Chains Of Command Necromancer Necropolis 3.24 Guide

March 26, 2024 15 minutes

Build Overview

The WowCarry website is thrilled to introduce the definitive guide to the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build for the Necropolis 3.24 expansion in Path of Exile (PoE). This build leverages the unique synergy between the Chains of Command unique item and a high-level Animate Guardian, turning your minions into a devastating army. It's important to note that this build necessitates specific requirements to function optimally:

Disclaimers:

  • The build mandates the Replenishing Remedies Amulet anointment and mandates that your Animate Guardian must be at least level 20 before embarking on this build journey. Moreover, it is dependent on certain unique items to unlock its full potential. Player specific uniques include Chains of Command and two instances of The Writhing Jar. For your Animate Guardian, the unique items required are Rebuke of the Vaal, Gravebind, Gruthkul's Pelt, and Replica Victario's Charity (or Victario's Charity if the Replica version is too costly or unavailable).
  • Given the prerequisites mentioned above, players will need to initially level up using alternative strategies such as Absolution, Summon Raging Spirit, Animate Weapon, or other viable options before transitioning to this build.

Introduction:

The Chains Of Command Necromancer Build has captivated the PoE community since its debut alongside the Bestiary League. This innovative approach to gameplay focuses on empowering your Animate Guardian with extraordinary weapons, thereby amplifying the damage output of both the guardian and the animated weapons. Initially, the build presented challenges in terms of playability and effectiveness. However, the introduction of Gravebind in patch 3.16 marked a significant turning point, enhancing the build's viability and performance. My extensive experience and rigorous testing of this build have enabled me to refine and perfect it, especially with the advent of the Fresh Meat Support gem in patch 3.22. This addition has revitalized the build, providing an unmatched level of efficiency and excitement for those who deploy it in the Necropolis era of PoE.

Pros and Cons

Pros Cons
+ Comfortable and highly automated mapping experience for a minion build, making the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build in the Necropolis expansion of PoE exceptionally efficient. – The build is risky. Managing the Animate Guardian is crucial; its loss requires a new gear setup to continue effectively.
+ Exclusive ability to utilize the Fresh Meat support gem permanently while mapping, a feat unachievable by most other minion builds. – The unique play style of the Chains Of Command Build may not appeal to everyone. It's advisable to watch gameplay videos before committing to this path.
+ Exceptional clear speed enabled by the utilization of all six gem links and melee splash integrated into the armor, allowing for dedicated single-target supports. – Gem levels are critical. A level 19 Animate Guardian is the minimum to avoid it becoming too vulnerable, necessitating frequent re-gearing upon its demise.
+ A distinctive and stylish play style, with the use of items like Rebuke of the Vaal and Voidforge on your Animate Guardian, showcasing the build’s uniqueness. – Boss encounters can pose challenges. Despite high DPS, animate weapons' survivability against bosses can reduce damage uptime, although when conditions are right, bosses typically succumb quickly.

Build Main Mechanics

The Chains Of Command Necromancer Build for the Necropolis expansion in PoE offers a unique and engaging play style that centers around the innovative mechanics of the Chains of Command unique item. This build transforms the way we approach minion management and battlefield control, offering a dynamic and visually impressive gameplay experience.

Play Style

At the heart of this build is the interaction between the Chains of Command and your Animate Guardian. By equipping your Animate Guardian with a high Physical Damage per Second (PDPS) weapon, such as Rebuke of the Vaal, and the critical Gravebind, you ensure that every enemy felled in the vicinity of your Guardian fuels your army. This synergy not only credits your Guardian with each kill but also spawns Animated Weapons from those kills, thanks to the Chains of Command's unique properties. The use of The Writhing Jar is essential to jump-start this process, with one flask being mandatory for initial summons and a second to enhance smoothness during gameplay.

Once your Animated Weapons are summoned, your main focus shifts to navigating through maps with your preferred movement skill and using Convocation strategically to ensure your minions decimate everything in their path, all while you spectate the unfolding chaos.

Moreover, sustaining The Writhing Jar becomes effortless with strategic flask nodes on the skill tree, making for an uninterrupted flow of Animated Weapon summons.

Damage Scaling and Defensive Layers

Damage scaling in the Chains Of Command Build primarily depends on the weapon wielded by the Animate Guardian. The initial budget-friendly setup includes Rebuke of the Vaal, chosen for its high damage output at a low investment. The integration of Fresh Meat Support, further enhanced by Gravebind, ensures a continuous supply of swords and a perpetual buff while mapping. For those looking to maximize their build's potential, upgrading to Voidforge represents the pinnacle of weapon choice, detailed within the gear progression guide.

Defensively, the build employs Purity of Elements and Determination, granting elemental ailment immunity and a significant armor boost, respectively. This configuration achieves a balance between physical and elemental resistance, with potential for chaos resistance in higher-budget versions. While not designed as a tank build, the Chains Of Command Necromancer is resilient and capable of withstanding substantial damage, making for an exhilarating gameplay experience that is both rewarding and enjoyable.

PoB, Passives and Gem Links

The Chains Of Command Necromancer Build offers various levels of budget considerations to accommodate all players in the Necropolis expansion of PoE. Below you will find Path of Building (PoB) links for low, medium, and high budget builds, alongside essential information on masteries, amulet anointment, and gem links.

