[3.1]Starter Spectre Summoner Necromancer - Odealo's Crafty Guide

Raise Spectre is the best and the most popular Minion Spell in Patch 3.15. Check out our recommended setup for it

Raise Spectre
Summoner Necromancer build

Updated for Patch 3.16

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Guide notes

December 31, 2021
-Updated for Patch 3.16
January 3, 2021
-Updated gameplay video with 5x Frost Auto-Scout Spectres

Patch 3.8 heavily focused on the Summoner/Necromancer build archetype which made it one of the most popular classes in the entire game, with most of the Summoners playing Raise Spectres. Raise Spectre is a Minion Spell that allows you to resurrect slain enemies to fight for you and Support Gem with Gems that benefit their abilities. It offers massive DPS and at the same time, it's budget-friendly and has no specific item requirements. With the recent changes, Spectre's logic has been greatly improved which makes increases your clear speed, and the damage is simply absurd with bigger investments in Minion equipment.

In the following Guide, we are presenting 6 different types of Spectres that can be used. Obviously, with each update, we are going to include several "best" Spectre types that are worth trying out with this build. There may be small differences in Support Gems and Auras used between them, but overall the entire build is basically the same. You are just going to deal damage through different types of Spectres with possibly different damage types. The build has been nerfed with Path 3.16. It no longer has Elemental Equilibrium, and Shotgunning with your Minions is no longer a thing - it was in fact way too powerful against single targets.

You may also check Best PoE Builds by Odealo if you are looking for other Path of Exile builds

1. Gameplay

Spectre Summoner is somewhat similar to other summoner builds. Your main role is to Support your Minions with Auras, position yourself to avoid enemy Attacks to stay alive. The Spectres will obliterate anything on your Map within seconds, while your Animated Guardian and Carrion Golem provide valuable buffs to you and your team. Initially, we suggest using Slave Drivers as your Spectres, which have insane Lightning AoE Damage and are very easy to find. You can Summon them in Act's 5 Control Blocks, and since Patch 3.8, you no longer need to worry about the Corpse's level to do that as the Spectre level depends on your Raise Spectre Gem, not the Corpse level. This is the optimal Spectre for leveling and Starter builds, whereas you should "upgrade" to the other Spectres listed in the Skill Gem section as you progress through content and finding/obtaining them becomes easier.

Gameplay videos:

This is a video recorded on level 94 Necromancer with 5 Frost Auto-Scout Spectres using Victario's Charity and a set of random Rares. We also had one inexpensive Large Cluster Jewel with two Passives: Feasting Fiends and Renewal

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2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS

insane damage and clear speed
very easy to level up with Minions doing all the job for you
good survivability based on high Life pool and Block
can do most Map Mods
budget-friendly

CONS

getting the more powerful Spectres can get tricky without assistance from other players
Spectres are vulnerable to Elemental Reflect

3. Leveling tips

The leveling phase with Spectre Summoner is very easy. You will be using Raise Zombies as Meat Shields and Summon Raging Spirits as your main DPS skill. There are no special item requirements for this phase, however, a +1 to socketed Gems wand is advised. You should socket your SRS setup in it. In general, a 3-4 linked Raging Spirit setup should carry you all the way to 28 when you can start using Spectres for an amazing DPS boost. Just try to summon any Spell Caster monster to aid you, and then when you reach Act 5, replace it with Slave Drivers.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Raise Zombie
	Raise Zombie - extremely useful during leveling. Not only do they tank a lot of incoming damage, but also deal a moderate amount of damage themselves
	Minion Life Support - one of the best support Gem for the zombie setup
	Minion Damage - increases your Zombie's Damage which is very useful during the leveling phase
	Fortify Support - increases your Zombie's DPS and grants them the Fortify buff which reduces the damage taken

Fire Trap
	Fire Trap - use it for some extra AoE Damage on the first level - before you can use Summon Raging Spirit

