{3.10} Speaker for the Dead | The Mass Minion Summoner | League Starter, Leveling Guide 💀

I just want to congratulate you on hands down the best build guide I have ever read. I am going to run this build in betrayal but I haven’t ever played summoner before, besides once maybe a year or two ago. For awhile I couldn’t find a good enough necro to go off of, but this really explains what to do, holds my hand, and is very well organized. I just love how you wrote it, added art, and also says how complete some areas are. Thank you!
Question:

I'm thinking about trying this build in 3.5, but I wonder where I'm supposed to get a Smite gem by Level 4 as a Witch - according to your Leveling Plan. Nessa doesn't sell it to Witches and the earliest to get it would be from Siosa in Act 3.
I did a quick run as a Templar to get smite, AC and a quicksilver flask, then started my Witch run.
If you are not trading with other players or play Solo Self Found like I do for your first character run through, you will not be able to get the following gems for this build yourself before ACT 3 library quest A Fixture of Fate unless they drop from a monster.

Smite
Ancestral Call

Shield Charge
Static Strike
Herald of Agony

Maim
Onslaught

Starting a Templar and questing up to Mercy Mission as previously mentioned will give you
Smite
Ancestral Call
Onslaught and another Quicksilver Potion.

Alternatively, you can run something like the following for leveling for a first run solo until you hit library, but I don't recommend this for newer players as it is more micromanaging of skill gems that won't be required later.



Spoiler
level 1-4

Freezing Pulse - Arcane Surge - Explosive trap
Zombies

level 4-8

Frost Bomb - Arcane Surge - Explosive trap
Zombies-Holy Relic-Summon Phantasm on Kill
grab Lesser Poison

level 8-12

Zombies-Holy Relic-Summon Phantasm on Kill
Frost Bomb - Arcane Surge - Flame Dash
Explosive trap-Added Lightning
Skeleton-Minion Damage-Lesser Poison
optional auras
Clarity (I used Mind over Matter early on)
grab remote mine

level 12-16

Zombies-Holy Relic-Summon Phantasm on Kill
Explosive trap - Arcane Surge - Flame Dash
Remote Mine-Arc-Added Lightning (a +1 lit gems wand will help here)
Skeleton-Minion Damage-Lesser Poison
optional auras
Clarity (I used Mind over Matter early on)

level 16-28

Zombies-Minion Speed-Summon Phantasm on Kill
Explosive trap - Arcane Surge - Flame Dash
Remote Mine-Arc-Added Lightning OR Faster Casting-Arc-Added Lightning
Skeleton-Minion Damage-Holy Relic
optional auras
level 1 Clarity (I used Mind over Matter early on) Herald of Ice - Herald of Lightning

The idea is to run through mobs, gather them up and drop a frost bomb once and keep moving. Once you get Arc mines it's the same idea, but your screen clear is way faster. Skeles and Explosive trap helps single target damage. Precast Skeles, Traps and Arc-Mines and Detonate once then hold trap button down on boss and it dies. Even without spell damage in the passive tree I level faster then with straight minions and Summon Raging Spirit and I could casually get to Act 3 library within 2 hours using Arc Mine.

Summon Raging Spirit is another completely viable option but I found it much slower to level 28 than Frost bomb and arc-mine.
Just use a +1 fire wand and SRS-Minion Damage-Summon Phantasm on Kill


Downside is your a bit behind in gem levels once you hit Library, but you will more then make up for the time lost trying to trade early on with no currency if you don't have a guild or friends to support you.

Once I hit Library I skip Static Strike and just use Charged Dash-Poison-Fortify as HOA doesn't need too many stacks to do decent damage and I prefer the constant movement while doing damage.

level 31+ before heading into Lab for first time looked something like

Charged Dash-Fortify-Lesser Poison
Zombies-Minion Speed-Maim
Skeleton-Minion Damage-Culling Strike-Melee Physical Damage
Raise Spectre-Summon Phantasm on Kill-Lesser Multiple Projectiles-Minion Damage
HOA-Projectile Damage-Damage on Full Life (or Minion Damage) but only 3 link
Hatred-Generosity
Holy Relic
Desecrate
Projectile Weakness

Mind over Matter removed and EE taken.

