Path of Exile: 10 Budget-Friendly Tips to Dominate with a Minion Necromancer

Minion necromancers are a staple in Path of Exile, offering a safe and powerful playstyle that scales well into endgame – all without needing expensive gear. Whether you're a new player or a veteran looking for a league starter, these 10 budget-friendly tips will help you build a formidable army of the undead.

1. Choose the Right Ascendancy: Necromancer

The Necromancer ascendancy is tailor-made for minion builds. Key nodes like Mistress of Sacrifice and Commander of Darkness provide massive damage and survivability. Start as a Witch and ascend to Necromancer as soon as possible.

2. Focus on Minion Life and Damage Early

In the passive tree, prioritize nodes that grant minion life, damage, and attack speed. Notable clusters include Lord of the Dead, Gravepact, and Death Attunement (which gives an extra skeleton). Don't forget Spiritual Aid to make minion passives also apply to you.

3. Use Cheap, Effective Skills

Your main skills should be Summon Skeletons and Summon Zombies. Skeletons are great for single-target burst, while zombies provide consistent damage and tanking. Desecrate and Corpse Walk can be used to generate corpses for offerings. For spectres, start with Frenzy Chieftains (from Act 7) or Slave Drivers for cheap power.

4. Link Your Gems Wisely

For skeletons, link them with Minion Damage, Multistrike, Melee Splash (for clearing) or Melee Physical Damage (for bosses). Zombies benefit from Minion Damage, Elemental Damage with Attacks, and Feeding Frenzy. Use a 4-link chest early, then aim for a 5 or 6-link unique like Tabula Rasa (free 6-link) until you can afford something better.

5. Use Offerings for Defense and Damage

Bone Offering converts your minions' life into extra block chance for you, making you surprisingly tanky. Spirit Offering gives elemental damage and energy shield – great for more damage. Keep one offering active at all times. Use Cast when Damage Taken to auto-cast Desecrate and Bone Offering.

6. Get Cheap Uniques That Boost Minions

Several unique items cost only a few chaos orbs. The Baron helmet lets you scale strength for zombie damage. Queens Decree gives +1 skeleton and zombie. Leer Cast helmet grants a level 10 minion damage support. Victario's Charity shield offers frenzy charges for minions. These are all budget-friendly options.

7. Auras and Curses for Extra Oomph

Use Hatred aura to add cold damage to minion attacks. Generosity support on auras increases their effect on minions but not you – fine if you stay safe. For curses, Vulnerability increases physical damage taken, and Elemental Weakness works if you convert damage. Apply curses via Blasphemy or manual casting.

8. Keep Your Minions Alive with Minion Life and Regeneration

Minions need life investment to survive boss attacks. Use Minion Life support, and consider the Sacrifice support gem for zombie builds to regenerate their life. The Spiritual Command node gives minion life regen based on your own – a solid passive.

9. Learn Spectral Armour and Movement

For defense, use a Shield Charge or Flame Dash to move around. Your minions tank most damage, but you still need to avoid telegraphed hits. Prioritize life on gear and cap your elemental resistances. A CwDT setup with Immortal Call can save you from burst damage.

10. Scale into Endgame with Gems and Skill Points

As you progress, replace Melee Splash with Minion Speed if you need faster clearing. For bosses, a 6-link with Empower or Vicious Projectiles (for spectres) boosts damage. Save for a Essence Worm ring to run an extra aura without reserving mana. Eventually, you can transition to an Offering Necromancer with the Bone Offering - Spirit Offering loop for massive damage.

With these tips, you'll have a minion necromancer that can handle all content up to red maps on a shoestring budget. Experiment with different spectres and skill variations to find your favourite playstyle. Good luck, Exile!