Path of Exile 2 Minion build guide (Leveling)

Path of Exile 2 Minion builds are incredibly fun for leveling, and can easily transition into an endgame build. While there are several ways to run one of these, you can run curses and slowly whittle away at foes, or, you can go for significant damage, using Fire Wall, Raging Spirits, and Skeleton Arsonists. It takes some work, and to really make a powerful build, you will need some pretty seriously specific gear.

That said, it’s a build where you can flood the screen with elemental damage and undead minions. It does use some Sorceress (Elemental) skills, but they seamlessly work together with this build.

How does the Path of Exile 2 Minion leveling build work?

The Path of Exile 2 Minion leveling build hinges on several skills. It’s going to take some time to build up, but it’ll be worth it. You’re going to flood the screen with temporary minions at first, using skills like Unearth, but the real power is going to come from the combination of Skeletal Arsonist and Flame Wall+Raging Spirits. This isn’t a build that uses Skeletal Warriors, though.

This build creates swarms of temporary allies that obliterate all foes in your path (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Instead, we focus on Skeletal Archers until it’s time to go with Skeletal Arsonists. You’re going to eventually transition into the Infernalist Ascendancy in Act 2. Even deeper in, towards Cruel difficulty, you’re going to add in Skeletal Cleric and Skeletal Storm Mage to add more damage, and most importantly, healing.

The way combat works is pretty simple. Hit your enemies with the curse of your choice (Enfeeble at first, then Flammability). You use Flame Wall to get Raging Spirits in play. Then you blow them up with Skeletal Arsonists to deal tons of AOE damage. When enemies start dying, use Unearth to make more bodies. You combine this with support skills that make your minions explode on death, for even more damage.

Ideal gear affixes

+Level of Minion Skills
Allies in your presence deal increased (Damage, Attack Speed, Fire Damage, Physical Damage - all of these preferably)
+Increased Spirit

There are some important nodes you’ll want to hit on your Passive tree, as well. I’ll highlight a few of those below:

"Minions Revive Faster" is one of the best things you can see in the skill tree, if you ask me (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Gravedigger
Necrotised Flesh
Essence Infusion
Restless Dead
Mind Over Matter
Lord of Horrors

Proper Skills and Support gems for Path of Exile 2 minion leveling build

Act 1 really sets the tone and pace for the Path of Exile 2 minion leveling build. In my personal experience, I focused on Contagion and Enfeeble, with Skeletal Archers, because I completely missed the existence of Raging Spirits. Below, you’ll find a list of the Skill Gems and any support gems you may need to cut for Act 1.

Contagion and Skeletal Archers are great in the early-mid game, but there are more impressive damage numbers you can hit (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

Of course, this isn’t the only way you can play, and you’re free to sub out gems if you aren’t happy with how they work and play. Most of your skills are going to be Witch (Occult), so you should feel right at home with most of these abilities.

Unearth: Minion Instability, Fire Infusion (swap from Sniper)
Skeletal Sniper: Martial Tempo, Fire Infusion
Skeletal Warrior (only with a Sceptre that gives them): Meat Shield, Elemental Army
Contagion: Magnified Effect
Flame Wall: Fortress
Essence Drain: Arcane Tempo
Skeletal Arsonist (replaces Sniper): Scattershot, Concentrated Effect
Enfeeble:
Raging Spirits: Martial Tempo (remove from Sniper)
Bonestorm (replace Essence Drain): Brutality, Arcane Tempo
Pain Offering:

You don’t need to really change very much in Act 2 of your Path of Exile 2 minion leveling build. At this point, you likely will want to swap Enfeeble for Flammability, or at the very least, make it. There are bosses on the way that are resistant to fire, so this curse is going to be important. You will probably also swap Bonestorm out of your build since you frankly don’t need it anymore.

You will also definitely want to undertake the Trial of the Sekhemas, so you can unlock Loyal Hellhound/Infernalist. That’s going to be important — challenging, but important.

There’s still more to go for your Path of Exile 2 leveling build for minion players, so hopefully, you’ve been stocking some Lesser Jeweler’s Orbs.

Unearth: Minion Instability
Flammability: Heightened Curse, Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist: Concentrated Effect, Scattershot
Flame Wall: Fortress, Arcane Tempo
Skeletal Warrior: Meat Shield, Elemental Army
Raging Spirits: Fire Infusion, Martial Tempo
Pain Offering: Magnified Effect, Persistence
Summon Infernal Hound: Elemental Army, Meat Shield

I cannot stress how excited I am for Skeletal Clerics in this current build (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

In Act 3 of Path of Exile 2, you’re going to want to start expanding some of your Skills with Lesser Jeweler’s Orbs. Use one on Raging Spirits to add Feeding Frenzy, for example. Next, Skeleton Arsonist needs that Martial Tempo, so swap it over. Put Fire Penetration in that now-empty slot. You definitely want to upgrade your Skeletal Arsonist whenever you can in Act 3. Giving your Hellhound Maim will also be a nice touch.

Unearth: Minion Instability, Infernal Legion
Flammability: Heightened Curse, Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist: Concentrated Effect, Scattershot, Martial Tempo
Flame Wall: Fortress, Arcane Tempo
Skeletal Warrior: Brutality, Splinter, Heavy Swing
Raging Spirits: Fire Infusion, Fire Penetration, Feeding Frenzy
Pain Offering: Magnified Effect, Persistence
Summon Infernal Hound: Elemental Army, Meat Shield, Maim

When you hit Cruel, you should hopefully have the Spirit to start summoning Skeletal Clerics and Skeletal Storm Mages. This is contingent on completing content that gives you more Spirit, as well as having gear that increases your total Spirit. That’s one of the most important things you can have.

Having more Jeweler's Orbs is going to be important for this Path of Exile 2 minion leveling build, so you can add some third slots to those skills. Among the important Support Gems you’ll want are Fire Exposure, Elemental Focus, and Immolate.

Unearth: Minion Instability, Infernal Legion
Flammability: Heightened Curse, Spell Cascade
Skeletal Arsonist: Feeding Frenzy, Scattershot, Martial Tempo
Flame Wall: Fortress, Arcane Tempo
Skeletal Warrior: Brutality, Splinter, Maim
Raging Spirits: Fire Infusion, Fire Penetration, Immolate
Pain Offering: Magnified Effect, Persistence
Summon Infernal Hound: Elemental Army, Meat Shield, Fire Exposure
Summon Skeletal Storm Mage: Conduction, Stormfire, Overcharge
Summon Skeletal Cleric: Ingenuity, Last Gasp
Grim Feast

Final thoughts

Don't be afraid to try other skills — Volatile Dead is a great deal of fun as a way to get more damage too (Image via Grinding Gear Games)

I’m a huge fan of this build. While you can play a Path of Exile 2 minion leveling build in a variety of ways, this is the way I’m going personally. You have other options like scaling through Skeletal Sniper to Reaver to the other powerful melee Skeletons if you want, or doing a Curse build with Enfeeble, Contagion, et cetera.

That said, I think the Flame Wall+Raging Spirits is probably the strongest now. It’s certainly a build archetype that I wish I had known about when I was first rolling my Witch, that’s for sure. There's lots of room for experimentation in the Minion leveling builds.

Check out our other Path of Exile 2 guides and features

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