3.11 - Stress-Free PoE! SLOW-MO ZOMBIES: No Required Items! 1-Button Play! SSF League Start-End!
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Hey Everyone!
I wanted to thank everyone for playing the build. I hope it was enjoyable. I also wanted to thank everyone that posted. You were all so kind and edifying and you all make the PoE community better :). Thank you for making guide writing so rewarding! The 3.12 version of this guide has now been posted! The build has actually changed a bit. The Slow-Mo is now on a different guide. So depending on which part of this build you liked the most depends on what you may choose to play again if you so wish to. So if you're looking for Zombie greatness go here. If you're looking for Slow-Mo awesomeness go here. Thank you to everyone! You were all so kind and generous. You make the community a great place to have a hobby! Good luck in 3.12! I can't wait to play it! WELCOME to my SLOW-MO ZOMBIES guide :)!
SHUT UP Wrecker! I JUST WANT TO PLAY! (3.11's guide in one picture)
Ok! Yikes...you could have at least said "please" or something...
 My builds don't require any specific/fancy items or mods to play so you can just pick up and play like a good old fashion "dungeon crawler" (SSF). Pure RNG fun :). 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.)
Why My Builds Are the Way They Are
All of my builds revolve around my medical situation and my love of old school dungeon crawling (which in PoE Land we call Solo Self Found). So if you're curious about why I design my builds the way I do (the limitations I revolve around), I explain it all in my One Stop Shop. (I have multiple guides. So some information is easier to explain in one location rather than many.)
A Quick Note Players new to Path of Exile
Welcome! PoE is a really in-depth game. Its million different mechanics work together is so many countless combinations that there really are endless ways to play this game. If you love theory crafting (coming up with different combos of skills and seeing if it'll work out), there is no other game that compares to this one.
For new people trying to learn Path of Exile, it's my opinion that the most efficient way to learn the game is by doing things for yourself; trying things out in-game, reading nodes/mods/skills, and making choices for yourself. I understand that some people look to guides for help progressing in the game, while others are simply looking for a neat idea to try out. It is the intent of all my guides to give people a relaxing way to play PoE (no matter their experience with the game) while also helping new people understand what's going on. So, when it comes to my guides, it is my goal to help new players learn the game, but learn it in a way that you'll really grasp what's happening on your own. I give direction in my guides, but not many "step by step" directions. Nor do I tell you to do things in a certain order. I give lots of detail but it's to help explain and simplify the mechanics and concepts within the build and have you understand what's going on. My guides aren't intended to be the PoE wiki (but I provide many links to it, so don't worry). My guides are massive because they completely revolve around helping new players understand what's going on. Just be prepared to discover the game and make some choices for yourself :). I hope the guides help you have a relaxing PoE experience and also help you learn and love the game as well. Happy slaying! (I'll reference my One Stop Shop a few times in my guides. It has some Tips for New Players in there that you may find useful.)
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. *If I have a level next to a gem, stop levelling that gem at that level. For example: "Cast when Damage Taken (Level 2)". Don’t level Cast when Damage Taken past gem level 2. Otherwise, fully level all gems. 5/6 Link - Main Skill (Socket in your chest) Raise Zombie - Minion Damage Support - Meat Shield Support - Minion Life Support - Summon Phantasm Support - Brutality Support
Main Skill and Supports Explained (for those that like that stuff)
Zombies are our main skill. They are the type of minion that once raised, they follow you around. Zombies don't have a duration but stay raised until they die. We've included a lot of survivability for them in the tree and they'll survive 99% of the content you come across. Meat Shield makes your zombies "defensive" which means they stay as close to you as possible. The big perk though is that they'll taunt enemies away from you!
