Entropic Summoner

EDIT: After the August 11th 2020 Patch, every build made before the relic sub-class changes will be outdated. This is one such and has already been re-worked. I tried to keep its core/play-style as close as possible to the original. The new/reworked version of the build can be found here: Nethermancer Bane + Dusk Mage

This build is a level 30 base that can be evolved into one of the 3 suggested below lvl 60 complete build theorycrafts. The current state of Torchlight 3 Early Access would take  several hours to get to lvl 60 (maybe 10 to 15 hours based on how much you rush). The build stacks summons like Nether Well’s Netherlings, Warrior and Brute and Bane’s Eight-Legged Allies together with extra summons from Boneblocker + Bonerazor + Celestial Shoulders. For DPS we add the Bane active skill (Venomous Maw) + Entropy. Luminous Run is used for mobility while Holy Fury can be our Light Skill for Buff Bar charging and procs (or even the centerpiece of the build if we use Vitality Extractor + Consecration lvl 10). The last skills is an optional extra skill between Damnation, Consecration or Dark Spears. This is not meant to be a meta build & the main focus on all suggested skill setups is to be a summoner build that doesn’t use the summons as a main source of damage but to get as many summons as possible and use those to body block enemies with 12 spiders + netherlings + netherim warrior + netherim brute + 10 skeletons + extra netherlings from the Celestial Shoulders. Once they make it to be able to boost the dmg of summons from things like %pet dmg we may end up having good dmg from them too. For now I just rely on my relic skill a + Entropy or Holy Fury as the major dps sources.

Build Video footage:

The skills I use:

• A Relic Active Skill – Venomous Maw can be okay for summoners but you’ll need to spam other skills more. If you want a spammy dps active skill go for Frost Blast or Spinning Blade (see the relic setups below). For example, Spinning Blade is a total of 540% dmg (+110% bleed for 6s.) when you have a 20% relic damage passive and the 50% from the relic skills.
  
• Entropy – a nice main source of damage due to venomous maw’s nerf
  
• Luminous Run – our escape mechanic and a movement skill. We can also heal up a bit if we get it to Tier 1. At lvl 60 you may consider using Shadow Step as we’ll have points there too.
  
• Nether Well – spawns some netherlings (+ a Warrior + a Brute based on the Tier level)  which can help to do extra damage and body block enemies. I wish that they make it so that the Tier 3 Brute also taunts.
• Damnation/Consecration/Dark Spears – Damnation can help with reducing the dmg enemies do + mana regen / Consecration can boost our dmg & our teammates’ dmg and also heal at tier 3/ Dark Spears can slow and at Tier 3 be kind of a Nuke (check the different lvl60 setups below)
• Holy Fury (can be nice if you focus your build around this instead of Entropy  as it can heal with vitality Extractor + a nice extra heal synergy for Consecration lvl 10) It’s your typical beam mage skills that pierces. Alternatively, Absolver or Holy Bolt + Arc of Light item (equipped or in Legendarium) works well to build up the dark bar and do some extra dmg.
  

The gear I recommend using is:

• any of the following weapons: Bonerazor (comboes very well with Boneblocker), Molten Reach (boosts Entropy + can use a focus like Egg of Wonder), Vitality Extractor (boosts Holy Fury),
  
• Either of those shields/off-hands: Boneblocker (comboes with Bonerazer), Egg of Wonder (boost our Relic Active Skill)
• Celestial Set: Celestial Shoulders (summons 2 (4 with set bonus) netherlings when using the default Relic Skill). Combine this with 2 more Celestial Set pieces only! Pick two from the ones below (i suggest Gloves + Boots + Chest or Helm):
  • Celestial Gloves – while light buff is active we get a charge of Overload giving 100% dmg for all skills but also a 50% mana cost increase. Gain 1 more charge with the set bonus. Probably The best DPS source for a Dusk Mage.
    
  • Celestial Boots – Cast a cooldown skill: gain mana infused restoring 5% mana per second (10% with the set bonus)
  • Celestial Helm – gives +1 Dark Skills (+2 with the 3 piece set bonus) [I’ve tested it and it won’t give you extra levels if the skill is already lvl 10 so go for lvl 9 if you have +1 or 8 if you have +2 to those skills]
  • Celestial Chest – gives +1 Light Skills (+2 with the 3 piece set bonus) [I’ve tested it and it won’t give you extra levels if the skill is already lvl 10 so go for lvl 9 if you have +1 or 8 if you have +2 to those skills]
• Skittering set: Skittering Shoulders (spawns a +50% dmg reduction zone). I only use it without a bonus but you can combine this with 2 more Skittering pieces. I suggest the two below, but you can pick other 2:
  • Skittering Legs (if you will be staying close enough to the enemies a good extra dmg from Spew Acid [poison breath kind of a skill] for 40% wep dmg for 3 sec)
  • Skittering Boots (On Kill: 20% chance to spawn a Poisoned Egg that deals 150% weapon Damage)
• other legendary items that boost your skills or allow you to proc good stuff

Suggested Legendarium Powers (to fill in the gaps from items you’re wearing):

• Bonerazor – when using our relic default skill it summons 3 Skeleton Warriors for 20sec.
  When Boneblocker is also equipped summon extra 4 Skeleton Archers for 20sec.
  
