Path of Exile 2: Kupo's Infernal Minion Witch Guide: Summon, Burn & Conquer

Steam Community guide by Kupo.

Guide Changelog

Find out what has changed since your last visit.
Newest to oldest. See the relevant chapters for all details.

• Added **endgame build chapter **which is just showcasing what I am running currently, comfortably
• Added general mapping tips (for newcomers and returners) in the Tips section
• Added info about /global 6666 in introduction
• Swap Support Gem Last Gasp for Immolate on SRS and added Sketal Warrior Weapon
• Updating and adding viable Support Gem alternatives and additions
• Added offensive Hound skilling options, and Skeletal Storm Mage Addition
• Added shield as viable in gear section
• Added Heft Support Gem and Detonate Dead as optional
• Added mapping gear section
• Added Tips for efficient progression chapter
• Added a quick note about recent nerf, tl;dr: It's not so dramatic

Introduction

Welcome, Exile, to the Infernal Minion Witch guide—a fiery journey through Path of Exile 2’s dark and chaotic realms. If you’re looking to embrace the power of necromantic summons and unleash infernal destruction upon your enemies, you’ve come to the right place. This build focuses on a seamless synergy between minion mastery and infernal flames, utilizing skills like Summon Raging Spirits, Flame Wall, Skeletal Arsonist, and Unearth to create a relentless and overwhelming force on the battlefield.
At the moment, this style of minion-based infernal gameplay represents one of the most effective and fun strategies available, especially given that other skeleton-focused builds currently lack viability. After experimenting with multiple builds, pulling from personal experience and various resources, this guide aims to offer you a reliable path to dominate content while focusing on a strong summoning army backed by fire-based destruction.
This guide is meant to be concise yet comprehensive—offering insight, tips, and mechanics to help new players or those exploring this style of play. Whether you’re a beginner learning the ropes or a veteran looking for an efficient summoning and infernal synergy, this guide should give you a strong foundation to make your journey easier.
Let’s light the path with flames and spirits, and carve out your path to dominance.

Summoner Ingame Chat

There is a specific global channel for summoner players. Use "/global 6666" to join it. You will find all the help and talk about minion related builds, gear and so on (not only this build). Be warned however, it is pretty crowded and spammy at times, so you may as well prefer to turn it off in the heat of the moment.

Gems - Core Skills

Below is a breakdown of the primary skills you’ll focus on during your journey with the Infernal Minion Witch build. These are the foundation of your playstyle, dealing the majority of your damage and enabling you to summon minions and control the battlefield. Each skill relies on specific gems that you'll unlock as you progress, so ensure you're aware of their uses and synergies.
Important: I can't find the support gem??
Some support gems are not in the recommendation window. You need to go to "all gems" and search for it there. The recommendations aim to not overwhelm new players and only show a few selected ones which may or may not be viable by a starter.

Unearth (Skill Gem - Level 1)

This skill is essential from early on and remains a key part of your minion-based infernal strategy throughout the game. While it starts simple, it has important mechanics for summoning and corpse manipulation.
Why Use Unearth?

• Unearth deals damage in a cone in front of you while also reviving corpses into skeletal minions.
• These revived minions aggressively hunt nearby enemies and block foes' advances.
• They despawn after a certain duration, so recasting Unearth is vital, especially when dealing with tough Rare or Unique enemies or bosses.
  Recommended Support Gems
• Execute (Level 1): Boosts damage against low-life enemies as they approach, or as they die. This is excellent for maximizing your pressure.
• Minion Instability (Level 1): A great synergy with Unearth for additional area damage when your minions perish.Learn to manage corpses around you as a resource, don't use more Unearth if you have the maximum amount of bone constructs or don't need that many to have some spare ones lying around for the sudden rare monster appearing or boss fight.

