Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Righteous Providence, Inevitable Judgement, Augury of Penitence, and Sanctuary. A Watcher's Eye jewel is recommended for increased life, increased energy shield, increased mana, 60% increased fire damage while affected by Anger, damage penetrates 15% fire resistance while affected by Anger, and optionally 1.5% fire damage leeched as life while affected by Anger. You can also increase corpse life for increased Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction damage with the Minion Offense Mastery in the upper right hand of the tree shown above. The Reservation Mastery should also be taken so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. The Life Mastery with reduced cost of skill is helpful and the Mastery node can also be taken to make skills cost life instead of 30% of mana cost for the high mana cost of the build. Increased spell damage and critical strike chance with spells don't affect the corpse explosion part of Detonate Dead so they can be ignored. Instead focus on attack critical strike chance, increased fire damage, increased area damage, and increased area of effect. This is a life build so make sure and take as many of the nearby life nodes on the tree as you can for survival. Note: The skill tree above is updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

The Inevitable Judgement ascendancy is great for Cast on Critical builds because it makes critical strikes ignore enemies elemental resistances and makes non-critical strikes penetrate 10% of the elemental resistances of enemies. The Augury of Penitence also increases your elemental damage by 16% and reduces your elemental damage taken by 8%. This build has four spectres that can taunt and take the damage for you and the strong defensive advantage of using a shield.

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Gems

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Weapon (3-link)

Cold Snap (keep at level one)

Cast When Damage Taken Support (keep at level one)

Power Charge on Critical Support

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Shield (3-link)

Summon Flame Golem

Minion Life Support

Flame Dash

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Armour (6-link)

Vaal Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction (or optionally Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction)

Awakened Cast on Critical Strike Support

Lancing Steel of Spraying

Desecrate

Increased Critical Strikes Support

Cruelty Support

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Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Anger

Clarity

Enlighten Support

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Gloves (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower

Enduring Cry

More Duration Support

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Boots (4-link)

Raise Spectre

Empower Support

Meat Shield Support

Minion Life Support

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Reservation Skills

Grace should be used as your defensive aura and gives very high evasion. Anger should be used as your offensive aura to greatly increase the damage of your Detonate Dead and it also adds fire damage to the attacks of your spectres. Clarity is also needed for the very high mana cost of the build. You should use Anger once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery and a level four Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation costs of your skills.

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Gem Notes​​​​

1. Steelskin is the recommended guard skill for this build because Immortal Call requires you to use potions more often and Molten Shell requires very high armour to be effective.

2. Lancing Steel of Spraying shoots a high number of projectiles in a slight spread and is the best trigger for this CoC build.

3. CoC Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction does much better damage as a CoC build than CoC Volatile Dead of Seething.

4. Desecrate casts twelve corpses on critical strikes with the Minion Offense Mastery which gives plenty of corpses to detonate with Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction. Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction does significantly higher damage than Detonate Dead when there are enough corpses to detonate in a chain reaction.

5. Your spectres maximum life is important for the corpse explosion damage of Detonate Dead because your spectres appear in your Desecrate pool. Make sure your four highest life spectres are alive and in your Desecrate pool. The highest life spectres are the Primal Crushclaw and the Primal Blister Lord from Harvest followed by the Lithomancer and the Stoneskin Flayer from the Primeval Chambers area in Delve. You can optionally start off with high life temporary spectres that are easier to obtain like the Auto-Enforcer and Rusty Crusher spectres which appear in the Tunnels contracts in heists.

6. Empower Support should be linked to your spectres which increases the damage of the corpse explosion part of your Detonate Dead and gives increased life to your summoned spectres. Meat Shield Support makes your spectres defensive, makes them take reduced damage, and makes them taunt enemies which reduces your damage taken.

7. The Enduring Cry warcry is used for Endurance charge generation and up to 10% life regeneration per second. Endurance charges reduce your physical damage taken and elemental damage taken.

8. Cold Snap generates Frenzy charges when enemies die in its skill effect area and generates Power charges when linked to Power Charge on Critical Support.

9. Summon Fire Golem is used to give a damage increase and provides an additional target for enemies to attack.

10. If you think you would prefer a ranged attacking corpse explosion build that has orbs that seek out enemies you can also check out the Volatile Dead Spellslinger Necromancer Guide which can be found here Volatile Dead Necromancer Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Anarchist Spiritblade

Lancing Steel of Spraying requires a sword or axe. An Anarchist Spirit Blade can be used for its lower than typical dexterity requirement for a sword. Look for very high attack speed, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, increased fire damage, and hits can't be evaded which can be added at the crafting bench. Once you have enough attack critical strike chance you should also add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality instead of 1% critical strike chance per 4% quality at your Horticrafting station which can be added to your hideout.

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Shield

Rare Shield

Look for a shield with +1 to level of all minion skill gems to increase the corpse life of your spectres for corpse explosions, minion offensive or defensive modifiers, high life, high energy shield, and resistances.

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Armour

Rare Armour

Look for attacks have increased critical strike chance, high life, high strength (which gives increased critical strike with the Inquisitor ascendancy), optionally increased spell critical strike chance, and add life percent/mana percent at the crafting bench. 

 

Helmet

Rare Helmet

Look for +2 to level of all minion skill gems to raise the level of your spectre corpses for increased damage with Detonate Dead, high life, high energy shield, and resistances. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll added fire damage to spells and increased energy shield recharge rate.

 

Belt

Rare Stygian Vise

Look for high life, life percent, energy shield, increased damage, resistances, and an abyssal socket. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the belt to increase its life bonus.

Abyss Jewel

Look for high life, energy shield, increased critical strike chance, and increased critical strike multiplier.

