Absolution Summoner
Necromancer/Guardian
Starter Build

Updated for Patch 3.21

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Absolution is a unique Minion Spell that allows you to summon a new type of Sentinels when you kill enemies that have the Absolution's debuff on them, with an extra chance to do so when you hit a Rare or Unique Enemy. With up to three Sentinels of Absolution that deal purely Lightning Spell Damage, you are able to simply melt Bosses within seconds. This applies both to a non-budget version with literally 0 gear requirements when dealing with lower Tier Bosses, but also to end-game ones' when you have enough currency to invest into Doryani's Prototype and Melding of the Flesh Unique Jewel. This combination lets you easily reach less than -100% Lightning Resistance, which will be the Lightning Resistance value of nearby enemies, including Bosses. In order not to get one-shotted by any Lightning Spells and Attacks, you will have to maintain a high Armour level, which applies to your character via another modifier on your Armour. 

All around, this is one of the best Minion Starter builds in the current Patch. It might offer less AoE coverage than your standard Skeleton Mages builds, but requires no Unique Items, and offers much higher singlet-target damage. It simply should feel better on SSF mode and for players that prefer to farm the Bosses faster. 

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds right over here Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

This is a very simple Minion build where you are running around and occasionally casting Absolution to have all three Sentinels active at all times. You can also cast Vortex if using Algor Mortis Gloves to create the chilling grounds that boost your Minions' Lightning DPS, and Convocation to have your Minions instantly teleported to your current location. Other than that, you are only going to use a Mobility Skill (Flame Dash, or Dash if you prefer it for any reason) and Molten Shell. If you allocate the latter under your left mouse button, it will be basically cast automatically whenever off-cooldown. This is an extremely simple and enjoyable build with no complex mechanics and just a few active Skills. 

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling most Minion builds is quite easy, but Absolution puts it on a completely different level. You can use all the Minions you would normally do like Zombies, Spectres, or even Raging Spirits, as Absolution doesn't require you to constantly cast the Spell. You only have to refresh the duration every 10 Seconds by occasionally recasting the ability, while you can cast all your other Minion or Utility Spells. There are plenty of ways you can level up this Witch character, and you basically can't go wrong with any of them. The simplest way is to use two main setups: Zombies for defensive bonuses and Absolution to take down Bosses. You may even take Spiritual Aid during leveling, the base damage of Absolution Spell has been increased, so with this Passive allocated it will do some extra damage on its own. Below you can find the basic Gem setup and several useful Uniques that will help you get through the campaign unflinching.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Raise Zombie setup
	Raise Zombie - The first type of Minions available in the game, they play a mainly defensive role, but the extra damage they can deal on lower levels is also reasonable.
	Minion Life Support - Boosts the Life of your Zombies. Later on, you will need that Gem for your Golem, Spectres, and Animated Guardian so it's good to level it up beforehand.
	Elemental Army Support - Make sure that your Zombies deal some Lightning Damage to apply exposure, boosting the DPS of your Absolution Minions.
	Feeding Frenzy Support - Your Zombies can grant you the Feeding Frenzy buff which boosts your Minions' Speed and DPS.

Absolution setup
	Absolution - The core Spell used in this build. It's available as early as level 12 and should be used from that point onward.
	Minion Damage Support - Boosts the damage of your Sentinels of Absolution considerably.
	Spell Echo Support - Repeats the Spells cast by your Sentinels of Absolution but also the Absolution itself, making it easier to trigger vs Bosses.
	Physical to Lightning Support - Allows you to convert 100% of the Sentinel DPS to Lightning type and adds extra Lightning Damage.

Utility Gems
	Wrath - Boosts the Lightning Spell Damage of you and your Minions.
	Flame Dash - The recommended Movement Skill for this build.
	Conductivity - The recommended Curse for this build, which reduces the Lightning Resistance of affected enemies (this will also apply to negative values when using Doryani's Prototype).

