3.9| Stress-Free PoE - SLOW-MO ZOMBIES |SSF the Atlas w/ 1 Button & Any Gear|Dungeon Crawl PoE!
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Hey Everyone!
The 3.10 version of the guide has been released! here's the link: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2784756. I want to thank everyone for being so wonderful to each other. You make the community such a great place to ask questions and brain-storm. Thank you for making guide writing such a joy. Good luck in 3.10! WELCOME to my SLOW-MO ZOMBIES guide :)! With this build, you’ll substantially slow enemies around you (with a heavily invested in Temporal Chains aura) while your Zombies aggressively kill everything. Skeletons can be summoned for fun and kamikaze for big bonus damage if you feel like hitting a button. That’s it! Game passed. Atlas cleared. (I know the title makes it seem like the Zombies are the ones going slow even though it's really the enemies and not the zombies...but I like how the title sounds.) Anyway it's easy 1 button fun! The build doesn't require any specific items or mods to play so you can just pick up and play like a good old fashion "dungeon crawler". Pure RNG fun :).
SHUT UP Wrecker! I JUST WANT TO PLAY!
Ok! Yikes...you could have at least said "please" or something...(Here's 3.9 build in a nutshell.)
 *For those with similar limitations to mine, I can play this build on both PC and Console. (Thanks Tagz for always being willing to figure out the Wiki with me.) Here's 3.9's VIDEO EXAMPLE of gameplay and here's what MY GEAR looks like. (My character name doesn't match my build anymore...too many respecs. I play on Standard but I refuse to use Legacy Items/mods. My builds will always be just as the guide states unless I'm trying something out and forgot to switch back to the guide's setup prior to signing off.) Oh! And just FYI, I don't revolve my builds around each new league. Some guides may not be perfect for the newest league, while others may flourish. I do, however, revolve my builds around being able to clear the Atlas Solo Self Found, no matter the league.
The Guts (Gems/Gear/Passive Tree (Bandits)/Attributes)
Gem Links
PoE restricts which gems are available to each class until Act 3. Until then you can get some gems for free from quest rewards, purchase some from specific NPCs in each town, or find them as loot.
There are two NPC's that sell all purchasable gems: the first one is Siosa in the Library in Act 3 (you have to do his quest first (the Library is connected to The Imperial Gardens)), the second NPC is Lilly Roth in Act 6. There are a couple of gems that we want (for fun) to be at full quality. So be sure to use your Gemcutter's Prisms on these gems first if you are following this build closely. Then you can improve the quality of any other gems you see fit. I'll have a "20%" beside the gem name to indicate it's a priority to be quality first. For Example: "Temporal Chains (20%)" *If I have a level next to a gem, stop levelling that gem at that level. For example: "Cast when Damage Taken (Level 1)". Don’t level Cast when Damage Taken past gem level 1. Otherwise, fully level all gems. 5/6 Link - Main Skill (Socket in your chest) -Raise Zombie - Our main skill, a minion skill. They do the damage. Not you. -Minion Damage Support - Improves minion damage. -Feeding Frenzy Support - Very important for YOUR survival. Without this, you'll find you'll be standing alone, without the ability to do damage yourself, while your zombies are all alive. This keeps your zombies caught up “all” the time. It also gives your Zombies bonus damage and makes them as aggressive as possible (though they still follow you if you go elsewhere). (You may switch this for Meat Shield Support if you prefer your Zombies to stay close to you and Taunt whoever comes close.) -Minion Life Support - Gives extra life to your zombies. -Fortify Support - Grants your zombies the Fortify buff for 5 seconds. This gives them reduced damage from Hits (not damage over time). It also increases their damage. -(If you get a six link: Elemental Army Support - This improves our Zombie resists but also their Max resists! So they'll be able to get higher than 75% elemental resists :). This will also improve their cold damage from Hatred and apply Cold Exposure (-10% to cold resists) on the enemies they hit. -(This is a very defensive setup. They'll do plenty of damage as is, but I like knowing that my zombies will survive even the most brutal Guardian rolls or Uber Battles. IF they die, then I know that there was nothing I could have done about it and it was just a crazy map to roll.) 4 Link - Minion Bombs (Socket in helmet) -Vaal Summon Skeletons - Your normal Skeletons skill and the vaal one packed in one gem. Don't worry about not getting it right away. Just start levelling it when you get it. It'll level up quickly. (Use the normal Summon Skeleton skill until you find the Vaal version.) This skill is our bonus damage that focuses on Minion Instability. They will explode when reduced to low life. Our linked supports will focus on the damage of Minion Instability instead of the melee damage of the skeletons themselves. (You don't need the Vaal version at all. It's just too strong to ignore if it drops for you.) -Infernal Legion Support - This skill gives our Skeletons extra damage in a few ways but more importantly eats their life away. This guarantees that they'll be exploding via Minion Instability after giving the enemy a few wacks. -Minion Damage Support - This gives our skeletons increased damage, but more importantly it improves the damage to Minion Instability. -Minion Life Support - Gives extra life to our skeletons which we only want because it improves the damage of Minion Instability. 