Summon Phantasm is basically bonus damage. I was going to put another damage node for Zombies in here but the amount of damage phantasms do with the zombie support links is just so much more damage than zombies could do with a 6 Link. Summon Phantasms doesn't buff zombies in anyway, it just gives the build itself more damage. Phantasms have a duration. I saved Brutality for the last support in a 6 link because of the restriction it comes with by removing any other type of damage besides physical (including from Unholy Might on the tree). It's still worth it because the damage boost is so huge but you can switch this for anything else you like if you don't like the restriction of physical only. Just don't forget to look at your other supporting skills (like "auras") before you choose. 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. 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) 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 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. 4 Link - Support Minions (Socket in helmet) Raise Spectre Animate Guardian - Minion Life Support - Elemental Army Support
Support Minions Explained
This set of links is very open ended and designed to be support. Whether these minions support you or your allies is up to you. I suggest playing with these gems with some apathy. Especially the Animate Guardian. Feel free to min/max this to your hearts content of course. Feel free to discuss within the community via this thread what support combos people come up with! There's isn't enough space in this guide to fully explain Spectres and Guardians. The options are infinite. So I'll only be answering questions about Spectres and Guardians regarding the suggestions that I make. But please please please feel free to discuss the infinite options at your disposal with everyone else.
Both of these gems are life-based minions that don't have a duration (like zombies). Spectres are amazing. There are so many options to consider. Too many. So I use this site here for help. It shows monster damage types, life pools, where to find them...it's great. If you care to find your own Spectres, remember to look for physical damage minions. Remember, you can mix and match, you don't have to have all o the same type. For Spectres, these are the three options I suggest: - If you want your minions to be like all the other minions (and not feel left out) and just deal lots of sweet damage themselves, try Kitava Heralds. They are those awesome looking big winged demons you start seeing in the Cathedral Rooftops and Feeding Trough (in acts 5 and 10 respectively). They deal lots of physical damage. - For those that want to keep themselves and their allies a little more safe try the Undying Evangelists. They provide temporary Proximity Shields around themselves that protect themselves and allies within the shield of any projectiles. They can be found in the Sceptre of God and Upper Sceptre of God in Act 3 and The Grand Promenade in Act 8. - If you want to buff your allies, the big monkey things found in the Riverways in both Acts 2 and 6. They're called Stygian Silverbacks. They have a Mass Frenzy skill that occasionally gives THEIR nearby allies frenzy charges! Regarding Animate Guardian...the amount of mods and uniques this skill can use to buff our party make this skill very powerful. The issue is that if your guardian dies, all of the items DISAPPEAR. You don't get them back. That's why I suggested above to play with this set of links with a bit of apathy (unless you're rolling in currency). There is one mod you can earn for your crafting bench that you can put on a piece of Body Armour that will keep that chest piece alive if the guardian dies, but that it. Just the chest piece. I doubt this list is up to date considering all the uniques that exist in the game (the wiki must be impossible to keep updated) but here's a list of ally friendly uniques that will disappear if your guardian ever dies ;). The reason I love this skill so much is that I love loot. It just gives me one more thing to equip items onto ;). Feel free to edit the provided filters and add whatever chance'ing base types you like. One of my favourite thing about these minion skills is that we don't have to raise them every time we login :). Now, if either of these skills intimidates you, please feel free to replace that skill with a support for the other skill you're keeping. Because I use these skills as supports for myself and my allies, I've included Minion Life and Elemental Army (the latter increases their maximum resists). Feel free to replace them to suit your personal selections. IF THE PROSPECT OF THESE GEMS MAKES YOU BONKERS don't worry. It doesn't have to be min/maxed. You can be very care-free with this and still have the build function perfectly. Pick one of the three suggestions Spectres, change Animate Guardian into a minion Support gem, and then ignore it. I really wanted to put Meat Shield Support instead of Elemental Army Support with this link setup, but I really didn't want these minions to taunt. But I do want them close...ah, C'est la vie. 4 Link - Physical Damage Aura and Skeletons (Socket in gloves or boots) Flesh and Stone - Maim Support Vaal Summon Skeletons - Minion Damage Support
Physical Damage Aura and Skeletons Details
Flesh and Stone is a pretty unique Aura. It has two "stances". We want to be in the Blood Stance. Hit the Flesh and Stone button until the skill is showing the red icon. Nearby enemies will be maimed by this aura and will take increased physical damage. We link Maim Support to Flesh and Stone because enemies that are maimed by linked skills (like Flesh and Stone) take increased physical damage. So Flesh and Stone makes enemies take 16% increased physical damage while Maim Support makes those same enemies take another 14% increased physical damage.