Bandits:

Kill all three Bandits for two additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

31 Points Skill Tree
Take Lord of The Dead and Death Attunement and then Redemption and Righteous Army. Optionally also Spiritual Aid if you plan to deal extra damage yourself. On lower levels playing a Minion build, Life/defensive nodes are less important as you can easily avoid damage

63 Points Skill Tree
Again, prioritize DPS nodes like Enduring Bond and Ravenous Horde, then go for extra Life, Spiritual Command and Sacrifice

Recommended leveling items:

Sidhebreath - Affordable Amulet that summoners like to wear during leveling.

(20-30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +25% to Cold Resistance Minions have (10-15)% increased maximum Life Minions have (10-15)% increased Movement Speed Minions deal (5-9) to (11-15) additional Cold Damage (15-10)% reduced Mana Cost of Minion Skills

Perandus Signet - Use it to get more experience and for additional Mana. Allows you to basically spam Absolution for extra damage so make sure to use Spiritual Aid when having it equipped (or other damage dealing Spells).

+(20-30) to maximum Mana +(25-30) to maximum Mana (45-65)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 2% increased Experience gain 2% increased Intelligence for each Unique Item Equipped 3% additional chance for Slain monsters to drop Scrolls of Wisdom

Skullhead - Good Helmet for Summoners, it increases your Minions' survivability and gives you some defensive bonuses as well.

(60-80)% increased Armour and Evasion +(50-70) to maximum Life +(50-70) to maximum Mana +(10-20)% to all Elemental Resistances Minions have +10% Chance to Block Attack Damage Minions have +(300-350) to Armour Minions Regenerate 2% of Life per second

Tabula Rasa - There is no better leveling Body Armour for this and many other builds.

Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

Necromancer - 108 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)
Guardian - 111 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Cluster Jewels)

Necromancer - 121 Points Path of Building (PoB) link
Guardian - 122 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Mindless Aggression
2. Commander of Darkness
3. Plaguebringer
4. Mistress of Sacrifice

1. Radiant Crusade
2. Unwavering Crusade
3. Time of Need
4. Bastion of Hope

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris: 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%
or Soul of Brine King for extra Stun avoidance and Freeze Immunity with Peruna's soul captured

Minor God: Soul of Yugul: 50% chance to Reflect Hexes; You and your Minions take 50% reduced Reflected Damage
or Soul of Abberath for 60% less Duration of Ignite on You

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Absolution setup
	Absolution - Primary Spell used in this build which summons up to three Sentinels of Absolution that deal converted Lightning Damage with Spells. It's best to socket it in a Helmet with extra Gems so that you have additional Support for your Spectres/Golem/Animated Guardian.
	Spell Echo Support - Causes the Sentinels' Spells to be repeated for a massive DPS boost. It also makes you repeat casting Absolution, increasing the chance to summon the Sentinels too.
	Physical to Lightning Support - Allows for 100% Physical to Lightning Conversion and adds extra Lightning Damage.
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - This Gem offers high bonus DPS if you are using Precision, Minion Offence Masteries, and possibly Kingmaker on your Animated Guardian, all of which can scale your Minion's Crit. Damage. If you're using  Spirit Offering, use  Increased Critical Damage instead.
Gems provided by the Elder/Shaper Helmet:
	Minion Damage Support - Straight-up damage boost to all Minion Skills.
	Hypothermia Support - You are going to use Vortex to create Chilling Grounds which will allow you to scale your Sentinels damage via this Gem.

