Shadow Summoner? Is it a thing?

[Loune]

Hi, I am new to this game, and trying to make a summoner. But I don't really like the character model of witch, I like shadow =)
So is it possible to make Shadow Summoner?
thanks

[Tycen]

anything is posssible, just weaker or stronger

[Nakos]

You can do anything with any character. But the starting positions do predispose characters towards roles. A Shadow could indeed become a summoner, but you'll have to spend a few more points on other things than a Witch would.

Go visit the PoE forums and look at Witch/Summoner builds and then look at one of the various Passive Tree Planners (there are at least three of them) and see what you can come up with.

Here's the Witch build list: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1774022

Go look at the Summoner section and pick one that leans towards the Shadow side of the tree. There's a lot there so, you'll have to do some work, figuring out what works the best.

You should probably also look at the Shadow build list and see which builds lean more towards the Witch portion of the tree as well, that might allow you to establish some synergy.

[cyconet101]

Yea but if you want the best acendancy nodes they are on witch /summoner. That said all the best Summoner passives are easily reached from a shadow starting point. I am running a chaos golem on my 6l shavs w/blight to make my 6link effectively 2 5links. also a spectre on my boots with wirling blades increased attack speed added minion dmg. thr attack speed works on minion and move skill. have a flask that heals minions and that is as much as i have invested. doing t 7 maps currently at lvl 76

[Nakos]

Yeah, I hadn't really thought about the impact of the Ascendancys.

That's an important consideration.

[Loune]

thank you guys for your insight, gotta start doing research on my Shadow Summoner build now =D

[Tycen]

Originally posted by Loune:

thank you guys for your insight, gotta start doing research on my Shadow Summoner build now =D

Good luck on that, but I dout you can do any late game tier map with shadow especially because the main impact is the 'Ascendency class'. Cheers.

[Loune]

Originally posted by T.:

Originally posted by Loune:

thank you guys for your insight, gotta start doing research on my Shadow Summoner build now =D

Good luck on that, but I dout you can do any late game tier map with shadow especially because the main impact is the 'Ascendency class'. Cheers.

oh... that's kinda bad then...
With the Ascendency classes, Summoners are kinda left with only 1 choice of character.
Isn't kinda contradicting that, when any character can be built into any style of playing the player want, many of these paths are actually locked from end game content?

[Aralyn]

I really wouldn't advice summoner on any other class then Witch or Templar.

[Loune]

Originally posted by Squishydew:

I really wouldn't advice summoner on any other class then Witch or Templar.

I skimmed through the Templar's Ascendency classes, and I don't find many skills that can benefit summoning skill other than Totem (compare to Witch's necromancer class)

[cyconet101]

I would argue that a low life gardian with shavrones wrapings ,and probably the upgraded crown of thorns could potentialy make a nice sommoner build..

[Peter Pan]

Originally posted by Loune:

Originally posted by Squishydew:

I really wouldn't advice summoner on any other class then Witch or Templar.

I skimmed through the Templar's Ascendency classes, and I don't find many skills that can benefit summoning skill other than Totem (compare to Witch's necromancer class)

Templar Guardian has nice bonuses to auras and defensive bonuses.
You have to consider that in later difficulties, staying alive is more important than dealing damage. Guardian will survive better than Witch.

[DarkCat]

Originally posted by Nakos:

Yeah, I hadn't really thought about the impact of the Ascendancys.

That's an important consideration.

In general there is always one or two Ascendancy paths possible which are rather general purpose or heavily defense orientated. You can choose those if you try to make something work which does not feel natural to a character. :)

Edit: Had a look at the Shadow ascendancies. Going Trickster his ES+Evasion path might give you room to invest more into other nodes on the tree. Shade Forms flat ES is huge and allows you to take Necromantic Aegis without feeling squishy. Just one example.

[cyconet101]

Soo how is your Shadow build going? Original post was jan 18 so you have had lots of time to work on it. Witch Asendancy did you go with? Uniques? Highest level?

[Loune]

Originally posted by cyconet101:

Soo how is your Shadow build going? Original post was jan 18 so you have had lots of time to work on it. Witch Asendancy did you go with? Uniques? Highest level?

thanks for asking!!
I am currently at level 34, Act3. Will probably finish act 3 in the coming week (I know I am quite slow haha)

on passive tree, I am just following some Witch summoner on the net which seems to works fine
http://imgur.com/a/cNSOL

I mainly use 5 zombies, decloy totem, haste aura and raging spirt in play, while sometime I will use some elemental spell to clear faster.
On difficult fight (boss fight), I will use vulnerability curse and flesh offering as well. Yet sometimes I will have hard time keeping up zombie numbers as they die kinda fast in boss fight while the decloy totem go down too fast =P
http://imgur.com/a/ZAnjM

I felt very lucky to find a vaal skeleton spell on Wed, it seems very powerful ( summon 22 skeletons each time!!)

[cyconet101]

Ok cool Have used vaal skeltons as a "oh ♥♥♥♥ button" on a couple builds always found it too work well, if you run a duration gem on it + min damage+ min speed and have decent monster density you can keep it going constantly. Brinerot Mark Unique uniset ring might be a option for your golem once you hit lvl44 as it gives a +2 to level lvl 15 Concetrated effect, and Minion life also some es and lighting res with some spell damage..