About This Build Guide

This Animate Guardian Necromancer guide is generated from statistical analysis of 1,143 real Witch (Necromancer) builds in Mirage league, collected from poe.ninja. Data covers levels 70-95 across three percentile bands (top 10%, median, bottom 10%).

Popular Equipment at Level 85

Core Gem Setup

Lv
Investment

Investment Score

Ranks builds by overall gear investment using combined DPS + EHP, max gem level, 6-link count, gem quality, and unique item rarity.

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Build Compendium

ANIMATE GUARDIAN · Necromancer
Analyzing 146 builds · 48 in current percentile
707580859095100
Investment

Investment Score

Ranks builds by overall gear investment using combined DPS + EHP, max gem level, 6-link count, gem quality, and unique item rarity.

Character Stats

Survivability
EHP
22,877
Max Phys Hit
5,045
Max Chaos Hit
4,570
Defense
Life
3,231
Energy Shield
1,030
Evasion
331
Armour
5,568
Block Chance
53%
Spell Suppress
18%
Phys Reduction
32%
Offense
Total DPS
0(PoB)
Crit Chance
0%
Crit Multiplier
156%
Resistances
Fire
75%(capped)
Cold
75%(capped)
Lightning
73%
Chaos
11%
Recovery
Life Regen
182/s
ES Regen
43/s
Resources
Mana
993
Unreserved Life
3,203
Unreserved %
99%
Move Speed
62%

Equipment

Weapon
Foulborn Severed in Sleep
Corrupted Severed in Sleep variant - minions poison on hit with enhanced corrupted implicits for AG builds
Cutlass
40% increased Global Accuracy Rating
Grants Level 25 Envy Skill
Minions have 5% to Critical Strike Multiplier per Withered Debuff on Enemy
Minions have 29% to Chaos Resistance
{mutated}Minions have 5% to Critical Strike Chance
Minions have 60% chance to inflict Withered on Hit
{mutated}Minions have 4% chance to gain Unholy Might for 25 seconds on Kill
3L GRB
Q19%
▹94% adoption - guardian's main-hand weapon; all minions poison on hit, enabling chaos/poison scaling for the entire animated weapon army
▹Foulborn variant adds corrupted implicits for additional power over the base version
Helmet
Ancient Skull
Minion attack/cast speed + minion damage at cost of minion life
Bone Helmet
197 Armour, +Minion damage implicit
Minions deal 18% increased Damage
177% increased Armour and Energy Shield
Minions have 26% reduced maximum Life
Minions have 20% increased Movement Speed
Minions have 50% increased Critical Strike Chance per Maximum Power Charge you have
Minions can hear the whispers for 5 seconds after they deal a Critical Strike
4L BBRB
Q20%
▹96% adoption - equipped on the guardian for massive minion attack/cast speed and damage
▹Reduced minion life downside is offset by Minion Life support gem and guardian life investment
Offhand
Rare Offhand
Fossilised Spirit Shield29%·Ivory Spirit Shield11%·Ezomyte Tower Shield7%
Popular affixes
P272 to maximum Life51%
P1Minions deal 27% increased Damage27%
P455% increased Armour13%
S525% to Lightning Resistance31%
S434% to Cold Resistance27%
S312% to all Elemental Resistances18%
Popular crafted mods
C-P362 to maximum Life11%
3L RGB
Q18%
iLvl 64(20-85)
Ring
92%
Rare Ring 2
Bone Ring57%·Amethyst Ring14%·Two-Stone Ring14%
Popular affixes
P520 to maximum Energy Shield36%
P274 to maximum Life34%
P1Minions deal 24% increased Damage30%
S434% to Cold Resistance32%
S312% to all Elemental Resistances27%
S338% to Lightning Resistance23%
Popular crafted mods
C-P549 to maximum Life27%
C-S623% to Lightning Resistance11%
iLvl 66(38-87)
Body Armour
99%
Chains of Command
Animated Guardian weapons animate nearby enemy weapons on kill - creates a self-replicating minion army
Saintly Chainmail
Trigger Level 20 Animate Guardian's Weapon when Animated Guardian Kills an Enemy
10% chance to Trigger Level 18 Animate Guardian's Weapon when Animated Weapon Kills an Enemy
172% increased Armour and Energy Shield
78 to maximum Life
Animated Guardian deals 5% increased Damage per Animated Weapon
Animated and Manifested Minions' Melee Strikes deal Splash
Damage to surrounding targets
6L BBGRRB
Q20%
▹100% adoption - THE build-defining body armour; guardian kills animate nearby enemy weapons, creating a self-replicating army
▹More guardian kills = more animated weapons = more kills = exponential army growth in dense maps
Ring
85%
Rare Ring 1
Bone Ring56%·Two-Stone Ring22%·Amethyst Ring7%
Popular affixes
P194 to maximum Life54%
P531 to maximum Mana29%
P1Minions deal 25% increased Damage22%
S524% to Fire Resistance27%
S525% to Lightning Resistance24%
S433% to Cold Resistance24%
Popular crafted mods
C-P455 to maximum Life15%
iLvl 66(31-85)
Gloves
Rare Gloves
Legion Gloves15%·Riveted Gloves7%·Soldier Gloves7%
Popular affixes
P182 to maximum Life54%
P537 to maximum Mana30%
P453% increased Armour and Energy Shield26%
S435% to Fire Resistance63%
S339% to Cold Resistance59%
S434% to Lightning Resistance50%
Popular crafted mods
C-P457 to maximum Life17%
4L BBBR
Q16%
iLvl 68(28-86)
Belt
Rare Belt
Heavy Belt48%·Stygian Vise18%·Chain Belt15%
Popular affixes
P276 to maximum Life67%
P642 to Armour39%
P525 to maximum Energy Shield39%
S527% to Lightning Resistance55%
S434% to Fire Resistance55%
S435% to Cold Resistance42%
1L A
iLvl 66(34-86)
Boots
Rare Boots
Soldier Boots9%·Crusader Boots6%·Legion Boots6%
Popular affixes
P225% increased Movement Speed85%
P368 to maximum Life57%
P526% increased Armour and Energy Shield19%
S430% to Fire Resistance47%
S529% to Lightning Resistance47%
S529% to Cold Resistance36%
Popular crafted mods
C-P452 to maximum Life13%
C-S524% to Fire Resistance13%
4L BBGR
Q18%
iLvl 65(5-86)
Amulet
The Anvil
Block chance + life gain on block - defensive layering with Glancing Blows
Amber Amulet
+20-30 Str implicit
27 to Strength
13% Chance to Block Attack Damage
10% reduced Attack Speed
10% reduced Cast Speed
458 to Armour
40 Life gained when you Block
20 Mana gained when you Block
3% to maximum Chance to Block Attack Damage
▹79% adoption - equipped on the guardian; block chance + life gain on block keeps the guardian alive in dangerous content
▹Guardian dying = losing the entire animated weapon army, so guardian survivability is critical

