This thread is a work in progress! Just level 83 and doing red maps fine.



Update (23.08.2018):

- added a short video of T13 Malachai bossfight

- added a PoB of level 68 for running Blood Aqueducts

- added a PoB of level 75 to tackle early maps (20c budget, 6 Ascendancy Points, a Tabula, 300k dps, 4k Life)



A Baron 1000-Strength version with a higher budget is probably not worth it for the pure purpose of zombie leech.











There are a few builds out there using Earendel's Embrace to make Minion Instability great again. I also tried it, but after having the personal impression of it being quite clunky, I decided to give the Avatar of Fire keystone on the weapon a try and build around melee elmental attack skeletons.



We use Chernobog's Pillar with Necromantic Aegis for more conversion and then we stack "Fire Penetration". And by penetration I mean we debuff enemies with a total of -93% Fire resistance. -50% from Elemental Equilibrium, -24% from Scorching Ray, -19% from Combustion Support on zombies and Stone Golem. Fire Penetration Support for Skeletons is unnecessary.



Numbers (level 83):

- 6.5k Life

- Fortify

- Shield Charge

- 1.3 mil dps (with Melee Splash as 6th Link, 2.1 mil with Added Fire)



Pros and Cons

Pro:

- easy as league starter (a lot of skelton builds out there)

- easy to level with SRS (see levelling section)

- cheap:

~2-5c to farm blood Aqueducts

~20c for 300k dps version (6 Ascendancy Points)

~2ex to get into red maps (1 mil dps)

- don't care about most map mods



Con:

- Mediocre Life sustain (only regeneration and Flasks)

- very sparse sockets

- no regeneration/less recovery maps hurt

-> playing Baron with Zombie leech (more expensive) helps sustain a lot







PoB, Character, Current Equip



Keystones:

Elemental Equilibrium: added Lightning damage on Amulet lets us debuff enemies with -50% Fire Resistance when using Shield Charge.

Necromantic Aegis: Chernobogs Pillar gives Skeletons additional 25% Fire Converison and therefore ~50% more damage (with all supports etc.). Also the flat added fire on the shield helps our Zombies ignite with Combustion for another -19% Fire resistance on enemies



current level 83 PoB:

my character:



potential engame PoB (level 93):

~ 4.5 mil dps with Added Fire, close to 5 mil with lvl 21 Summon Skeletons

~ 2.8 mil dps with Melee Splash (lvl 20 skellies)

~ 7.3k Life



Current Equipment:



Earendel's Embrace is the only choice. It enables the build. look for a low Degeneration roll (it's 15-30%) and a high minion damage roll. Attributes help with Dex requirements.



bought this chest for 1ex, mainly because of the life roll. A Tabula or any corrupted 6-link with 3 blue and 3 red sockets will do fine. Optimally we want to corrupt this on the altar for +1 [+2] to socketed [duration] gems. You can get the resists somewhere else, I'm completely overcapped and can ignore Elemental weakness on red maps.



bought the blank base for ~3 chaos and threw an essence on it. Hit T1 life on first try.



This shield is a huge damage boost (with Necromantic Aegis) for our skeletons, as it converts another 25% of their base damage to fire. The added fire is a nice bonus and enables our other minions to ignite with Combustion support. The Enfeeble on Hit is just level 1, but a little extra as we have no sockets for another curse (and no amulet or similar with +1 curse)





Get life and resistances, possibly Attack Speed. Just make sure you have an open Prefix to craft Minion Damage with Catarina



I bought these with the enchantment. It's a nice defensive buff. Otherwise look for Life, resists and movement speed.



Belt is easy: life, resists. Possibly a Stygian for another juicy jewel.





Try to get some dexterity on Rings for Haste. Otherwise I decided to get Purity of Fire to help our Skeletons sustain the degen from Earendel's (It's totally optional). Also a Watcher's Eye with "x% chance to dodge spells while affected by Haste" and "x% of physical damage from hits taken as fire damage while affected by Purity of Fire" was just 20 chaos and provides nice denfesive boost.