4 Link - Defense & Elemental Equilibrium (Socket in gloves or boots) *See the note just below -Cast When Damage Taken (Level 1) - Automatically casts linked spells. Linked spells can't be self casted. (For this set of links, gem order doesn't matter.) -Ball Lightning (Level 4) - You can use any lightning spell you want. I like this skill because it "pierces" enemies and has a good reach. This skill needs to be a lightning skill so that it doesn't conflict with the Cold Damage of Hatred and the Fire Damage of Minion Instability. -Curse on Hit Support - This is needed to be able to apply Enfeeble via Ball Lightning. Improving the quality of this gem improves Enfeeble. -Enfeeble - Our curse that makes us harder to be hit by Attacks (not spells), take less critical damage, and take less overall damage too. Focusing specifically on the general damage mitigation of the skill, we'll inadvertently be improving Enfeeble's base damage mitigation from 30% to 45% (since we'll be improving curses in the passive tree for Temporal Chains). 4 Link - Offering and Escape (Socket in gloves or boots) -Cast When Damage Taken (Level 1) - Automatically casts linked spells. Linked spells can't be self casted. (For this set of links it's optimal to have CwDT on one of the end links and Desecrate right after it. This will ensure that Desecrate casts before the offering skill. But it's not important at all. There are almost always corpses around. I don't reroll socket colours to get this.) -Desecrate (Level 7) - Guarantees Corpses for our Offering Skill. -An Offering Skill of your choice (Level 8) - Consumes coprses to provide the Offering's benefit to your minions. I use Spirit Offering. -Phase Run (Level 3) - This is our escape. It grants us extra movement speed and phasing (we can run through enemies) when it's active. 2 Link, 3 Socket - Ally Damage and Chill (Socket in your weapon or shield) -Hatred - Adds cold damage to our allies, as a result increasing the chill effect on enemies. -Generosity Support - Greatly improves Hatred. Typically, auras affect both the caster and their allies. When you attach Generosity to an aura, it improves the aura substantially for your allies but removes the entire effect on yourself. Perfect :). -Summon Carrion Golem - This golem gets bonus damage based on how many minions are around it but more importantly it gives the minions around it bonus damage as well. 3 Link - SLOOOOOW (Socket in your weapon or shield) -Blasphemy Support (20%) - Turns Temporal Chains into an aura. -Temporal Chains (20%) - Our curse that slows ALL enemy actions (not just their movement speed). With the improvements on the passive tree, this will slow all enemy actions from 29% to +70%. -Enhance Support (TOTALLY OPTIONAL) - Enhance is a DROP ONLY gem. It greatly impacts the value of Temporal Chains' slow, so as soon as it drops, start leveling it. It only has three levels and each level takes a LONG time to level up. It's first level gives no benefit, second level gives +8% to linked gem quality, third level gives 16%. It takes so long to level that you will only earn level 3 by yourself if this is the only build you play all league ;)...if you play lots. If you find an Enhance with quality, lucky you...it'll level faster. *This build is totally fine without Enhance. It’s just bonus to have. Corpses for Zombies (Optional) - (Socket in 2nd Weapon Set (hit X on PC or LT+RS on console (without any screens open))) -Desecrate - Corpses to raise Zombies from at the beginning of a play session. A Free Amazing Defensive Skill! -Bone Armour - This skill comes for free from the Bone Barrier Ascendancy node. It doesn't use up a socket on your gear, but it does need to be allocated to a button. It is amazing. It gives damage reduction to you and your minions AND it also makes you and your minions immune (and removes) bleed! It is amazing. ***Note: If a skill has two triggers attempting to cast it, the skill will become inactive. Skills can only have one active trigger. So, for the link that has CwDT, CoH, and Enfeeble, both the CoH and Enfeeble will have to be outside the CwDT's requirement threshold (trigger range). So you'll only start seeing your curse applied once those gems surpass CwDT trigger threshold. Remember that you won't be applying both curses until you have unlocked the ability (from the tree and ascendancy) to have 2 total curses applied on an enemy. I set up both curses as soon as I can, even if I can't apply 2, and just let them apply whatever the game decides until I have the ability to apply both. I'm not concerned about it as I level. Everything will die quickly no matter what.
