{3.10} Speaker for the Dead | The Mass Minion Summoner | League Starter, Leveling Guide 💀

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Jespetin wrote:

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ThoronElee wrote:

I just beat Uber Elder in SSFBlight with this build!

Super fun build! One of the best I have played. Makes blighted maps so much easier. Thanks for the great build! Really great job again on how fun the build is.

Impressive, nice! How do you think the build is doing without Victario's?

It works quite well. That being said I dont know how the build works with Victario's since this is the first time I have played the build. But I have not had any trouble with it.

@ everyone:
I recommend crafting an Enduring Eternal mana flask. It solves No Regen maps and makes summoning Zombies after login a breeze.

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@ Gorkk, Singrave, & WalkerPohlig:

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minion speed was used in 3.7 for skeletons

Minion Speed was only ever used during leveling, when support options are limited.

@Singrave: I assume you just wanted Gorkk's opinion, but if you missed it then GEM LINKS & GEAR covers the recommended support alternatives for Skeletons.

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Not sure [Soulrend] hits as often as ball lightning

Soulrend hits one time (it rapidly reapplies its DoT like Ball Lightning, but these are not hits). It's fine while clearing but against bosses you'd have to rely on Cyclone for Frenzy Charge generation.

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@ Veraclus

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Veraclus wrote:

Any recommended anointments for ammy? I am thinking Golem Commander or maybe Soul of Steel...

Check out the 3.8 INFO spoiler in the 3.8 Update post. Among the first few links are two posts where I go over various anointment options.

So far this build is great for SSF. Got 14 zombies, 4 spectres(firegoats) (+10 phantasms), 13 skeletons (+vaal), 1 carrion golem and holy relic.

First UberElder kill (fist one ever) was ok, died once, second one was deathless. Almost every boss melts on sight. Its unbelievable this is possible in SSF.

Current equip (still missing gloves and still optimizing):


Thank you @Hercanic for this awesome build.

Side note: with skill combo in boots this build can run ele and phys reflect maps without zombies or spectres dying! (only reflect+noregen is no-go since you can not use cyclone to boost minions ES)

@Hercaninc thanks! I often forget to look at guide itself :)

If we go with the Animated Guardian in the Hungry Loop (Meat Shield, Minion Life, Elemental Army, Melee Splash) - will he apply Exposure from Elemental Army reliably to bosses?

If so can we remove Elemental Army from Frost Sentinels for Controlled Destruction (Minion Damage, GMP (clear)/Slower Proj (boss), Chain (clear)/Cold Pen (boss), Faster Proj, Controlled Desrtuction

Or if they both apply does it double up?

Just finished this today. Came out better than I expected.

@ Perdition619:

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Just finished this today.

Excellent job crafting! That's a fantastic amulet. Once Blight goes core you'll be able to anoint it, too!

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@ vexed_lovecraft:

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will he apply Exposure from Elemental Army reliably to bosses?

Bosses, yes. Clear, no.

If you're Cold Triad Grip, then it's worth 1.29 * 1.1 = 42% more damage. Controlled Destruction is 44% but you lose 5% crit chance, which is worth 1.5% more damage (4% w/ Kingmaker). Consider that Exposure while clearing also boosts Zombies and Skeletons, Elemental Army comes out ahead.

If you are not using Cold Triad Grip, then Exposure drops in value.

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@ Mrkef:

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So far this build is great for SSF.

Very impressive gear for SSF! Great job!

Just a side note, 10% Life as Extra ES craft will beat out most options for us.

+65 ES * 2.48 local %ES * 3 global %ES = 484 ES

2000 flat life * 0.10 life for Extra ES * 5 global %es+%life = 1000 ES

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only reflect+noregen is no-go since you can not use cyclone to boost minions ES

Craft an Enduring Eternal mana flask.

Hi and thx for this amazing build :)
I'm just 81 and i like the "zerg-side" huhu
I saw in your tree "Necromantic Aegis", we must take this point ?
Thanks :)

Hi Hercanic,

I'm currently thinking about some really high level-stacking for this build ... do you think the following would be viable?

- Claw, Shield -> Staff (we lose LGoH, but with shaper ring and relying much more on ES in the hybrid build, this shouldn't be too bad)

The staff needs to have
- +1 to lvl of socketed gems
- crafted: +1/+2 to lvl of socketed support gems (depending on budget)
- (maybe some builtin minion support?)