Skeletal Arsonist (Skill Gem - Level 3)

These are your primary source of sustained damage. They are permanent minions (as long as you maintain the required Spirit Reservation) that throw fire projectiles at enemies.
Key Notes:

• They require Spirit Reservation, so ensure you use every free spirit you have after others mentioned later to spawn more of them. Up to 6.
• Their projectiles are great for sustained pressure but these Skelis can despawn if you move too far away. Keep an eye on their positioning and avoid straying too far.
  Recommended Support Gems
• Scattershot (Level 1): Doubles the number of projectiles fired, leading to massive damage. A must-have. Sacrifices a bit of damage and cast speed in return.
• Heft (Level 3): This boosts their physical damage. But we do fire damage? - You might want to say. Because of their mechanic they convert their physical damage to fire damage and thus give way more DPS.
• Martial Tempo (Level 1): Increases attack speed by 25%, improving your damage output and minion responsiveness. Use this only if you have a 3rd gem slot available or can't have Heft yet.
• Fire Infusion (Level 1): Grants additional fire damage at the cost of cold and lightning reductions which don't bother them anyway. Use this only if you have a 4th gem slot available.

Summon Raging Spirits (SRS) - (Spirit Gem - Level 4)

This is your second main source of damage, spawning rapidly to overwhelm enemies. They are ignored by enemies, so they don't block and are not attacked directly (but damaged by AoE). They die or despawn very quickly.
How to Use?

• SRS are short-lived, fire-based minions that automatically swarm enemies on spawn.
• They require Spirit Reserve, so you’ll need to ensure this is activated. Otherwise it does nothing.
• Only fire-based spells can summon SRS, which is why we will use Flame Wall all the time.
  Recommended Support Gems
• Last Gasp (Level 1): Increases the lifespan of your SRS by a critical 4 seconds after dying. This is a must-have as they’re very fragile and easily destroyed by AoE.
• Feeding Frenzy (Level 2): Grants your SRS 30% more damage. Also increases damage taken, but this is not important after getting last gasp.
• Elemental Focus (Level 3): A potential third option if you’re looking to scale your fire damage later in your progression: 25% more damage.
• Immolate (Level 3): When you have the Infernal Hound with support gems, use this do get 30% extra damage.
• Fire Penetration (Level 2): A potential fourth option if you’re looking to scale your fire damage later in your progression 30% fire pen - But it's useless against enemies who don't even have that high fire resistance.
• Fire Mastery (Level 3): A potential alternative to increase the skills level by 1.Be sure to swap out Last Gasp after earlier acts, because it does not affect "dying" as of short duration in general. So when you have some life on them, you can use this slot for extra damage.

Flame Wall (Skill Gem - Level 1)

Flame Wall is a utility and damage skill rolled into one. It's essential for improving your damage output and enabling SRS spawning.
Why Flame Wall?

• Summon SRS: When you cast Flame Wall, up to 5 SRS can spawn depending on your casting area. This allows you to rapidly summon minions without needing corpses or mana spamming.
• Increases Skeletal Arsonist Damage: Your minions attacking through Flame Wall receive increased fire damage, making it highly synergistic with their mechanics. Always make sure that there is a flame wall between your skeletal arsonists and whatever they are attacking!
• Low Mana Cost & Easy Use: Flame Wall costs very little mana, can be cast frequently, and doesn’t require corpses, making it reliable in all encounters.
• Your Main Skill: While you won’t use this for every moment early on, it will become your core skill as you progress into endgame.
  Recommended Support Gems
• Arcane Tempo (Level 1): Speeds up your cast speed, which is crucial for avoiding casting failures during combat or early game.
• Fire Mastery (Level 3): A great way to boost your Skeletal Arsonists’ damage while they fire through the wall. Not a priority but worth it if you have the resources.
• Fortress (Level 1):You can also use this as an alternative or addition to have a circle flame wall. So your Skelis stand still and you cast directly on them, they will have the flame wall buff 360 in all directions. It may be more comfortable, but not really needed.

Skill Summary

SkillLevelPrimary PurposeRecommended Support GemsUnearthLevel 1Revives corpses into skeletal minions.Execute (Level 1), Minion Instability (Level 1)Skeletal ArsonistLevel 3Primary source of sustained fire damage.Scattershot (Level 1), Martial Tempo (Level 1), Fire Infusion (Level 1)Summon Raging SpiritsLevel 4Rapidly summons fire-based minions for burst damage.Last Gasp (Level 1), Feeding Frenzy (Level 2), Fire Penetration (Level 2)Flame WallLevel 1Buffs your damage & summons SRS easily.Arcane Tempo (Level 1), Fire Mastery (Level 3)

Don't forget to activate and increase where necessary.