Gear
ANYTHING YOU WANT! - PoE is ALL about gear. My guides aren't about going through the game with Normal items. They are about not needing specific types of Uniques, any fancy mods, or late-game items (among other things). So keep in mind, you'll need good items to do good content and great items to do great content. But you are free to use whatever items you like!
If you’re new to PoE, check out the Tips for New Players link. It gives lots of help and tips on gear, mods, currency, levelling, and endgame mapping. Some good to know stuff that you'd hate not knowing. - Weapon - Anything you like. - Shield or Second Weapon - Anything you like. - Head - Anything you like. - Chest - Anything you like. - Hands - Anything you like. - Feet - Anything you like. - Amulet - Anything you like. - Ring - Anything you like. - Ring - Anything you like. - Belt - Anything you like. - Jewel - Anything you like. - Flasks - Anything you like. I simply use 4 health flasks (all modified to remove bleeding) and Quicksilver or Quartz Flask that removes Chill/Freeze.
My Dream Mods
Here's an example of some of the mods and gear I'd eventually aim for. Since this is Path of Exile, there are obviously a million different combos of mods that would work for any build. So don't think that this is the best or only combo of mods to aim for. This is just my preference for "non-fancy" gear as an example of what I'd aim for Endgame. So these aren't influenced, Delve specific, Essence mods, or anything. Just easy crafting or normal rolls. So obviously you can maximize this even more. Also, these are unrealistic goals as all these mods are tier 1 rolls. (The # at the beginning of each mod is the item level that T1 mod starts rolling at.) Anyway, here you go:
Convoking Wand: Implicit: - Can roll Minion Modifiers Prefix: - (84) - Minions deal (75–79)% increased Damage - (80) - Minions deal (35–39)% increased Damage/+(42–45) to maximum Mana - (60) - +1 to Level of all Minion Skill Gems Suffix: - (83) - Minions have (23–25)% increased Attack Speed/Minions have (23–25)% increased Cast Speed - (82) - Minions have (37–40)% increased maximum Life - (40) - Minions have (26–30)% increased Movement Speed Ezomyte Tower Shield: Implicit: - +(30-40) to maximum Life Prefix: - (73) - +(100–109) to maximum Life - (80) - +2 to Level of Socketed Support Gems - (62) - +(43–95) to Armour/+(29–33) to maximum Life Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance - (81) - Regenerate (1–1.1)% of Life per second Bone Helmet: Implicit: - Minions deal (15-20)% increased Damage Prefix: - (64) - +(90–99) to maximum Life - (86) - +3 to Level of Socketed Minion Gems - (60) - +1 to maximum number of Raised Zombies/+1 to maximum number of Skeletons Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance - (68) - Minions have (16–20)% increased maximum Life Chest: Prefix: - (86) - +(120–129) to maximum Life - (60) - +1 to maximum number of Raised Zombies/+1 to maximum number of Skeletons - (60) - (5–8)% increased maximum Life/(5–8)% increased maximum Mana Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance Gloves: Prefix: - (54) - +(80–89) to maximum Life - (40) - Minions deal (10–20)% increased Damage - (81) - +(36–40) to maximum Life/Regenerate 4 Mana per second Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance Boots: Prefix: - (54) - +(80–89) to maximum Life - (81) - (18–20)% increased Movement Speed/Cannot be Chilled - (46) - +(11–15) to maximum Energy Shield/+(24–28) to maximum Life Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance Marble Amulet: Implicit: - Regenerate (1.2-1.6)% of Life per second Prefix: - (54) - +(80–89) to maximum Life - (81) - +(36–40) to maximum Life/Regenerate 4 Mana per second - Something cool :) Suffix: - (85) - +(33–35) to all Attributes - (82) - +(51–55) to Dexterity - (60) - Minions have (18–22)% increased Movement Speed Vermillion Rings: Implicit: - (5-7)% increased maximum Life Prefix: - (44) - +(70–79) to maximum Life - (81) - +(36–40) to maximum Life/Regenerate 4 Mana per second - Something Cool :) Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance - (60) - Minions have (18–22)% increased Movement Speed Stygian Vise (Belt): Implicit: - Has 1 Abyssal Socket Prefix: - (64) - +(90–99) to maximum Life - (81) - +(36–40) to maximum Life/Regenerate 4 Mana per second - Something Cool :) Suffix: - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (84) - +(46–48)% to Fire/Cold/Lightning Resistance - (81) - +(31–35)% to Chaos Resistance Flasks: Life Flask: - 50% increased Recovery rate - Immunity to Bleeding during Flask effect/Removes Bleeding on use Quartz Flask: - +(10–20) to Maximum Charges - Immunity to Freeze and Chill during Flask effect/Removes Freeze and Chill on use Your goal on your weapon(s) is: - Anything Minion - Any other minor thing that helps (resists, attributes...). This isn't important. It's just a bonus. Your goal on the rest of your gear is: - Increases to Maximum life - Increases to Resists - Increases to Movement Speed (Typically on Boots) - Anything Minion - Ensuring you have high enough attributes for your skills. ***Remember that the only mods that help minion damage SPECIFICALLY SAY "minion" or "ally". Any other improvements to damage only affect you. ***Make sure none of your gear in any way adds Cold or Fire Damage or we'll get the negative effect of Elemental Equilibrium (it's a node in the Passive Tree), not the positive part. - Here are my customized loot filters for all platforms. They will make looting a lot more relaxing for those that play my builds. Just click the "Follow" button next to the filter(s) you want (make sure you choose the correct platform). The filters will automatically be added to your game! They auto-update with any changes I make too! Whaaaaat!?!?! I know right?! This is my setup if you're interested. I play the same as the guide unless I'm testing something out.
