Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Commander of Darkness, Mindless Aggression, Unnatural Strength, and Bone Barrier. The legacy Anima Stone jewel is recommended in standard because it allows you to summon an extra golem. A Carrion Golem can also be combined with Summon Lightning Golem of Hordes which allows you to summon a total of three golems. The Reservation Mastery is important for increased mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skills. Some of the reduced mana cost nodes are also helpful for the high mana cost of the build. Try and take all of the nearby minion offensive nodes besides the minion critical strike nodes and take a healthy amount of the nearby life percent nodes for survival. Note: The skill tree above is updated for the new season (3.25).

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Defensive Layers

The Commander of Darkness ascendancy gives you, your minions, and your nearby allies 30% increased elemental resistances, 30% increased damage, and 3% increased attack and cast speed for each aura skill. With the Bone Barrier ascendancy you will also have 10% physical damage reduction, 1% of damage dealt by your minions is leeched to you as life, and your minions will have 40% of maximum life as extra maximum energy shield. This build also has an army of minions to take the damage for you.

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Gems

 

Weapon (6-link)

Summon Carrion Golem

Summon Lightning Golem of Hordes

Awakened Minion Damage Support

Awakened Added Chaos Damage Support

Chance To Poison Support (replace with Minion Speed Support once you have a 100% poison chance from abyss jewels)

Culling Strike Support

 

Armour (7-link)

Mirror Arrow of Bombarding Clones

Blink Arrow of Prismatic Clones

Chance To Poison Support (use Awakened Void Manipulation once you have a 100% poison chance from abyss jewels)

Awakened Minion Damage Support

Awakened Vicious Projectiles Support

Awakened Unbound Ailment Support

Added Chaos Damage (from the recommended The Covenant body armour)

 

Helmet (4-link)

Grace

Summon Skitterbots

Discipline

Enlighten Support

 

Gloves (4-link)

Raise Zombie of Slamming

Summon Phantasm Support

Flesh Offering

Empower Support

 

Boots (4-link)

Raise Spectre

Feeding Frenzy

Steelskin

Empower Support

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Ring (1 Socket)

Despair

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Reservation Skills

Grace and Discipline are the best defensive auras for this build and give very high evasion, energy shield, and increased energy shield recharge rate. Summon Skitterbots should be used to apply Shock and Despair with the Profane Proxy unique ring. Level 15 Envy gives added chaos damage and is free with the recommended Aul's Uprising amulet. Discipline should be used once you have the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery and a level 4 Enlighten Support to lower the mana reservation cost 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. Poison is the best way to scale your damage with a large army of minions and makes Mirror Arrow of Bombarding Clones and Blink Arrow of Prismatic Clones deal extremely high boss damage.

3. Flesh Offering increases the attack speed, cast speed, and movement speed of your minions when cast on a corpse.

4. Raise Zombie of Slamming does more damage than Raise Zombie and should be used if you have enough minion defenses to keep the zombies alive. It's also recommended that you link a level 4 Empower Support to your zombies to greatly improve their damage and their survivability.

5. Summon Lightning Golem of Hordes increases the number of golems you can summon by two and provides lightning damage auras for attacks and spells for the rest of your minions.

6. If you would like to try out an alternate summoner build that focuses on summoning ranged mage skeletons you can also check out the Vaal Skeleton Mages Summoner Necromancer Guide here Skeleton Mages Summoner Necromancer Guide.

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Equipment

 

Weapon

Darkscorn

Gives 25% of physical damage converted to chaos damage, 25% of physical damage taken from hits taken as chaos damage, and a 20% chance for poison inflicted with this weapon to deal 300% more damage.

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Quiver

Rare Quiver

Look for high life, attack speed, increased damage with bow skills, increased damage over time multiplier with attack skills, and increased chaos damage over time multiplier with attack skills which has a chance to be added with a Hunter's Exalted Orb.

 

Armour

The Covenant

Gives socketed gems are supported by level 29 Added Chaos Damage, 30 intelligence, 10% increased life, and skills gain a base life cost equal to 100% of base mana cost. The life cost isn't even noticeable once you have a large enough pool of life. You can also eventually go for a The Covenant with a +2 to socketed minion gems corruption once you have enough currency.

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Helmet

Rare Helmet

Look for +2 to level of all minion skill gems, high life, and resistances. These modifiers can go on a Bone Helmet for a 20% increased minion damage implicit (the modifier above the line on an item) or an energy shield helmet. Legacy Bone Helmets in standard are even better and can have up to a 40% increased minion damage implicit.

