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Carrion Golem Summoner Necromancer Build

Carrion Golem Summoner Necromancer Build

This Golem build offers the highest DPS out of all Golem builds out there!

Carrion Golem
Necromancer Summoner build

Updated for Patch 3.19

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Guide notes
August  23, 2022
-Updated for Patch 3.19
August 31, 2022
-Updated Gameplay video
Build overview
Tags: [MINION] [PHYSICAL] [IMPALE] [LIFE]

Budget: 

Defenses: 

Boss DPS:

AoE:

 

Summon Carrion Golem is the unusual type of Golem in Path of Exile that was introduced in Patch 3.8. They generally don't offer any bonuses to the player like the rest of the Golems but boost other Minions. Carrion Golem uses Leaping Attack, Ground Slam, series of Slashes, and regular Melee Attacks doing mostly Physical Damage. They also gain very high bonus damage for each nearby Minion (up to 50% More damage) so using different Minion types in this build is mandatory. Since all your Minions will be doing Physical Damage, going for Impale is the best way to scale Damage. In the end, this build offers the highest single-target DPS out of all Summoner builds we have played.

Newest Patch 3.19 treated harshly most of the Minions in the game, but for Golems most of those changes were pretty positive. Now, Minions are not as strong in the early game as they used to be in the past, but new, stronger high-tier modifiers on items make up for it when you get the proper gear.  This Patch introduced reworks to many weaker Uniques. One of them is Clayshaper, which used to be okay for leveling, but weak compared to other options in the End Game. Those changes made them the best Weapon for this kind of build. Insanely high flat Physical Damage for Golem's attack paired with increasing maximum Golem limit makes the early steps of progress very easy.  

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1. Gameplay

This is a very swift Summoner build that offers amazing mobility and the highest single target DPS out of all Golem Minions. You don't have to do pretty much anything except for running around Maps and recalling your Minions with Convocation, which makes this build more relaxing but less engaging, which is not best suited for everyone. After you summon your Minions you won't have many things to do except for moving around and avoiding taking damage. Most of the skills will be triggered automatically or will be Passive. If you prefer, you can cast your Curse manually to have extra Curse Effectiveness for your wicked band of Undead monsters.

 

This video was recorded on a level 94 Necromancer in Standard dual-wielding Clayshapers and using a set of random/budget Rare Items. 


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2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS
  • very high single-target DPS
  • solid defenses thanks to high Life and Physical Damage Reduction
  • good clear speed
  • all content viable
  • can do most Map mods with ease
  • high mobility
CONS
  • not the most exciting and skill-wise challenging builds out there
  • can have issues dealing with Physical Reflect

 

3. Leveling tips

Leveling up a summoner character is very easy, however, it may feel a bit slower at first. Minions offer slow but steady progress through the campaign and you can support them with Auras/Curses/marking enemies. Golems are the last type of Minions unlocked in the game - you gain access to them in act 4. Until then, it is best to level up using Summon Raging Spirits and Summon Skeletons. Raised Spectres are not tanky enough to bother with them during leveling, but it is useful to have this gem socketed in just to level it up for later. 