Passive Tree
Here's 3.9's Passive Tree:
3.9's PasteBin - https://pastebin.com/aVdMWd87 - Pastebin for Path of Building. (Copy the link, open Path of Building, click on “New”, then click “Import/Export Build”, click “Import from Pastebin…”, paste the link.)
Passive Tree Explained
The passive tree is easy to understand:
You'll start as a Witch. We start as a witch because there is only one subclass in the game that greatly benefits minions and to reach that subclass (ascendancy) you must start as a witch. Levelling Path: **Just follow the tree and take the nodes as they come. You'll find it quite naturally balanced. The tree will take you to level 91; it'll be easy to achieve. Pick anything you like after that. (If I was to level this character again, I'd probably do the East side first, then North, then South, then West.) Tree Focuses: - Minions - I've selected the nodes that increase minion limits and really focused on minion life. I want the Zombies to live despite their aggression and I want Minion Instability to do lots of damage too. I focused more on the Zombie Slam and since that skill always hits, minion accuracy wasn't too valuable. The same point goes for the Skeletons with Minion Instability. - Curses - This build focuses on curse efficiency which means we needed the nodes that improve curse efficiency. - Jewels - Jewel slots are amazing. Jewels are items you can find that you can actually allocate on your tree. They can give almost anything from health, damage, resists...anything. We will have only one jewel slow selected :(. As great as jewels are, I find managing them and remembering what I have socketed, exhausting. So I typically only have one slot per character. What's really neat is you can swap jewels in and out of your passive tree anytime. - Health. You need it to live. :) - Minion Instability - It's what our skeletons revolve around and it gives payback for killing our Zombies. - Elemental Equilibrium - We get lots of damage from this notable. It's explained in the Build Mechanics section. Don't forget about attributes. You'll pass some nodes on the tree that give +30 to Strength or Dexterity. If you don't have items to cover what you're short in, feel free to select some of these as you pass them. You'll get respec points that will let you remove them later once you have better gear. Now, feel free to modify this is anyway. This is just my preference for easy Solo Self Found. Take your time to look at each skill as they come along. Some of the nodes are pretty dramatic. Some quests earn you respec points in case you regret any decisions you made on the tree. You can also use Orbs of Regret for the same thing.
Ascendancy
As you go through the game you'll come across Trials of Ascendancy. Starting in Act 3 you'll see their value. Once you have completed all 6 of the first set of trails, you'll get to attempt your first Labyrinth (lab). Good luck! Upon completion Choose Necromancy. You get two ascendancy points per lab. There are four labs for a total of 8 points. (Redoing the same lab difficulty will not reward you with more ascendancy points if you've already completed it.)
You can spend your points in any order you like. My preference is as follows: - 1st Two Points - Mindless Aggression. Increases Minion Damage, Movement Speed, and Attack/Cast Speed - 2nd Two Points - Unnatural Strength. This increases the level of ALL of our minion skill gems; even their maximum level. Minion gems get stronger and stronger the higher their level. This is our strongest node. - 3rd Two Points - Bone Barrier. This is a busy node. It gives us physical damage reduction, elemental resist, and increased life recovery rate per minion up. But most importantly, it gives our minions more life. It also gives us a free skill, Bone Armour. Free is nice. It can be manually cast after you assign it a button. - 4th Two Points - Mistress of Sacrifice. We've picked this for one reason...so that the Offering Skill that auto-casts also affects us. The rest of the perks of this ascendancy node don't really matter to us, but the Offering Skill affecting us is HUGE defensively...and we are the weakest link compared to our zombies.
Pantheon
Choose any you like as they come across. I personally like physical damage reduction and movement speed but there are no make or break options here. Just preferences.
Bandits
Kill all the Bandits for the extra two passive points.