[UTILITY] Utility Minions setup
	Summon Carrion Golem - A mandatory Minion that adds Physical Damage to your Sentinels of Absolution, boosting their DPS.
	Raise Spectre - You should be able to summon three or four Spectres in this build so you can summon at least 2 types of Utility Spectres. The recommended ones are: Carnage Chieftain from Old Fields A2 which can generate Frenzy Charges, you can use two of those Ancient Wraiths or Ancient Suffering from Haunted Remains zone in Delve. The first one can apply Enfeeble and the second one Temporal Chains Curse. Just pick one of them, and they will add their Curse on top of yours Arena Master from Drox-influenced Maps. Cast a buff that increases Attack and Cast Speed for you and your Minions
	Animate Guardian - An amazing Utility Minion that can use items from the ground to have them equipped. We didn't use it in the video as we are constantly changing the builds so the items would go to waste, but if you plan to stick with it for longer, then it's more than worth it. Have it equipped with: Kingmaker Two-Handed Axe for Culling Strike and extra Crit. Multiplier Mask of the Stitched Demon for MASSIVE Life regeneration Armour with crafted "Gain 10% of Maximum Life as Maximum Energy Shield" and possibly some extra Life/ES/Chaos Resistance Boots with Chaos Resistance and Movement Speed Southbound Gloves for tons of extra Life
	Minion Life Support - This makes all the Minions in this setup more durable.
	Feeding Frenzy Support - It makes your Minions aggressive and has them trigger Feeding Frenzy buff on Hit, boosting the Speed of your Sentinels of Absolution as well.
	Elemental Army Support - Minions in this setup will have higher Resistances and also will be able to apply Lightning Exposure to enemies on Hit.

[UTILITY] Triggered Gems from your weapon socketed in a wand or linked to Arcanist Brand
	Desecrate - Spawns a pile of Corpses that can be used for your Offering Skill. You can use a level 1 Gem here to reduce its Mana cost.
	Bone Offering - Increases Block Chance of yourself and your Minions, making them tankier. If you're not a Necromancer with Mistress of Sacrifice, use  Spirit Offering instead.
	Assassin's Mark - Boosts the Critical Strike Chance of your Minions and allows them to generate Power Charges.

[UTILITY] Flame Dash, Molten Shell, Convocation
	Flame Dash - Recommended mobility spell, it's instant and you can use it three times in rapid succession. You can also use  Frostblink instead to create Chilling Areas.
	Molten Shell - The recommended Guard Skill for this build which boosts your Armour Rating and provides a strong protective Shield that absorbs incoming damage.
	Convocation - Instant-cast Spell that teleports all your Minions to your actual location and grants them increased Life Regeneration.
	Arcane Surge Support - Grants Arcane Surge buff after spending a certain amount of Mana on linked Spells. Keep this Gem at levels 5-6 so that it's triggered with each Flame Dash, giving you increased Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration.

[UTILITY] Aura setup socketed in Shield with increased Mana Reservation Efficiency or linked with Enlighten Support
	Wrath - Boots Lightning Spell Damage of your Minions. The best DPS Aura for this build.
	Zealotry - Another very powerful Caster Aura that increases Spell Damage and Spell Critical Strike Chance. Use only if you have the Shield with increased Efficiency, otherwise, prioritize the other two Auras. You may also put it in a separate setup and link it with  Generosity Support.
	Determination - Boosts your Armour Rating significantly. A must-have if using Doryani's Prototype.

[UTILITY] Tempest Shield
	Tempest Shield - Tempest Shield is used only for the extra Spell Block Chance, so you may want to use the divergent version of it.

[UTILITY] Vortex
	Vortex - Creates Chilling Ground under your character. If you are using Algor Mortis and/or Hypothermia Support Gem it's good but can be replaced with just  Frostblink if you're short on sockets.

[UTILITY] Wrath setup
	Wrath - It's the second-best offensive Aura (after Zealotry), and you should use it in this form only after allocating Eldritch Battery. It grants more Spell Lightning Damage.
	Divine Blessing Support - With Eldritch Battery Keystone you will be able to periodically switch the Aura on.

6. Gear Setup

This is a very simple and straightforward Minion build that requires literally 0 Unique Items. Simply get gear with Minion Damage and defensive stats and you will be able to progress through the campaign and lower Tier Maps. However, we have included items for the most powerful Doryani's Prototype setup which relies on reducing your Lightning Resistance to a negative value and having nearby enemies have the same Lightning Resistance as yourself. This makes this one of the best Boss-killing builds out there with simply absurd single-target DPS. It's obviously not necessary and will require extra investments in the Items, but having such a possibility, later on, is what makes this build so interesting. 

