Path of Exile's 3.26 Necropolis league brings new challenges and opportunities, leading many exiles to wonder about the state of their favorite archetypes. When it comes to minion builds, the short answer is a resounding "yes," they remain viable PoE 1 Currency.
1. Enduring Strengths of Minions
Minion builds continue to boast several inherent advantages that contribute to their viability. Foremost among these is safety; your minions act as a shield, soaking up damage and engaging enemies while you, the summoner, can stay at a safe distance. They also offer excellent scaling potential with investment in gems, gear, and passive tree nodes, allowing for significant power growth. Furthermore, many minion builds can be incredibly budget-friendly to get off the ground, making them an excellent choice for league starters or players with limited resources.
2. Where Minions Encounter Challenges
Despite their advantages, minion builds in 3.26 possess certain limitations, especially when juxtaposed with top-tier attack or spell casters prevalent in the current meta. Attaining ultra-high damage per second (DPS) for rapid boss eliminations can be difficult without considerable investment. Certain boss mechanics or highly enhanced encounters that necessitate precise accuracy, extreme burst damage, or continuous repositioning may present greater challenges for minion builds.
3. Navigating 3.26 with Minions
To genuinely excel with a minion build in Path of Exile 3.26, meticulous strategic planning is essential. Concentrate on particular minion types that thrive in the current league mechanics or align with your intended content. For example, Zombies and Spectres continue to be favored for general mapping and boss encounters due to their durability and adaptable damage output. Golems and Carrion Golems can provide excellent damage scaling, while Skitterbots offer utility along with shock and chill effects.
4. Optimizing Your Minion Army
Optimizing a minion build involves careful consideration of gem links, unique items, and crafting. Look for gear that boosts minion damage, life, and attack/cast speed, alongside cap resistances for yourself. Unique items such as Baron, United in Dream, or Chains of Command can dramatically elevate performance, but even well-rolled rare items can provide a solid foundation. Investing your PoE 1 Currency for sale wisely on items like a powerful minion wand with minion damage and trigger craft, or a proper Convoking Wand base, will significantly improve your minion's effectiveness and your overall power level.
Minion builds are undeniably viable in Path of Exile 3.26. They offer a comfortable, safe, and often budget-friendly playstyle capable of clearing most game content. While they might occasionally lag behind the absolute meta titans in specific high-end scenarios, with smart build choices and strategic investment, your army of the dead (or elemental constructs, or beasts) can still conquer Wraeclast with formidable power.
