[3.4] Dire Phantasms - Spirit Offering Minions | 7k+ eHP EB MoM | Triple Damage Auras

Are you looking for an effective and inexpensive build to play? This one is definitely worth looking over.

Surviving maps and delves is done with 7k combined pool of life and energy shield. Using both Eldritch Battery and Mind over Matter not only lets you survive larger burst damage, it also gives you the ability to reserve all of you mana and still cast spells. Spirit Offering will instantly recover your ES and give minions up to 30% of their damage as chaos as long as there are corpses on the ground.

Using phantasms has a similar feel to playing Solar Guard spectres. Its loss in range is made up for with the sheer number of phantasms. Unlike spectres though, setting up phantasms is quite easy: popping Spirit Offering twice after a cascaded Desecrate will create 15 phantasms. Sustaining is as easy as walking over corpses to consume them with Death Walk.

Since you yourself don't need auras, Generosity-linked auras is the best choice. Victario's Influence is the best in slot for any Minion build looking to maximize damage further. Your choice of a Blasphemy-linked curse is used on the remaining sockets and mana.

Your strategy for bosses/single target is to cast Desecrate and run over it to proc Elemental Equilibrium.

Soulwrest - Greater Multiple Projectiles - Minion Damage - Summon Phantasm on Kill - Controlled Destruction - Physical to Lightning - Elemental Focus

Wrath - Hatred - Haste | Elemental Weakness - Blasphemy

Cast when Damage Taken - Immortal Call - Increased Duration | Convocation

Desecrate - Faster Casting - Spell Cascade

Clarity

Path of Building Lv. 90 build (9/11/18)
PoePlanner Lv. 92 build (10/2/18)

Normal: Commander of Darkness, early game damage and resistances for you and your minions
Cruel: Puppet Master, early-mid game QoL
Merciless: Mistress of Sacrifice, mid-late game QoL
Uber: Invoker, late game QoL

Leveling all the way to maps is fast and easy if you know what you're doing.
Here are some things to note to make leveling less of a hassle.

Lv. 8+:
-Freezing Pulse until Summon Raging Spirit, Melee Splash, and Minion Damage
-look for a 3 linked wand or sceptre, and ruby ring. You'll need it along with Orb of Alteration to craft a +1 to socketed fire gems.
-To craft, sell all of the ingredients to a vendor.
-Keep any Life Flask of Animation if one is found. It will be used for crafting later.
-If you don't find one and are nearing lv. 25, find a Bone Spirit Shield instead.
-Vendoring any life flask with Bone Spirit Shield and Orb of Transmutation will give you a Life Flask of Animation.
-Darkness Enthroned belt with minion jewels will let you clear with your minions faster.
-Find all the gems you need and level them along the way.
-Get both Flesh Offering.

Lv. 25+:
-4L helmets are now available. Find one with energy shield and/or armor to craft with.
-Use Hatred for your minions.
-Trade in the helmet along with the flask and an Orb of Alteration.
-Socket Summon Raging Spirit, Melee Splash, Minion Damage, and Melee Physical Damage into the helmet.

Lv. 34+:
-You can switch to a Wraithlord helmet for +2 to Minion gems.
-Use Generosity on Hatred.
-Improvise the rest of the acts.

Lv. 62+:
-Get Soulwrest with at least 5 sockets.
-Get Victario's Influence with at least 4 sockets.
-Use Hatred, Wrath, and Generosity-linked Elemental Weakness on Victario's Influence.
-Use Haste when sockets and unreserved mana is available.

Skill Points:
-Get minions and life nodes to the middle left side of the tree, all the way to Spiritual Aid.
-Get Eldritch Battery, Mind over Matter, life nodes, and aura nodes to the right side of the tree.
-Get Elemental Equilibrium and the Scion life wheel.
-Get life and flask nodes on the upper side of the tree.

Spirit Offering give both offensive and defensive stats rather than just pure offense to the minions or pure defense for the player.

Flesh Offering affects the minion's cast and movements, which can be replaced totally with Victario's Influence Haste.

Bone Offering affects block and spell block to give them tankiness, but phantasms are easily replaceable.

Spirit Offering grants:
-chaos damage based on physical damage, very useful for your minions
-energy shield based on maximum life, useful for both you and your minions
-elemental resistance, useful for both you and your minions

Mods to look for in order of priority:
-life
-minion physical damage, t3+
-% minion damage when a minion skill was used recently
-% to all resistance
-% minion chance to hinder
-% life regen
-% minion attack/cast speed, 6% cast

I recommend Brine King for partial stun and freeze immunity, and either Ryslatha for life flask recharge or Gruthkul for phys. damage reduction on hit.