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Summon Raging Spirits  setup
summon raging spirits Summon Raging Spirits - tiny angry devils that swarm every enemy in sight. Mark of the Red Covenant Unique Helmet limits their number to only 5 spirits at once but makes them much stronger
Minion Life Support Minion Damage Support - mandatory Support Gem for any Minion Skill
Fortify Support Combustion Support - gives more Fire damage and lowers enemy Fire Resistance when Spirits land an Ignite on them
Meat Shield Support Elemental Damage with Attack Support - recent changes made Spirits convert 100% of Physical Damage to Elemental  
Summon Skeletons  setup
Summon skeleton Summon Skeleton - unlocked at level 12, Skeletons will serve you as an additional Damage source for tougher enemies. Skeletons are pretty slow, so it's best to cast them directly on top of your opponents
Minion damage Support Minion Damage Support - again, this is the best Support Gem for any type of Minions that are supposed to deal Damage
melee physical damage Melee Physical Damage Support - opposite to Raging Spirits, Skeletons deal mostly Physical Damage with no conversion at all. 
predator Predator Support - marking enemies makes Skeleton target them and deal More Damage 
Summon Carrion Golem setup
Summon Carrion Golem Summon Carrion Golem - obviously, you want to use Carrion Golems as soon as possible. They will still deal a ton of damage on lower levels, and buff your other Minions too
Minion Damage Support Minion Damage Support - it increases both Physical and Elemental Damage of our Minions 
Melee Physical Damage Support Melee Physical Damage Support - grants a high bonus to Melee Physical DPS
Multistrike Support Multistrike Support - one of the best Support Gems for Carrion Golems to boost their Damage
Utility Gems
detemrination Determination - having Armour makes leveling very easy, even at the cost of not having DPS Aura
vulnerabilty Vulnerability - recommended Curse for this build. It increases Physical Damage Taken by Cursed Enemies
Convocation Convocation - allows you instantly recall all your Minions to your position greatly increasing your progression speed
Clarity Clarity - grants increased Mana Regeneration which is almost always useful on the low levels. Keep it on a low level if you have problems with Mana Reservation


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Bandits:

You should kill all the Bandits for two extra Passive Skill Points. You could also consider helping Oak if you feel like you are missing Physical Damage Reduction

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Lord of the Dead 2) Heart and Soul 3) Enduring Bond 4) Quick Recovery

68 Points Skill Tree
Priorities 1) Death Attunement 2) Cruel Preparation 3) Golem Commander 4) Purity of Flesh 5) Redemption and Righteous Army 6) Constitution

Recommended leveling items:

Victario's FlightVictorio's Flight - the best boots for pretty much the entire leveling phase. They grant a high bonus Movement Speed to you and an insane bonus for your nearby Minions 
+15 to Dexterity
+15 to Intelligence
(100-150)% increased Evasion Rating
(10-20)% increased Movement Speed
(10-20)% increased Movement Speed when on Low Life
Quicksilver Flasks also apply to nearby Allies
 
ClayshaperClayshaper - this is our End Game weapon available shortly after acquiring Carrion Golems. The Maximum number of Golems and insane flat Physical Damage added to their attack make it pretty much best-in-slot. You can dual-wield for double the bonuses. 
Grants Level 12 Summon Stone Golem Skill
Adds (24-30) to (34-40) Physical Damage
(8-10)% increased Attack Speed
+1 to maximum number of Summoned Golems
Golems deal (96-120) to (132-160) Added Attack Physical Damage
 
tabula rasaTabula Rasa - one of the best leveling items in the game, you can either run 1 Six-link setup or 2 Five-links depending on your preferences   
Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden)
Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)
 
GoldrimGoldrim - one of the best leveling Helmets in Path of Exile which grants very high All Elemental Resistances
+(30-50) to Evasion Rating
10% increased Rarity of Items found
+(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances
Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers
 
mark of the red covenantMark of the Red Covenant - makes Raging Spirit deal massive Damage and boost their clear capability by adding Splash to their Attacks,  and you don't need to cast them as often   
+(30-50) to maximum Energy Shield
Summoned Raging Spirits deal 175-250% increased Damage
75% reduced Maximum number of Summoned Raging Spirits
Summoned Raging Spirits' Hits always Ignite
Summoned Raging Spirits' Melee Strikes deal Fire-only Splash
Damage to Surrounding Targets
 

 

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

98 Points Final Skill Tree (Cluster Jewels not included)
121 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

  1. Mindless Aggression
  2. Commander of Darkness
  3. Bone Barrier
  4. Plaguebringer

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% additional Physical Damage Reduction while there is only one nearby Enemy 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

 

