Path of Exile 3.25: Zoomancer Necro Build and Leveling Guide
The Zoomancer Necro build is a popular minion-focused build, known for its safe, passive gameplay. It's an excellent choice for players who want to enjoy a more laid-back experience in Path of Exile. With the Settlers of Kalguur league coming in Patch 3.25, bringing significant balance changes, this build is expected to make a solid comeback. While other builds might dominate the meta, the Zoomancer Necro will remain a reliable and fun choice for players who enjoy letting their minions do the work.
In this guide, we'll walk through the key aspects of setting up your Zoomancer Necro build, including leveling tips and optimal gear choices for late-game content.
Path of Exile Zoomancer Necro Build Guide
The Zoomancer Necro build is a minion-focused build where you rely on minions to handle most of the combat. There is no primary ability for offense, and the key to success in this build is effective minion management.
Key Minions for the Zoomancer Necro Build:
Zombies: These are your primary front-line minions, tanking damage and dealing melee damage.
Crushclaw Spectres: Spectres will deal ranged or melee damage, depending on which type you summon.
Golems: Golems offer both offensive and defensive benefits, adding damage and tanking for your minions.
Animated Guardian: This minion is an added source of tackiness and extra damage, which can wear armor and additional PoE items to help you and your minions.
Auras and Buffs:
This build relies heavily on auras to amplify the strength of your minions and yourself. The key auras are:
Determination: Increases your minions' and your armor, making you tankier.
Hatred: Boosts cold damage for your minions.
Generosity: This aura increases your minions' damage but at the cost of your own.
Skitterbots: A great utility aura that applies both shock and freeze to enemies, increasing the overall damage output of your minions.
Tip: Always ensure your auras are properly linked and maintained. For example, linking Generosity with Determination gives you additional armor but deprives you of personal armor bonuses.
Recommended Gear for Late-Game:
Convening Wand: Provides a solid boost to minion stats and is great for summoner builds.
Bone Helmet: Increases the survivability of your minions while adding damage and resistance buffs.
Triad Grip: This unique item is a must-have for certain builds, as it boosts both the quality and number of your minions.
Aegis Aurora: While expensive, this shield provides excellent defensive benefits, especially with your high armor setup.
With high-level gear like these, you can be sure your Zoomancer Necro will perform well in end-game content.
Zoomancer Necro Leveling Guide
Leveling a Zoomancer Necro can be a bit tricky for newer players, as it starts slower than traditional builds, especially before you unlock key abilities. Below is a breakdown of the most efficient way to level up the Zoomancer Necro build.
Early Levels (1-8):
At the start of the game, you will not have access to your minions yet, and it's essential to rely on non-minion abilities for the first part of your leveling journey. Skills such as Frost Bomb, Freezing Pulse, and Rolling Magma will help you clear early zones quickly.
Non-Minion Skills: Use these skills until you hit level 8, as you will not have access to Melee Splash Support or any substantial minion damage output.
Level 8-12:
Once you reach level 8, you can start using Melee Splash Support, which will allow you to level up your minions. Continue using non-minion skills for clearing until you can link this support gem with your primary damage abilities. This will help you maximize the efficiency of your leveling process as your minions will start to shine.
Level 12-16:
At level 12, you will gain access to Absolution, which will be the cornerstone of your minion army as you continue through the campaign. The minions summoned by Absolution will significantly enhance your damage output.
Absolution Links: Link Absolution with the following support gems to maximize damage:
Minion Damage Support
Added Lightning Damage Support
Added Cold Damage Support
This setup will help you clear content faster and start transitioning toward your final build.
Act 2: Summon Skitterbots
In Act 2, you'll unlock the Summon Skitterbots aura. It's a critical part of the build as it provides both shock and freeze to enemies, boosting your minions' damage.
Once Absolution and Skitterbots are linked in your setup, you'll have a solid combination to clear the rest of the campaign efficiently. The Zoomancer Necro build will feel significantly stronger, with your minions clearing entire screens for you.
Final Levels (16+):
As you progress through Act 3 and beyond, your minions will continue to scale up in power. Be sure to keep upgrading your gear as you find items that support minion life and minion damage to ensure your army stays strong through Acts 4-10.
Final Thoughts:
The Zoomancer Necro build in Path of Exile is a fantastic choice for players seeking a safe, passive, and effective playstyle. By relying on powerful minions to handle most of the damage, you're free to focus on positioning and aura management—making it an excellent option for those who prefer a more relaxed, yet highly effective, approach to the game.
This build scales well as you level up, with Absolution, Summon Skitterbots, and other abilities complementing your growing minion army. As you acquire the right gear—such as Convening Wand, Triad Grip, and Aegis Aurora—your Zoomancer Necro will handle even the toughest content, including the highest-tier bosses.
Additionally, having a well-optimized setup for minion damage, life, and aura coverage ensures that your minions survive and also damage significantly. With minion buffs and defensive auras in place, you'll have a strong foundation for success in the endgame content of Path of Exile.
Pro Tip: If you want to further enhance your build's potential and make it even easier to progress, accumulating POE Currency can allow you to purchase high-quality gear and items to refine your setup. Whether through trading, crafting, or farming, acquiring the right gear can significantly boost the power of your Zoomancer Necro build, enabling you to tackle the most difficult challenges in the game.
