[3.13] Skeleton Nebulomancer | Sirus tank&kill on a <5ex budget, NO AURASTACK ! Beginner-friendly

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JuhlDk wrote:

https://www.reddit.com/r/pathofexile/comments/kvdynz/ggg_please_reconsider_monster_level_nerf_for/

GGG Comments in this Thread:
[Bex_GGG - link, old] - I spoke with the design team about this and asked if they'd consider reviewing the nerf. They explained that even after the nerf, spectres have more life than basically every...

Ah that one i saw yes - not much worth this statement by bex though, but nvm, they just went the lazy way and performed a "global strike" on the skill.

Hi again
Maybe skeleton mage?

Summoned Skeleton Mages (from Dead Reckoning unique jewel or Vaal Summon Skeletons) now deal 50% more damage, and their projectile speed has been doubled.
Plus Trinity gem sick combo

Enduring Cry used by monsters has been given a cooldown and had its healing amount standardised. It's less ridiculous now?

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JuhlDk wrote:

Hi again
Maybe skeleton mage?

Summoned Skeleton Mages (from Dead Reckoning unique jewel or Vaal Summon Skeletons) now deal 50% more damage, and their projectile speed has been doubled.
Plus Trinity gem sick combo

I was playing around with the mages in POB, but can't seem to find out how to get good dps without sacrificing a lot of survivability. Most mage builds seem to use EE to boost one of the damage types and/or the shield keystone (hence we would have to sacrifice a lot of passive points to get there).

Hi yeah saw that
well we go skeleton melee then :)

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Elithraldor wrote:

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JuhlDk wrote:

Hi again
Maybe skeleton mage?

Summoned Skeleton Mages (from Dead Reckoning unique jewel or Vaal Summon Skeletons) now deal 50% more damage, and their projectile speed has been doubled.
Plus Trinity gem sick combo

I was playing around with the mages in POB, but can't seem to find out how to get good dps without sacrificing a lot of survivability. Most mage builds seem to use EE to boost one of the damage types and/or the shield keystone (hence we would have to sacrifice a lot of passive points to get there).

Actually, picking EE costs only 3 points, and we gain back 2 points for not picking Rotten claws in the large cluster jewel. Triggering EE is super easy and requires no skill other than Shield Charge/Leap Slam, thanks to Nebuloch's "% physical damage as extra fire damage" mod: you just have to repeatedly smash into packs and bosses to have EE; duration is the same as Fortify, so you just have to check you Fortify buff timer.


Melee Skeletons:
Here is my theoretical PoB for a full cold conversion, melee Skeletons:
https://pastebin.com/smNSwDgy

Basic concept is using a 4-green Triad Grip for full physical-to-cold conversion, then scale Hatred through some passive nodes, Generosity and String of Servitude; of course, Elemental Equilibrium greatly helps against bosses.

It uses my Heist stuff for simulation, so budget estimation is the same, maybe even lower, as String of Servitude is way cheaper than my late game Crusader belt, Triad Grip is really affordable even full green, and no lvl 21 Raise Spectre/lvl 4 Empower to buy.

DPS per skeleton reaches 750k (800k with perfect Large Cluster), without spectres, so I expect damage to be largely more consistent, and actually better on average. CAUTION: this is without the various, but small, nerfs, so 3.13 DPS should be aroud 650k, still better than the previous version when ignoring charges.

Defensively, there had been sacrifices: roughly -10%hp, hard-to-cap Chaos resistance, and using the regular Enduring Cry instead of divergent quality, resulting in -9% physical damage reduction (-7% against lone bosses with Soul of Solaris). I don't think the latter really matters, knowing how much physical damage was negligible; however, the hp loss is big, and DoT will be even more threatening, especially chaos DoT, until we get late game jewels with chaos resistance on it.

But, there is a BIG upside: skeletons can freeze. This is an incredible defense while mapping, and even in not-too-deep delving; it should be awesome during rituals, where you should just have to alternate between Shield Charge and Frostbite while your skeletons freeze everything. Divergent Frostbite looks huge !


Skeleton archers:
If you happen to find a phantasmal Skeleton gem (or buy one for a reasonable price), it should work just as well, just replace Multistrike/Melee splash and Melee Physical Damage by adapted support gems.

You are the boss!

Sounds pretty awesome.

I took minotaur with vulnerability and extra phys dmg, with "just" 66 % phys dmg reduction (without flasks), so I needed to use flasks to facetank him. I don't think it will impact us to much.

The normal enduring cry is certainly also cheaper and more accessible.

I also tried the archers out, but it seemed to be almost the same gameplay, but the archers just act as less of a meat shield than the warriors. I feel more comfortable charging into a pack at a buffed up tier 16 using warriors. And their projectile attacks are not really hitting a moving target more than the warriors running after, imo.

Will try this new POB out now if I have enough chromes xD

I didn't try archers, but with freezing and Greater Volley/Greater Multiple Projectiles, I feel like they can freeze screenwide without moving. Maybe I'm wrong.

As for Triad Grip, there is absolutely no need to rush it, let alone having it 4-greened; as soon as you unlock EE, not having red socket is enough to make it worth, so a mix of green and blue is OK for early mapping.
And for colouring it, you should use the crafting bench recipes from Delve - I will add the technique in the OP when I edit it all on the morrow. Throwing random chromes in TG will virtually never hit 4G.

Thanks for the update man :) can't wait for 3.13.

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PoitelMarto wrote:

I didn't try archers, but with freezing and Greater Volley/Greater Multiple Projectiles, I feel like they can freeze screenwide without moving. Maybe I'm wrong.

As for Triad Grip, there is absolutely no need to rush it, let alone having it 4-greened; as soon as you unlock EE, not having red socket is enough to make it worth, so a mix of green and blue is OK for early mapping.
And for colouring it, you should use the crafting bench recipes from Delve - I will add the technique in the OP when I edit it all on the morrow. Throwing random chromes in TG will virtually never hit 4G.

With freezing? The mages from the Dread Reckoning jewel?

I used the crafting bench to get 4 green (was about 400 jewelers total). One thing to remember is to NOT socket Brutality anymore - lol. I was screaming at my PC late last night haha.

Works very well I will say. Got more damage, and I actually like the shield version better for some reason.

I would consider buying a helmet with the 40% skellies damage mod on, and then trying to craft chaos res and life, while having an open prefix to craft +1 max skellies. Alternatively a Devotos for the movement speed, chaos res and dex, with the 40% skellies damage on. They are like 40C in standard, so unless Skellies becomes the shizzle in Ritual it should be fairly cheap to get. A Devotos should also solve any dex problems, making the amulet a tad easier to find.

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Elithraldor wrote:

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PoitelMarto wrote:

I didn't try archers, but with freezing and Greater Volley/Greater Multiple Projectiles, I feel like they can freeze screenwide without moving. Maybe I'm wrong.

As for Triad Grip, there is absolutely no need to rush it, let alone having it 4-greened; as soon as you unlock EE, not having red socket is enough to make it worth, so a mix of green and blue is OK for early mapping.
And for colouring it, you should use the crafting bench recipes from Delve - I will add the technique in the OP when I edit it all on the morrow. Throwing random chromes in TG will virtually never hit 4G.

With freezing? The mages from the Dread Reckoning jewel?

I used the crafting bench to get 4 green (was about 400 jewelers total). One thing to remember is to NOT socket Brutality anymore - lol. I was screaming at my PC late last night haha.

I playd Ill3at's cold skelemancer in harvest, the 4 green was easy to make in low lvl Harvest crafts, since in some form it is returning it would be easy to flip colors on ilvl 50 Triad