Updated for Patch 3.19
The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo
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.
You can also check our other Path of Exile builds at Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List
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. |
|
PROS |
|
CONS |
|
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 - 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 Damage Support - mandatory Support Gem for any Minion Skill |
![]() |
Combustion Support - gives more Fire damage and lowers enemy Fire Resistance when Spirits land an Ignite on them |
![]() |
Elemental Damage with Attack Support - recent changes made Spirits convert 100% of Physical Damage to Elemental |
Summon Skeletons setup | |
![]() |
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 - again, this is the best Support Gem for any type of Minions that are supposed to deal Damage |
![]() |
Melee Physical Damage Support - opposite to Raging Spirits, Skeletons deal mostly Physical Damage with no conversion at all. |
![]() |
Predator Support - marking enemies makes Skeleton target them and deal More Damage |
Summon Carrion Golem setup | |
![]() |
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 - it increases both Physical and Elemental Damage of our Minions |
![]() |
Melee Physical Damage Support - grants a high bonus to Melee Physical DPS |
![]() |
Multistrike Support - one of the best Support Gems for Carrion Golems to boost their Damage |
Utility Gems | |
![]() |
Determination - having Armour makes leveling very easy, even at the cost of not having DPS Aura |
![]() |
Vulnerability - recommended Curse for this build. It increases Physical Damage Taken by Cursed Enemies |
![]() |
Convocation - allows you instantly recall all your Minions to your position greatly increasing your progression speed |
![]() |
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 |
|
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:
![]() |
|
+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 |
![]() |
|
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 |
|
![]() |
|
Item has no level requirement and Energy Shield (Hidden) Item has 6 White Sockets and is fully linked (Hidden) |
![]() |
|
+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers |
|
![]() |
|
+(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 |
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:
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%
[DPS] Summon Carrion Golem setup | |
![]() |
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 - greatly increases the damage of supported Minions |
![]() |
Melee Physical Damage Support - more Melee Physical Damage since that's the main type of Damage your Minions are dealing |
![]() |
Multistrike Support - increases the damage of your Golems by making their Attacks repeat two additional times with increased Speed |
![]() |
Brutality Support - massively increases Physical Damage dealt by Golems at a cost of not dealing Elemental or Chaos Damage |
![]() |
Impale Support - the best way to increase purely Physical Damage is to invest in Impale mechanics |
[UTILITY] Raise Zombie setup | |
![]() |
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 - Zombies have more Life so that they won't die too easily |
![]() |
Fortify Support - grants high bonus Melee Damage and a strong defensive buff, which greatly increases the survivability of your Zombies |
![]() |
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 - 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 - 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 - 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:
|
![]() |
Minion Life Support - increases Life of supported Minions |
[UTILITY] Convocation | |
![]() |
Convocation - instantly recalls your Minions to your location and grants them high Life Regeneration per second |
[UTILITY] Auras | |
![]() |
Pride - the best Aura for this build, since your Minions will deal only Physical Damage |
![]() |
Determination - increases your Armour significantly |
![]() |
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 - 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 - when you are spinning with your Cyclone, you will automatically trigger Desecrate and Flesh Offering |
![]() |
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 - the best DPS-wise Offering Spell you can use. It increases the speed of all your Minions |
[UTILITY] 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 - an ideal Curse for this build as it increases Physical Damage Taken by monsters. Cast yourself to gain additional Curse Effectiveness |
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:
|
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
Min. requirements: 100 maximum Life 70% to Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: You can apply an additional Curse |
![]() |
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> |
![]() |
(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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Minion Damage Armour Rating |
![]() |
Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Armour Rating Chaos Resistance |
![]() |
Has 1 Abyssal Socket Has 1 Abyssal Socket 75% increased Effect of Socketed Abyss Jewels |
![]() |
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) |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
(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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
Recommended affixes: maximum Life Minions deal 20% increased Damage if you've used a Minion Skill Recently |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
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 |
![]() |
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Feasting Fiends 1 Added Passive Skill is Rotten Claws |
![]() |
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Renewal 1 Added Passive Skill is Dread March |
![]() |
Recommended affixes: 1 Added Passive Skill is Fettle |
![]() |
+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:
|
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
|
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.