- Soul of Ryslatha
Basically just an additional layer of defence when you're on low life.

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Skill-gems & Setups:

Summon Raging Spirit:

- Summon Raging Spirit, Minion Damage, Melee Splash, Melee Physical Damage, Minion Speed, Elemental Damage With Attacks
Note: If you get a lvl 3 or higher Empower you replace Elemental Damage With Attacks for it.

Decoy Targets:

- Stone Golem, Decoy Totem
Note: You could use Spell Totem + Summon Skeletons which can feel smoother in some situations.

EE:

- Ball Lightning, GMP, Curse on Hit, Enfeeble

Utility:

- Leap Slam, Faster Attacks, Fortify
- Flesh Offering, Increased Duration

Defence:

- Cast When Damage Taken, Immortal Call

Aura:

- Generosity, Hatred

Stand alone sockets:

- Desecrate (Can be low lvl)
- LvL 1 Clarity

Optional additions:

- Flame Dash, Faster Casting = To replace Leap Slam(Might not need Faster Casting.)
- Vaal Lightning Trap
- Dread Banner

Note:
You can get the "Soul Weaver" ascendancy and ignore the Ball Lightning EE approach (Let EE get proced by VLT vs bosses) and modify the skilltree to get +2 spectres and use the "Wicker Man" from act 10 in a 4L (Raise Spectre + Minion DMG + Increased AoE + Elemental Focus) to help you gain a bit more damage :)

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Skill-tree & Ascendancy Nodes:

Ascendancy Nodes:
You start by taking the Mistress of Sacrifice node then you take either Puppet Master or Commander of Darkness and once you got those 2 you'll take the Invoker node.

However, if you decide on playing with the Soul Weaver approach you can either remove Commander of Darkness or Puppet Master, I would remove Commander of Darkness personally.

Leveling skill-tree, 32 points

Leveling skill-tree, 50 points

Leveling skill-tree, 95 points

Finished skill-tree (Without Spectres)

Finished skill-tree (With Spectres)

Note:

1. Once the skill-tree is finished, just focus 100% on more jewel slots.
2. If you want to utilize Spectres in this build, you're gonna want to pick up Soul Weaver before you spec in to the Death Attunement at the very top of the skill-tree!

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Leveling Tips:

Use Freezing Pulse till you hit lvl 8 where you get yourself Melee Splash, remember to pick up SRS after "Breaking Some Eggs" quest in Mud Flats and if you lack Strength to use the Melee Splash gem, simply equip yourself with a Heavy Belt or any strength providing item.

Once you've reached lvl 20 you can equip a Brightbeak to use together with a shield for Shield Charge + Faster Attacks to speed through the content.

At lvl 26 you are able to use the unique called The Baron which will carry you through the rest of the game up to about later yellow tier maps before you will feel the need to get a 2h weapon. However, if you are unable to afford a Baron helmet, any +1 and later +2 Minion Gems rolled helmet will do exactly the same! Do keep in mind that 2 blue sockets is all you need since Mistress of Sacrifice is fixing all your cast speed, making Spell Echo ineffective on top of being too expensive to use for the coloring of the helmet.

Before you get your 2hander I would suggest for you to run with a high lvl clarity gem and if you wish you could ignore the 6 points invested in the aura nodes and put them all towards Necromantic Aegis and use the Victario's Charity for enhanced clear speed till you have what you need. A 4L in the Baron (or +2 minion helmet) is sufficient to carry you through most maps, including Excavation with the help of the charges produced by the charity shield!


Bandits:

- Kill them all, they don't grant anything worth the skillpoints you lose

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Gearing & Stat Priorities

What base items to use:

The base items of this build really doesn't matter as we don't care about the base defensive stats such as armour(str), evasion(dex) or energy shield(int). So instead the base items will follow the stat priority listed in this guide.
However, the attribute requirement of the items will base how hard it is to chrome (color) which will be the only thing we will think about when planing our gearing.
So, if you need 4 blue sockets in an item the recommendation is to get an item that has Energy Shield (int) base or a hybrid base which includes Energy Shield (int).