Path of Building (PoB) Links

Masteries

While masteries can be tailored to individual playstyles, certain selections are foundational to maximizing the effectiveness of this build:

  • Life Mastery: Essential for enhancing maximum life.
  • Minion Offense Mastery: Increases the effect of Offerings on minions.
  • Minion Defense Mastery: Enhances minion survivability through leech and elemental resistance.
  • Mana Mastery: Crucial for reducing mana reservation.
  • Flask Mastery: Increases flask charge gain, aiding in sustaining The Writhing Jar.

Amulet Anointment

For amulet anointment, the Replenishing Remedies node is paramount, requiring Sepia Oil, Amber Oil, and Indigo Oil. This enhances flask effectiveness, crucial for this build's mechanics.

End Game Gem Links

Gem setups are categorized to optimize damage output, defensive capabilities, and utility:

  • 6-Socket Animate Weapon: Focuses on damage with Minion Damage, Multistrike, Fresh Meat (or Predator against bosses), Ruthless, Increased Critical Strikes, and Increased Critical Damage supports.
  • 3-Link Trigger: Automates Flesh Offering and Desecrate with Lifetap to preserve mana.
  • 1S-Casting Curse: Assassin's Mark to enhance critical strike effectiveness.
  • 2L Precision and Arrogance: For accuracy and aura enhancement.
  • 3S Auras: Standalone skills including Determination, Purity of Elements, and Tempest Shield for defense.
  • 3L Shield Charge: For mobility, paired with Faster Attacks and Lifetap.
  • 1S Glove Curse: Elemental Weakness for automated casting through gloves.
  • 1S Mobility – Flame Dash: For navigating terrain challenges.
  • 4-Link Animate Guardian: Geared towards survivability with Minion Life, Meat Shield, and Feeding Frenzy supports.

Each component of this setup is crafted to synergize with the Chains Of Command Necromancer's unique mechanics, ensuring a powerful and enjoyable gameplay experience in PoE's Necropolis expansion.

Ascendancy, Pantheons and Deal with the Bandits

The Chains Of Command Necromancer Build within the Necropolis expansion of PoE emphasizes a strategic approach to Ascendancy choices, dealing with the Bandits, and selecting Pantheon powers. These choices significantly influence the performance and resilience of your build.

Ascendancy

The Ascendancy choices for this build are pivotal, guiding the build's strengths in specific directions. Here is the recommended setup:

  • Commander of Darkness: Provides a substantial boost in resistance and attack speed for minions, alongside a damage bonus, making it an essential first choice.
  • Mistress of Sacrifice: Enhances block for minions and the player, critical for survivability. It's advisable to prioritize this node unless you're not utilizing offerings manually.
  • Mindless Aggression: Boosts minion movement, attack speed, cast speed, and raw damage, offering significant quality of life improvements as a third choice.
  • Unnatural Strength: Grants Unholy Might, offering a substantial offensive boost in lower-budget setups. For those prioritizing defense, Bone Barrier may be considered in higher-budget versions.

Deal with the Bandits

For this build, the recommendation is to eliminate all the bandits. The skill points gained from this action outweigh any benefits the bandits might offer, aligning better with the build's needs.

Pantheons

Choosing the right Pantheons can complement the build's strengths and mitigate its weaknesses, especially considering the flask suffix limitations due to The Writhing Jar's usage:

  • Major Pantheon: Brine King – Offers freeze immunity, an essential defensive trait that compensates for the reduced flexibility in flask suffixes.
  • Minor Pantheon: Abberath – Provides immunity to burning ground, alleviating the frustration from this environmental hazard. This choice is flexible, and players are encouraged to adapt based on personal preference or specific challenges encountered.

This combination of Ascendancy nodes, the strategic decision to deal with the bandits, and the careful selection of Pantheon powers tailors the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build to excel in the diverse and challenging environments of PoE's Necropolis expansion.

Gear

The equipment setup for the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build in PoE's Necropolis expansion is critical for maximizing the build's potential. Here's a summary of the recommended gear to achieve optimal performance:

Item Slot Item Name Rarity
Head Ancient Skull Unique
Amulet Life, then Attributes/Res as needed + Replenishing Remedies anointment Rare
Chest Chains of Command Unique
Gloves Vixen's Entrapment Rare
Boots Life & Movement Speed, then Res/Attributes as needed Rare
Belt Darkness Enthroned Unique
Rings Life, then Res/Attributes as needed Rare
Weapon Increased minion damage, Attack speed, and Trigger Socketed Spell craft Rare
Shield Recover on block shield Rare

Animate Guardian Gear:

Item Slot Item Name Rarity
Head Mask of the Stitched Demon or Leer Cast Unique – Leer Cast is the lower budget option.
Chest Gruthkul's Pelt Unique
Gloves Gravebind Unique
Weapon Rebuke of the Vaal Unique
Shield Victario's Charity or better Replica Victario's Charity Unique

The gear listed above ensures the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build operates at peak efficiency, making it a formidable choice for tackling the challenges of the Necropolis expansion in PoE.

Summary

So, there you have it, folks – a comprehensive guide to rocking the Chains Of Command Necromancer Build in Path of Exile's latest Necropolis expansion. From the gear you need to gather, the passives to pick, and the gems to link, we've covered everything to get you started and then some. Remember, whether you're diving into this as a seasoned pro or a curious newbie, it’s all about having fun and exploring what this unique build can do. And hey, if you find yourself in a pickle or just want a bit of a boost getting things set up, we at WowCarry have got your back. We offer services tailored to this build, so you don't have to go at it alone. Whether you need a hand with part of the guide or the whole shebang, we're here to help make your PoE adventure as epic as possible. Happy gaming!

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