Minion builds are unplayable in tight spaces and doorways!

[Evilplay]

So I am playing a witch and "doing my best" to be SSF. I am not well geared as the drops and luck chance of better items have been against me which is to be expected. What is not expected that is making things much harder is my minions de-spawning every 2 seconds in doorways because they get stuck leaving me completely vulnerable to enemies. Cant run backwards because then they just de-spawn at the previous doorway too. They get suck on tight spaces and vines. Yes, I am talking about 3rd act maps and other maps in endgame that are related to it. I know this is EA though the fact that things like class nurfs are more important then something like this is crazy. I already re-rolled to another class without minions and having a blast. I guess I just have to wait until they finish nurfing all the classes into the ground before we see a fix for other important things.

[Shajirr]

I am through most of Act 3 now with a Witch minion build - didn't have much problems.
You can use Flame Wall + Raging Spirits to summon them on demand as needed.
Didn't notice much issues using Unearth either.

With a combination of 16 minions from Unearth + 10 Raging spirits + 5 snipers/arsonists I was almost never left vulnerable to enemies, and with super fast enemies I just rolled back and let them run through firewalls, that solved the issue.

Also using Cast on Death->Flammability->Detonate Dead, so anything that doesn't die immediately gets cursed and blown up with corpse explosions

[Paroe]

Its mostly a problem in A2 maps, but yeah minion pathing needs to be... better. More specifically minions need to be able to pass through each other to an extent.

[DM]

There is some pathing issues in Act 2 specially in the towers, a lot of the time the minions wont progress forward onto the thin walkways or into the rooms, even when you try to force-move them.

[Shajirr]

People are saying that the Viper Napuatzi is harder than the final act boss, meanwhile I killed her 1st attempt.
So I see zero reason to stop playing a minion build, it works great so far.
The only problem I had was the boss in the molten gold tunnel, but that was before switching equipment and skills.

[Gnasty Gnorc]

Minions absolutely melt all bosses. I'm a level 74 infernalist.

Yeha, tight spaces suck, but either manually move them, or if they just refuse to go through, move around to force the minions to respawn.

OR, use summon zombie and pop them on the other side of the doorway after your skeletons have killed 1 or 2 mobs in the door. It'll push the enemies back and force everything through.

[DaddyBearSharp]

Switch weapons and back to respawn them fast.

[Evilplay]

My level is 71 infernalist and with most of my gear being bad I kill things easy though do not melt them as quickly as it could be. This is my own fault seeing I am preferring to be SSF as much as possible. All of my talent tree is on minions only at the moment. All my other skills that a non-minion are super weak against everything. My build is probably at fault most likely with gear of course.
I agree that minions need to be able to walk through each other. I do see when they are stuck that they are all trying to walk through at the same time and that is what's causing the issue. I am only complaining about it now because I am at a point where I feel like I sort of bricked my character a bit and some of the maps that are tight or have doorways I am dying a lot in because I walk through a door way and minions vanish at then I get super charged at by mobs that kill me in the blink of an eye.
Yes I know, it's a skill issue though the de-spawning of minions certainly in those maps does not help me and that is not my skill issue. Not everyone is going to be strong and sadly I am one of them.

[GloomySmile]

Take second set of weapons. Put zero minions on it. Put blink only on it, maybe some moveskills also. Put gems to make it double blink. Optional respec for curse nodes for second weapon and cast curses only with it.

Helps alot on some maps and helps tremendously on ascentions.

[Matty101]

Haven't done a minion build yet but early on i realised each build needs 2 types of skills because the maps are either open or corridors(and enemies get bunched up when it's tight).
So for corridors you need something that is focused and hits hard and for open areas something that has a good AOE( which would be a mass of minions).

[Shajirr]

Originally posted by Matty101:

Haven't done a minion build yet but early on i realised each build needs 2 types of skills because the maps are either open or corridors(and enemies get bunched up when it's tight).
So for corridors you need something that is focused and hits hard and for open areas something that has a good AOE( which would be a mass of minions).

No you don't need that, I completed everything using same set of skills.
Raging Spirits + Unearth work fine everywhere.

Originally posted by GloomySmile:

Take second set of weapons. Put zero minions on it. Put blink only on it, maybe some moveskills also. Put gems to make it double blink. Optional respec for curse nodes for second weapon and cast curses only with it.

Helps alot on some maps and helps tremendously on ascentions.

This can also get you killed too. If the minions are in combat or 1 of them died recently, then they all enter the summoning cooldown, and during that cooldown you have no minions. Only when cooldown wasn't triggered can you resummon them immediately.

[Bad_Lieutenant]

Notice how its only 1 particular minion build that people have a good time with.

We need variety of viable builds not cookie cutter ones.

[Evilplay]

Originally posted by Bad_Lieutenant:

Notice how its only 1 particular minion build that people have a good time with.

We need variety of viable builds not cookie cutter ones.

I went infernalists to match my ascendancy. When GGG makes a real necro ascendancy then I will use the others minions. I did use the others to try them all when leveling in campaign. I also do use reavers in maps with enemies that have high armour. I find they help a lot with them.

[Shajirr]

Blood Mage has zero support for minions, so its out right away.

That makes Infernalist the only possible choice.
Infernalist also has no direct support for minions, but it has Hound + more spirit, so there is that.

Chaos has no support for minions, does no interact with them in any way.
So Chaos is out.
Fire has Raging Spirits and Firewall will both spawn them and buff your minion army projectiles.

So, not much we can do really. Then its just the choice between running snipers/arsonists/reavers. And Unearth if you run ranged minions, to prevent all enemies rushing you.

You can also play Detonate Dead build, but its not a true summoner, its a spell build which just uses summons to explode with DD.

[Xariot]

I've been using an arsonist + raging spirits build through the whole game. I'm currently near the end of ACT 1 - Cruel difficulty. It's not really been a problem...

[Time]

Shield skellies need an active taunt skill also minions don;t hold agro and enemies beeline straight for you