Additional Skills, Weapon and Ascendancy Skill

This chapter covers the additional skills and Ascendancy abilities that complement the core Infernal Minion Witch playstyle. These skills add utility by ensuring you have access to the right tools for difficult fights.

Flammability (Curse Skill)

Flammability is an essential curse for reducing the fire resistance of strong enemies like Rare monsters and bosses. This allows you to deal significantly more fire damage to key targets.
Why Use Flammability?

• Reduces enemy fire resistance, making it easier to take down strong enemies or bosses.
• Helps synergize with your Skeletal Arsonists and Summon Raging Spirits by boosting their damage output.
• Requires careful balancing—keep it up consistently without overusing it due to its high mana cost.
  Recommended Gem Support Options
• Persistence: Increases the duration of Flammability, allowing you to keep it up for longer periods against tough enemies.
• Focused Curse: Reduces the cast delay, ensuring you can reliably hit enemies with Flammability even under pressure.
• Heightened Curse: If you have a 3rd slot or don't need persistence (because no mana problems) you can use this to increase the effect.
• Hex Bloom: [Situational] Curse now spreads on death. Useful for encounters with many minions, but we want to use this mainly for hard enemies/bosses which often come alone most of the time.

Pain Offering (Skill)

Pain Offering is a powerful utility skill that relies on corpses or one of your Skeletal Arsonists to provide a substantial damage buff to your minions.
How Does Pain Offering Work?

• Pain Offering grants a damage buff to your minions when cast near them.
• It only lasts 6 seconds, making timing and placement very important.
• Can be destroyed by incoming enemy damage, so positioning is key to maintaining uptime.
• Has a medium aura range, allowing you to use it strategically during engagements.Support Gems are not really needed, so focus on other Skill Supports first.If you have too much support gems, pick the following:
• Inspiration: Less mana cost. This spell is very expensive. If you see yourself often on low mana when using this, you can take this.
• Expanse: Way more Area of Effect for the bonus aura while getting a cooldown of 6 seconds. The spell also lasts 6 seconds (if not destroyed). So a no brainer
• Font of Rage/Blood: Should you have another slot open, this might be an option to get some life regen or increased attack speed for you and your minions.

Optional: Skeletal Storm Mage/Cleric

Should you reach high amounts of spirit and have reached 6 Arsonists, it may be a viable option to mix things a bit up. You can use a cleric if you see your Arsonists dying often, if not, I wouldn't recommend it. Instead you can use one or two Storm Mages that will synergize with the ignite by your hound with these support gems:

• Stormfire, Coursing Current, Conduction

Optional: Detonate Dead

In case you don't really like Unearth or have too many corpses lying around anyway, you may take this skill with you. It consumes 1 corpse (2 with spell echo) and does some good damage. If you don't need the minion block from Unearth, this may be a viable choice.

Weapon Skill: Malice

Malice can be an easy passive damage increase for you and your minions It weakens enemies nearby by raising your crit chance and synergizes perfectly with your build's playstyle.
Why Malice?

• Functions as an effective debuff skill, weakening enemies around you for better damage.
• Doesn't require special support gems—simple to use and effective on its own.
• Nothing to worry about, it is just there without spirit cost or cast needed.Support gems are not really needed, but feel free to experiment.

Weapon Skill: Skeletal Warrior

If you don't feel comfortable with Unearth or want more Meatshield (or simply Skelis) in general, this is a good alternative. You can also stay even further away which would result in no benefit with Malice.
You will get 2 Skeletal Warriors and can use Support Gems on them based on your level.
As these don't deal that much damage in general, it is a good choice to put supportlike debuffs on them, for example: Overpower (Stun), Ruthless (Stun), Devastate (Stun> Armour Break), Maim (Slow), Demoliser (Armor Break), Splinter (Armor Break)

Ascendancy Skills: Summon Infernal Hound

The Ascendancy skill Summon Infernal Hound is a cornerstone of survivability and ignition-based area control. It acts as both your meatshield and an offensive tool for ignition damage.
What is Summon Infernal Hound?