Once you hit 38 and Open Belly of the Beast build will go back to normal Speaker for the Dead guide.
Last edited by kager#6456 on Dec 5, 2018, 3:58:18 PM
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lostonpurpose wrote:
I did a quick run as a Templar to get smite, AC and a quicksilver flask, then started my Witch run.


This is another solid idea, I will do a total timed run using this strat and also grabbing Onslaught and see if it is faster/easier then just using Frost Bomb into Arc Mines on a single witch character.

The double Quicksilver pots and Onslaught may save significant time overall, as well as not having to juggle so many gems.
"
lostonpurpose wrote:
I did a quick run as a Templar to get smite, AC and a quicksilver flask, then started my Witch run.


That seems like a good idea. I suppose, that I can just play until Act 3 to get the other gems. Or just buy them.
STATUS
Hello everyone, and thank you for your responses! For the next two days I'll be focusing on the guide until Betrayal's release, so I apologize in advance for my short/delayed replies.

You are more than welcome to continue asking any questions you may have, just know for right now it might take me a bit to get back to you. Other players may be able to answer, so no need to be shy or hold back! It'll help me out, as it indicates where I should work on in the guide.

Just before Betrayal's release will have a lot of activity across many build threads, a chaotic battle for the first forum page, burying less active threads in the blink of an eye. Every post, be it a question, suggestion, discussion, or thought, no matter how small, bumps this thread and increases this build's visibility, so thank you!




@ kager:
"
kager wrote:
If you are not trading with other players or play Solo Self Found like I do for your first character run through, you will not be able to get the following gems for this build yourself before ACT 3 library quest A Fixture of Fate unless they drop from a monster.

Smite
Ancestral Call
Melee Splash
Shield Charge
Static Strike
Herald of Agony
Melee Physical Damage
Maim
Onslaught

Thanks so much for helping out! Melee Splash and Melee Physical Damage are actually available to the Witch.




@ Tklaebo:
"
Tklaebo wrote:
Am I correct when I asume that in every section where zombies start and is marked with dots( since it is the first listing) it represent a new line of suggestions/alteration to the build?

And that | represent end of link and new gem after?

Yes and yes. =o)


"
Tklaebo wrote:
I have also the same problem as mentioned earlier, can't locate all the gems. Are they drops, or do they sell at vendors?
"
datSLNC wrote:
Question:

I'm thinking about trying this build in 3.5, but I wonder where I'm supposed to get a Smite gem by Level 4 as a Witch - according to your Leveling Plan. Nessa doesn't sell it to Witches and the earliest to get it would be from Siosa in Act 3.

This is the number one question right now; after I hit submit I'll be working on explaining this in the guide. =o] In the meantime, lostonpurpose and kager have both provided the answer.
Last edited by Hercanic#3982 on Dec 22, 2018, 2:42:29 PM
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Thanks so much for helping out! Melee Splash and Melee Physical Damage are actually available to the Witch.


Corrected my post, I was pulling off the wiki and it's not updated with those 2 gems being available.
That is because you don't get them as a reward, but you are able to purchase them after a quest. The wiki calls that "Vendor reward" which is a bit ambiguous.

For Melee Physical Damage for example, you won't get the option to pick it as a reward, but after killing the Weaver in A2, you can buy it from Yeena.
STATUS UPDATE
I have finished formatting Act 1's Gem Vendor section. Let me know what you think!

To Do:
  • 1. Explain each gem and the section will be complete. Yay!
  • 2. Give the same treatment to the other Gem Vendor sections of each Act.
  • 3. Explain each unique item in the new Gear sections.
  • 4. Work on a new Zone Info format. I'm thinking of pairing it down to just explaining the highlights of the Waypoint maps.
  • 5. Make my own Passive Skill Point chart that does not have an error in it.

The post is already at 39k characters, and I believe the post limit is 50k. Whew! So I'll likely need to cannibalize the first Guide Update post, shifting Feedback into it so I can move Endgame Bosses and the Shopping List to where Feedback is.

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