Summon Raging Spirit setup
	Summon Raging Spirit - your main DPS spell until you reach Act 8. Raging Spirits act like homing missiles and have to be recast frequently as they last only for a couple of seconds
	Melee Splash Support - a mandatory Gem for fast leveling, otherwise your SRS will be unable to cope with big packs, and leveling will be too slow without any other AoE spell
	Minion Damage Support - great DPS buff, as simple as that
	Unleash Support - stores charges which will cause more Raging Spirits to be created with each cast

Raise Spectre setup
	Raise Spectre - primary Minion Spell used in this build. Initially summon any Spell Caster Spectres, which should be replaced above level 40 with Slave Drivers
	Minion Damage Support - great DPS buff, as simple as that
	Controlled Destruction Support - greatly increases Spell Damage at the cost of reduced Crit. Chance
	Feeding Frenzy Support - makes your Spectres Aggressive and increases their Damage greatly

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

33 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Lord of the Dead 2) Enduring Bond 3) Death Attunement 4) Quick Recovery 5) Cruel Preparation

68 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Righteous Army 2) Redemption 3) Sacrifice 4) Gravepact

Recommended leveling items:

Sidhebreath - one of the best leveling Amulets for any Summoner character. You can use it until you swap to Spectres, or even keep it for a little longer for the bonuses it grants to all your Minions
(20-30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +25% to Cold Resistance 0.2% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Mana Minions have (10-15)% increased maximum Life Minions have (10-15)% increased Movement Speed (15-10)% reduced Mana Cost of Minion Skills Minions deal (10-15)% increased Damage

Praxis - one of the best leveling Rings when you are playing Summon Raging Spirits on lower levels. It helps you Manage your Mana like no other Ring
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(30-60) to maximum Mana (3-6) Mana Regenerated per second -(8-4) to Mana Cost of Skills 8% of Damage taken gained as Mana over 4 seconds when Hit

Reverberation Rod - one of the best wands for the 3L Summon Raging Spirit setup. It will support the skill Gem with Spell Echo which greatly increases your DPS output, and on top of that it increases all socketed Gem levels by 1
(15-19)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Gems Socketed Gems are Supported by level 1 Spell Echo +(10-30) to Intelligence

Victario's Charity - this shield is one of the end-game items for this build, but you can get it as soon as you reach level 50. It will help you finish the campaign in no time. It grants your Minions Frenzy Charges for amazing DPS bonuses
3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +8% to all Elemental Resistances +(50-70) to maximum Life +(20-30)% to Lightning Resistance +11% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Area of Effect of Aura Skills 10% chance to grant a Power Charge to nearby Allies on Kill 5% chance to grant a Frenzy Charge to nearby Allies on Hit

4. Final Skill Trees, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

112 Points Final Skill Tree
117 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

Mindless Aggression
Unnatural Strength
Mistress of Sacrifice
Bone Barrier or Commander of Darkness

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of the Brine King You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Raise Spectre

Raise Spectre - your main DPS spell. Depending on the Spectres used you will need a different set of Support Gems which are all listed below. We recommend using Slave Drivers when leveling up, and when you have no specific Uniques on you, where Syndicate Operatives are the best end-game Spectres that you should switch to eventually and use Triad Grip to convert their damage fully to Cold

SLAVE DRIVER

Location: Control Blocks, Act 5
Type: Lightning Spell Caster
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: Slave Drivers are the primary Spectres recommended for this build. They are easy to Summon as you only have to teleport to Act 5's Town and enter Control Blocks. They offer solid single-target damage and use Area Lightning Spells which are also good for clearing Maps. They are basically the best starting Spectres because of how easy to obtain they are

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Spell Echo -> Added Lightning Damage -> Lightning Penetration -> Elemental Focus

Scinteel Synthete

SCINTEEL SYNTHETE

Location: Synthesised Maps
Type: Lightning Spell Caster
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: Scinteel Synthetes are another Lightning-based Spell Caster Spectres with various Projectile Spells at their disposal. They are considered the best Spell Casters in the game currently, however, they can only be found in Synthesised Maps, and they are not a guaranteed spawn, so it may take some time to have them summoned

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Spell Echo -> Added Lightning Damage -> Greater Multiple Projectiles -> Elemental Focus

