Best starter build for efficient endgame progression on a budget?

The Budget Builder’s Dilemma: Striking Gold on a Shoestring

Starting a new league or game with limited resources can feel like an uphill battle. The dream of tackling endgame bosses and farming valuable currency often seems tied to expensive gear and complex strategies. However, with the right approach, it’s entirely possible to build a powerful character that excels in all facets of endgame content, all while keeping your initial investment minimal. The key lies in selecting a build that scales effectively with gem levels, passive tree choices, and readily available common items rather than relying on rare, costly uniques.

This guide will spotlight a build archetype renowned for its accessibility, durability, and impressive damage output, making it the perfect choice for an efficient, budget-friendly journey to the endgame.

The Champion for Your Wallet: The Minion/Summoner Build

Across many Action RPGs (ARPGs), Minion or Summoner builds consistently rank as top contenders for budget-friendly endgame progression. Their primary strength lies in their ability to delegate damage output and often tanking duties to summoned creatures, allowing the player character to focus on survivability, utility, and enhancing their army. This archetype typically scales incredibly well with gem levels and passive tree points, making expensive weapon or armor upgrades less critical in the early and mid-game.

The core philosophy is to create a self-sufficient army that clears maps quickly and safely. You invest in nodes that increase minion damage, life, and attack/cast speed, along with defensive layers for your character, ensuring you can survive even the toughest encounters while your minions do the heavy lifting.

Core Skills and Progression Path

A typical minion build revolves around a few key active skills. Your main damage skill will be a primary minion type, such as Zombies, Skeletons, Golems, or Spectres, depending on the game. These are often supported by multiple support gems that amplify their damage (e.g., Minion Damage, Melee Physical Damage, Elemental Damage with Attacks, Faster Attacks/Casting). You’ll also include utility minions like Golems for buffs, or auras like Purity of Elements or Determination for defensive boosts.

For defensive layers, skills like Shield Charge, Flame Dash, or Frostblink provide mobility. A strong defensive setup for your character, focusing on maximum life, elemental resistances, and potentially block chance or energy shield, is crucial. Early progression focuses on leveling these core gems and prioritizing resistance caps and life on all gear slots. As you approach endgame, you can start looking for items that grant +1 or +2 to all minion skill gems, as this is one of the most significant damage upgrades for the build.

Ascendancy/Class Choice and Passive Tree Philosophy

The choice of class or ascendancy is vital. Classes that naturally synergize with minions, such as the Necromancer (Path of Exile) or Witch Doctor (Diablo), are prime candidates. These specializations offer powerful passive bonuses directly enhancing your minions’ capabilities, survivability, and often provide significant quality of life for the player.

On the passive tree, prioritize grabbing minion damage and life nodes early. Don’t neglect your own defenses; pick up life percentage nodes, resistance nodes, and any defensive keystones or notable passives that enhance your character’s survivability. Mana reservation efficiency for auras is also a great investment to run more powerful buffs for your army.

Budget Gear Stratagems

The beauty of a budget minion build is its minimal reliance on expensive unique items. For most gear slots – armor, helmet, gloves, boots, and rings – look for rare items with high maximum life, capped elemental resistances, and potentially some minion specific modifiers if they are cheap. A simple rare wand or shield with +1 to all minion skill gems can be a massive damage boost for very little currency early on.

Focus on filling out all your resistances to their cap first, then maximize your life pool. Crafting with basic essences or vendor recipes can often yield perfectly serviceable gear. Don’t chase perfect rolls; good enough is often perfect for getting started and farming more currency.

Scaling into the Endgame Without Breaking the Bank

Once you’ve established your base, scaling into the true endgame is a gradual process. Instead of hoarding all your farmed currency for one big purchase, invest incrementally:

• Gem Upgrades: Level 20/Quality 20 gems for your main minion skills and supports.
• Auras: Invest in higher-level aura gems like Determination, Grace, or Zealotry, potentially linked with Enlighten support if you can afford it.
• Crafting: Use simple crafting methods to add specific modifiers (e.g., life, resistances) to your existing rares.
• One Key Unique: If there’s a particularly powerful but affordable unique item that synergizes perfectly with your build, aim for that as your first significant upgrade. For many minion builds, there are often common, powerful uniques that cost very little.

By consistently improving these aspects, your minion army will become an unstoppable force, capable of clearing the toughest content and accumulating wealth for your next big build idea or further optimizing your current one.

Conclusion

The minion/summoner archetype stands out as an exceptional choice for anyone seeking an efficient, budget-friendly pathway to endgame progression. By leveraging the power of summoned allies, focusing on gem levels, and smart passive tree allocation, you can achieve immense power without the need for an overflowing currency tab. So gather your spectral warriors or zombie hordes, and conquer the endgame on your terms!