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances at 75%
2. Provide you with enough DPS and Life to start mapping

(Helmet) Rare Bone Helmet - A double-influenced Bone Helmet with Minion Damage and Hypothermia (on top of a bonus to the level of Socketed Minion Gems) can be used to host the main absolution setup. For a budget build, just having Minion Gem Level increased should suffice.

Min. requirements: +# to Level of Socketed Minion Gems Socketed Gems are Supported by Level # Minion Damage +60 to Maximum Life Optional affixes: Elemental Resistances Socketed Gems are Supported by Level # Hypothermia

Helmet enchantments: 150% increased Effect of the Buff granted by your Carrion Golems 30% increased Assassin's Mark Curse Effect

(Weapon) Rare Wand - On your wand get as many Minion-related mods as you can afford, and craft the Triggering mod so that don't have to worry about manually casting your core Utility Skills. Try to get +2 to the level of Absolution skill gem here.

Min. requirements: +1 to Level of all Minion Minions deal 50% increased Damage Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Use a Skill, with a 8 second Cooldown (crafted) Optional affixes: +1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems Minions have #% increased Cast Speed

(Shield) Rare Shield - Look for Shield with high Armour and Maximum Life, possibly increased Mana Reservation Efficiency so that you can use additional Aura. Fossilised Spirit Shield can increase the level of all the Minion Gems by one.

Min. requirements: +90 to maximum Life Socketed Gems have 30% increased Reservation Efficiency Optional affixes: Chance to Block Spell Damage Elemental and Chaos Resistances High Armour Rating Attributes

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - In a Starter/budget version, simply pick a random Body Armour with high Life and Resistances. You can also get a piece with an increased Effect of your Auras, but it can significantly increase the price.

Min. requirements: +90 to maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: High Armour Rating Attributes #% increased effect of Non-Curse Auras from your Skills

(Body Armour) Doryani's Prototype - Doryani's Prototype is the B.I.S item for this entire setup that will require you to reduce your Lightning Resistanceboosting the DPS of your Sentinels of Absolution. It requires at least tons of extra Armour.

(150-200)% increased Armour and Energy Shield +(60-90) to maximum Life Deal no Non-Lightning Damage Armour also applies to Lightning Damage taken from Hits Lightning Resistance does not affect Lightning Damage taken Nearby Enemies have Lightning Resistance equal to yours

(Body Armour) Fleshcrafter - Fleshcrafter Body armour can be used instead. it's much simpler to implement into the build. Makes your minions' Lightning Damage treat Lightning Resistance of foes as it'd be 0% If they have Energy Shield. it is easily achievable.

(100-150)% increased Energy Shield Minions Convert 2% of their Maximum Life to Maximum Energy Shield per 1% Chaos Resistance they have Chaos Damage taken does not bypass Minions' Energy Shield Minions have (50-100)% faster start of Energy Shield Recharge While Minions have Energy Shield, their Hits Ignore Monster Elemental Resistances

(Boots) Rare Boots - Simply aim for high defensive stats and at least 25% Increased Movement Speed. No fancy stats are required here.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life 25% Increased Movement Speed +60% to Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes Chaos Resistance

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - On gloves seek once more mostly defensive stats. If you can afford it, you can apply Unnerved as an Implicit mod that will increase the DPS of your Absolution Minions.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life +70% to Total Elemental Resistances Chance to Unnerve enemies for 4 Seconds on Hit Optional affixes: Attributes Chaos Resistance

(Gloves) Algor Mortis - Algor Mortis are a very powerful pair of Gloves that will increase Lightning Damage taken by enemies inside Chilling Grounds you create with the Vortex Spell.

+(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

(Belt) Stygian Vise - Stygian Vise could be a good base for a belt due to the extra abyss socket, but in most cases, darkness enthroned will be better.

Min. requirements: +80 to Maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: #% increased maximum Life Minions have #% increased maximum Life Chaos Resistance

(Belt) Darkness Enthroned - Darkness Enthroned is yet another best-in-slot Belt for this build, if you can afford high-end Abyssal Jewels that is.