I just crafted flat lightning to trigger Elemental Equilibrium with Shield Charge. You could get another Unset Ring with a blue socket and throw in Orb of Storms.



added Lightning damage on Amulet lets us debuff enemies with -50% Fire Resistance when using Shield Charge.Chernobogs Pillar gives Skeletons additional 25% Fire Converison and therefore ~50% more damage (with all supports etc.). Also the flat added fire on the shield helps our Zombies ignite with Combustion for another -19% Fire resistance on enemiescurrent level 83 PoB: https://pastebin.com/JD7T3AFK my character: https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/MrsZylinder/AlpakaPorn potential engame PoB (level 93): https://pastebin.com/mVQHnjZV ~ 4.5 mil dps with Added Fire, close to 5 mil with lvl 21 Summon Skeletons~ 2.8 mil dps with Melee Splash (lvl 20 skellies)~ 7.3k LifeEarendel's Embrace is the only choice. It enables the build. look for a low Degeneration roll (it's 15-30%) and a high minion damage roll. Attributes help with Dex requirements.bought this chest for 1ex, mainly because of the life roll. A Tabula or any corrupted 6-link with 3 blue and 3 red sockets will do fine. Optimally we want to corrupt this on the altar for +1 [+2] to socketed [duration] gems. You can get the resists somewhere else, I'm completely overcapped and can ignore Elemental weakness on red maps.bought the blank base for ~3 chaos and threw an essence on it. Hit T1 life on first try.This shield is a huge damage boost (with Necromantic Aegis) for our skeletons, as it converts another 25% of their base damage to fire. The added fire is a nice bonus and enables our other minions to ignite with Combustion support. The Enfeeble on Hit is just level 1, but a little extra as we have no sockets for another curse (and no amulet or similar with +1 curse)Get life and resistances, possibly Attack Speed. Just make sure you have an open Prefix to craft Minion Damage with CatarinaI bought these with the enchantment. It's a nice defensive buff. Otherwise look for Life, resists and movement speed.Belt is easy: life, resists. Possibly a Stygian for another juicy jewel.Try to get some dexterity on Rings for Haste. Otherwise I decided to get Purity of Fire to help our Skeletons sustain the degen from Earendel's (It's totally optional). Also a Watcher's Eye with "x% chance to dodge spells while affected by Haste" and "x% of physical damage from hits taken as fire damage while affected by Purity of Fire" was just 20 chaos and provides nice denfesive boost.I just crafted flat lightning to trigger Elemental Equilibrium with Shield Charge. You could get another Unset Ring with a blue socket and throw in Orb of Storms.



Levelling, Bandits and Pantheon

Ascendancies:

1. Commander of Darkness

2. Invoker

3. Bone Sculptor

4. Puppet Master



up to level 25:

We travel through the mana regeneration on witch start, get mana/life, a bit of minion damage and directly pick up MoM and Elemental Equilibrium. Get SRS in your (optional) Lifesprig and support it with Melee Splash and Minion Damage. Get Clarity and some mana and mana regeneration on your items.

Passive Tree (25):



up to level 50:

You can either pick up Purity of Elements or Arctic Armour and get your first Ascendancy. you won't need Goldrim when you either use Purity or got Commander of Darkness already, so go get Mark of the Red Covenant to boost your SRS. At 41 get Nycta's Lantern and put our SRS there. This Weapon will carry you through all Acts. You might want to consider buying a few low level quality gems (Skeletons, Melee Physical, Added Fire, Elemental Damage with Attacks) and level them in you weapon swap, so you can transition faster from SRS to skeletons



Tree:



up to early maps (70-75):

First we get more life (and mana if needed) on the tree. You might farm Blood Aqueduct till level 75 and get a Tabula. Before we hit maps, we respec Mind over Matter all the mana nodes and get Necromatic Aegis. Buy Earendel's and Chernobog's Pillar and you're good to go into maps.