Attributes
You'll get most of the attributes that you require to use your gems from the tree. You'll need a little bit of Strength and a bunch of Dexterity.
You'll Be Short: Strength: 17 Dexterity: 64 Intelligence: 0 Needing 64 Dex is a lot. So keep your eye out for gear with Dex. Amulets can roll lots. Though we don't need almost any extra Str., it'll typically come late in the tree. So don't pass by Str. mods apathetically. From the Tree You'll Get: Strength: 94 Dexterity: 34 Intelligence: 322 Your Gems Need: Strength: 111 Dexterity: 98 Intelligence: 155
Gameplay Expectations (Levelling, Mechanics, Endgame Mods)
This build is really easy to play. Sooooo easy.
Quick Version: Move around and zombies kill everything. Summon Skeletons "bombs" for fun. That's it! Honestly! Everything else is automatic! 1 button fun!
Detailed Version
This build's offence is 100% minions. We do no damage ourselves. Our defence is from our curses and our Bone Armour skill (from our ascendancy).
Offence: We literally can have this as a 0 button build if you want. Our zombies can do all content and once raised; we need nothing else. BUT Vaal Skeletons is too beautiful to ignore. Since our zombies are enough damage on their own, the skeletons are simply bonus damage. So only summon them when you're safe. Skeletons aren't worth dying for...so be safe, THEN summon skeletons. Defence: Now, because I've opted for the offence of Convoking Wands, it means we can't go with melee skills (along with the defence that comes with melee). Temporal Chains is REALLY strong. But our actual damage mitigation will be Bone Armour and Enfeeble. Bone Armour is an amazing defensive skill for us (and our minions) but it'll be on cooldown half of the time. Now curses only apply to enemies. So damage that doesn't come from enemies will hit us with full force (like traps and exploding corpses). Enfeeble will be our only damage mitigation when Bone Armour isn't active. You'll find that even though we need to be hit to apply Enfeeble to enemies, that almost all enemies will have Enfeeble applied to them. That being said, always pretend that Enfeeble isn't applied to enemies. Stay out of harm's way. Pretend you're a "Glass-Cannon Caster" that can't take a hit, even though we're not a "glass-cannon" and we can take hits. We aren't a Glass-Cannon by any means, but we aren't a tank either. So stay safe. Your Zombies have Feeding Frenzy attached to them so they can be aggressively pursuing enemies while you ensure YOU are safe. Some Notes:
Build Mechanics
Cast when Damage Taken
Cast when Damage Taken (CwDT) is a gem that automatically casts linked spells (not Attacks) when your character takes a certain amount of ACCUMULATIVE damage. The lower the level of CwDT, the less damage it needs to cast its linked spells. The higher the level of CwDT, the more damage it needs to cast linked gems.
CwDT can only trigger spells within the threshold level listed in the CwDT gem description. The threshold increases as CwDT levels. Linked SUPPORT gems have no boundaries and can be fully levelled. A high-level CwDT can have high-level gems attached to it. The benefit to a low-level CwDT is that you can have spells being cast frequently. Good for utility spells (applying curses and such). You can't manually cast spells that are linked to CwDT and within CwDT's gem requirement level.
Elemental Equilibrium
Elemental Equilibrium (EE) is a node on the passive tree that gives enemies negative resists to elements you don't hit enemies with...if you've hit them with an element.
So if I hit an enemy with lightning, the enemy now has 25% extra lightning resistance and -50% to both fire and cold resists. If I Hit an enemy with lightning and fire, the enemy is only now susceptible to cold damage. A big part of the Zombie damage in this build comes from our Hatred aura. It gives cold damage to the Zombies. Minion Instability's explosions are fire damage. So make sure that ANY item mod, jewel, or implicit from any Lab does not add cold or fire damage in any way. A neat thing about EE is that it is only applied to enemies by us, not our minions. So, even though our minions are hitting the enemies over and over with cold or fire damage, they aren't giving the enemies extra resists of those elements. Questions? Let me know.
Exposure
Enemies can have their resists lowered in a few different ways. They all stack together. If Spell A and Spell B both lowered an enemy resistance by 10, the enemy would be -20 to that resist. Exposure stacks with other sources of lowering resists, but it doesn't stack with itself. So if two skills that apply Exposure of the same element are applied to the same enemy, they won't stack. Only the strongest will be applied.
How Minions Work
Minion damage only increases with items or passive tree nodes that specifically increase "minion damage". If a node on the tree or mod on an item doesn't specify minion damage, it won't be useful at all. So something that says, "Increases your damage by 30%" won't improve the damage your minions make. In this build your character will do almost no damage, only your minions will. We will also be using skeletons and a golem.