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Summon Carrion Golem setup
Summon Carrion Golem Summon Carrion Golem - Carrion Golems are your main source of DPS. You should have at least 6 of them active if you follow this build. They will deal massive Physical Damage and amazing clear speed thanks to their Aggressive behavior
Minion Damage Support Minion Damage Support - greatly increases the damage of supported Minions
Melee Physical Damage Melee Physical Damage Support - more Melee Physical Damage since that's the main type of Damage your Minions are dealing
Multistrike Support Multistrike Support - increases the damage of your Golems by making their Attacks repeat two additional times with increased Speed
Brutality Support Brutality Support - massively increases Physical Damage dealt by Golems at a cost of not dealing Elemental or Chaos Damage
Impale Support Impale Support - the best way to increase purely Physical Damage is to invest in Impale mechanics
[UTILITY] Raise Zombie setup
Raise Zombie Raise Zombie - Zombies act as Meat Shields and tank the incoming damage. They also increase your Carrion Golem's DPS by being summoned
Minion Life Support Minion Life Support - Zombies have more Life so that they won't die too easily
Fortify Support Fortify Support - grants high bonus Melee Damage and a strong defensive buff, which greatly increases the survivability of your Zombies
Feeding Frenzy Feeding Frenzy Support - your Zombies will have a chance to grant you the Feeding Frenzy buff, which increases the speed of all your summoned Minions
[UTILITY] Raise Spectre and Animate Guardian setup
Raise Spectre Raise Spectre - Spectres in this build are used solely as Support Minions. We recommend getting Carnages Chieftain from Old Fields in Act 2 which will generate Frenzy Charges for all your other Minions
Meat Shield Support Meat Shield Support - changes the Spectre's behavior to defensive and reduces all damage taken by them. Basically will help you keep them alive during all encounters, without having to resummon them
Animate Guardian

Animate Guardian - You can use it mainly to grant your Minions Culling Strike and other such enhancements via Unique Items. Be wary, when it dies the items are gone permanently.

Recommended items:

  • Kingmaker - two-handed weapon granting your Allies Culling Strike and a small bonus to Item Rarity
  • Southbound - a pair of gloves that increases maximum Life
  • Mask of the Stitched Demon - an expensive helmet that ensures near immortality for the Guardian given that his Body Armour grants him Energy Shield based on his Maximum Life
  • Rare Boots - Resistances and Movement Speed
  • Rare Body Armour - for resistances, or Belly of The Beast for up to40% increased Maximum Life
minion life Support Minion Life Support - increases Life of supported Minions
[UTILITY] Convocation
Convcation Convocation - instantly recalls your Minions to your location and grants them high Life Regeneration per second
[UTILITY] Auras
Pride Pride - the best Aura for this build, since your Minions will deal only Physical Damage
Determination Determination - increases your Armour significantly
Dread Banner Dread Banner - grants you and your Minions greater Chance to Imaple and increased Impale effectiveness while reducing Accuracy for the Enemies nearby
[UTILITY] Flesh Offering/Desecrate setup
Cyclone Cyclone -  we recommend using Cyclone to cast Desecrate and your Offering Spell via Cast while Channelling Support Gem, as it just makes this entire setup so much smoother to play. 
Cast while Channelling Support Cast while Channelling Support - when you are spinning with your Cyclone, you  will automatically trigger Desecrate and Flesh Offering
Desecrate Desecrate - creates Corpses which can be sacrificed by Flesh Offering to grant your Minions powerful bonuses. You can also use it to create corpses for Raise Zombie and Raise Spectre Spells
Flesh Offering Flesh Offering - the best DPS-wise Offering Spell you can use. It increases the speed of all your Minions
[UTILITY] Dash
Dash Dash - the recommended movement Spell for this build, you can also use Flame Dash or Frostblink if it suits you better
[CURSE] Vulnerability
Vulnerability Vulnerability - an ideal Curse for this build as it increases Physical Damage Taken by monsters. Cast yourself to gain additional Curse Effectiveness

 

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for this build. Our setup consists mainly of Rare equipment except for the Weapons and Body Armour, with the latter being completely optional. However, you will also need several Primordial Jewels to add up two extra Golems, and it's recommended to at least one Large Cluster Jewel and multiple Medium Cluster Jewel to increase your Minions Life/Life Regen and give them a high chance to deal double damage when on Full Life. Either way, it should be rather easy to complete the build for low and mid-tier mapping with random Rare replacements.