Tree:



Here is a PoB of level 68, where you should start running Blood Aqueduct to get a few levels and hopefully a Tabula Rasa:



Level 75 PoB of ~20chaos budget (might be a bit more at league start) with 300k dps, 4k Life and a Tabula:





(Planned) level 90:

Basicly get all the life nodes on the tree you can. Jewels are very solid, as they are the only option for minion damage increases after we took all tree nodes.



Tree:



Equipment:



These are just too nice for the first Acts to skip.



The +1 to spells actually affects Summon Raging Spirits.



We always need resists. We can pick up "Commander of Darkness" as our first ascendancy, so we can swap to Mark of the Red Covenant.



This is very very solid for levelling with SRS. The damage increase is awesome and we don't struggle summoning 20 of these fellas.



All gem-aspects on this weapon support our SRS making it a pseudo 6-link. This carried me into early maps. And normally it's dirt cheap (maybe a 1-3 chaos on the first 2 days of the league)



Bandits: kill all



Pantheon:

We need Soul of the Brine King as Major Pantheon for stun protection. Sadly this is the only form of stun protection we get (besides the fact of 50% avoidance, because we have energy shield).



Our Minor Pantheon should be Ryslatha for better Life Flask recovery when needed. You might swap for Gruthkul, e.g. against Elder.



1. Commander of Darkness2. Invoker3. Bone Sculptor4. Puppet MasterWe travel through the mana regeneration on witch start, get mana/life, a bit of minion damage and directly pick up MoM and Elemental Equilibrium. Get SRS in your (optional) Lifesprig and support it with Melee Splash and Minion Damage. Get Clarity and some mana and mana regeneration on your items.Passive Tree (25): poeurl.com/bZiN You can either pick up Purity of Elements or Arctic Armour and get your first Ascendancy. you won't need Goldrim when you either use Purity or got Commander of Darkness already, so go get Mark of the Red Covenant to boost your SRS. At 41 get Nycta's Lantern and put our SRS there. This Weapon will carry you through all Acts. You might want to consider buying a few low level quality gems (Skeletons, Melee Physical, Added Fire, Elemental Damage with Attacks) and level them in you weapon swap, so you can transition faster from SRS to skeletonsTree: poeurl.com/bZiT First we get more life (and mana if needed) on the tree. You might farm Blood Aqueduct till level 75 and get a Tabula. Before we hit maps, we respec Mind over Matter all the mana nodes and get Necromatic Aegis. Buy Earendel's and Chernobog's Pillar and you're good to go into maps.Tree: poeurl.com/bZiY Here is a PoB of, where you should start running Blood Aqueduct to get a few levels and hopefully a Tabula Rasa: https://pastebin.com/GfG94evS Level 75 PoB of ~20chaos budget (might be a bit more at league start) with 300k dps, 4k Life and a Tabula: https://pastebin.com/6Anv9bww Basicly get all the life nodes on the tree you can. Jewels are very solid, as they are the only option for minion damage increases after we took all tree nodes.Tree: poeurl.com/bZi0 These are just too nice for the first Acts to skip.The +1 to spells actually affects Summon Raging Spirits.We always need resists. We can pick up "Commander of Darkness" as our first ascendancy, so we can swap to Mark of the Red Covenant.This is very very solid for levelling with SRS. The damage increase is awesome and we don't struggle summoning 20 of these fellas.All gem-aspects on this weapon support our SRS making it a pseudo 6-link. This carried me into early maps. And normally it's dirt cheap (maybe a 1-3 chaos on the first 2 days of the league)kill allWe needas Major Pantheon for stun protection. Sadly this is the only form of stun protection we get (besides the fact of 50% avoidance, because we have energy shield).Our Minor Pantheon should befor better Life Flask recovery when needed. You might swap for Gruthkul, e.g. against Elder.



Jewels

On Jewels we want:

1. flat added Physical for Minions (on Ghastly Eye)

2. (flat) maximum Life

3. Minion damage

4. Minion attack speed

We need "minions have x% chance to blind on hit" and "Minions have x% chance to taunt on hit" once each.