Minions ARE considered Allies. So auras, nodes, or items that improve allies will benefit our minions. (Not every skill that reserves mana is an aura.) Minions are NOT considered Party Members and will not gain any benefit from Party Member benefits. Our minions Attack enemies, they don't Cast spells (except for a few Vaal skeletons). So anything that improves minion/ally Attack Speed will help our build out, but not Cast Speed (that's for spells). Lastly, minions are their own entity. Once you bring them into the world, they attack who they want. Some minions are summoned, others are raised. Summoned minions (like the Skeletons we'll be using) don't follow you but will keep attacking and chasing enemies within their attack radius. These minions have a duration. Other minions are raised, such as our Zombies. They do not have a duration and will stay raised until dead. These types of minions will follow us wherever we go. They will also follow the lead of summoned minions as well. Lastly lastly, minions don't care about you. So if you're taking damage, they aren't going to run back and help you. You have to help yourself.
Offerings
Offerings are skills that give buffs to our minions...and eventually ourselves. Once cast, the offering skill consumes corpses. The more corpses it consumes, the more you get from it. If no corpses can be consumed, the skill doesn't cast.
Slowing Enemies
I.LOVE. SLOWING. ENEMIES. Why slow enemies? Lots of good reasons...but the most important reason is: Because.
Path of Exile has a few ways to "slow" a character/enemy. Two of them are: 1-Slowing Movement Speed only 2-Slowing all actions (including movement speed). These two methods of slowing can stack (to a cap of 75% total slow). Chill - An elemental effect from Cold damage that slows all actions (movement, cast/attack speed) up to 30%. The % of slow (chill) imposed on an enemy is based on the total Cold Damage done to the enemy in one hit. So the higher the cold damage of an initial hit (not cumulative) the greater the "chill effect"...the slower the enemy is. Temporal Chains - A curse that slows all normal enemy actions (movement, cast/attack speed) up to a base value of 29% but with investment can be capped at 75%.
Vaal Skills
Vaal skills are super versions of normal skills that have a duration and cooldown given to them. We're hoping to use Vaal Summon Skeletons. Early on in the game Vaal skills typically only drop in Corrupted areas (though as the game progresses you'll find them a little more often.) Corrupted areas can be randomly found attached to maps as a side area. Kill the boss inside these areas, loot their "stash", and hope you get the vaal skill you want.
Vaal Summon Skeletons give you both the Summon Skeleton skill and Vaal Summon Skeletons in one gem. Both skills require their own key bind/button. You can use Summon Skeletons like usual but the Vaal skill requires you to kill enemies, or damage Rare or Unique enemies. Once the skill is ready to use, you can use the skill anytime. But remember, any loading screen in the game automatically resets the vaal skill and it needs to be refilled. So don't save it too long (boss arena doors don't have load screens (except for The Lord's Labyrinth). Once the skill has been used it'll have a short duration where the skill can't refill. Vaal Summon Skeletons instantly gives you an extra 30+ skeletons with one button press :). - I've made our Zombie link VERY defensive. They'll likely never die once levelled up. But to keep US safe, I added Feeding Frenzy which will make them run at everything they see. Despite the fact that we have them really aggressive, the Zombies will follow you despite their aggression. - Summon Skeletons whenever you want and they'll explode all over the place :). So even if your zombies die (which they may never do), you'll have plenty of damage at your fingertips that can kill any boss. Skeletons are both bonus damage and zombie backup. One of their linked supports (Infernal Legion) will eat their life away until the minions initiate the Minion Instability node on the tree causing them to explode for lots of fire damage. Minion Instability makes any minion explode once they reach the Low Life state (35% life or lower). Even though it's only a four-link, it's strong. Without any Zombies raised, this build can clear the whole Atlas with just this 4 link. - Our Cast when Damage Taken links are both at level 1, so they'll trigger whenever an enemy breaths on us. Combined, they'll automatically apply Elemental Equilibrium and Enfeeble, cast our Offering, and give us phasing and movement speed.
Levelling
The Build at a Glance
Here's 3.9 build in a nutshell ;)
1. Players that know the game well enough that they know how they like to level no matter the build they'll be using later in the game. 2. Players that don't know the game well enough to level with their own opinions. This small section is obviously only for those in the latter category. Now, with PoE being such a complicated game, I find people learn the game WAY faster and better if they are making decisions for themselves. So my "levelling section" isn't the type that's going to hold your hand. It'll encourage you to make your own choices and learn as you go. (You have the guide as your guide ;).) Now, I don't know if you're going to love this or hate this. There is really nothing you need to know to level. All the important minion skill gems will naturally be available to you nice and early in the game and they are great to level with. You don't need to care about a weapon because our minions will be strong enough without them. (Minion mods on gear are typically only available until late in the game anyway.) The only gear you need to care about is making sure you have the proper links to link your gems, life rolls, and capping/maxing your resists. This build is really that easy. If you're new and are interested in some general tips, I have them available in the Tips for New Players section.