Has 1 Abyssal Socket Has 1 Abyssal Socket (50-100)% increased Effect of Socketed Abyss Jewels

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - You will need a lot of Attributes on your Amulet to meet all the requirements. other than that try getting Life and increases to the Gem level of your Absolution.

Min. requirements: +70 to Maximum Life Attributes (tons of Dexterity preferably) Optional affixes: Elemental/Chaos Resistances +1 to Level of all Strength Skill Gems +1 to Level of all Physical/Lightning Skill Gems

Recommended Anointments: Gravepact

(Ring) Rare Rings - Look for all the missing stats like Life, Resistances, and Attributes on your Rings. There aren't many Minion-related mods that would be easy to get here, unless it's a Bone Ring. Bone Rings are special cases, there you can get minion cast speed and damage.

Min. requirements: +60 to Maximum Life +80% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Chaos Resistance Attributes (Dexterity mainly) Minions have #% increased Movement Speed Minions deal #% increased Damage

(Ring) Ventor's Gamble - Ventor's Gamble is a Ring that can reduce your own Lightning Resistance. The good ones may be very expensive.

(6-15)% increased Rarity of Items found +(0-60) to maximum Life (-10-10)% increased Quantity of Items found (-40-40)% increased Rarity of Items found +(-25-50)% to Fire Resistance +(-25-50)% to Cold Resistance +(-25-50)% to Lightning Resistance

(Jewel) Abyss Jewels - Using only Ghastly Abyss jewels is heavily encouraged. Try to obtain Minion Damage and Cast Speed here, but don't forget about your own Maximum Life. Put the two best ones in your Darkness enthroned.

Min. requirements: +30 to Maximum Life Minions deal # to # additional Physical/Lightning Damage Minions deal #% increased Damage if you've used a Minion Skill Recently Optional affixes: Attributes Elemental Resistances Minions have increased Cast Speed

(Jewel) Melding of the Flesh - The core item if you are using Doryani's Prototype. It offers up to -80% Elemental Resistances. You will need a lot of Fire and Cold Resistances (Maximum and regular) on your other items though.

-(80-70)% to all Elemental Resistances Elemental Resistances are capped by your highest Maximum Elemental Resistance instead -(6-4)% to all maximum Elemental Resistances

(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - At higher levels, there aren't many Passives that can be allocated to boost your Minions DPS, so it's the best option to simply go for Cluster Jewels with additional Passives. You should be able to use one Large Cluster Jewel.

Recommended Passives: 1 Added Passive Skill is Vicious Bite 1 Added Passive Skill is Call to the Slaughter 1 Added Passive Skill is Raze and Pillage 1 Added Passive Skill is Renewal

(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - We recommend two Medium Cluster Jewels. The most basic option is to go for the Minion ones, but you can also grab Curse one for Unnerve and a damage multiplier from Evil Eye.

Recommended Passives: 1 Added Passive Skill is Feasting Fiends 1 Added Passive Skill is Renewal 1 Added Passive Skill is Master of Fear 1 Added Passive Skill is Evil Eye

(Jewel) Fortress Covenant - A solid DPS boost for your Minions. If you socket it inside a Cluster Jewel, the negative effect will be ignored.

Minions deal (35-45)% increased Damage Minions have +(10-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage Minions have +(10-12)% Chance to Block Spell Damage Notable Passive Skills in Radius are Transformed to instead grant: Minions take 20% increased Damage

(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - One of the best defensive flasks in the game, it increases your Armour and increases your chance to Block.

+1500 to Armour +(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect +(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect

(Flask) Bottled Faith - Use Bottled Faith for more Critical Strike Chance, More DPS, and Life Regeneration, it's an expensive Flask but it is worth its price as most of the bonuses will apply to your Minions.

40% increased Damage Creates Consecrated Ground on Use (20-40)% increased Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Divine Life Flask with Bleed removal/immunity Quicksilver Flask for increased mobility Basalt Flask with increased Armour or reduced Effect of Curses on you

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.