In the staff, socket
- Zombies (lvl 20/21 depending on budget)
- Skeletons (lvl 20/21 depending on budget)
- Empower (lvl3/4 depending on budget, lvl3 corrupted is really cheap right now)
- any 3 of minion dmg, minion speed, melee splash, multistrike, feeding frenzy, maim, bloodlust, fortify etc. etc., depending on situation. Not sure if there are clear favourites...
- or 2 supports and another minion (HoA, golem, animated guardian) ...

This gives lvl 27 minions (on a tight budget) and lvl 31 minions with enough currency to spare, and they have some fairly crazy support as well.
Bonus: at gem lvl 25, you get an additional zombie and skeleton :)
I expect that this could more than compensate for the loss of charges from Victario's charity.

Hatred/Generosity/Flame dash would move to the helmet, and there is one free socket for additional experiments.

I'd be really happy to hear your opinion on this!

@ r_lyeh:

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r_lyeh wrote:

Hi and thx for this amazing build :)
I'm just 81 and i like the "zerg-side" huhu
I saw in your tree "Necromantic Aegis", we must take this point ?
Thanks :)

On my Cold Triad Grip build for Blight, I wasn't happy with Frenzy Charge generation without Ball Lightning. So I've been trying out NA.

When I'm satisfied, it will become the Shadowreaper variant. It provides higher damage and mobility compared to Elderlich, but diminished recovery and eHP.

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@ Larabiata4711:

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Claw, Shield -> Staff

In the original build, this wouldn't have worked. However, since Zombies have become so much better and we've phased out the Agony Crawler, there may now be more merit to a 2H variant.

The main advantage of Victario's Charity, aside from its defensive bonuses, is that it essentially acts as another support gem's worth of damage for our multitude of minions. Skeletons, Spectres, Phantasms, Zombies, Spectral Spiders, Raging Spirits, even the Holy Relic or Carrion Golem, they all benefit. A 2H will benefit one or two socketed minions, but not all like Charity. We would also lose a 3L.


Weapons like these give us most of the advantage of a 6L without costing us six sockets or both weapon slots like a 2H.

An Elder-influenced Staff can have Fortify (prefix), Endurance Charge on Melee Stun (prefix), and Power Charge on Crit (prefix).

An Elder-influenced 2H Axe or Sword can have Fortify (prefix), Endurance Charge on Melee Stun (prefix), and Onslaught (prefix).

A Shaper-influenced 2H Axe, Mace, or Sword can have Maim (suffix).

Anything else isn't worth mentioning.

+1 and +2 to Supports are both prefixes. So at best we could only have one support gem affix. Can Craft Multiple Mods is a suffix.

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or 2 supports and another minion

Here's a quick and dirty way to think about sharing links:

If we assume all skills are created equal (they're not), then each one is 100% damage. If we assume all support gems are 50% more damage (they're not, but for the sake of easy math), then we can compare them like so:


100% skill * 1.5 support = 150% damage
100% skill + 100% skill = 200% damage
(assuming both skills can be used simultaneously; in the case of minions or triggered spells this works fine; we're also ignoring any improved functionality some supports grant)

2L = 2 skills > 1 skill * 1 support


100% * 1.5 * 1.5 = 225%
(100% + 100%) * 1.5 = 300%
100% + 100% + 100% = 300%

3L = 2 skills = 3 skills > 1 skill


100% * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 337.5%
(100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 = 450%
(100% + 100% + 100%) * 1.5 = 450%

4L = 2 skills = 3 skills > 1 skill


100% * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 506.3%
(100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 675%
(100% + 100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 = 675%

5L = 2 skills = 3 skills > 1 skill


100% * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 759.4%
(100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1012.5%
(100% + 100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1012.5%

6L = 2 skills = 3 skills > 1 skill


100% * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1139.1%
(100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1518.8%
(100% + 100% + 100%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1518.8%

7L = 2 skills = 3 skills > 1 skill


In all cases, two and three skills stay ahead, while equaling each other. Spoiler, four or more skills is where it drops. Anyway, looks good, right? Well, hold on, remember we made some assumptions?

Fact of the matter is a Skeleton deals 86% more damage than a Zombie, and each Carrion Golem is only worth ~2 Zombies (refer to the 3.8 Update's mini-FAQ for more on the Carrion Golem). These skills are not equal to each other.

In other words, a Zombie is only 53.8% of a Skeleton.

