Elder Shaman - Summon Barbarian Guide [1.3]

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ScarletEdge
Djinn
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Kylrath wrote:Oh, I know that totem disapper when i swap weapons back. I only wanted to mention Wizards's Paths boots is a good choice on my summoner , but I use the totems to boost my merc, PoS and Hive.(with
Lamha Na Draoithe
Lamha Na Draoithe
Gauntlets (Sacred)

Defense: (1339 - 1506) to (1567 - 1763)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 625
Item Level: 120
+2 to All Skills
+150 Spell Focus
30% Cast Speed
+(16 to 20)% to Spell Damage
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
+75 to Strength
-100 to Life
Elemental Resists +15%
Socketed (4)
) In that case me and my merc kill the mobs and summons just tank for me (merc got -135 lighning , and im running around with -120 fire/poison).
If i rely on my summons to deal dmg, that boots not doing much. + you suggested the option to use Pristess and a5 merc.If you do use them , wizards path is no use.

BUT it doesnt matter at all, even cheap crafted summoners can farm really fast.
Goetia Plate
Goetia Plate
Full Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (8467 - 9339) to (10376 - 11445)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 700
Item Level: 120
+3 to All Skills
+1 to Maximum Necromancer Minions
+(151 to 200)% to Summoned Minion Life
+(51 to 75)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+150 Life Regenerated per Second
+750 to Life
+375 to Mana
-4 to Light Radius
Socketed (6)
is all you need :)

Have you tried out a5 merc before ? I think mahitovec suggested it before, but i dont think any merc can outscale abjurer in dmg/survivabilty.


Oh, then yes. That's what the zomg boots option is for, in case you're not using Abjurer. I've also been meaning to try out that setup, I just haven't had the chance yet. Might add a section for it later on :D

In terms of damage, A5 merc can't really compare with A3. Abjurer wins by a landslide. A5 is mostly good for crowd control and support. A1 merc is in a different league itself as well. Since its wdm, it can take advantage of summon barb stances and Nephalet spirit, allowing its damage to skyrocket. And while it still can't beat Abjurer in terms of kill speed, it deals 4 types of damage so you don't need to worry about immunes. This makes it a good general use mercenary. Edit: As for survivability, they all become pretty tough as long as you put on bear stance.

HohoHaha wrote:Overall nice guide, although you should really do some proofreading :D

pls
Pheasant
Jungle Hunter
25 | 1
For endgame i would suggest you put
Khazra Plate
Khazra Plate
Ancient Armor (Sacred)

Defense: (8603 - 9489) to (10651 - 11748)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
2310
Item Level: 120
Level 1 Demon Blood Aura
+60% Damage to Demons
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
10% Deadly Strike
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Vitality
Physical Resist 10%
Requirements +200%
Socketed (6)
on the mercenary while wearing
Goetia Plate
Goetia Plate
Full Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (8467 - 9339) to (10376 - 11445)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 700
Item Level: 120
+3 to All Skills
+1 to Maximum Necromancer Minions
+(151 to 200)% to Summoned Minion Life
+(51 to 75)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+150 Life Regenerated per Second
+750 to Life
+375 to Mana
-4 to Light Radius
Socketed (6)
yourself.
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ScarletEdge
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Pheasant wrote:For endgame i would suggest you put
Khazra Plate
Khazra Plate
Ancient Armor (Sacred)

Defense: (8603 - 9489) to (10651 - 11748)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
2310
Item Level: 120
Level 1 Demon Blood Aura
+60% Damage to Demons
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
10% Deadly Strike
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Vitality
Physical Resist 10%
Requirements +200%
Socketed (6)
on the mercenary while wearing
Goetia Plate
Goetia Plate
Full Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (8467 - 9339) to (10376 - 11445)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 700
Item Level: 120
+3 to All Skills
+1 to Maximum Necromancer Minions
+(151 to 200)% to Summoned Minion Life
+(51 to 75)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+150 Life Regenerated per Second
+750 to Life
+375 to Mana
-4 to Light Radius
Socketed (6)
yourself.