Build Overview

Minion army build centred on Animate Guardian wielding Severed in Sleep for poison damage. Chains of Command causes the guardian's kills to animate nearby enemy weapons, creating a self-replicating army. Necromancer scales minion damage, life, and offering effects while the player focuses on positioning and corpse management.

Key Requirements
*
Animate Guardian - Build-defining minion skill - the guardian equips items and fights alongside you, scaling with gem level and support gems
*
Chains of Command - 100% adoption - guardian kills animate nearby enemy weapons, creating an ever-growing army that multiplies DPS
*
Ancient Skull - 96% adoption - massive minion attack/cast speed and damage boost at the cost of reduced minion life
*
Foulborn Severed in Sleep - 94% adoption - guardian wields this to apply poison on every hit, enabling chaos/poison scaling for the entire army
*
Eldritch Battery - 75% at L70-75 - ES protects mana, enabling full mana reservation for auras while spending ES on skill costs
Synergy Groups
Chains of Command+Foulborn Severed in Sleep+Envy

Chains of Command animates weapons from kills. Foulborn Severed in Sleep makes the guardian and animated weapons poison on hit. Envy aura with Generosity adds flat chaos damage to all minions, amplifying poison base damage across the entire army.

Stat Contributions
Rare Gloves
+82 Life+35% Fire Res+39% Cold Res
Rare Boots
+68 Life+30% Fire Res+25% Move Speed
Rare Belt
+76 Life+34% Fire Res+27% Light Res
Rare Ring 2
+74 Life+20 ES+34% Cold Res
Ancient Skull
+177% ES+177% Armour+20% Move Speed
Rare Offhand
+72 Life+25% Light Res
Rare Ring 1
+94 Life+24% Fire Res
Chains of Command
+172% ES+172% Armour
Flasks
Quicksilver Flask
99%
40% increased Movement Speed
Movement speed for mapping and dodging mechanics
6s30/60 chargesQ20%
16-20% increased Charge Recovery(13%)
41-45% increased Armour during Effect(10%)
▹Movement speed for positioning - Necromancer is slow, the army does the killing while you reposition and cast offerings
Divine Life Flask
71%
Instantly restores Life
Instant or sustained life recovery - emergency healing
3.5s15/45 chargesQ14%
66% reduced Amount Recovered, Instant Recovery(9%)
Grants Immunity to Bleeding and Corrupted Blood for 12-14 seconds(15%)
▹Emergency recovery - summoners invest in minions not personal defences, so flask healing is the primary life sustain
Granite Flask
35%
+3000 Armour
Flat armour - layered with other physical mitigation
6s30/60 charges
33-38% reduced Duration, 25% increased effect(18%)
36-41% reduced Effect of Chill and Freeze Duration during Effect(18%)
▹Flat armour for physical mitigation - summoner gear prioritizes minion stats over player defences
Amethyst Flask
31%
+35% Chaos Resistance
Max chaos res during flask effect - chaos damage mitigation
6.5s35/65 chargesQ3%
21-25% increased Duration(13%)
Immunity to Freeze and Chill during Effect(13%)
▹Chaos res coverage - gear slots are dominated by minion-focused uniques that provide no personal chaos res
Eternal Life Flask
10%
Recovers Life over time
Highest life recovery flask - endgame sustain
2s15/45 charges
17-19% reduced Charges per use(20%)
Grants Immunity to Ignite for 12-14 seconds, Removes all Burning when used(20%)
▹35% adoption - highest base recovery life flask; summoners lack personal defence investment so large heal flask is critical emergency sustain