• Summons a powerful hound that attacks enemies, drawing attention and protecting you.
• Ignites enemies within the hound's area, adding burn damage over time to key targets.
• Works exceptionally well as both defense and offense, offering both in combat situations.
  Recommended Support Options
  Always take this one:
• Magnified Effect: Expands the hound's area of effect, allowing it to ignite a larger number of enemies.For an early tanky meatshield build, choose some of these:
• Meat Shield: Increases the hound's survivability by drawing enemy attention and making it harder for enemies to target you.
• Elemental Army: Should your hound still die and does not have his resistances capped (check details in the gem info), you might want to use this.
• Minion Mastery: If your doggo has enough life or resistances, or you unlocked another slot, you may pick this for overall improvement.When you progress and see that your hounds resistances are capped anyway, you may instead use a more offensive approach (still take Magnified Effect!):
• Fiery Death: Enemies ignited by your hound have a good chance to explode on death dealing AoE damage to enemies around them. An additional passive damage source.
• Wildfire: Already ignited enemies spread these in their range too after a short period to make everyone in the pack ignited (and possible to explode).
• Culling Strike: If you still have enough open slots and want more damage, this helps with rare and unique monsters to last hit them when a threshhold is reached.

Skill Summary Table

SkillTypePrimary PurposeRecommended Support OptionsFlammabilityCurse SkillReduces enemy fire resistance for higher damage output.Persistence, Focused CursePain OfferingUtility SkillBuffs your minion's damage through corpses or Skeletal Arsonists.N/A - No specific support required.MaliceWeapon SkillWeakens nearby enemies, improving survivability and control.N/A - No specific support required.Summon Infernal HoundAscendancy SkillFunctions as a meatshield and ignites enemies nearby.Meat Shield, Magnified Effect

Early Passive Skill Tree

The passive skill tree is vital for improving your minions' power and ensuring your build runs smoothly. Below are guidelines to help you plan your path and prioritize progression.
Key Focus Areas for Passive Clusters

• Minion-related clusters should be your primary focus. These will significantly enhance your offensive power and minion performance.
• I've highlighted the offensive clusters you should aim to reach early on. These nodes will provide the best boost to your overall damage output.
• There is no single “perfect path” through the tree. The numbering of clusters is merely a suggestion based on efficiency and common progression routes.
  Pathing Tips
• The passive skill tree allows flexibility. If you find yourself needing additional stats to equip better gear, consider grabbing nodes leading to future clusters.
• There are no huge mandatory power spikes that must be reached at all costs—take a flexible and strategic approach.
• The early game example shown in the screenshot (referenced below) is sufficient through Act 1-3 and focuses primarily on offensive clusters without heavy emphasis on survivability.
  When to Shift Priorities
• Once you’ve reached most of your offensive minion clusters, focus on improving minion and player survivability.
• However, if you find yourself dying often, this could signal that you should assess your playstyle rather than just relying on passive tree changes.
• Adjust your passive priorities as you become familiar with the mechanics of combat and encounters.
  
  Ascendancy Points
  As you progress through the game, you’ll earn Ascendancy points to allocate into your chosen Ascendancy skill tree. Here’s how you should approach these points for this build:
• The first 2 points should go into Summon Infernal Hound. This is your main meatshield and ignition source, offering both defensive and offensive support. It's a must-have early to ensure you can effectively mitigate damage while maintaining consistent pressure on enemies.
• The next 2 points can be allocated into Altered Flesh, depending on your late-game plans. Altered Flesh provides additional bonuses and scaling that can help with survivability if you decide to focus on scaling defensive or utility-based options later in the game.
• While these 2 points are not essential in the early game, they are a great choice if you plan for a longer-term scaling strategy. Always adapt based on your gear, playstyle, and objectives.
  
  You can always refund passives, this will cost you a few thousand gold and will be done by the Hooded One introduced in Act 1.

Gear and items (Starter)

Your choice of gear plays a significant role in shaping the effectiveness of your build. Below are helpful notes on the core items, key stat priorities, and general guidelines to help you optimize your equipment choices.

Core Items

The weapon is a fundamental part of this build, with specific requirements and priorities. Here are the most important core items:

• Weapon: An Omen Sceptre is the primary weapon choice due to its access to the Malice skill. Other sceptres provide less utility.
• Weapons with +3 to Minion Skills are the optimal choice, as they boost the level of all your minion-related skills, providing tremendous value.
• He