[3.4] Summonating Blow, Unholy Fists of Dominance (WIP)

The PoB error has fixed. Was Spiritual Command causing issues (you'd hover over it or select it and it'd crash).

Bandits?>
[upd] Oh, I'm sorry, I see.

Very nice build, I follow an extremely similar path and couldn't enjoy it more. Mob stacks get destroyed fast, bosses melt instantaneously (basically all the fights take like 1-2 seconds between immunity phases/fight stages).

Right now I am thinking which body armor would be BiS in this build? What are your thoughts?

Hey thanks! I'm glad to hear your doing well with something similar. I feel really good playing this, it's also a lot of fun and I feel like it could go so many ways. One thing I've been focusing on while leveling is keeping the momentum up with consecrated path, especially when picking up auras from sentinels. With that in mind I think https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Bronn%27s_Lithe could be fun to try out. If consecrated path damage were high enough to 1 or 2 shot trash mobs you could pair with Cast on melee kill & Convocation which could be a lot of fun. I'm definitely curious to see all the options this type of build brings, seems like it could go in a million directions. As far as best BIS goes... still wondering myself. Let me know how your build progresses though! I'll update this one as I go.

"

Joomin wrote:

Hey thanks! I'm glad to hear your doing well with something similar. I feel really good playing this, it's also a lot of fun and I feel like it could go so many ways. One thing I've been focusing on while leveling is keeping the momentum up with consecrated path, especially when picking up auras from sentinels. With that in mind I think https://pathofexile.gamepedia.com/Bronn%27s_Lithe could be fun to try out. If consecrated path damage were high enough to 1 or 2 shot trash mobs you could pair with Cast on melee kill & Convocation which could be a lot of fun. I'm definitely curious to see all the options this type of build brings, seems like it could go in a million directions. As far as best BIS goes... still wondering myself. Let me know how your build progresses though! I'll update this one as I go.

Very interesting. I see that your build focuses a lot on Consecrating path usage. This is one of the minor differences between our builds (I use starndard leap slam). Maybe a rare armor is better in my case then.

Another small difference is that I use Hatred over Anger. As we focus on phys-heavy attacks, Hatred actually gives a nice boost to attacks.

For anyone still thinking whether the build is worth trying: I am level 61 at the moment so the build needs more fine-tuning etc, but I could not recommend it more if you find leveling hard or boring. This build has a good clearing capability and great bossing capability.

Kitava down in seconds, Izaro down in seconds (1st and 2nd so far), Doedre-8 down in seconds (deathless, obviously). Most bosses don't even have enough time to perform dangerous attacks or summon minions (Kitava and Doedre just died without even summoning minions).

Ya wow hatred seems a much better choice! Thanks!!! Exactly what I was hoping to find in the comments. I'll update

Hey Joomin!

I saw that you PM'd me asking for advice. My apologies - I've been preoccupied with theorycrafts of my own (heh). Anyway, as you requested...
__

First, I want to ask what's your goal for the build. In your original post, you mentioned "summoner first, melee second." Does this mean you intend to place more emphasis on summoning over melee-attacking? If so, that changes the whole dynamics of the build.

For example: If you want to focus more on your minions' damage, you can forego looking for a weapon that can do damage in favor of something that provides more utility; perhaps something that allows you to summon Sentinels of Purity and Sentinels of Dominance as quickly as possible (i.e. Brightbeak). This could, in turn, also open up some defensive play (i.e. lots of Life Gain on Hit).

However, if you want to be a melee-summoner that excels in both aspects, you'll have to consider mechanics and how they affect both you and your minions. A good example is Hatred - as others have discussed, Hatred works very well for scaling added % damage to physical damage. Therefore, it would go hand-in-hand with an item with high base physical damage.
__

In regards to your gems:

* I feel like Zombies are a bit overkill for your build. You'll have plenty of minions from Herald of Purity of Dominating Blow that needing to support Zombies may detract from other utility setups (i.e. CWDT + Desecrate + Flesh Offering).

* I feel the same way with Phantasms. Unless Phantasms are linked to support gems, their use is rather minimal. Also having them linked to Herald of Purity and Vaal Summon Skeletons reduces the likelihood of Phantasms being summoned because, based on your gem setup and tree, most kills are coming from Zombies, Sentinels of Dominance, and yourself.

* If you plan on keeping Zombies, I suggest moving them to a 6-link and support them with Minion Damage, Minion Speed, Melee Physical Damage, Maim, and Empower [or Added Fire Damage]. You can move your Consecrated Path setup to rare boots supported by Fortify; I would remove Increased AoE (since it doesn't do anything for Curse on Hit).

* Consider changing your curse to Enfeeble for more defense. Remember that Punishment is only triggered when hit by a melee attack, which some enemies may not even do.

* I'm not sure what your final setup for your Herald of Purity will be, but it's crucial to remember that any supports linked to Herald of Purity will increase its mana reservation (linking it to three supports is typically enough to reserve a large chunk of your mana). Just be weary when planning other mana reservations.
__

In regards to your passive tree:

* I suggest refunding the points for those two nodes of Minion Damage to the right of the "Righteous Army" notable since the wheel is already pathed by the Minion Attack/Cast Speed nodes.

* Is there a particular reason why you allocated the "Holy Dominion" notable? Your build isn't entirely elemental damage-based, so those two points could probably be more useful elsewhere.
__

Other things:

* You're definitely going to need some minion movement speed, especially for your Zombies and Sentinels of Purity. Essence crafting jewelry with Essences of Fear or using rare jewels can really help with this.

* Remember to prioritize defenses! Stacking other layers of defense (e.g. Mind Over Matter, block chance, armor/evasion/energy shield, blind, defensive curses, etc.) is critical for staying alive.
__

Keep it up! I think you're progressing well. Just remember that melee-summoners are a hybrid between melee and summoner and any build mechanics that are introduced or removed from the melee aspect will undoubtedly affect the summoner aspect [and vice versa].

Cheers :)

Thank you!!! Lots to think about, I really appreciate the feedback!

You do realize the healing from Consecrated path, pet and ascendancy will not be enough when taking heavy damage right? It's piddles when it comes down to it, just a really good source of supplementary healing IMO.

I hadn't, what do you suggest?