Stat priorities on items:

  1. Life
  2. Elemental Resistances
  3. Attributes
  4. Minion Damage
  5. Minion Movement Speed
  6. Armour
Rare Bone Helmet(Helmet) Rare Helmet - the best in the slot. Getting +2 levels for our Golems is huge Damage upgrade, and adds some Life for supportive Minions
Min. requirements:
70 maximum Life
+1 to Level of all Minion Skill Gems
50% total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
+2 to Level of all Minion Skill Gems
Armour Rating
Strength
Helmet enchantment:
​​​​​​Summoned Carrion Golems deal 40% increased Damage
Body Armour(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - maximum Life and Resistances are enough to get this build working. 
Min. requirements:
100 maximum Life
70% to Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
You can apply an additional Curse
skin of the lrods(Body Armour) Skin of the Lords - DPS-oriented Armour, grants +2 levels for Carrion Golems and all Support Gems and a 100% increase to our Armour Rating. You need Corrupted Gems, adequate colours of Sockets  and a Keystone that doesn't brick build
Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden)
Sockets cannot be modified
+2 to Level of Socketed Gems
100% increased Global Defences
You can only Socket Corrupted Gems in this item
Item has 6 Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden)
<Random Keystone>
brass dome(Body Armour) Brass dome- if you prefer some survival over DMG, this is the perfect Armour. Since we use 3 Red Support Gems, it's not hard to fit in our setup. Make sure to buy one with 5% maximum Resistances 
(350-400)% increased Armour
+(1-5)% to all maximum Elemental Resistances
Strength provides no bonus to Maximum Life
Take no Extra Damage from Critical Strikes
Clayshaper(Weapon) Clayshaper - this is the best Item we can use to increase DPS. It increases the maximum number of Golems you can have summoned at the same time and grants them big amount of flat Physical Damage
Grants Level 12 Summon Stone Golem Skill
Adds (24-30) to (34-40) Physical Damage
(8-10)% increased Attack Speed
+1 to maximum number of Summoned Golems
Golems deal (96-120) to (132-160) Added Attack Physical Damage
Rare Gloves(Gloves) Rare Gloves - aim for high Life, Attributes and Elemental Resistances. You can also craft an increased Minion Damage modifier on those
Min. requirements:
60 maximum Life
80% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Minion Damage
Armour Rating
Stygian Vise(Belt) Rare Belt - again,  aim for high defensive bonuses. Stygian Belt is best base but can be expensive
Min. requirements:
90 maximum Life
90% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Armour Rating
Chaos Resistance
Stygian Vise(Belt)Darkness Enthroned - you need very good Abyss Jewels, to make proper use of this belt, it can provide more Damage than Rare one
Has 1 Abyssal Socket
Has 1 Abyssal Socket
75% increased Effect of Socketed Abyss Jewels
Rare Amulet(Amulet) Rare Amulet - this piece should grant very high bonus Attributes so that you can easily use all the required Gems. 
Min. requirements:
70 maximum Life
50 Dexterity
50 Strength
Optional affixes:
Elemental Resistances
Non-channelling Skills have -# to Total Mana Cost
Recommended Anointments:
Ravenous Horde
Enduring Bond
Grave Intentions (good for Animated Guardian)
Rare Ring(Ring) Rare Rings - aim to get high Life and defensive stats. New Bone Ring provides Elemental Resistances for Minions and can roll related Minion modifiers.
Min. requirements:
70 maximum Life
65% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Minions deal #% increased Damage
Minions have #% increased Movement Speed
Minions have #% increased Attack and Cast Speed
Rare Boots(Boots) Rare Boots - getting high defensive stats should be your priority here. You should also aim for high Movement Speed bonus
Min. requirements:
75 maximum Life
30% Movement Speed
60% Total Elemental Resistances
Optional affixes:
Cannot be Frozen
Socketed Gems are Supported by level # Fortify
Boot enchantment:
Regenerate 2% of Life and Mana per second if you were Hit Recently
The Anima Stone(Jewel) The Anima Stone - mandatory Jewel used in this build. It allows you to summon two additional Golems in total. 
Can Summon up to 1 additional Golem at a time