Khazra Plate
Khazra Plate
Ancient Armor (Sacred)

Defense: (8603 - 9489) to (10651 - 11748)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength:
2310
Item Level: 120
Level 1 Demon Blood Aura
+60% Damage to Demons
5% Chance of Crushing Blow
10% Deadly Strike
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(20 to 25)% to Strength
(20 to 25)% to Vitality
Physical Resist 10%
Requirements +200%
Socketed (6)
aura is bugged on mercenaries. And while
Goetia Plate
Goetia Plate
Full Plate Mail (Sacred)

Defense: (8467 - 9339) to (10376 - 11445)
Required Level: 100
Required Strength: 700
Item Level: 120
+3 to All Skills
+1 to Maximum Necromancer Minions
+(151 to 200)% to Summoned Minion Life
+(51 to 75)% to Summoned Minion Damage
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
+150 Life Regenerated per Second
+750 to Life
+375 to Mana
-4 to Light Radius
Socketed (6)
seems to offer more minion stats, Demon Blood Aura makes them far more tanky based on experience. But either way is fine because they're both particularly rare.
Pheasant
Jungle Hunter
25 | 1
It’s not bugged. I’m using this setup. My health increased by 4K when I put khazra on my mercenary and my minions die less frequently. Veil king was particularly vulnerable in Teganze now he’s almost immortal. Also you have to be out of town for the aura to work and if for some reason it doesn’t just re equip it on your merc.
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ScarletEdge
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Pheasant wrote:It’s not bugged. I’m using this setup. My health increased by 4K when I put khazra on my mercenary and my minions die less frequently. Veil king was particularly vulnerable in Teganze now he’s almost immortal. Also you have to be out of town for the aura to work and if for some reason it doesn’t just re equip it on your merc.


I know auras don't work in town. And that's the point, it stops working for whatever reason every so often until you re-equip, hence its bugged. It has something to do with how mercs are made in median. The reason they're able to keep up with the player despite the difficulty spikes in terror and dest as explained by Whist.

But hey if you found a way to make it consistently work, that's great.

Edit: I'm also not sure how I'm supposed to use Khazra on any merc except A5, which I would honestly recommend the least.
Pheasant
Jungle Hunter
25 | 1
I’m using an act3 abjurer. The best mercenary in my opinion. My mercy is equipped with the following:
Royal Circlet
Royal Circlet
Tiara (Sacred)

Defense: (1740 - 1957) to (1968 - 2214)
Required Level: 100
Required Dexterity: 392
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
+50% Damage to Demons
+50% Damage to Undead
+(140 to 170)% Enhanced Defense
(21 to 25)% to All Attributes
Elemental Resists +(25 to 30)%
Physical Resist 5%
(21 to 25)% Magic Find
Socketed (4)
Edgewulf's Girdle
Avatar

Avatar
Shields

'IgnFulGla'
Runeword Level: 100
+1 to All Skills
45% Cast Speed
45% Hit Recovery
-(27 to 30)% to Enemy Fire Resistance
-(27 to 30)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
-(27 to 30)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(172 to 200)% Enhanced Defense
(16 to 25)% Magic Find
Requirements +25%
Black Dwarf
Black Dwarf
Amulet

Required Level: 110
Item Level: 105
+2 to All Skills
20% Cast Speed
20% Hit Recovery
+(15 to 25)% to Lightning Spell Damage
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Lightning Resistance
+(15 to 25)% to Cold Spell Damage
-(5 to 20)% to Enemy Cold Resistance
+(21 to 29) to Supernova
(30 to 40)% Bonus to Defense
-5 to Light Radius
and ornate crafts for the rest. I put -req jewels in the khazra and ko runes in every other item which is just enough to equip it. So far I haven’t experienced any bugs with the aura. It’s working great!
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Muilpeer
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Pheasant wrote:It’s not bugged. I’m using this setup. My health increased by 4K when I put khazra on my mercenary and my minions die less frequently. Veil king was particularly vulnerable in Teganze now he’s almost immortal. Also you have to be out of town for the aura to work and if for some reason it doesn’t just re equip it on your merc.


Doesn't re-equipping also bug your merc or did they fix that?
Pheasant
Jungle Hunter
25 | 1
The only consistent bug I’ve experienced is when your mercenary dies and you resurrect him he’ll be very vulnerable if you don’t rejoin the game. He just dies almost instantly and re equipping doesn’t help here you have to rejoin the game.
Fumbles
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The aura from khazra won't activate (on merc) unless you re-equip the armor after making a game. Doing so will also cause the same bug you speak of where the merc dies easier. The added life from the aura on merc is making it less noticable because more life = harder to die.
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ScarletEdge
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If I remember correctly, a special aura is applied on mercenaries to make them perform as well as they do. This aura is not reapplied when revived, but only when you join a game. So going by what Fumbles said, the bug is that Demon Blood Aura overrides the default aura which renders the mercenaries weak. But my memory of this discussion might be hazy, so correct me if I'm wrong.