[3.16 updated] BRO, DO YOU EVEN SUMMON? Life/ES Dark Pact Skeleton Caster League Starter

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Camatoo wrote:

So, chance the build will get updated in 3.10 then?

Hard to tell, Brant hasn't updated it since 3.8.

Basics of the build are still there, it's more about end-game gearing that has changed.

There are alot of new options/things worth considering, most important stuff:

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-Assassin as a competitive Ascendancy choice
-Elegant Hubris Jewel with 80%/160%/240%+ Minion Life passives
-Badge of the Brotherhood Amulet for Frenzy Charge stacking
-Chaos Damage % Leeched as Life on Rings
-Hands of the High Templar as an alternative to the +3 Minion Gems Helmet
-+1 Power Charge Helmet, Tailwind/Elusive Boots, Flask Charge on Crit belt
-Vaal Regalia chest with +crit +explode on kill +10% Life as ES +Frenzy Charge on Hit mods

Feel free to ask questions if you have any, be happy to help!

i try to collect some builds as boss killer in standard if the necro gets nerfed beyond oblivion.

It seems this build is pretty decent, i might try to adapt it into 3.9.1 when the patchnotes are out.

@zoNiklv, just for clarity's sake, it seems like there's a bit of a progression as far as the tree goes, do I have this sort of right?

- Take minion nodes + Spiritual Aid while leveling since it's pretty simple
- If A) You get a Elegant Hubris Jewel with +80/160/240, stick with minion tree
- If B) You don't get the jewel, and you hit level 80ish, go for power charges on tree, spec out of minion nodes + spiritual aid, and go for Badge of Brotherhood for the frenzy charge madness

You've got me fairly convinced to go Assassin instead of Occultist, I've watched all the videos and it looks just so smooth. Did you find that before you got an explode chest that it didn't feel good for clear? Or is the general AOE of the skill enough to be fine?

And regarding frenzy charges (since my league plans primarily revolve around doing Blight content and I want to grind out my own Badge), if you aren't able to get a frenzy charge on hit mod on the chest, do you think running Poacher's Mark+Blasphemy would work while working toward that? I know that Assassin will only get 2 curses, so that'd limit to Poacher's + Despair? Or do you think it would be better to prioritize the Frenzy on Hit over the Explode mod? I suppose all of this depends on getting the Badge in the first place, but I like to prepare XD

Thanks for all your replies on this thread, it's been super informative reading!

I'm leaning towards this build as my first character.

I think that minion can't be damaged when summon node is a must.

The Skeletons grant wither on hit could be nice but then again it might just be better to link withering touch with Skeles.

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Camatoo wrote:

It seems this build is pretty decent, i might try to adapt it into 3.9.1 when the patchnotes are out.

Fun fact: this build was already amazing when I first played in Betrayal (Patch 3.5) and since then it got multiple direct and indirect buffs so it keeps getting better and better as new Leagues go.

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Eathb wrote:

I think that minion can't be damaged when summon node is a must.

Played without it just fine, it's more like a cherry on top - will allow to melt everything with ease.

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nboze wrote:

- Take minion nodes + Spiritual Aid while leveling since it's pretty simple
- If A) You get a Elegant Hubris Jewel with +80/160/240, stick with minion tree
- If B) You don't get the jewel, and you hit level 80ish, go for power charges on tree, spec out of minion nodes + spiritual aid, and go for Badge of Brotherhood for the frenzy charge madness

You've got me fairly convinced to go Assassin instead of Occultist, I've watched all the videos and it looks just so smooth. Did you find that before you got an explode chest that it didn't feel good for clear? Or is the general AOE of the skill enough to be fine?

And regarding frenzy charges (since my league plans primarily revolve around doing Blight content and I want to grind out my own Badge), if you aren't able to get a frenzy charge on hit mod on the chest, do you think running Poacher's Mark+Blasphemy would work while working toward that? I know that Assassin will only get 2 curses, so that'd limit to Poacher's + Despair? Or do you think it would be better to prioritize the Frenzy on Hit over the Explode mod? I suppose all of this depends on getting the Badge in the first place, but I like to prepare XD

Thanks for all your replies on this thread, it's been super informative reading!

Yes, Spiritual Aid is a strong node that will help until you get Void Batteries, then you need only a light investment in % increased spell damage anywhere. So spec out of minion damage but keep % Life, your goal is about 20k life on the skelies, more or less a sweet spot for added damage.

Even if you don't get the Hubris right away, ideally to try and get it at some point so you can remove % minion Life from the tree and gear. Go for power charges either way, even without the Badge (with Gloomfang).

About Assassin, I had played him when my Occu was already pretty geared, I suspect that you can get away with league starting as Assassin, but Occu is just more versatile - can adjust your gear for more damage or defense when need be. The damage output is very close, it's all about Assassin's speed that makes him feel stronger in end-game.

I played in 3.8 with no explody chest and occasionally you'd leave a few strugglers on the map when it's done, but it's not a big deal. Should be better now. I'd say if you wanna do Blights, go with Occultist for the Blooms - they help alot!

As for frenzy there are multiple options: Frenzy on Hit on same Elegant Hubris, Poacher's Mark, Blood Rage, Cold Snap on CWDT or on Trigger Socketed Spells wand, Frenzy on Hit/Kill on Precursor's Emblem, Frenzy on Hit on chest, Doedre's Elixir flask - plenty of alternatives.

As for the curses I was running mainly Temp Chains/Enfeeble, Assassin's Mark (it showed more POB dps than Despair) and Poacher's Mark (Frenzy plus to feed my habit of overusing flasks in maps with less flask charge mods). No Enfeeble on Assassin. All depends on your preference, all 5 curses are viable!

Edit: Just checked Trade League prices and Zephri's + Soul Catcher + Vaal Grace is a very viable option if it keeps being off-meta. Effect is comparable to Badge + more fun :) Only downside is stat requirement which a few rings can fix quite easily.

Got your back, Bro! :P

problem with badge of the brotherhood is the price if you play in trade league.

Occultist seems fine, triple curse without investment into the chest seems pretty good.

I have i might try it with it. Not the best chest for Hybrids, but for testing it feels ok.

I think on Occultist you don't really need the "enemies explode on death" mod, ascendancy does the job.



E: summon carrion golem is also a viable choice i guess. Gives more life to your skeletons. Could be used instead of vaal blight or socketed in a elder helmet like:




With more currency you could even look for one with "+ level of socketed minion gems" which gives you a solid 6-7 link helmet-

I am planning on league starting with this as an Occultist. I have a strong feeling Necro will get nerfed.

One question: in the endgame, do you guys switch to casting DP on yourself? Do you alternate? Like bosses with skeletons but yourself while clearing, but also some skeletons for rares or delve etc? How does it look in practice? And at what point do you make that transition?

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Msciwoj wrote:

One question: in the endgame, do you guys switch to casting DP on yourself? Do you alternate? Like bosses with skeletons but yourself while clearing, but also some skeletons for rares or delve etc? How does it look in practice? And at what point do you make that transition?

Pretty much. Skelies for Bosses/Syndicate/Blight/Monoliths etc. Rest is just speedier without and you switch whenever you feel comfortable in doing so, test & trial if you play Softcore.



If you wanna take a look ;)

Looking at the new notables the ones that stand out for me are:

Blessed rebirth (minion life + immunity when summoned)

Master of Fear (enemies you curse are unnerved - Inc 10% spell damage)

Intensity - 16% more damage per intensify, +1 max intensify

This looks quite bonkers as well