Vaal Summon Skeletons Is 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.) Skeletons are just a cheap bonus damage that supports the build that have a duration. Cast when it's safe. It's not important to cast. You might not be able to cast the normal version of skeletons until you have all the mana nodes on the provided tree. That's ok. Zombies and Phantasms can easily handle the job. I chose skeletons over other minions here because they eventually summon multiple minions with one cast...but mostly it's for the Vaal version of the skill which is so fun in boss battles (but they'll cluter the screen and you won't be able to see anything ;).) 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 :). 4 Link - Offering and Life Regen (Socket in gloves or boots) Cast When Damage Taken (Level 2) Purifying Flame (Level 12) Desecrate (Level 8) An Offering Skill of your choice (Level 8) (I chose Bone Offering so I could have a more survivability (via Mistress of Sacrifice in our Ascendancy)
Offering and Life Regen Explained
CwDT 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 guarantees Corpses for our Offering Skill. Your offering consumes coprses to provide the Offering's benefit to your minions. Purifying Flame puts Consecrated Ground on the ground which gives us and our allies 6% life regen. You can ignore this and you'll find that you're standing on Consecrated Ground quite often just by chance. 3 Link - Blasphemies (Socket in your weapon) Blasphemy Support Temporal Chains Enfeeble
Blasphemies Explained
Blasphemy Support simply turns out curses into "auras". They aren't considered auras though. So if you find discover anything that deals with auras, it won't impact out curses linked with Blashpemy. The curses themselves are really self explanatory.
You can honestly use any curses you want, but using Temporal Chains and Enfeeble make this build SO much more durable. You'll see a huge impact in these gems...especially once you get them to 20% quality. Having these two curses as "auras" is our primary method of damage mitigation and defence. We invest is a lot of curse improvements on the tree to further improve this too. (Also, Temporal Chains is where the "Slow-Mo" part comes in for the guide title...if you didn't know.) On a pointless side note, Temporal Chains is my favourite skill. If I was to ever get a PoE tattoo, it'd be something TC for sure. It slows all actions of the enemy, not just movement...I mean come on...so rad. 2 Link, 3 Socket - Fortify and Golem (Socket in your shield) Shield Charge Fortify Support Summon Carrion Golem
Fortify and Golem Explained
Shield Charge is only in this build to give us Fortify. Shield Charge is the only melee movement skill that can be used with wands (Fortify's requirements). It does work well as a way to get your zombies right in the middle of the action since they'll be staying close to you. I honestly don't use this though. It's just there for you. This movement skill makes me nauseous so I have to use it sparingly...if at all. I have the skill at level 1 for two reasons: 1. increasing the level increases the speed you move at 2. It's the only skill that requires 155 Strength. Do what you like with that information :).
The Summon Carrion 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. I really like the Stone Golem with this build too. Chaos golem as well. It's so hard to choose. 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. It is an Instant Skill which means you can press this skill's button in the middle of any animation and it'll cast no matter. It won't interrupt what you were doing too! Gosh, it's perfect! ***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 all the links that have CwDT, CoH, and a curse, both the CoH and curse spell will have to be outside the CwDT's requirement threshold (trigger range). So you'll only start seeing your curse applied once those gems require a character level of 39 or more. Remember that you won't be applying both curses until you have unlocked the ability (from the passive tree) 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
This is my setup if you're interested. I play the same as the guide unless I'm testing something out.
USE ANYTHING YOU WANT! - I like having a shield and one-handed weapon instead of two one-handed weapons. It's just a preference; no right or wrong there. If you’re new to PoE, check out my One Stop Shop. 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 a Quartz Flask that removes Chill/Freeze. ***Now don't go being a Cotton Headed Ninny Muggins and think that because this build doesn't require anything specific that you can go and melt end game content with crap gear. Crap gear will clear crap content while amazing gear will clear amazing content. My build/guide style just allows you more freedom to get there...m'kay?