Gems & Links

Setup
Slot SetupsReal player setup · 1 similar builds
Helmet3G
Tempest Shield
Lv 18
Frostblink
Lv 19
1L
Arctic Armour
Lv 18
Gloves4G
Animate Guardian
Lv 19Q20
Elemental Army
Lv 19
Minion Life
Lv 19
Feeding Frenzy
Lv 19
Boots3G
Shield Charge
Lv 19
Faster Attacks
Lv 19
Brutality
Lv 19
Main Hand4G
Haste
Lv 16
Generosity
Lv 17
1L
Flesh Offering
Lv 19
1L
Envy
Lv 25
Off Hand2G
Despair
Lv 19
Convocation
Lv 1
Loading passive tree...

Keystones & Masteries

Keystones
Masteries
Minion Defence Mastery
90%
Minions Recover 5% of Life on Minion Death58%
Minions Leech 1% of Damage as Life31%
Minion life, resistances, or minion survivability
• +8% to all minion max elemental res keeps the guardian alive in endgame elemental encounters; guardian death = army wipe
• Minion life recovery on minion death sustains the animated weapon army as individual weapons expire
Mana Mastery
85%
12% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills85%
Mana recovery, max mana, or mana cost reduction
• 12% mana reservation efficiency fits more auras (Haste, Envy with Generosity, Determination) for maximum minion scaling
Shield Mastery
83%
+1% Chance to Block Attack Damage per 5% Chance to Block on Equipped Shield83%
Block chance, shield defences, or shield-specific bonuses
• Block chance and shield defence scaling - summoners using spirit shields gain meaningful passive block as a defence layer
Minion Defence Mastery
63%
Minions Leech 1% of Damage as Life38%
Minions Recover 5% of Life on Minion Death21%
Minion life, resistances, or minion survivability
• +8% to all minion max elemental res keeps the guardian alive in endgame elemental encounters; guardian death = army wipe
• Minion life recovery on minion death sustains the animated weapon army as individual weapons expire
Minion Defence Mastery
58%
Minions Leech 1% of Damage as Life27%
Minion life, resistances, or minion survivability
• +8% to all minion max elemental res keeps the guardian alive in endgame elemental encounters; guardian death = army wipe
• Minion life recovery on minion death sustains the animated weapon army as individual weapons expire
Block Mastery
54%
+1% Chance to Block Spell Damage per 5% Chance to Block Attack Damage54%
Block chance, block recovery, or block-related bonuses
• +1% spell block per 5% attack block - converts shield-based attack block into spell block for passive defence
Minion Offence Mastery
50%
20% increased effect of Offerings42%
Increased minion damage, attack/cast speed, or accuracy
• Minion attack speed and damage bonuses directly scale the animated weapon army's DPS output
• 20% increased offering effect amplifies Spirit Offering's added chaos damage for stronger poison stacks

Pantheon & Bandit

Pantheon
Major God
The Brine King67%
You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds
50% reduced Effect of Chill on you
100% chance to Avoid being Frozen
Minor God
Ryslatha31%
Life Flasks gain 3 Charges every 3 seconds if you haven't used a Life Flask Recently · 60% increased Life Recovery from Flasks used when on Low Life
Enemies you've Hit Recently have 50% reduced Life Regeneration rate
Bandit Quest
AliraRecommended
67%
15% to all Elemental Resistances +20 to maximum Mana 5 Mana Regenerated per second
Eramir
33%
2 Passive Skill Points
Oak
0%
+40 to maximum Life 2% of Life Regenerated per second 1% of Physical Attack Damage Leeched as Life
Kraityn
0%
6% increased Attack and Cast Speed 6% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Global Damage over Time Multiplier

Jewels

Regular Jewels
Rare Regular Jewel96%
Ghastly Eye Jewel
Minions deal 15 to 21 additional Physical Damage(63%)
25 to maximum Life(24%)
Minions have 7% chance to Taunt on Hit with Attacks(22%)
28 to maximum Mana(17%)