• Boneblocker – when using our relic default skill it summons 3 Skeleton Knights for 20sec. and also boosts Bonerazor to summon extra 4 Skeleton Archers for 20sec.
  
• Egg of Wonder – boost our Relic Active Skill to cast another second random Relic Active Skill along with ours that is not ours i.e. anything that is not Venomous Maw can proc
• Vitality Extractor – while channeling Holy Fury regenerates 5% max HP  per second and increases Poison Defense by 100% (i.e. 100 becomes 200 poison defense)
• Molten Reach – Entropy gets 8 sec cooldown and also gains twice as many projectiles

Of course only use either of those if it is not already equipped, ideally, you’ll go for the Vitality Extractor  (or Molten Reach) + Egg of Wonder as items you wear & use Boneblocker + Bonerazor + 1 more item in the Legendarium.

The recommended stats to look for in your items are (the list is not in order of priority and is just listing good bonuses):

• Flat Damage
• +% Poison/Fire/Ice/Electric Damage (starts getting very good later on when you have a nice flat to boost with this)
• +% Damage to Dark skills (it’s a good boost for Dark skill based builds)
• + Health
• + Defense (the non elemental is good for any act but lesser numbers than elemental)
• -% Relic Active Skill cooldown
• +% Critical Hit Chance
• +% Critical Damage (the cap is 300%)
• +% Gear Luck (eventually try to get like 60-80% total for good drop rates – the cap is 100%) This is Item find NOT magic find. So it’s drop quantity not quality.
  
• -% Relic Skill Cooldown
• +% Mana regen/s
  
• +% Chance to Poison to help proc bane’s missiles & spiders more often
• +% Chance to Bleed and/or Burn to stack the poison with the other DoTs
• + % Chance to Stun/Slow/Blind – not a bad choice but not high priority (you can get 10% dmg vs slowed, stunned, blinded from tier 2 Absolver)

The Skills and Passives I recommend are:

Note that the calculator shows the Light Skills dmg and crit chance Tier bonuses on the Dark Skills side & vice versa BUT this has changed after the Update 11 patch and Dark Skills Tier bonuses buff the Dark Skills while the Light Skills ones buff Light Skills.

• lvl 30 Setup: https://tinyurl.com/lvl30EntroSum
• lvl 60 Setup with Damnation: https://tinyurl.com/lvl60damnation
  
• lvl 60 Setup with Consecration: https://tinyurl.com/lvl60consecration
• lvl 60 Setup with Dark Spears: https://tinyurl.com/lvl60darkspears

If you are using the Celestial set or +1 or +2 to Light and/or Dark skills make sure to remove points from a certain skill (i.e. for tier 3 instead of 10 to spend 9 or 8 when having +1 or +2 or instead of 6 for tier 2 to have 5 or 4 points invested in the skill if you have +1 or +2) Also consider wearing other(blue) items that may give +1 to a specific skill as well.

After the recent Echonok Update the Coldheart is pretty nice too. This is how i spend my points:

• first, 10 points into Quicker Frost (or only 5 & the other 5 later after step 2)
• second, 10 points into Sharp Points
  
• third, 10 point into Frailty (you could do 5 points before step 2 then the rest after it)
  
• next, 10 point into Cold Snap
  
• the last 10 points into Thicker Ice.

But if you are going for a relic cooldown setup to spam it more, then consider spending some points on Chill Out (I think when we activate the freezes are enough so I don’t do this).

Electrode skills levelup order:

• first, 10 points into Quicker Storm (or only 5 & the other 5 later after step 2). After the Echonok pack you may not want to use this as much.
• second, 10 points into Increasing Charge
  
• third, 10 point into Stronger Storm
• the last 20 points into Deadlier Bolts or Unleashed Energy. But if you are going for a relic cooldown setup to spam it more, then consider spending them on the first tier skills (Shocking Strikes & Brutal Intent)

Flaming Destroyer skills levelup order:

• first, 10 points into Destroy Faster
  
• second, 10 points into Lingering Blaze or Destroy More
  
• third, 10 point into Lingering Blaze or Destroy More
• next, 10 points into Firestarter
  
• the last 10 points into Smolder

If you are going for a relic cooldown setup (to spam it more), then consider spending points on the first tier skills (Sharper Blade & Ignition Source)

Bane skills levelup order:

• first 10 points into Endless maw
• second 10 points into Arachnid Army
• third 10 point into Deadly Maw
• next 10 points into Egg Clusters
• finally maybe 10 points into Kiss of Death or split them on other ones you want

The Blood Drinker also got buffed with the Echonok Update:

• first, 10 points into Faster Blade
  
• second, 10 points into Weighted Blade
  
• third, 5 points into Bloodletter (or do this at a later stage)
• next, 10 points into Open Wound
  
• next, 10 points into Volatile Blood
  
• the last 5 points into anything you want. I like having between 1 and 5 points in Blood Spill.