Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players.
Summoner/specters in 0.2?
I haven't had a chance to play yet (and won't for a few days. I know many of you do not like the new patch at all, but I'm hoping to spark some discussion that isn't about the general state of the game.
For those of you who who have been trying summoner, either classic, specters or a hybrid I'm curious to hear what has been working and what hasn't (relative to everything else, I understand that nothing is "working" in terms of crushing content).
Are there any standard minions that seem worthwhile for campaign or stand out as having endgame potential?
Are there any specters that have been working well or combine well with other mechanics?
Have any of you tried a detonate dead minions setup?
Is SRS worth it at all?
Anyone finding success with a hybrid minions and direct damage strategy?
I'm near the end of act2, went liche.
Skele warriors are very weak offensively but can be gemmed enough to take some hits
Skele archers with martial support / pierce do decent damage
Skele arsinests.. you wont have the spirit so pick these or archers, I picked archers since these seemed kinda weak but they do aoe damage. Nice for mobs but not nice enough to make up for bossing
None of your minions are strong enough to do damage alone, so you need to be casting damage yourself. I chose chaos with contaigen and drain essence. It sucks you run around in circles dotting waiting for death but you gata do something. Get chain on drain essence to help spread the dot
Raise specter is total garbage, mostly. You get one use to pick a minion, the minnions require a lot of spirit so you sac skeles and you have no idea if the minion is good or trash. I've only been able to pick one (need a level 7 gem EVERY time you want a new minnion to try) so far and it sucked
Lich kinda felt like a debuff tbh. I picked the -5% mana regen so my minions have +30% chaos damage. Don't really notice the damage, definently notice the mana drain.
Lich ES route will make it so you can't cast at all when you get hit, since it uses energy shield. Totally unusable until maybe much higher gear levels
So far at like level 26, Im running around with the wither aura spamming contaigen and drain essence while my minions try to keep the mobs busy. Bossing is just running around using dots, minions just die in one or two boss attacks and bosses spam attacks, so it's all you. Some bosses wont hit my archers so they can get some hits in, all depends on the boss but dont count on minions.
Early on, very boring gameplay. Right now, still very boring since you use the same skills forever and they don't really ever get better. Try to find gear with +spells to increase your dot damage that's all your damage.
That's been my experience so far. My dots are pretty strong so watching streamers on huntress im killing faster than them.
Super dissapointed with ascendancy, super dissapointed with strength of minions, super dissapointed with skills. Didn't expect i'd be using drain essence spamming the entire time while kiting mobs. Oh yea, a lot of mobs will just ignore your minions and go for you, especially rares and bosses. Kinda nice i guess, since it allows your minions to do damage since they get to live throughout the fight, but they usually die soon to some random aoe dmg you're constantly trying to dodge.
Also try to get a high skele warrior sceptor with +spirit and good auras on it. I only tried one of the aura sceptors momentarily because I really like my warriors, as shitty as they are, so i dont have to kite every single pack.
I would say, contaigen is easily the best/MVP spell. It really helps with clear once you get the first one contaminated dead. Great on bosses too since you can cast it and get back to dancing around aoes/attacks every half a second while still doing damage.
Oh yea, unearth is good to keep on bar too, helps from getting overwhelmed when you get something dead.
Good write up
Bad news, it gets a lot worse from where you are
You don't even get enough skill gems to try multiple specters. It's terrible.
It's the least fun league I've played.
All minions are currently completely unplayable (not weak, straight up lose to white packs unplayable) perhaps the upcoming hotfix will change that idk
This is just wrong. Im leveling as Minions and its fine to above average. I havent found any spectres worth shit yet though.
I've been leveling with SRS, it's pretty rough man, only getting 2 per spell hurts badly.
Srs is bad right now, minions in general are very squishy. It's playable but it isn't in a great place imo. Played minions in 0.10 and playing minions now(still in campaign)
Just got to act 3 and the only spectre that I've found that does any damage at all is the miners that throw dynamite. The fuse mechanic seems to not be a duration so it's really clunky.
Spectre mechanics in general are also really clunky as they walk super slow and keep "going to sleep" or whatever when at the edge of the screen. The other 6 random spectres I tried did extremely low damage I'm talking less than half of what arsonists do. They cost a ton of spirit (likely balanced around endgame) which means you get 1 or maybe 2 of them. On the bright side spectres have a lot more life than skeletons and don't die every 3 seconds.
SRS is carrying me hardcore, their damage is far and away better than any other minion. Problem is that getting spirit gems is pretty rare and they will be underleveled.
Note that this is all in context of other minions. Even at their best SRS are far worse damage than Contagion did.
TLDR: It's dead
SRS is dead, don't waste your time.
Spectres everyone's still trying to figure out because you only get 1 spec per gem and can't just raise a new. And then you can't transfer gem slots over. So... yeah... don't expect spectres to be figured out anytime soon.
Everyone is just playing minions as meat shields to play ED/Contagion. Maybe switching to pure minions late game when they have enough gear to do so.