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. The # at the beginning of each item is the map level that base-type starts dropping at.) Anyway, here you go:
(72) Convoking Wand(s) (Only drops in the Lex Ejoris region): 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 (64) 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 (73) Bone Helmet (Only drops in the Lira Arthain region): 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) - (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 (74) Marble Amulet (Only drops in the Haewark Hamlet region): 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 (80) Vermillion Rings (Only drops in the Lex Proxima and New Vastir regions): 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 (1) 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: (60) Divine Life Flask or (65) Eternal Life Flask: Prefix: - (2) - +(10–20) to Maximum Charges Suffix: - (8) - Immunity to Bleeding during Flask effect/Removes Bleeding on use (27) Quartz Flask: Implicit: Phasing/10% chance to Dodge Attack Hits/10% chance to Dodge Spell Hits Prefix: - (2) - +(10–20) to Maximum Charges Suffix: - (4) - Immunity to Freeze and Chill during Flask effect/Removes Freeze and Chill on use Weapon Mods: - 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 (and you don't do damage).*** Filters: - I make my own filters AND YOU ARE REQUIRED TO LOVE THEM! Just kidding...but they are awesome. They will make looting a MUCH more relaxing experience. They only filter gear. So if you don't want to miss out on ANY currency these are perfect for you. One filter is guide specific (it only displays gear relevant to all my guides) and the other is a global filter for any build. Details for each tier of each filter are within the filters themselves. Both the "Guide Specific" and the "Everyone" filters are available on all platforms. If you click "Follow" next to the filter that you want, it'll automatically load to your filter list in-game when you login! And it automatically updates upon each login as well!
Passive Tree
Here's 3.11's Passive Tree:
- 3.11's PasteBin - https://pastebin.com/jN505PTf - This Pastebin will only work in the Community Fork version of PoB. (Copy the link, open Path of Building, click on “New”, then click “Import/Export Build”, click “Import from Pastebin…”, paste the link.) - 3.11's Passive Tree on PoE's website.
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, increased life recovery rate per minion up, and it gives our minions more life. Most importantly, tt also gives us a free skill, Bone Armour (explained in the "gem" section). Free is nice. It can be manually cast after you assign it a button. - 4th Two Points - Mistress of Sacrifice or Commander of Darkness. They are both good nodes. Pick the one you prefer. (Note: Commander of Darkness will not impact you; only your allies. Curse auras don't count and Flesh and Stone doesn't impact you in Blood stance, it only impacts enemies.)
Delirium Clusters
I have provided one jewel socket on the outside of the Passive Tree for the sake of Cluster Jewels. In SSF Land you don't know what's going to drop. So the tree is made so that you can clear the Atlas no matter the jewels that drop. You can, therefore, choose which nodes from the provided tree to cut based on what drops. If curse efficiency drops in a jewel, you can remove it from the main tree. If Max Life drops, then you can remove that from the tree...and so forth. If you're in a trade league, you'll likely know what you're looking for and should have a plan of what to cut from the provided tree as part of your plan while purchasing.
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, leech, and regen. I want the Zombies to live while they taunt. Obviously I put in as much minion damage as possible as well. - 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 have only one jewel socket 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. BUT for those that like many jewels, we're really close to a few others that should be easy for you to change the tree a bit to get there. - Health. You need it to live. :) 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.
Pantheon
Choose any you like as they come across. I personally like physical damage reduction but there are no make or break options here. Just personal preference.
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 (How the Build Functions When It's All Setup)
This build is really easy to play. Sooooo easy.