If you have 3 Primordial Jewels, can Summon up to 1 additional Golem at a time
Primordial Might(Jewel) Primordial Might - making your Golems more aggressive greatly increasing their targeting and clear speed. You need to use one Primordial Might in this build
(25-30)% increased Damage if you Summoned a Golem in the past 8 seconds
Golems Summoned in the past 8 seconds deal (35-45)% increased Damage
Golems have (18-22)% increased Maximum Life
Your Golems are aggressive
Primordial
Primordial Harmony(Jewel) Primordial Harmony - these Jewels grant the highest DPS reducing the cooldowns of your Golem's most powerful abilities. 
Golem Skills have (20-30)% increased Cooldown Recovery Speed
Golems have (10-15)% increased Cooldown Recovery Speed
(16-20)% increased Golem Damage for each Type of Golem you have Summoned
Golems regenerate 2% of their Maximum Life per second
Primordial
Primordial Eminence(Jewel) Primordial Eminence - also a great Primordial Jewel, try to aim for max Attack Speed roll 
Golems have (16-20)% increased Attack and Cast Speed
30% increased Effect of Buffs granted by your Golems
Golems have +(800-1000) to Armour
Primordial
Abyss Jewels(Jewel) Rare Abyss Jewels - adding flat Damage is less efficient than increasing the existing one. On top of that, look for Life and Elemental Resistances 
Recommended affixes:
maximum Life
Minions deal 20% increased Damage if you've used a Minion Skill Recently
Fortress Covenant(Jewel) Fortress Covenant - grants high bonus Minion Damage and extra block chance. It's great to pick it up and socket it inside one of your Cluster Sockets, as then the negative effect is ignored
Minions deal (35-45)% increased Damage
Minions have +(10-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage
Minions have +(10-12)% Chance to Block Spell Damage
Notable Passive Skills in Radius are Transformed to
instead grant: Minions take 20% increased Damage
Quickening Covenant(Jewel) Quickening Covenant - just like the above, though this time it grants a bit different spectrum of bonuses
Minions have (12-16)% increased Attack Speed
Minions have (12-16)% increased Cast Speed
Minions have (20-24)% chance to Suppress Spell Hits
Notable Passive Skills in Radius are Transformed to
instead grant: Minions have 25% reduced Movement Speed
Large Cluster Jewel(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewel - you should get at least one Large Cluster Jewel. You are primarily looking for Feasting Fiends to boost your Minions survivability and  Rotten Claws for a small chance to Impale. Third Notable is usually skipped since is not skill point cost-effective
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Feasting Fiends
1 Added Passive Skill is Rotten Claws
Medium Cluster Jewel(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewel - you can use up to 4 Medium Cluster Jewels in this build depending on your level. You can simply stack Renewal and give your Minions some extra defenses via Dread March  Passive
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Renewal
1 Added Passive Skill is Dread March
Small Cluster Jewel(Jewel) Small Cluster Jewel - if you have free Passive Points (and a Socket) for Small Cluster Jewel pick one with Fettle for the highest bonus Life
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Fettle
Rumi's Concoction(Flask) Rumi's Concoction - a great Utility Flask which boosts your defenses significantly
+1500 to Armour
+(8-12)% Chance to Block Attack Damage during Flask effect
+(4-6)% Chance to Block Spell Damage during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks:

  1. Life Flask with Bleed removal
  2. Basalt Flask with random ailment removal
  3. Quartz Flask with random ailment removal
  4. Quicksilver Flask with increased Movement Speed
Rumi's ConcoctionLife FlaskBasalt FlaskQuartz FlaskQuicksilver Flask


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If you have tried our Carrion Golem Necromancer build, make sure to let us know how it worked out for you. We will also appreciate your feedback that can be posted in the comments below. With your help, we will be able to improve our content.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.

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