Important Tree Nodes

The best ascendancy order is Commander of Darkness, Plaguebringer, Essence Glutton, and Mindless Aggression. 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 increase the corpse life of your spectres with the Minion Offense Mastery in the upper right part of the shown tree which significantly increases the corpse explosion damage of Volatile Dead. The Mana Mastery, Reservation Mastery, and some 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 skill tree above 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 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)

Volatile Dead

Spellslinger Support

Awakened Spell Cascade Support

Awakened Elemental Focus Support

Awakened Fire Penetration Support

Enlighten Support

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

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Helmet (4-link)

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

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 is not necessary to stay alive. Anger should be used as your offensive aura to increase the fire damage of your Volatile Dead and it also adds fire damage to the attacks of your minions. Herald of Ash increases your spell fire damage, increases your burning damage, and causes overkills to burn nearby enemies. You should use Anger once you have the 30% increased mana reservation efficiency modifier on your shield, the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Reservation Mastery, the increased mana reservation efficiency from the Mana Mastery, increased mana reservation efficiency from an Eldritch Ichor implicit 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 increases the number of corpses that can be detonated with Volatile Dead.

3. Your spectres maximum life is important for the corpse explosion damage of Volatile Dead because your spectres appear in your Desecrate pool. Make sure your three highest life spectres are alive when fighting to keep them in your Desecrate pool. The best spectres are the Primal Crushclaw and the Primal Blister Lord from Harvests in maps followed by the Lithomancer and Stoneskin Flayer from the Primeval Chambers in Delve. You can start off with high life spectres that are easier to obtain like the Auto-Enforcer and Rusty Crusher which appear inside the Tunnels contracts in heists.

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

5. Spellslinger Support reserves a high amount of mana so it's recommended that you link Spellslinger Support to Enlighten Support so that you can use an extra reservation skill like Anger to add fire damage to the attacks of you and your minions.

6. Empower Support increases the level and life of your spectre corpses spawned with Desecrate which increases the corpse explosion damage of Volatile Dead. Empower Support also gives increased life and damage to your zombies and spectres.

7. Summon Fire Golem deals more damage as a minion build, gives you a damage increase, gives Feeding Frenzy to your minions with Feeding Frenzy Support, and provides an additional target for enemies to attack.

8. If you think you would prefer a build that does higher single target damage that is very similar to Volatile Dead you can also check out the Vaal Detonate Dead Necromancer Guide which can be found here Vaal Detonate 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 socketed gems have 30% increased reservation efficiency, high life, increased critical strike chance with spells, increased block chance, and increased attack speed which can also be added at the crafting bench. The +1 to level of all fire spell skill gems modifier is also nice but it's a rare and expensive modifier on an increased reservation efficiency shield.

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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 corpse life of your spectres for higher Volatile Dead damage, 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 mana reservation efficiency so that you can use the recommended reservation skill.

 

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, energy shield, and two added fire damage modifiers.

 

Gloves

Rare Gloves

Look for +2 to level of socketed minion skill gems to raise the level of your spectre's corpses which will be spawned with Desecrate, high life, strength or dexterity, resistances, and increased attack speed which can also be added at the crafting bench.

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Boots

Rare Cooldown Recovery Boots

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

 

Amulet

Rare Amulet

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

Carnage Heart

The budget option gives up to 56 to all attributes and 20% increased elemental resistances. You can also use Intrinsic Catalysts 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, resistances, and optionally you can add reduced mana cost at the crafting bench. 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 ring with an Elemental Weakness on hit implicit. This ring has 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.

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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 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.

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 which gives an additional curse at Cassia using three Golden Oils once you have a Circle of Anguish ring with an Elemental Weakness on hit corruption.

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Enchants (Standard Only)

Helm: 40% Increased Volatile Dead 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 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 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 a level one chest armour with six white sockets which allows you to link any color skill and support gems together for much higher damage at an earlier level. You can also get 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 excellent level one gloves 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 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 and can also 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.

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 increases enemies damage taken by 10% 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 switch to Desecrate and Volatile Dead. You can also use Zombies because of the early minion damage and life nodes. You can add in Summon Raging Spirit at level four for another minion damage skill. Precision is the a great low level aura that can be used once you reach level 10 to give your minions 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 are 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 greatly 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 Volatile Dead Guide! For more about Path of Exile you can view the endgame guide here Endgame Guide.

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