Quick Version: Move around and zombies (and then Phantasms) kill everything. Summon Skeletons for some fun if you're bored. That's it! Honestly! Everything else is automatic! Slightly Detailed Version: This build's offence is 100% minions. We do no damage ourselves. Our defence is from Bone Armour (from our ascendancy), Enfeeble and Temporal Chains as blasphemies, block chance from Bone Offering, Fortify (if you use Shield Charge), and our zombies' taunts (which pulls enemies' attention away from us). 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. Obviously the Zombies will spawn the Phantasms who actually do more damage than the zombies...but we're still calling it a zombie build. The skeletons also do more damage than the zombies...but we're still calling it a zombie build. This build has an aggressive playstyle as our Zombies are linked with Meat Shield, meaning they will stick really close to us, and we're using Flesh and Stone which also requires us to be close to enemies for them to take increased physical damage. My guess is "close" is about half a screen away. Your Phantasms will stick close to you too as they too will be linked to Meat Shield. We'll be really tight on mana if you don't have any increases to maximum mana on your gear. So not until you have all the mana node in the default tree will you be able to cast regular skeletons. Vaal Skeletons (which is the whole reason for me putting the skill in this build) costs no mana. Defence: I don't use the provided Shield Charge/Fortify combo but I'll pretend you do. It's how you get Fortify. We have 0 investment into Attack Accuracy so our Shield Charge skill may not always Hit. If the skill doesn't hit, you won't get Fortify. So Shield Charge into the biggest group of enemies you can to ensure you get it ;). Bone Armour is a skill that comes from our passive tree that is really awesome. It requires a button press though ;). It's extremely strong and should be on as often as you think about it. It's considered an Instant Skill which means it has no cast time. This also means it can be cast in the middle of another animation (such as casting skeletons or moving with Shield Charge). Bone Offering gives us some pretty good block chance for almost zero investment and is automatically cast when we take very little damage. The glory of a supped up Enfeeble and Temporal Chains as auras is amazing the higher the tier you map. Now curses only apply to enemies. So the damage that doesn't come from enemies will hit us with full force (like traps and exploding corpses). The investment we put into our curses almost doubles Enfeeble's listed effectiveness and is over double the listed effectiveness for Temporal Chains. Defence wins championships. Oh! Also, be sure to send your zombies a Thank You card in the mail (each of them). Their taunt from Meat Shield is a HUGE deal in-game. The 0 button playstyle is hitting no buttons and letting your Zombies and Phantasms do the killing. (Maybe cheat with Vaal skeletons in a boss battle.) The 1 button version is just hitting Bone Armour when it's not on cooldown. The 2 button version is casting skeletons and Bone Armour all the time. The 3 button version (you crazy people) is casting Skeletons and Bone Armour AND using Shield Charge. (Sounds exhausting ;).) Obviously your Spectres and Animate Guardian play a big role, but I have no idea what you chose to do with those. Honestly, the only thing I don't like about this build is summoning my zombies and golem before every play session. Let me know if you have any questions.
Media (Videos/Filters/Tools/Links/Social Media)
- Videos?:
- Here's 3.11's Gameplay Example video. - My SLOW-MO ZOMBIES playlist showing my most recent sessions with the build. - My broadcast channel. Twitch keeps the last 14 days worth of broadcasts. I don't always play awake, but I'd rather play than not :). Filters: - I make my own filters AND YOU ARE REQUIRED TO LOVE THEM! Just kidding...but they are awesome. They will make looting a MUCH more relaxing experience. They only filter gear. So if you don't want to miss out on ANY currency these are perfect for you. One filter is guide specific (it only displays gear relevant to all my guides) and the other is a global filter for any build. There are four tiers of strictness per filter. Details for each tier of each filter are within the filters themselves. Both the "Guide Specific" and the "Everyone" filters are available on all platforms. If you click "Follow" next to the filter that you want, it'll automatically load to your filter list in-game when you login! And it automatically updates upon each login as well! Social: - Forever Exiled - A Path of Exile Podcast is a PoE podcast hosted by both Tagz and myself. We talk about everything Path of Exile...and only PoE. If you're looking for a podcast run by casual gamers but lovers of PoE, feel free to check it out! - My Twitter. I only use my twitter account to give updates on PoE stuff like my guides and filters. I don't use Twitter for anything personal. So if you want updates about when guides are done or filter corrections have been updated, feel free to follow. Software: - PoEMate - My primary build planning tool. It's mobile. (If the link doesn't work in your area, just search PoEMate in your mobile store. Hopefully it's available in your region. Every league it's updated faster than any other tool I use.) - FORK Path of Building - Another planner I use. - Yolo Mouse - If you have a hard time keeping track of your mouse during gameplay, try this out. I use it for all my PC games and I'd die 100x more in PoE if it wasn't for this little program. Build Links: - 3.11's PasteBin - https://pastebin.com/jN505PTf - This Pastebin will only work in the Community Fork version of PoB. (Copy the link, open Path of Building, click on “New”, then click “Import/Export Build”, click “Import from Pastebin…”, paste the link.) - 3.11's Passive Tree on PoE's website. 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 on Sep 17, 2020, 11:25:58 PM Last bumped on Oct 9, 2020, 5:12:36 AM
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Levelling
SHUT UP Wrecker! I JUST WANT TO PLAY! (3.11's guide in one picture)
Ok! Yikes...you could have at least said "please" or something...