Quests and Gem Locations - Quick Reference
- I suggest doing every quest in the game. It doesn't take long. If you're too eager to get to mapping in the endgame, here is a link to all the quests that give Skill Points as a reward.
Bandits - With the Bandits in Act 2, I kill them all for the extra 2 skill points. You, of course, do what you like. **Remember to prioritize. You may not be lucky enough to get the gear that'll let you play with all your gems as soon as they are available. So do what works best for you until the gear comes (don't be quick to sell your old gear in case something doesn't work out).
List of Gems in Order of Story Acquisition:
Drop Only - Level 1 - Enhance Support
Drop Only - Level 10 - Vaal Summon Skeletons (Replaces Summon Skeleton Gem) Act 1 - Enemy at the Gate - Reward - Level 1 - Raise Zombie Act 1 - The Caged Brute - Reward - Level 8 - Infernal Legion Act 1 - The Caged Brute - Purchase - Level 8 - Minion Damage Support x2 Act 1 - The Caged Brute - Purchase - Level 10 - Summon Skeleton (Until you get the Vaal version.) Act 1 - The Siren’s Cadence - Purchase - Level 12 - Offering Skill Act 2 - Deal with the Bandits - Reward - Level 15 - Kill Everyone - 2 Skill Points Act 2 - Intruders in Black - Reward - Level 16 - Desecrate x2 Act 2 - Sharp and Cruel - Purchase - Level 18 - Minion Life Support x2 Act 3 - Lost in Love - Purchase - Level 24 - Hatred Act 3 - Sever the Right Hand - Reward - Level 28 - Ball Lightning Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 24 - Enfeeble Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 24 - Temporal Chains Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Reward - Level 31 - Blasphemy Support Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 31 - Elemental Army Support Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 31 - Feeding Frenzy Support Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 31 - Generosity Support Act 4 - Breaking the Seal - Reward - Level 31 - Carrion Golem Act 4 - The Eternal Nightmare - Purchase - Level 38 - Cast when Damage Taken x2 Act 4 - The Eternal Nightmare - Purchase - Level 38 - Curse on Hit Act 6 - Fallen from Grace - Purchase - Level 31 - Fortify Support Act 6 - Fallen from Grace - Purchase - Level 31 - Phase Run - There are two NPCs that sell all purchasable gems: the first one is Siosa in the Library in Act 3 (you have to do his quest first (the Library is connected to The Imperial Gardens)), the second NPC is Lilly Roth in Act 6 (Do her quest in Act 6).
Endgame Mods to Avoid
At the end of the game, the levels (maps) you try and clear will have random modifiers (mods) allocated to them. There are A LOT of mods that can go on a map.
This build can actually run all map mods. Some mods will be inconvenient, but they won't be impossible to run. Hexproof maps (curse immune enemies) would suck, but it's not the end of the world. You just have to be a little more careful. No Mana means no skeletons, but that's fine too. You'll learn your personal preferences the more you play. If you hate dying, pay attention to map mods. They can modify your playstyle slightly no matter the build.
Media and Extras (Videos/Tools/Filters)
- Videos? 3 options:
- The 3.9's example video above - My SLOW-MO ZOMBIES playlist showing my most recent sessions with the build. - My broadcast channel. Mixer keeps the last 14 days worth of broadcasts. I don't always play awake, but I'd rather play than not :). - Software: - PoEMate - The mobile planner I use (if the link doesn't work in your area, just search PoEMate in your mobile store). - Path of Building - The desktop character planner I use. - 3.9's Pastebin - https://pastebin.com/aVdMWd87 - (Copy the link, open Path of Building, click on “New”, then click “Import/Export Build”, click “Import from Pastebin…”, paste the link.) - Here are my customized loot filters for all platforms. They will make looting a lot more relaxing for those that play my builds. Just click the "Follow" button next to the filter(s) you want (make sure you choose the correct platform). The filters will automatically be added to your game! They auto-update with any changes I make too! Whaaaaat!?!?! I know right?! Don't forget to check the Tips for New Players section if you're new too.) Feel free to respond to other players' posts! The more that's out there, the more we learn. Please be kind, respectful, and theoretical (not a Know-It-All) when helping others out. I will happily respond to questions but please note that I have multiple guides and I'd like to respond to each equally. I’ll do my best to get back to you as quickly as possible but set your expectations that I'll respond to each guide once a week. (Too much time responding to guides makes an unhappy spouse...an unhappy spouse means less time for guide replies...less time for guide replies makes an unhappy me...Unhappy spouse + unhappy me = an epic hockey fight with sweet uppercuts which I would obviously lose...a lost hockey fight against my spouse = busted hands that I can't type with, no teeth to voice type with, and black eyes that I can't read with. So one build a day, m'kay? K.) Here's a list of my OTHER GUIDES if you're interested :). OH! Don't forget, to support GGG by buying a skin for all your favourite skills you use. They last forever, you look rad, and it keeps PoE going too :). Double OH! I make a new thread every league for every guide I do. So all the comments, questions, and answers you read are all relevant for this current expansion. (At the end of a league I post links in the previous guide to guide players to the newest rendition of the build.)