Redemption Sentries

REDEMPTION SENTRY

Location: Redeemer influence or Veritania Citadel Map
Type: Cold Ranged Attack
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: a very powerful Spectres, though they need extra Attack Speed to provide a similar level of clear speed when compared to Spell-caster Spectres (from Haste Aura and Flesh Offering for example). They deal purely Cold Damage with Attacks and offers high single-target Damage

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Elemental Damage with Attacks -> Added Cold Damage -> Greater Multiple Projectiles -> Elemental Focus

Baranite Preacher

BARANITE PREACHER

Location: Crusader influence or Baran Citadel Map
Type: Lightning Spell Caster
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: these Spectres cast an alternative version of Ball Lightning which is great for melting Bosses. The mapping isn't top tier but they are a very solid choice overall. They also occasionally Cast a Nova Spell that deals very high Lightning Damage but it has a long cooldown making it much less reliable in combat

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Spell Echo -> Added Lightning Damage -> Greater Multiple Projectiles -> Elemental Focus

Frost Auto Scout

FROST AUTO-SCOUT

Location: Heist Contracts: Tunnels and Repository
Type: Cold Spell Caster
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: one of the best all-around Spectres that fire Cold Damage projectiles with insane base damage but reduced Critical Strike Chance. They are one of the newest Spectres that became available in Heist League

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Spell Echo -> Added Cold Damage -> Greater Multiple Projectiles -> Elemental Focus

Syndicate Operative

SYNDICATE OPERATIVE

Location: Syndicate Safehouse
Type: Physical Ranged Attack
Maps:
Bosses:

Description: one of the best Spectres in the game that use powerful Physical/Projectile Attacks to obliterate your enemies. The main Attack no longer has a shotgun effect as of 3.16, but it's still a viable option.

Support Gems: Minion Damage -> Elemental Damage with Attacks -> Vicious Projectiles -> Greater Multiple Projectiles -> Signal Prey/Elemental Focus

[UTILITY] Auras
	Hatred - the best DPS Aura for cold DPS Spectres: Redemption Sentries, Syndicate Operative, Frost Auto Scouts. If you are using Lightning ones just use Wrath instead
	Precision - if you are using Triad Grip and Operatives Spectres, you will need to have 4 Green Sockets in them so one of the options here is a low-level Precision
	Generosity Support - increases the effect of linked Auras but makes them apply no bonuses to your character which is negligible in this build

[UTILITY] Offering, Desecrate, and Tempest Shield (triggered automatically by Wand affix)
	Bone Offering - boosts your Attack and Spell Block Chance offering amazing defensive utility
	Desecrate - allows you to create Corpses that will be required for you offering Spell. You can use a level 1 Desecrate so that it costs less Mana when triggered
	Tempest Shield - grants additional chance to Block Spells so it's useful when you lack in it. Just like Desecrate, you can use a level 1 Gem here

[UTILITY] Carrion Golem/Animated Guardian (Socketed in Helmet with Minion Life)
	Summon Carrion Golem - the best Golem for this Minion build which adds a lot of Physical Damage to your Minions
	Animate Guardian - one of the most interesting Minions in the game which can consume Items from the ground to technically equip them and offer the bonuses they carry. In this setup, you are going to "equip" him with supportive Items that will boost your other Minions' damage and help the Animated Guardian survive - if he dies, the Items will be lost. You can also use simply a Raise Zombie instead. Animated Guardian equipment: Kingmaker - grants nearby allies Culling Strike, Fortify, and 50% Critical Strike Multiplier Mask of the Stitched Demon - grants tons of Life Regeneration to your Animated Guardian if you equip the recommended Body Armour Crafted Body Armour with "Gain 10% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield" Crafted Gloves and Boots preferably with additional Chaos Resistance
	Feeding Frenzy Support - Attacks from the Animated Guardian and your Golem will have a chance to grant you the Feeding Frenzy buff which will increase the Damage, Attack, and Cast Speed of all your Allies
	Elemental Army Support - your Golem and Animated Guardian will apply Elemental Exposure to enemies. Depending on the Spectres you are using this should be either Cold or Lightning Exposure (based on the Aura that you have active)