[/url]1. The first is a player that knows the game well enough that, no matter the guide/build, they have no need for direction. 2. The second is a player that wants to be able to level like the person I just mentioned. Though newer PoE players may find PoE daunting, I feel the most efficient way to learn PoE is to make decisions for yourself. I think you'll be surprised how quickly you catch on to each mechanic you start playing with. So this section won't be about holding your hand and giving you a step by step process. It'll guide and encourage you to choose between the pros and cons your character will constantly face...while levelling and selecting gear. I know, I know, you hate me. But maybe you'll thank me later? Maybe? (Remember, I have some tips for new players in my One Stop Shop that'll help in the overall PoE experience that any levelling process will benefit from. Below are tips for levelling this character, not general levelling tips.)
Where to Get All the Gems You'll Need
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).
Act 1 - Enemy at the Gate - Reward - Level 1 - Raise Zombie Act 1 - Enemy at the Gate - Purchase - Level 1 - Purifying Flame Act 1 - Mercy Mission - Reward - Level 4 - Summon Phantasm Support 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 - Intruders in Black - Reward - Level 16 - Desecrate x2 Act 2 - Sharp and Cruel - Purchase - Level 18 - Minion Life Support x2 Act 3 - Sever the Right Hand - Reward - Level 28 - Raise Spectre Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 10 - Shield Charge 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 - Purchase - Level 28 - Maim Support Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 28 - Flesh and Stone Act 3 - A Fixture of Fate - Purchase - Level 28 - Animate Guardian 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 - Meat Shield Support Act 4 - Breaking the Seal - Reward - Level 31 - Carrion Golem Act 4 - The Eternal Nightmare - Purchase - Level 38 - Cast when Damage Taken Act 6 - Fallen from Grace - Purchase - Level 31 - Fortify Support Act 6 - Fallen from Grace - Purchase - Level 38 - Brutality Support (Let me know if you see any errors in the list.) - I suggest doing every quest in the game. It doesn't take too much longer and you'll get some nice bonus gear to help the SSF process. For those that just want to rush to the Endgame, here's a link to all the quests that give Passive Points as a reward. You don't want to miss those. Bandits - With the Bandits in Act 2, I kill them all for the extra 2 skill points. You, of course, do what you like. The Lord's Labyrinth - Here's a list of all the lab trials for the first three labyrinths (the trials for the fourth lab are found randomly in endgame maps). How to Level the Build What Skill(s) Should I Use - Our main skill, Raise Zombies, is available right away. They don't really have the survivability to be efficient right away so I like to use Summon Raging Spirits (SRS) until Summon Skeleton is available. You'll want to keep a mana flask for SRS. Feel free to use SRS until any point in the game, just be sure that you're levelling the build's gems too. But this build is really easy to level as all the major gems you need are available naturally and early on to the Witch. Passive Tree - You can honestly go in any direction you like. The main points to the tree are: life nodes for you, minion nodes, and curse nodes. No matter the direction you choose, if you pick all nodes as they come across without skipping any, you'll have a very balanced character as you level. There really isn't a wrong way to go. There isn't anything wrong with getting any major nodes early or later on. - If you have to be told what to do in order to progress ;), progress on your tree like I progress my maps; hug the right wall. That path would be the east branch first, then the north section, then west, then south for last. There's no reason for it though. I just like turning right :). Gear - Gear is so easy here. Minions only benefit from terms that specifically say Minion or Ally; and most of those mods don't drop while you're levelling. So you're really only looking for gear for yourself that has better life and resists than what you currently have equipped. It's really that simple. High five for minions!
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 should only avoid maps that roll Physical Reflect. Some other map mods just 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.
