[Leveling Guide] Speaker for the Dead | 74-minion Mass Summoner 💀

Hello!

Your build is pretty amazing. There are a few aspects that didn't quite feel right to me early on - just personal taste - so I switched a few things up and have been doing unbelievably well, so I thought I'd share for your consideration:

I am currently level 52 and in the middle of Act 6, so this may not be as effective at endgame as it is now, but so far it is gangbusters.

Skill tree and Zombie/skele/spectre gems are basically the same, the difference is auras and offensive spells.

I didn't like Smite at lower levels so I dropped it early and landed on a combo that is so effective I haven't tried the Charge Dash / Ball Lightning combo. I also don't use Hatred and Elemental Equilibrium.

Instead, I use the following:

--Holy Flame Totem + Added Fire Damage, Added Cold Damage, Infused Channeling

The Fire Damage Support gem on HF Totem is a recent addition so it is only level 7, but HF Totem comes in right at 3100 DPS.

--Arc + Mana Leech, Energy Leech, SPoK

Arc's damage is 1450 DPS while on full energy shield (18% bonus) and increases to 1600 DPS when leeching energy shield (29% bonus). It also keeps the SPoK maxed near 100% of the time I am in combat.

--Reserve Spells are Clarity, Herald of Purity and Herald of Agony.

I have 87% of my mana pool reserved, but have enough regen and leech that it isn't an issue.

I basically keep HF Totem up in front of me and clean up with ARC if things survive longer than a second or two under the totem. I've been playing off and on since initial release and have never cleared maps so fast without having a 20 level advantage, even when using other "powerful" builds.

For boss fights, I use the short pause before they activate to summon up my skeletons and vaal skele's and drop HF Totem on them right as they activate, repeating the totem summons as needed with successive waves. Boss fights I used to think were impossible to get through without dying are now over in a matter of seconds, or seconds per stage, and I've yet to come close to dying in or out of boss fights.

This is while still wearing a Tabula Rasa and Bisco's Collar, because I haven't needed to swap them for items with combat stats yet.

okay for the leveling part you put gear in that must be traded for..I am doing this build SSF and i have not dropped a single piece of the gear listed in the gear section of leveling...How am i to get this gear in SSF?

okay for the leveling part you put gear in that must be traded for..I am doing this build SSF and i have not dropped a single piece of the gear listed in the gear section of leveling...How am i to get this gear in SSF?

How do you know what gets socket'd where? I'm a new player, so this is all confusing to me. I'm also using path of building but I'm having a hard time following it.

@ GamerNerdRage81:

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GamerNerdRage81 wrote:

okay for the leveling part you put gear in that must be traded for..I am doing this build SSF and i have not dropped a single piece of the gear listed in the gear section of leveling...How am i to get this gear in SSF?

None of the leveling gear is necessary. It's just nice for speed, nothing more. All you really want are linked items. Vendor inventories change every hour and every time you level up, so it's a good place to find three and four-linked items. Don't worry about the item's mods so much, just pay attention to its stat requirements, as that's what determines how easy or difficult certain socket colors are to roll on it.

Personally, I never buy leveling items, essentially playing like I'm in SSF, and have no issues. Links, resistances, movement speed, and life, that's all you need. Use an extra Quicksilver flask and an Augmentation Orb to increase the movement speed on your boots by 5% each time. To round out those resistances, use your Hideout's crafting bench.

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@ blackjellyman:

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blackjellyman wrote:

How do you know what gets socket'd where? I'm a new player, so this is all confusing to me. I'm also using path of building but I'm having a hard time following it.

While leveling, gem location doesn't matter. Keeping close to the final build will make things easier to transition, but when currency is limited you really just fit gems wherever you can.

Path of Building is a pretty comprehensive program, so feeling overwhelmed by it is natural. Its best use is for designing a build, since it handles all the convoluted calculations. If you're just following a guide, like this one, you don't need PoB. Is there something specific you wanted to accomplish with it?

Hello There!

I must thank you for a super great guide! Not only make you this game easy with your gudie but also intresting and fun in a great way! I have been draging my feet for some time... Not playing this game, since everyone, tells you it is hardcore and -"You NEED to watch roughly 347 hours of youtube videos before even try on a build!! (I guess you know the frase by now...)

BUT thanks to a great written and fun gudie! (That came with alot of loughs *Thumbs up*) I am working my way into the game with a lvl 16 summoner.

And having a BLAST! ... SO my hats of to you my friend and Thanks for a GREAT Guide!

@ yoakim_larsson:

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yoakim_larsson wrote:

Hello There!

I must thank you for a super great guide! Not only make you this game easy with your gudie but also intresting and fun in a great way! I have been draging my feet for some time... Not playing this game, since everyone, tells you it is hardcore and -"You NEED to watch roughly 347 hours of youtube videos before even try on a build!! (I guess you know the frase by now...)

BUT thanks to a great written and fun gudie! (That came with alot of loughs *Thumbs up*) I am working my way into the game with a lvl 16 summoner.

And having a BLAST! ... SO my hats of to you my friend and Thanks for a GREAT Guide!

Awesome! I'm glad to know this guide helped ease you into PoE. It can be an intimidating game due to its extensive interactions and complexities, but when you put all that jargon aside, at its core, PoE is a game about slaying hordes of monsters, discovering neat treasures, and figuring out how to turn a character into a demigod. Pretty simple in that light.

You're in for many great treats! PoE is a living game, continually expanding, so there's always new things for you to experience. It's worth learning, too, as it offers a fantastic depth of character creativity and gameplay expression.

Although dying can be frustrating, know there are many ways to overcome. If you ever feel overwhelmed, a guide like this is here to help! So enjoy!

I wish you luck!

As a fairly new player, I just wanted to say thank you, this guide is amazing and all that I need to know. I'm very impressed with how thorough and helpful you are with everything and I'm glad to have a resource like this to fall back to when I don't know any further. Thank you.

i was looking for the poeplanner links for the build,the site has been offline for a bit could i get some poB links if any of you guys got them?

I was wondering what causes those projectiles I see in your Blood Aqueduct video?
Also what is on your right mouse button? Is that blade flurry?
I see two Holy Relics. Why are there two?

I am new to POE but am really enjoying your 74Minion build. I'm just level 43 now and just starting Act V.

And last, is there a POB link for the build?

Thanks for making this guide. It is excellent for a new player like myself.