[UTILITY] Brand/Curse setup
	Storm Brand - used to apply the Supported Curse to increase your Spectre's Damage output. Use Storm Brand with Cold Spectres, and if you are using Lightning Spectres just use Armageddon Brand
	Hextouch Support - will cause your Storm Brand to apply the socketed Curse
	Elemental Weakness - reduces Elemental Resistance of affected enemies. You can also use Frostbite with Cold Spectres or Conductivity with Lightning ones

[UTILITY] Steelskin
	Steelskin - the recommended Guard Spell for this build which grants a protective shield that absorbs slightly over 2000 incoming damage, you can also use Molten Shell if you have a lot of Armour

[UTILITY] Convocation (Unset Ring)
	Convocation - summons all your Minions to your location and grants them increased Life Regen. It's very useful when you want to progress faster through Maps. In most cases, you should have it Socketed in an Unset Ring

[UTILITY] Determination/Banner/Cold Snap
	Determination - use it for added and increased Armour
	Defiance Banner - it increases your Armour and Evasion Rating while making enemies less likely to deal Critical Strike

[MOBILITY] Dash
	Dash - the fastest Mobility Spell you can use in this build, Flame Dash is also a viable option
	Arcane Surge Support - keep it at a low level so that it can be activated with a single cast of linked Spell, it grants Spell Damage, Cast Speed, and Mana Regen, if you need a Support Gem for a Green Socket use Second Wind Support

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5. Gear Setup

The Spectre Summoner build is not only extremely powerful but also budget-friendly. As usual, we are providing all the recommended stats for each of the items listed. The items listed below will work for all the Spectres with the exception of two pairs of Unique Gloves that should be used under the specified conditions.

Also, remember that you can always visit our Path of Exile marketplace and restock any type of PoE Currency required to complete your build.

Our recommended items will:

Cap your resistances
Give you enough DPS/Life/Mana to start mapping successfully

Stat priorities on items:

