Summoner just summon and curse? Maybe doing this wrong...

Just started Merc (51) and now looking at that trek across Prisoner's Gate I just imagine my minions exploding the whole way and hitting that zombie summon button endlessly and I fell a bit bored by the defensive meat shield play instead of the minions tearing stuff up. Ok, they took down Brutus fast but with many enemies it can be a bit chaotic.

But am I really supporting them correctly by just cursing or can I get some offense going without having taken spell damage nodes? I have a fire trap with inc burning and those nodes but dps says...240. I can't believe it can still damage anything.

Maybe I need a 5L for more aggressive buffing? Here is my gear, as low as it is, it is still working, just slowly. Just to show links.

Ideas?
Zombies now are at 1400 life skeles maybe 500 only one minion node left.

Summons are good only if your fully speccing for them. As in taking all minion nodes. And skipping on spell damage. So you have to do one or the other. Having played a summoner to lvl 77, if your bored now you'll be bored with it later. They are in top 3 boring builds. My want to consider rerolling now so your not wasting even more

Ok that's what I thought maybe I'm just not in the mood for her this week.
I have taken all the minions nodes but 1 so I am just doing that. Maybe if I find a 5L I can use the minion elemental res gem although it doesn't seem popular.

You could use arc or spark to give mobs shock effects so the minions take them down quicker. Without spell nodes it would give a small dps increase but its the shock effect you are going for.

You could also try splitting your spectres to a differnet piece of equipment so you can give them LMP if you use a projectile type of spectre.