My Filters
Oh my goodness! A link! You should click on it. Definitely. WOW! Look at all those pretty green FOLLOW buttons. You should press them all ;).
https://www.pathofexile.com/account/view-profile/Wrecker_of_Days/item-filters I LOVE FILTERS! So, I make my own filters! THEY ARE AMAZING ;). For me, making filters is just as fun as playing Path of Exile. If you're looking to cut down on the amount of garbage on your screen but don't actually want to miss anything, my filters are right up your alley. They only filter equippable items. Everything else will show. I've made two types of filters: 1 - A filter that only shows gear relevant to my guides. 2 - A filter for everyone that's relevant for all builds. Each of the above filters has 4 tiers of strictness you'll want to Follow: 1. Starting Off (Used for levelling until you're mapping comfortably.) 2. Tops-84s-Fancies-Atlas (Used when you are only looking for the top bases of each class.) 3. 84s-Fancies-Atlas (Used when you only care about gear item level 84+.) 4. Fancies-Atlas (Used when you only want Fancy gear like Atlas Drops, Influenced gear, etc.) The descriptions of each are on the filter page, with all the details you want, explained within. (Because I have two filters (2), each with four tiers(2*4=8), posted for all 3 platforms (2*4*3=24), my filter list is quite large. So just be sure you're Following the filters you want for the platform you want. It's easy to mix it up with a list that large.) Please let me know if you have any feedback or see any errors you may find within the filters...otherwise, I hope they enhance your PoE experience! If my filters interest you, once you've clicked on the provided link, click "Follow" next to the filter(s) that you want. It'll automatically load to your filter list in-game when you login AND it automatically updates upon each login as well!
Forever Exiled - A Path of Exile Podcast
https://foreverexiled.com/
If you're looking for a Podcast that's 100% Path of Exile, my buddy Tagz and I have exactly that! A podcast that is 100% about Path of Exile! We put out an episode once a week and talk about all things Path of Exile 100% of the time. Tagz started playing Path of Exile 100% of the time in Beta (April 2012) and I started playing Path of Exile 100% of the time in 2014. We play Path of Exile completely different, 100%. (His ways suck 100%, mine don't...100%. (In other words, he crushes Path of Exile 100% and I hate him for it...100% true.)) If you check out the podcast, let us know what you think. We've grown like crazy! 100% Serious. It's insane. So the more feedback we get the better. Thanks 100% for the listens!  Replies: 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.) Tripple Oh! Please let me know if you see any errors. I'll fix them as soon as possible!
Change Log (for returning players)
Oh my. Tons changed. Well, the tree barely changed.
- There's no more EE or Minion instability. - I added a Cluster Jewel socket. - Spectres and Animate Guardian were added. - The build is now pure physical with Flesh and Stone replacing Hatred. - Fortify is new too - And maybe Purifying Flame's Consecrated Ground too. BIG changes in gems, no so much on the tree. (Sorry Standard players.)
Build History
3.10 - 3.10|Stress-Free PoE| SLOW-MO ZOMBIES |Use Any Items You Want|1 Button Gameplay|Easily Customizable
3.9 - 3.9| Stress-Free PoE - SLOW-MO ZOMBIES |SSF the Atlas w/ 1 Button & Any Gear|Dungeon Crawl PoE! 3.8 - 3.8| Stress Free PoE - SLOW-MO ZOMBIES |Clear the Atlas with YOUR Items at YOUR Pace (SSF & Co-op) 3.7 - 3.7| Stress Free PoE - SLOW-MO ZOMBIES |Clear the Atlas with YOUR Items at YOUR Pace (SSF & Co-op) 3.6 - Stress Free PoE| SLOW MO ZOMBIES |ANY Items Work|Easy/Relaxing Play|Easily Clears the Atlas [3.6] 3.5 - Slow Mo Zombies! (No Uniques Needed|Relaxed Playstyle|Easy to Gear|Anyone Can Play|All Content)[3.5] 3.4 - Super Slow Mo! (All content! No uniques required! Perfect for new, SSF, & challenged gamers.) (3.4) 3.3 - Super Slow Mo! (No uniques required! Made for new, physically challenged, & SSF gamers.)(3.3) 3.2 - 3.2 - Wrecker of Days - Super Slow Motion - Explained and Designed to Take New Players to the End 3.1 - 3.1 - SRS - Super Slow Mo - Cheap (5C) (Perfect for new players, poor players, and endgame players). 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 on Jun 27, 2020, 5:21:45 PM
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Mine
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 |
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Nice Build, Thx!