Something like this is optimal, but hard to get:

https://www.pathofexile.com/trade/search/Incursion/EnmdJLt5



We want one Watcher's Eye with Haste and Purity of Fire mods for better defenses:

- "x% chance to dodge spell hits while affected by Haste"

- "x% of physical damage from hits taken as fire damage while affected by Purity of Fire"

On Jewels we want:1. flat added Physical for Minions (on Ghastly Eye)2. (flat) maximum Life3. Minion damage4. Minion attack speedWe need "minions have x% chance to blind on hit" and "Minions have x% chance to taunt on hit" once each.Something like this is optimal, but hard to get:We want one Watcher's Eye with Haste and Purity of Fire mods for better defenses:- "x% chance to dodge spell hits while affected by Haste"- "x% of physical damage from hits taken as fire damage while affected by Purity of Fire"



Gems and Link

Skeleton Main Setup (Chest) (B-B-B-R-R-R):

(Vaal) Summon Skeletons - Minion Damage - Elemental Focus - Elemental Damage with Attacks - Melee Physical Damage - Melee splash/Added Fire

Melee Splash obviously for clearing, swap for Added Fire on tough bosses. Normally you don't need to swap.

Zombie/Stone Golem (Gloves) (B-B-R-R):

Raise Zombie - Summon Stone Golem - Combustion - Fortify

We want that Combustion for the -19% fire restistance on enemies.



Animate Guardian/Raise Spectre (Helmet) (B-B-R-R):

Animate Guardian - Raise Spectre - Fortify - Minion Life

We want Carnage Chieftains as Spectres to supply Frenzy Charges. Optimally we have linked them to Blood Magic, so that they spam their Charge generation. Might get that later on an Elder helm base with Minion Life Support.



Movement Skill (Weapon or shield) (G-R-R):

Shield Charge/Leap Slam - Faster Attacks - Fortify

For running Lab it might be easier to have a Leap Slam to cross gaps in Trap Rooms.



Cast When Damage Taken (Weapon or Shield) (B-R-R):

CWDT(level 2) - Immortal Call(level 4) - Convocation (level 6)

We use convocation here to give us a meat shield when we get hit. You might wanna level it further and use in manually (but we have no more free skill slots)



Miscellaneous (G-G-B-B)

Haste, Desecrate, Flesh Offering, Scorching Ray



Even though Hatred gives the Skellies more damage, I decided for Haste, as it is also a speed buff for us and the Watcher's Eye gives a small defensive buff (not possible with Hatred).





Videos

T13 Core Malachai bossfight (character level 83):https://youtu.be/UJgpbenFKac

more coming soon...





Options

(thanks to input from other players)



Hatred gives more dps than Haste (10-15% more), so it would be an option to swap for this Aura. Down-side: You would lose some defenses (spell dodge from Watcher's Eye) and attack/movement speed.



I might want to swap for Vitality over Purity of Fire, as your other minions also benefit from it and the degen on the Skeletons is already managable. This would be best if you can also get a complimentary Watcher's Eye mod, like flat life regen or increases life recovery.

There are a few builds out there using Earendel's Embrace to make Minion Instability great again. I also tried it, but after having the personal impression of it being quite clunky, I decided to give the Avatar of Fire keystone on the weapon a try and build around melee elmental attack skeletons.We use Chernobog's Pillar with Necromantic Aegis for more conversion and then we stack "Fire Penetration". And by penetration I mean we debuff enemies with a total of -93% Fire resistance. -50% from Elemental Equilibrium, -24% from Scorching Ray, -19% from Combustion Support on zombies and Stone Golem. Fire Penetration Support for Skeletons is unnecessary.Numbers (level 83):- 6.5k Life- Fortify- Shield Charge- 1.3 mil dps (with Melee Splash as 6th Link, 2.1 mil with Added Fire) Last edited by MrsZylinder on Jul 3, 2018, 8:48:35 PM Last bumped on Jul 4, 2018, 7:13:11 AM