 

Gloves

Corrupted Elemental Weakness Vixen's Entrapment

These gloves give an extra curse and spell damage leeched as energy shield. An Elemental Weakness corruption is recommended for the corpse explosion part of Detonate Dead which isn't affected by spell critical strike chance increases. You may need a high number of Tainted Chromatic Orbs to get four red sockets in these gloves.

Corrupted Minion Level Gloves

Gloves with +2 to level of socketed minion gems are the budget option and allow you to socket your spectres in your gloves.

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Boots

Rare Minion Level Boots

Look for +2 to level of socketed minion gems which increases your corpse life and corpse explosion damage when the Raise Spectre gem is socketed in it, life, energy shield, Onslaught on kill, resistances, and movement speed. You should also Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll chance to avoid elemental ailments and chance to avoid being Ignited for your energy shield.

Rare Boots

The budget option if you can't get +2 to level of socketed minion gems is boots with life, energy shield, resistances, Onslaught on kill, and movement speed. You should use gloves with a +2 to level of socketed minion gems corruption with this option.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for high life, high attributes, increased critical strike chance, increased critical strike multiplier, resistances, and optionally add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus.

Carnage Heart

The budget amulet gives up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also use Intrinsic Catalysts on the amulet to increase its attributes bonus.

 

Rings

Rare Flammability Ring

Look for a ring with the Flammability curse on hit for your corpse explosion damage with Detonate Dead which isn't affected by spell critical strike chance (which means enemies will not always have a resistance of zero from your ascendancy), high life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should use Fertile Catalysts on both of your rings to increase their life bonuses.

Rare Diamond Ring

Diamond Rings have up to a 30% increased global critical strike chance implicit which is the modifier above the line on an item. Look for high life, attributes, energy shield, increased fire damage, and optionally add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench.

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Utility Flasks

Bottled Faith

Gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage to enemies on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically uses the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, 12% increased attack block, and 6% increased spell block. The legacy version has much higher block chances. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Diamond Flask

Gives 100% increased critical strike chance. Look to roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity during effect and use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you are Bleeding.

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Anointment

Your amulet should be anointed with Death Attunement for an extra spectre which gives another spectre in your Desecrate corpse pool, an extra raise zombie, and an extra skeleton at Cassia using a Clear Oil, Crimson Oil, and Silver Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: Steelskin Buff Can Take 45% Increased Amount Of Damage

Gloves: Commandment of the Grave

Feet: Adds 45-68 Fire Damage If You've Killed Recently

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Bandits

The best bandit to help in Act 2 is Alira because she gives 15% to all elemental resistances which allows you to focus more on damage from your equipment. If you don't need the resistances you can kill all three bandits instead for 1 passive skill point.

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Pantheon

Soul of Solaris is the best major Pantheon power and gives 6% reduced physical damage taken when only one enemy is present, a 20% chance to take 50% less area damage, 8% reduced elemental damage taken if you haven't been hit recently, take no extra damage from critical strikes if you've been hit with a critical strike recently, and a 50% chance to avoid elemental ailments from critical strikes. Soul of Abberath is the best minor power to help maintain energy shield and gives 60% less Ignite duration on you, makes you unaffected by burning ground, and gives 10% increased movement speed on burning ground.

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Leveling Gear

 

Weapon

Lifesprigs

You can use two level one Lifesprigs that each give 40% increased spell damage, +1 to level of socketed spell gems, increased cast speed, life, mana, and life regeneration.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is an excellent level one offensive chest armour with six white linked sockets. White linked sockets allow you to link any color gems together for much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for a Tabula Rasa with a high increased damage corruption which also requires level one for fairly cheap from the trade site.

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Helmet

Goldrim

An excellent level one resistance helmet with up to 40% to all elemental resistances and 10% increased rarity of items found.

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Gloves

Lochtonial Caress

These level one gloves can give up to 15% increased attack speed, 15% increased cast speed, and give a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

These boots can be equipped at level 9 and give up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 30 intelligence, and 25% movement speed.

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Amulet

The Kurai Ward

A level five amulet that gives up to 30 strength, 30 dexterity, 100 accuracy, and 30% increased projectile damage.

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Rings

Two Perandus Signets

You can use two level one Perandus Signets at level one that each give up to 65% mana regeneration, 65 mana, 2% increased intelligence for each unique item equipped, and 2% increased experience.

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Flasks

Quicksilver Flask

This flask can be used at level four for 40% increased movement speed and can have increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Silver Flask

This flask gives Onslaught which increases your attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed as early as level 27. It can also have increased movement speed as a second modifier. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Bottled Faith (use a Sulphur Flask for 40% increased damage if you can't afford Bottled Faith)

This endgame flask requires level 27 and gives 40% increased damage, consecrated ground, 150% increased critical strike chance against enemies on consecrated ground, and 10% increased damage taken to enemies on consecrated ground. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever you hit a rare or unique enemy.

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Leveling Gems

Freezing Pulse requires level one and is a great spell to use until you make the switch to Desecrate and Detonate Dead. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and can be used as early as level 10. Make sure and pick up a Steelskin gem for a defensive guard skill once you've reached level four and have at least 16 strength. Dash also requires level four and should be used as your travel skill at early levels.

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Upgrades

You can upgrade your wands to two Ashcallers at level 12 for increased spell damage, high added fire damage to spells, a 10% chance to cover enemies in Ash on hit, and a chance to summon Level 10 Raging Spirits on kills. Carnage Heart is the budget amulet for the build which can be equipped as early as level 20 for up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also benefit from upgrading to two Praxis rings at level 22 to reduce the mana costs of skills by up to 16 which allows you to use utility flasks in the place of mana flasks. Many of the items in the leveling section above last all the way until the midgame where better items will become available.

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And that's all for the CoC Detonate Dead Guide! For more about PoE you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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