Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Commander of Darkness, Plaguebringer, Essence Glutton, and Mindless Aggression. A Watcher's Eye jewel is highly 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 more Detonate Dead damage with the Minion Offense Mastery in the upper right hand of the tree shown above. The Mana Mastery, Reservation Mastery, and some increased mana nodes should also be taken so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. This is a life build so make sure and take as many of the nearby life percent nodes as you can for survival. Note: The above skill tree is updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

The Commander of Darkness ascendancy makes raising you, your minions, and your allies elemental resistances much easier by giving 30% increased elemental resistances, 30% increased damage, and 3% increased attack and cast speed for each aura skill affecting you. You will also have very high energy shield regeneration and mana regeneration with the Essence Glutton ascendancy. With the Plaguebringer ascendancy you will take 10% reduced damage if there is a corpse nearby you, deal 10% more damage if there is a corpse nearby you, and have 30% increased area of effect if you have consumed a corpse recently. This build also has an army of minions to 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)

Desecrate

Spellslinger Support

Awakened Spell Cascade Support

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Shield (3-link)

Anger

Herald of Ash

Enlighten Support

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Armour (6-link)

Vaal Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction

Spellslinger Support

Awakened Burning Damage Support

Awakened Fire Penetration Support

Combustion Support

Enlighten Support

Note: Enlighten Support greatly lowers the reservation cost of Spellslinger Support which is important.

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Helmet (4-link)

Elemental Hit of the Spectrum (or the Frenzy skill if Frenzy charges don't take you over 0.4 attacks per second)

Barrage Support

Faster Attacks Support

Flame Dash

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Gloves (4-link)

Raise Spectre

Raise Zombie

Empower Support

Minion Life Support

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Boots (4-link)

Steelskin

Empower Support

Summon Flame Golem

Feeding Frenzy Support

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Reservation Skills

This build is capable of strong defenses with an army of minions to take the damage for you so a defensive aura isn't needed. 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 minions. Herald of Ash increases your spell fire damage, your burning damage, and causes overkills to burn nearby enemies. You should use Anger once you have a 30% increased reservation efficiency of socketed gems modifier on your shield, the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery, the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery, the increased mana reservation efficiency from Eldritch Ichors on your helmet, a few increased mana nodes on the tree, 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. Desecrate is linked to Awakened Spell Cascade Support to cast twelve corpses on cooldown which gives plenty of corpses to detonate with Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction. Detonate Dead of Chain Reaction does much higher damage than Detonate Dead when there are enough corpses to detonate in a chain reaction.

3. 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 three highest life spectres are always 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 start off with temporary high life spectres that are easier to obtain like the Auto-Enforcer and Rusty Crusher spectres which appear in the Tunnels contracts inside heists.

4. Elemental Hit of the Spectrum (or Frenzy if Frenzy charges don't take you over 0.4 attacks per second) should be linked to Barrage Support and Faster Attacks Support to quickly trigger Desecrate and Detonate Dead with Spellslinger Support.

5. Spellslinger Support in a six link reserves a very high amount of mana so it's recommended that you link Spellslinger Support to Enlighten Support so that you can use the Anger aura which gives added fire damage to you and your minions.

6. Empower Support should be linked to your spectres to increase their level which increases the damage of your Detonate Dead and as an added bonus it gives increased life and damage to your summoned spectres and zombies.

7. Summon Fire Golem gives a damage increase, deals damage because this is a minion build, gives Feeding Frenzy which increases the damage of your minions with Feeding Frenzy Support, and provides an extra target for enemies to attack.

8. 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 Necromancer Guide which can be found here Volatile Dead Necromancer Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Rare Imbued Wand

An Imbued Wand is ideal for its high attack speed. Look for +1 to level of all fire spell skill gems, +1 to level of all spell skill gems if you can afford it, increased fire damage, and increased fire damage over time multiplier. You should also add 1% increased elemental damage per 2% quality at the Horticrafting station which can be added to your hideout.

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Shield

Rare Reservation Efficiency Shield

Look for a shield with 30% increased reservation efficiency of socketed gems, high life, increased critical strike chance with spells, and increased attack speed which can optionally be added at the crafting bench.

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Armour

Belly of the Beast

Gives up to 40% increased life, 15% increased elemental resistances, and 50% increased life recovery from flasks. You should also eventually look for a +1 to level of socketed gems corruption once you have enough currency.

 

Helmet

Rare Helmet

Look for +2 to level of all minion skill gems to raise the level of your spectres corpses for increased damage with Detonate Dead, high life, high energy shield, and resistances. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to add increased mana reservation efficiency so you can use the recommended reservation skill and added fire damage to spells.

 

Belt

Rare Stygian Vise Belt

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, increased damage over time while holding a shield, and added fire damage to attacks.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for +2 to level of socketed minion skill gems to raise the level of your spectre corpses which also increases the damage of your Detonate Dead, high life, optionally strength or dexterity, resistances, increased attack speed, and if you can afford it increased fire damage over time multiplier but it's not absolutely necessary and can be extremely expensive on these gloves.

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Boots

Rare Cooldown Recovery Boots

Look for boots with at least 10% increased cooldown recovery (when using level 21 Spellslinger Support), high life, resistances, and movement speed. Onslaught on kill shouldn't be used if it takes you over the 0.4 attacks per second breakpoint.

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

Look for +1 to level of all fire spell skill gems, high attributes, high life, increased damage over time multiplier, optionally resistances, and add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus and reduced mana costs.

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 or Prismatic Catalysts to increase its resistances.

 

Rings

Rare Flammability Ring

Look for a ring with the Flammability curse on hit, high life, strength, increased damage, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the ring to increase its life bonus.

Circle of Anguish With An Elemental Weakness Corruption

Look for a Circle of Anguish unique ring with an Elemental Weakness on hit implicit. This ring can have high added fire damage, up to 60% increased fire damage while affected by Herald of Ash, and optionally increased Herald of Ash buff effect. You should also use Turbulent Catalysts on the ring to increase its elemental damage bonus.

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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.

Jade Flask

Gives 1500 evasion. 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 Whispers of Doom once you have a Circle of Anguish with Elemental Weakness on hit so that you can apply an additional curse at Cassia using three Golden Oils.

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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 Ryslatha is the best minor power and gives 60% increased life recovery from flasks at low life, life flask charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a life flask recently, and enemies you hit have 50% reduced life regeneration.

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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 chest armour with six white linked sockets. White linked sockets allow you to link any color skill and support 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 great 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. You can also use Zombies and take the early minion damage and minion life nodes. You can add in Summon Raging Spirit at level four for another minion skill. Precision is the best offensive low level aura and can be used once you are level 10 for increased critical strike chance and accuracy. 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 that 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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That's all for the Detonate Dead Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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