Change Log (for returning players)
Starting in 3.10
https://www.ForeverExiled.com/: Forever Exiled, A Path of Exile Podcast Annnnnd Wrecker of Days' One-Stop-Shop: Stress-Free Builds (& Filters): 1-Button, HC SSF, Item Freedom: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3467875 Last edited by Wrecker_of_Days#7691 on Mar 11, 2020, 11:22:38 PM Last bumped on Mar 11, 2020, 11:21:13 PM
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Wow! First! I will play it my friend!
No big changes, excellent, can do it from memory! EDIT: I think you nailed the title. To the interested beginners, THIS IS YOUR BUILD! If you want to learn complex interactions made EASY by not having to chase gear, START HERE! Wrecker knocks it out of the park with this EASY and Stress free build! It sits right with Enki's Arc Witch (Oh she is definitely back too) as far as ease of use and fun! I will wear your ghost and you will die twice, against me and for me. That is some cold blooded shit to say... Last edited by GrunkleBob#2230 on Dec 11, 2019, 10:37:11 AM
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The nerfs won't stop us - Zombie on!
I love your guides so much, Wrecker_of_Days, maybe my new signature helps more people to find them. Thank you very much for all your effort! Overwhelmed by Path of Exile? You might want to have a look at Wrecker_of_Days' beginner-friendly guides. One-click-wonders that do not require any specific items to conquer the campaign and the Atlas: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/2606288/page/1
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So some changes to the way Zombies work.
But I do not think it is going to effect the build that much. Arc with the increased range is nice and should be your go to proc EE. Specters gem to be lvl 25 to get the last one is a let down. So it is going to take a little bit to get it. But still I think it will be fine. SRS going to where you point the cursor is interesting. (How does that work on console when we have no cursor) This will still be my starting build for the league. Looking forward to this new league. I have the Friday and all weekend to play on PC. And then on Monday and Tuesday I will play on Xbox. Zombie on! |
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Gonna try it again bcoz I love this style "just running around and let zombies eat everything". There is no changes in your build, that's fine.
Wanna also try some bow build (saw you got something) but I don't really know how play bowmaster. I think it's too much clicking and trying not to die. So see you in Friday again! |
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So...What about the nerf?...In reddit are talking about 25% less damage minimum aand 50% less life for zombies...
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CC - check
ease of play - check ZOMBIES - check !!!! definite goto build for the new league for all players new or experienced, great guide as always from Wrecker and already great input from the previous players of this build in 3.8 Looking forward to the new league, slowing and slamming everything on the screen
Spoiler
(Make sure to grab as much minion speed as possible on gear throughout the next league as it makes a great build a fantastic build)
to everyone I would like to say... Zombie on! ~ If it moves, kill it ~
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What if I want FAST minions and not SLOW-MO, what changes?
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" Yes there is some nerf to the Zombies. But I do not think it will affect this build to much. The biggest nerf to zombies that may affect us is the cooldown on their slam and the area of effect it. But the area of effect goes back to regular size at level 17 so really it is only leveling that this really matters. The Zombie speed can be made up with Feeding Frenzy (Even though this as well has been nerfed) We can add Minion speed to gear as mods or rolls. But it should not matter so much. Less Zombie life is a benefit to us on this build as Minion Instability will work more with zombies now when they die. I never found that zombies died to often and Minion Instability only really work with Skeletons. And yes there is an overall 25% less damage to zombies but they were really strong to begin with. I still think they will be strong regardless of this nerf. Meat shield might be the main support skill to get now with zombies as this has not been touched. This just means that the zombies will be closer to you then before. So you might have to run a around more then before. But again I do not think the nerfs they have done will really hurt this build. But GGG might change this in a few weeks when they see that zombies are not preform as well. They always make another change to these in the first 2 weeks. |
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" Nothing changes. Just get more Minion movement speed on gear. The SLOW-MO of this build is not for Zombies, it was the fact that we slow the mobs down with Temporal Chains. |
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