Introduction
If you’ve ever wanted to rip the spirits of your foes from their lifeless bodies and command them on the battlefield, then this is the guide for you! Demolish bosses, annihilate whole screens of enemies at once, and feel safe while doing it.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
- Easy to play.
- Scales well into late-game.
- Automated damage allows you to stay safe.
- Requires a baseline of Spirit to get started.
Build Mechanics
This build utilizes the high spirit and energy shield scaling available through the Infernalist Ascendancy to run a large number of powerful Spectres for damage, and a purely Energy Shield focused defense that will let you absorb very large hits.
Skill Rotation
Map Clearing
During map clearing, you will focus on keeping your Pain Offering active, casting
Voltaic Mark on particularly tough enemies. You can also activate your
Skeletal Brute Minion‘s Command ability to intimidate large packs of enemies. Casting
Unearth over defeated packs of enemies will spawn utility minions that will help tank and apply some debuffs.
Bossing
For bosses, the approach is very similar. Keep Pain Offering active, cast
Voltaic Mark, use the command ability of your
Skeletal Brute Minion.
Gameplay Tips
Walk through the map, watching your Minion army tear through your foes like butter. Focus on staying alive. I don’t think there is much else that needs to be said. Try to stay reasonably close to your minions to make sure the benefits of your Presence-related buffs are applied consistently. Use yourConvalescence if you take a large amount of damage too quickly to recharge your Energy Shield, and prevent recharge from being interrupted.
Video Guide
Gem Info
Below you will find a planner with a full breakdown of your skill setup. The Spectre we recommend using is called Frozen Mandibles and is a specific rare mob encountered in the Ashen Forest in the interlude Acts. Be careful not to consume its corpse with your Unearth.
Focus on 6-linking your Frozen Mandibles Spectre first. If you find yourself with additional currency to invest, consider a Uul-Netol’s Embrace lineage support to replace
Heft on your Spectres, or a
Dialla’s Desire if you can afford it.
For reservation priority, you will want to reserve your spirit in the following way:
- 3x Frozen Mandibles Spectres
- 1x Skeletal Cleric (If you have the Lineage Support
Brutus’ Brain then use it here)
- 1x Skeletal Storm Mage
- 1x Skeletal Brute
- Any Additional Frozen Mandible Spectres you can add
Ascendancy
You will be leveraging the unique Energy Shield and Spirit scaling of the Infernalist Ascendancy class to boost your offensive and defensive power. Alongside the Loyal Hellhound scaling your Muster support and providing you with additional damage mitigation, the build should feel very durable. The Ascendancy points should be assigned in the following order:
- 1. Loyal Hellhound – In combination with
Loyalty provides damage mitigation and an additional reviving minion for your
Muster support gem
- 2. Altered Flesh – Provides some additional damage mitigation and damage taken conversion
- 3. Beidat’s Will – Provides additional Spirit based on your total Maximum Life, should only be taken after you have sufficient Energy Shield
- 4. Beidat’s Hand – Provides additional Energy Shield based on your total Maximum Life
Skill Tree
This interactive skill tree will provide you with an overview of the final state of the build. When assigning your attributes, you will need to account for the necessary requirements of your particular character.
Gearing
Gear Affixes
In the table below, you will see a breakdown of the most important affixes for each gear slot, as well as what unique items the build uses. These are listed in order of priority, so consider your gearing options carefully.
Make sure that you are capped at 75% all elemental resistances, with as high Chaos Resistance as you can achieve while meeting the necessary attribute requirements to equip for your gear and skill gems.
Slot | Base | Prefix | Suffix |
---|---|---|---|
Main Hand | Rattling Sceptre | 1. % Spirit 2. % Increased Minion Damage 3. Added Minion Physical Damage | 1. Level of All Minion Skills 2. Minion Attack Speed |
Off Hand | Focus | 1. % Increased Energy Shield 2.+X Energy Shield 3. % increased Energy Shield/Mana | 1. Level of All Minion Skills 2. Resistance/Attributes |
Helm | Energy Shield | 1. % Increased Energy Shield 2.+X Energy Shield 3.+X Maximum Life | 1. Level of All Minion Skills 2. Increased Reservation Efficiency 3. Resistances/Attributes |
Body | Energy Shield | 1.+X Spirit 2. % Increased Energy Shield 3.+X Energy Shield | 1. Resistances/Attributes |
Gloves | Energy Shield | 1. % Increased Energy Shield 2.+X Energy Shield 3.+X Maximum Life | 1. Resistances/Attributes |
Boots | Bones of Ullr Unique | 1. Increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills which create Undead Minions | |
Belt | Darkness Enthroned | 1. This item gains bonuses from Socketed Items as though it was a Helmet | 1. Increased effect of Socketed Items at a high % |
Ring 1 | Resistance Ring | 1.+X Maximum Life 2. Increased Rarity of Items Found 3. Minions Deal Increased Damage if you’ve hit recently | 1. Resistances/Attributes |
Ring 2 | Ventor’s Gamble Unique | 1.+X Spirit 2.+X Maximum Life | 1. Resistances |
Amulet | Life, Resist or Attribute Amulet INSTILL: Warlord Leader | 1.+X Spirit 2.+X Maximum Life 3. % Increased Maximum Energy Shield | 1. Level of All Minion Skills 2. Resistances/Attributes |
Unique Items
Bones of Ullr – These boots will dramatically increase your ability to summon additional minions, and while expensive, are best in slot and so should be pursued as soon as possible.
Darkness Enthroned – When looking for this belt, make sure you get one with the modifier that makes it gain bonuses as if it were a helmet. You use this specifically for the socketable Talisman of Ralakesh to improve our reservation efficiency, which allows you to summon more minions and do more damage.
Ventor’s Gamble – This ring has a very wide range of rolls, and is used to help balance resistances, improve your maximum spirit, and maximum life. While not strictly necessary, if you find the right one, it can make fitting the rest of your attributes and resistances much easier. Alternatively use a Rare resistance ring.
Socketables
This table will show you what socketables are used for each gear slot. While many slots will likely be used for resistance runes, pay particular attention to the Helm, Belt, and Main Hand slot.
Slot | Socketable |
---|---|
Main Hand | Primate Talisman |
Off Hand | Resistance Rune/Soul Core |
Helm | Talisman of Ralakesh |
Body Armour | Iron Rune/Resistance Runes if required |
Gloves | Iron Rune/Resistance Runes if required |
Boots | Amanamu’s Gaze/Resistance Runes if required |
Belt | Talisman of Ralakesh |
Jewels
There are many useful affixes on jewels, and this build has two sockets for them to be inserted in. Here are just a few of the highly desirable mods you may find on Sapphires:
- % increased Maximum Energy Shield
- % increased Energy Shield from Equipped Focus
- Minions deal % increased Damage
- Minions have % increased Attack and Cast Speed
In addition to regular Sapphire Jewels, you could also pursue Unique jewels such as a +3 Spectre Prism of Belief, a well-rolled Heart of the Well with useful abyssal modifiers, or a Megalomaniac with 2 useful Notable passives
Flasks and Charms
The recommended setup for your flasks and charms is:
- Life Flask – Gains X charges per second | % increased amount recovered
- Mana Flask – Gains X charges per second | % of recovery applied instantly
- Charms – Thawing Charm | Staunching Charm | Dousing Charm
Changelog
- September 4th, 2025: Removed Fleshpierce Spectre
- September 3rd, 2025: Guide created for Patch 0.3.0 | Minor Edits, added Video Guide