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I'm excited ;) just tested this build... for a friend:)
Shes gonna slam! I was wondering when enduring bond was going to get in here! I see it was slightly nerfed, but still amazing! I may take the ANOINTED FLESH instead of the large cluster for the +1 to all resists! You look so suave gliding around, and you didn't even have you're guardian out in the video! Kingmaker may be pricey, Gruthkuls pelt will be expensive, kaoms roots will be insanely expensive. But you should be able to set up a guardian fairly cheap, the chase item is kingmaker and really well worth chasing! Kingmaker has a culling strike aura and fortify aura, it's sick :) but gonna be an exalt probably. And you can add it after I believe, which is the reason I don't even have an animate guardian button, once I set him up, I remove him from the skill bar, I don't want to screw him up! Remember, Animate guardian does not use gems in his gear so no links is fine. Also get him a high life bone helm with chaos resist. You will see he is a templar and he could use the chaos res, anything over 20% is great! Here is a cheap crappy chest that will max his chaos and give consecrated ground on block Zahndethus' Cassock. I advise a trip to poe wiki to unlock all the secrets of animate guardian :) Sign of the sin eater is a one handed scepter that places all elemental ailments on your guardian instead of you! Woooooow that would be cool too and it's cheap and you could give him a shield as well. interesting... I am sold on Ed/Contagion, minor tree changes but it was basically untouched, even buffed a bit in endgame :) But I will be here, when I tested this it was fun and effortless, she is just a pleasure to play Wrecker! GREAT JOB! Oh yeah, VD is going to be META BIG TIME! So you will get some good gear cheap because EVERYONE is going to be crafting Necro stuff! Yaaaayyyy :) 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 on Jun 18, 2020, 10:57:16 AM
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Wow thanks for updating before league start. this is gonna be my league starter build!
anyway, in the guide stated "- 3.10's Passive Tree on PoE's website." is this a typo? Also I'm getting an error with the pastebin on PoB, will try again later. Cheers |
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Update your POB, I got the same error, I let POB update and it loaded in smooth.
Also get the fork for POB if you do not have it. Just google POB fork, look for local identity You WILL NOT regret this decision! This lady is fun! Good luck, ask questions, enjoy! I think the 3.10 is a link to GGGs official site if you would like to compare changes from last league. 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 on Jun 18, 2020, 10:13:41 AM
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Had a blast with this build last time I used it, and given the freedom of item choices + Harvest's emphasis on crafting-as-you-go I'm completely pumped to see how it goes this time around! Thank you so much for keeping this updated!
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" OMG, just wait til you play her! The phantasms.... mmmmmmmmmmmm just fun! I will wear your ghost and you will die twice, against me and for me.
That is some cold blooded shit to say... |
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Love the phantasm idea Wrecker (was thinking similar alongside spectres as a cheap renewable DPS cannon instead of GMP in a pure spectre build)
Your build looks solid as always, (still unsure when I will start the league this time as not exactly sold on it atm lol) Anyone who wants to progress to end game with ease should ALWAYS be using your builds imo especially newer players so they have time to get their heads around mechanics and synergy :) p.s. Cheap way to run Animated Guardian is Staff: Dying Breath Helm: Leercast Chest: Ambus Charge Hands: Southbound Feet: Victarios ASAP get Kingmaker to swap out dying breath as it is simply TOOOOOO good to pass up on FYI for newer players - NEVER run AG until it is level 17 or higher or you gonna waste a lot of gear as it dies a LOT until 17+ :) p.p.s Spectres, personally with zombies I always use Carnage Chieftain - Mass Frenzy Host Chieftain - Mass power Ruins Hellion - Rallying Cry Link the spectre gem to blood magic and you have permanent 3 frenzy, 3 power charge and rallying crymaking things even smoother :) GG Wrecker, another fab build for another new league ^^ oh and a big Heya to Grunkle o/ ~ If it moves, kill it ~ Last edited by 0nyX on Jun 18, 2020, 11:32:00 AM
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