Life
Elemental Resistances
Minion Damage
Minion Speed
Attributes

SLAVE DRIVER/SCINTEEL SYNTHETIC VARIANT

(Helmet) Rare Bone Helmet - a Bone Helmet with increased Minion Life is the best in slot option but might be very expensive early in the League
Min. requirements: 60 Maximum Life +# to Level of Socketed Minion Gems Socketed Gems are Supported by level # Minion Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes
(Body Armour) Rare Armour - a Rare piece with high defensive stats is your best pick. You could also try corrupting a relatively cheap six-linked Armours to get the +1 Level to Socketed Gems Implicit on it, which would make your Item godly for this build
Min. requirements: 90 Maximum Life +1 to Level of Socketed Gems Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes Gain 10% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield
(Weapon) Convoking Wand - the best Wand type which can roll Minion Modifiers
Min. requirements: 50% Minion Damage +1 to Level of All Minion Gems Trigger Socketed Spell when you use a Skill with an 8-second cooldown Optional affixes: Minion Attack/Cast Speed
(Shield) Victario's Charity - one of the best Shields in terms of DPS as it grants Frenzy Charges to your Minions
+8% to all Elemental Resistances 3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(50-70) to maximum Life +(20-30)% to Lightning Resistance +11% to Chaos Resistance 20% increased Area of Effect of Aura Skills 10% chance to grant a Power Charge to nearby Allies on Kill 5% chance to grant a Frenzy Charge to nearby Allies on Hit
(Shield) Rare Shield - mainly for high defensive stats like Life, Block Chance, Armour Rating, and possibly Life recovery on Block
Min. requirements: 100 Maximum Life Recover 5% of Life when you Block Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Chance to Block Spell Damage Maximum Life %
(Boots) Bones of Ullr - a budget-friendly option that helps you increase your maximum number of Spectres
(40-60)% increased Energy Shield +20 to maximum Life +20 to maximum Mana (5-15)% increased Movement Speed +1 to Level of all Raise Zombie Gems +1 to Level of all Raise Spectre Gems
(Boots) Rare Boots - Rare pair with +1 to level of all Raise Spectre Gems crafted Mod will be the best in the slot
Min. requirements: 55 maximum Life 25% Movement Speed 50% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: +1 to level of All Raise Spectre Gems Chaos Resistance Attributes
Boot enchantment: Regenerate 2% of Life per second if you were Hit Recently
(Belt) Rare Belt - with the highest possible defensive Stats. Stygian Vise is the best base because of the extra Abyssal Socket, though it can get much more expensive
Min. requirements: 110 maximum Life 25 Strength 70% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance
(Amulet) Rare Amulet - aim for the highest Life and possibly +1 to level of your Intelligence Gems
Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life +1 to Level of All Intelligence Skill Gems Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental Resistances
(Amulet) The Jinxed Juju - one of the best Amulets for this build. It grants insane defensive utility by reducing all your damage taken from Hits by 10%
+(16–24) to Strength and Dexterity +(30–40) to Intelligence +(23–31)% to Chaos Resistance (10–15)% increased Effect of your Curses (10–15)% increased effect of Non-Curse Auras from your Skills 10% of Damage from Hits is taken from your Spectres' Life before you
Recommended Anointments: Ravenous Horde (DPS) Deflection (defense - more valuable if using high Armour Rare Shield)
(Rings) Rare Rings - preferably Essence Crafted Rings with increased Minion Speed. You should have enough Life and Resistances since most of our Gear is Rare, so this may be a worthy investment. You may want to use one Unset Ring to socket Convocation there
Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 50% Total Elemental Resistances increased Minion Movement Speed (Essence crafted) Optional affixes: Attributes Chaos Resistance
(Gloves) Rare Gloves - preferred option if you are using Spectres other than Syndicate Operatives. Just aim for high defensive stats
Min. requirements: 85 maximum Life Minions have #% increased Damage (Crafting bench) 30% Chaos Resistance Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Attributes
(Gloves) Triad Grip - a must-have pair, with 4 green Sockets, if you are using Syndicate Operatives. It will allow you to convert 100% of their Damage
(80–120)% increased Armour and Energy Shield Minions convert 25% of Physical Damage to Fire Damage per Red Socket Minions convert 25% of Physical Damage to Cold Damage per Green Socket Minions convert 25% of Physical Damage to Lightning Damage per Blue Socket Minions convert 25% of Physical Damage to Chaos Damage per White Socket Minions have (5–10)% chance to Freeze, Shock and Ignite
(Gloves) Algor Mortis - the perfect pair for Lightning Spectres. You can create chilling grounds with Cold Snap if using those, and increase the Lightning DPS output of your Minions
+(50–70) to maximum Energy Shield +(15–20)% to Cold and Lightning Resistances (20–30)% chance to Sap Enemies in Chilling Areas Enemies in your Chilling Areas take (25–35)% increased Lightning Damage (15–20)% increased Effect of Non-Damaging Ailments
(Jewel) Unending Hunger - increased the radius of AoE spells cast by your Spectres. It also grants them the Soul Eater buff, which grants them increased Cast Speed (5% per stack of Soul Eater)
Minions have (6-8)% increased Area of Effect of Area Skills With at least 40 Intelligence in Radius, Raised Spectres have a 50% chance to gain Soul Eater for 30 seconds on Kill
(Jewel)Anatomical Knowledge - grant increased Life. Put it on the left from Witch's starting point. It is rather inexpensive and will be a better pick early on than Rare Life/Damage Cobalt Jewels
(6-8)% increased maximum Life Adds 1 to Maximum Life per 3 Intelligence Allocated in Radius
(Jewels) Rare Jewels - try to get cheap Cobalt Jewels with maximum Life and Minion Damage bonuses
Recommended affixes: increased maximum Life increased Minion Damage Optional affixes: increased Minion Life
(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - aim for high added Elemental or Physical Damage depending on the type of Spectres that you are summoning
Recommended affixes: maximum Life Minions deal additional # Damage (depending on the type of Minions used) Optional affixes: Minions have increased Attack/Cast Speed
(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - great utility Flask which increases your Chance to Block and your Armour Rating
+1500 to Armour +(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect +(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect
Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask with Bleeding immunity/removal Experimenter's Basalt Flask with random ailment removal Ample Silver Flask with random ailment removal Ample Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline (increased Movement Speed)