By using this chrome calculating website: https://siveran.github.io/calc.html you can easily track how hard it will be to chrome the colors you need. This YouTube playlist can help a lot for new players and also includes a few tricks when coloring items with the "wrong attribute requirements" for your build: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuu-MdPs0Af8A4e3gSsJ1xDKNNcdFwY1r


Weapon Choices:

For this build you have 2 options which depends on your currency availability, state of the league and how you prefer to play it.
You can either go with the classic 2h Staff and simply use Alteration orbs to craft +2 lvls of Fire Gems then get cast speed.
Or you can simply purchase a 6L Mace with iLvL 50+ which is generally cheaper than the staff choice but will require Shrieking Essence of Rage to get yourself your +2 LvLs of Fire Gems. When doing this you would like to get Attack Speed for faster Leap Slamming.

There are a few ways of getting these weapons outside of purchasing them directly:
Dark Mage is a generally cheap divination card that gives you a 6L staff.
The Warlord is a somewhat cheap divination card granting you a 6L Mace. However, purchasing a 6L mace with a low iLvL still above 50 is often cheaper than both of these options.

I would only recommend moving from the 4L Baron (or +2 minion helm) to a 6L and simply skip any 5L ideas for this build.


Defensive Stats:

1. Life
2. Resistances
3. Strength

Offensive Stats:

1. Minion Damage
2. Strength


Jewels:

1. Minion Damage
2. Life
3. Resistances
4. Strength/Dexterity

Flasks:

2x Seething Divine Life Flasks <w/e suffix>
1x Ample Eternal Life Flask of Staunching
1x Ample Basalt Flask of Iron Skin
1x Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat

If you feel comfortable 1 or 2 Life flasks should be enough in which case you are able to use things like the Silver flask granting yourself Onslaught as well as a Granite Flask and you can then get your "of Heat" roll on 1 flaks and use the quicksilver with "of Adrenaline" for even higher movement speed.

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Recommended Unique Items:


Recommended LvLing Uniques:



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Outro:

For gameplay footage & verbally describing the build, check out this video guide: SRS Baron 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

Tease not appreciated :P

For people that wants to use this for 2.6 Turmoil or any other state prior to the release of 3.0:

The Elemental Damage With Attacks support gem is only for 3.0 and forward and I would recommend switching that for Elemental Focus instead.

Also regarding the skilltree: Skip Heart & Soul till later and take the shortest route to that part of the tree :)

Did you try any of the other new support gems? Maim, Ruthlessness? I am running an almost identical build, and since it was beta, was trying different gem combos. I dont think the onslaught gem works, but I do think ruthlessness does. I know the new WED is quite strong, so maybe that trumps the new supports. I did try Ele Focus in place of speed on bosses as well.

My understanding is Elemental Attacks with a focus on Elemental is stronger than Baron in 3.0. Is this correct?

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Mooginator wrote:

My understanding is Elemental Attacks with a focus on Elemental is stronger than Baron in 3.0. Is this correct?

imho 6L for 3.0 is +3 staff and srs+miniondmg+meelephys+phys2light+eledmgwithattacks+elefocus

isnt this a bit sad: SRS defining the summoners and being a stapple of pretty much every summoner build

SRS that is nothing more than a homing fireball with misplaced tags..

SRS is something that dominates 'summoner' archetype for several leagues already. and because it is easy to scale, braindead in execution and requires little of investment - it holds other minions hostage

as long as SRS is what it is everything else is simply 'meh' (not worth playing - according to 'viable' == 'the best' overly reactive crowd)

zombie-designed helmet works best without zombies whatsoever.. SRS, balanced

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grawobi wrote:

"

Mooginator wrote:

My understanding is Elemental Attacks with a focus on Elemental is stronger than Baron in 3.0. Is this correct?

imho 6L for 3.0 is +3 staff and srs+miniondmg+meelephys+phys2light+eledmgwithattacks+elefocus

Going this route makes EE awkward or unusable.

"

WOdahs wrote:

Did you try any of the other new support gems? Maim, Ruthlessness? I am running an almost identical build, and since it was beta, was trying different gem combos. I dont think the onslaught gem works, but I do think ruthlessness does. I know the new WED is quite strong, so maybe that trumps the new supports. I did try Ele Focus in place of speed on bosses as well.

From my experience & testing the link setup im running is most optimal for clear speed. Minion speed can always be changed for Ele focus.
Ruth is good but only acts as a replacer for Added fire which this version is not using :)