(100% + 53.8%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 778.6%

That's only slightly better than 759.4% of supporting 1 skill.

But wait! What about Vaal Skeletons? 1 skill was really 2 skills, and this second skill is worth over 200% damage.

300% * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 2278.1%
(300% + 53.8%) * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 * 1.5 = 1791.1%

The winner is clear. For maximum damage, Vaal Skeletons need to be in their own link. But then again, what about the value of the four sockets we opened up? If we can get another 27.2% more damage out of those sockets, the difference equals out. Also, what about the convenience of permanence that Zombies provide? So there's more to consider than straight damage here.

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Hatred/Generosity/Flame dash would move to the helmet, and there is one free socket for additional experiments.

A +3 Minion Life helm could go to an Animated Guardian. You could also buff up a Golem or Holy Relic (~2.6M DPS). Otherwise, you could potentially use a different helm like Devouring Diadem.

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I'd be really happy to hear your opinion on this!

Putting this altogether, we get:

2H Shaper Axe/Mace/Sword
Prefixes: +1, +2 Supports, 81% Minion Damage
Suffixes: Maim, Multi-craft, 28% Minion Attack/Cast Speed

Damage craft = ~16% more damage
Speed craft = ~14% more damage

Links: (4B2R)
1. Skeletons (Blue)
2. Zombies (B)
3. Minion Damage (B)
4. Feeding Frenzy (B)
5. Melee Physical Damage (R) (or Melee Splash for clear)
6. L4 Empower (R)
7. Maim

L21 Zombies and Skeletons would become L30.


Elder Helm
Prefixes: +3, Minion Life, Life (or Minion Damage for the secondary global increased minion damage mod)
Suffixes: Resistances or whatever you can get

Links:
1. Animate Guardian
2. Spectres (two Carnage Chieftains)
3. Blood Magic
4a. Meat Shield (not sure if this would affect charge generation)
4b. Elemental Army (Hatred = Cold = Cold Exposure)

Chest would have the other 2 Spectres with Phantasms for clear.

Since we don't have to worry about hitting for Frenzy Charges anymore, we can use Cyclone + CwC + Desecrate + Spirit Offering in Elder Boots with Fortify mod. This would make up for the loss of CWDT, since we lost 3 sockets for the 2H.

Overall, this would be a gain of 4 levels for Skeletons compared to the original setup, or 46% more damage, 45% more life, +1 Skeleton, and +2 Vaal Warriors. The other supports cancel out.

Zombies could be L30 in either setup, so their gain depends on weapon mods. It'd be Minion Damage/Melee Phys/Maim vs. 1H weapon mods. I'd estimate a gain of at least 30-50% more damage.

Then there's the damage gain from the crafted mods, which are harder to get on the 1H because of all the support mods. At best we'd have +1, +2 Support, Prefix support, Suffix support, Multi-mod, 15% minion attack/cast speed. Or instead of Multi-mod we get two more Suffix supports. So the 2H gains ~24-32% more damage globally over the 1H because of these crafts.

With Carnage Chieftains, we lose 2 clearspeed Spectres but in turn make up the main difference with Charity. Phantasms help stabilize this loss. We only had 2 Spectres in 3.7 anyway.

Another option is to add 2 Host Chieftains for Power Charges (28% more damage w/ Kingmaker, or 10% without) and then use Golems to generate Phantasms (Fire or Carrion). You'd then want Golem Commander and/or an Anima Stone jewel (replacing Unending Hunger) for 2-3 total golems. Links would be Golem + Phantasms + Minion Damage + Feeding Frenzy (for golem aggression) + GMP + Faster Proj. Fire Golem would work best with projectile supports, but its buff is useless. The Carrion Golem's buff, on the other hand, would greatly benefit Phantasms, who scale very well off flat damage.

By having Animate Guardian in the helm, our ring slot can be anything, or we could put something else in a Hungry Loop.

Since we're not using a claw, Leap Slam becomes an option for our movement skill.

In the end, we're looking at ~80-100% more damage from Skeletons and Zombies (= 1.45 * 1.24 or 1.32) at the cost of some Spectre clear.

A 2H Mace would be the easiest to craft +1 Maim on, since they have far less junk mods than Swords/Axes. Just watch out for the strength requirement of the base item.


I lack the funds to try this out, but if anyone would be willing to craft this 2H Mace for me, I'll thoroughly test this 2H idea out.