If you've been looking for a build that blends raw damage, smooth progression, and the thrill of commanding your own spectral army, then the Poison Summon Raging Spirits (SRS) Necromancer is exactly what you need in Path of Exile 3.26. This setup has everything: incredible boss damage, automated clear, defensive layers that keep you alive in tough content, and most importantly-it feels amazing to play POE currency. You'll be summoning dozens of fiery skulls that swarm enemies and melt them with layers of poison over time, creating the sensation of leading an unstoppable ghost legion.
In this guide, we'll cover:
How the build works
Leveling progression
Core gear and gems
Ascendancy choices
Scaling into red maps and the endgame
Playstyle tips for both mapping and boss fights
By the end, you'll have a clear roadmap to turn this build into a green cloud of death that dominates every part of the game.
How the Build Works
The Poison SRS Necromancer is a minion-based poison build. Instead of scaling big hits or crits, you rapidly summon raging spirit minions that attack enemies, each applying poison on hit. With mechanics like The Golden Rule jewel and poison chance scaling, every summoned skull becomes a vehicle for stacking dozens of poison debuffs per second.
Unlike traditional summoner builds, these spirits don't need to survive or deal heavy blows individually. Their role is simple: flood the field, apply poison stacks, and let the damage-over-time effect chew through bosses and packs alike.
The result?
Insane single-target damage - Bosses quickly drown in poison stacks.
Smooth map clear - Minions aggressively seek targets while poison ticks finish the job.
Strong defenses - With Grace, Determination, Defiance Banner, and block mechanics, you're far tankier than most summoners.
Excellent scaling - From league start to red maps to endgame bosses, the build ramps consistently.
Ascendancy Path: Necromancer
The order of ascendancy nodes is critical for progression:
1.Commander of Darkness - Provides elemental resistance and aura effect scaling. This is a quality-of-life powerhouse for early leveling, helping you cap resists and boosting minion attack/cast speed.
2.Mindless Aggression - Increases minion damage, attack speed, and movement speed. This makes your SRS more aggressive and efficient at clearing maps.
3.Unnatural Strength - +2 to all minion skill levels. This is a massive spike in power that dramatically boosts both SRS damage and poison scaling.
4.Bone Barrier - A defensive staple. Adds physical damage reduction, minion life, and unlocks Bone Armor for emergencies.
Together, these nodes provide the balance of offense, scaling, and survivability needed to carry the build from Acts into endgame.
Leveling Progression
Leveling with Poison SRS is straightforward, but it comes in phases:
Acts 1-4: Basic Minions
Use Summon Raging Spirits + Minion Damage.
Add Melee Splash for better pack clear.
At level 18, link in Chance to Poison.
Level up supporting gems like Withering Step, Despair, and Herald of Agony, even if not used yet-they'll be vital later.
Act 5-10: Transitioning to Poison
Around level 50, begin shifting into poison scaling.
Equip The Golden Rule jewel to reflect poison onto enemies.
Focus your passive tree on minion poison and chaos damage nodes.
Begin running Desecrate and Offering skills for utility.
At this point, the build starts to ramp hard. SRS minions will now apply poison consistently, and mapping begins to feel effortless.
Early Mapping Setup
By the time you enter maps, your SRS should be linked as:
Summon Raging Spirits - Unleash - Minion Damage - Chance to Poison - Void Manipulation
On a 6-link, add Empower (for bossing) or Melee Splash (for smoother clear).
Key Priorities:
Golden Rule equipped.
Auras: Grace, Determination, Defiance Banner.
Gear: Cap resistances, stack life, and get a wand with +1 to minion skill gems or cast speed.
Aim for a Despair on Hit ring. Manual casting works, but automation is a huge quality-of-life boost.
Once you're comfortably in yellow maps, the build's scaling truly kicks in.Transition to Red Maps
To push into higher-tier maps, focus on upgrades that scale both offense and defense:
Weapon: A wand with +1 to minion or chaos gems, minion damage, and cast speed. Influence mods with "minions deal additional chaos damage" are best.
Shield: Aegis Aurora is a game-changer, granting ES on block and creating a tanky recovery loop when combined with high armor and block chance.
Cluster Jewels: Medium clusters with "Minions deal additional Chaos Damage" or "Unholy Grace" boost poison scaling. Large clusters with Call to Slaughter are excellent.
Helmet: A +2 to SRS helm with minion life or poison chance.
Chest: Grasping Mail or +1 to socketed gems bases.
Curses: Automate Despair and add Temporal Chains for longer poison duration and crowd control.
At this stage, also introduce Vaal Summon Skeletons for burst phases against tough bosses.
Endgame Scaling
In true endgame, the build transforms into a monster:
Weapon: Best-in-slot is a +2 wand (+1 chaos, +1 minion) with high cast speed. A trigger wand automating offerings/curses is ideal.
Helmet: +2 SRS helm crafted with Essence of Insanity for minion movement speed-this makes skulls even more aggressive.
Cluster Jewels: Double medium clusters with chaos scaling, plus a large cluster for extra DPS.
Auras & Curses: Run Despair + Temporal Chains fully automated, ideally supported for stronger effect.
Gem Levels: Push SRS to level 28-30 with Empower 4, Enhance, and helmet enchantments. This alone can shred pinnacle bosses.
With this setup, your army of skulls floods the screen, stacks poison instantly, and leaves bosses melting under layers of chaos damage.
Gameplay Loop
Boss Fights
1.Dash in and apply debuffs with Withering Step.
2.Drop Vaal Summon Skeletons for extra poison pressure.
3.Cast or auto-trigger Despair.
4.Rapidly summon SRS while staying mobile.
Your focus is survival and positioning; the minions handle all the DPS.
Mapping
Dash through packs, summon a few spirits, and keep moving.
Poison ticks after contact, so enemies often die moments later, letting you maintain momentum.
Minions aggressively chase targets, keeping map flow smooth and fast.
The loop is simple but rewarding: dash, summon, reposition, repeat.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
Extremely high single-target damage.
Smooth, automated map clear.
Strong defenses with armor, block, and auras.
Easy to scale without requiring mirror-tier gear.
Fun, thematic "ghost army" fantasy.
Weaknesses:
Minion AI can occasionally be clunky.
SRS casting requires constant button pressing.
Feels weaker without The Golden Rule or Despair ring.
Slightly slower compared to hyper-zooming clear-speed builds.
Final Thoughts
The Poison SRS Necromancer in Path of Exile 3.26 is one of the most satisfying and versatile builds available. It balances incredible boss-killing power with safe mapping and strong defensive layers. While it demands a bit of setup with The Golden Rule, Despair ring, and gem levels, once those pieces are in place, the build truly comes alive.
Whether you're a league starter pushing through the Acts or an endgame grinder taking on Uber bosses, this build scales naturally and rewards you with a fast-paced, fluid playstyle buy Path of exile currency. If you've ever wanted to feel like you're commanding an unstoppable swarm of poisonous spirits, this is the build for you.