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Belt

Darkness Enthroned

This belt has two abyssal sockets and up to 100% increased effect of socketed abyss jewels. You should socket two abyss jewels in it with minions have a 15% chance to poison enemies which ends up giving you a 60% chance for minions to poison enemies. You can get the other 40% with Ghastly Eye abyss jewels on the tree or by linking Chance to Poison Support to your minions.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for gloves with increased minion damage, life, resistances, and if you can afford it +2 to level of socketed minion gems. You should also add increased minion damage and chance to suppress spell damage using Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors.

Note: You can look for a +2 to level of socketed minion gems fracture (permanent golden modifier) and use Deafening Essences of Fear for up to a 30% increased minion damage modifier until you get a tier one life roll with other great modifiers.

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Boots

Rare Boots

Look for +2 to level of socketed minion gems, high life, dexterity, resistances, increased movement speed, and optionally spell suppression. You should also use Eldritch Embers and Eldritch Ichors to roll a chance to avoid elemental ailments and a chance to avoid being Ignited to maintain energy shield.

Note: You can optionally purchase a +2 to level of socketed minion gems fracture and roll Deafening Essences of Envy to guarantee chaos resistance on the boots until you get an excellent pair of boots.

 

Amulet

Aul's Uprising

This expensive amulet gives a free level 15 Envy aura, up to 36 to all attributes, 70 life, and 20% increased global defenses. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the amulet to increase its life bonus.

Rare Amulet

The budget amulet option can be used for high attributes, high life, increased minion damage, energy shield, and resistances.

 

Rings

Profane Proxy

This ring makes Summon Skitterbots apply the socketed curse (which will be Despair) as an aura, has up to 30% increased cold and lightning resistances, and gives +3 to the level of the socketed curse gem. You should use Prismatic Catalysts on the ring to increase its cold and lightning resistances.

Rare Ring

Look for high life, dexterity, increased minion damage and/or minion attack and cast speed, and resistances. You should also use Fertile Catalysts on the ring to increase its life bonus.

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Utility Flasks

Rumi's Concoction (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 armour, a 12% increased chance to block attacks, and a 6% chance to block spells. The legacy version has much higher block chances. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask when it has full charges.

Jade Flask (legacy is better)

Gives 1500 evasion and can have up to 60% increased evasion as a second modifier. Legacy Jade Flasks can have higher increased evasion. You should use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

Quartz Flask 

Gives Phasing and a 10% chance to suppress spell damage. You should roll Bleeding and Corrupted Blood immunity and use Instilling Orbs until you automatically use the flask whenever you are Bleeding.

 

Anointment

You should anoint your amulet with Prismatic Skin for 2% increased maximum elemental resistances at Cassia using a Silver Oil, Golden Oil, and Golden Oil.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

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

Gloves: Commandment of the Grave

Feet: Regenerate 2% of Life Per Second If You Have Been Hit 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 also kill all three bandits 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 because it 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.

Silverbranch

This bow can be used when you switch to Mirror Arrow of Bombarding Clones and Blink Arrow of Prismatic Clones and has high damage for its level, +1 to level of socketed bow gems, increased attack speed, accuracy, and mana on kill.

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Armour

Tabula Rasa

Tabula Rasa is a great offensive level one chest armour that has six linked white sockets. This means you can link any color gems together for much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also look for a Tabula Rasa with an 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 helmet that has up to 40% increased 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 a 15% chance to generate an Endurance, Power, or Frenzy charge on kill.

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Boots

Wondertrap

Wondertrap boots can be used at level nine and give high strength, dexterity, intelligence, and movement speed for their level.

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Amulet

Sidhebreath

A level one amulet that makes minions deal 35-65 cold damage, converts 50% of minions' physical damage to cold damage, gives 15% increased minion life, and makes minions deal no non-cold damage.

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Rings

Perandus Signets

You can use two 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 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.

Granite Flask

This flask will help you survive by giving 1500 armour and can have high increased armour as a second modifier. You should also use Instilling Orbs on the flask until you automatically use the flask whenever it has full charges.

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Leveling Gems

Summon Raging Spirit can be used at a low level with Raise Zombie. Vitality is the best defensive aura for leveling by far and can be used as early as level 10. You can switch to Mirror Arrow of Bombarding Clones and Blink Arrow of Prismatic Clones at level 10. Make sure to pick up a Steelskin gem once you've reached level four and have 16 strength for a defensive guard skill. 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 bow to Roth's Reach once you are level 18. The Carnage Heart amulet 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 to reduce the mana cost of your 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 Blink Arrow & Mirror Arrow Guide! For more on PoE you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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