[3.0] SRS Skele Mage Auramancer [All Content - Shaper Down!] [Watch The Trailer!]

+ Can run all map mods
+ Can solo all content
+ Safe boss killer
+ Powerful DPS auras to support groups

- Potions are our only source of healing
- Excessive spell effects
- Lots of things to keep track of (minions, buffs, debuffs)

There are a lot of skeleton builds around but I have not seen one that uses both skeleton mages and SRS. Using both with powerful auras scales your potential damage far beyond what any could achieve alone.

Why not Queens Escape like in the build of the week?
Queen's Escape doesn't synergize well with skeleton mages. They don't need the extra movement speed and the extra duration is wasted because of how often your mages are either killed or need to be resummoned. The extra skeleton helps but can be found elsewhere. Even on a pure skeleton mage build running several To Dusts the weapon is wasteful. All skeleton builds will pass by the Potency of Will cluster and get 30% from the necromancer tree. That's 75% duration total. You could run 5 To Dusts and not feel the shortened skeleton duration.

Why not Victario's Charity + Necromantic Aegis?
This is a similar case of bad synergy from how often you have to recast your skeletons. They will rarely have the chance to benefit from the charges they gain. When they die or are resummoned the charges disappear.

Why not run your auras in Victario's Influence?
The only auras our skeletons fully benefit from are Haste and Anger. Wrath only effects the lightning casters. Any other auras we run only grant 3% cast speed from our Commander of Darkness trait. Running auras in what could be a powerful 6l skill is very wasteful. The auras that matter can all fit in an Alpha's Howl with Generosity.

Skeleton Mages

Map Clearing Setup:

Boss Killing Setup:
This is our main map clearing skill. We summon 6 and once thanks to pledge of hands so relocating them is quick. This is important because you want to throw them ahead of your character as you run through maps. You always want to have a pack of skeletons up somewhere at all times. They have incredible targeting range and their projectiles fly far off screen. Pledge of Hands acts as a 7th link and is best in slot.


Summon Raging Spirit


SRS is our single target support skill. We have them on a spell totem because this build doesn't have time to self cast. The totems reduce their potential DPS but significantly boost their practical DPS. Throwing up 2 totems lets you focus on buffing / debuffing and dodging while the totems churn out the spirits. Use this skill on bosses/ breaches/ harbinger encounters. Our skeleton mages can handle the rest. Additional accuracy should only be used when running high level maps (Guardians / Shaper). SRS use attacks and those attacks are using SRS's relatively low accuracy stat. They will miss a ton without it. Lower tier maps are best run with Faster Attacks filling the green socket.


Auras


Alpha's Howl is required for reservation purposes. The extra levels combined with generosity and our tree add up to some of the strongest DPS auras you can have. Most importantly we pick up added aura range in our tree which lets us stay well away from our army when we need to and still provide that amazing DPS boost. Wrath does not synergize well with skeleton mages. Only the lightning casters will get the bonus which are summoned 1/3 of the time. SRS on the other hand benefits greatly so it is still worth it to run. If you need to drop an aura for no regen maps drop wrath.


Ice Trap / Flame Dash


Our tree picks up Elemental Equilibrium but is unable to trigger because we also pick up Ancestral Bond. Ice Trap sidesteps this problem. It also happens to trigger the best two negative resists: Fire and Lightning. The only cold damage we deal are from the base skill of 1/3 of our skeleton mages. Minions do not trigger EE themselves so it acts like a super curse that isn't effected curse resistance or map curse immunity. Use it on bosses as it can be annoying to throw all the time. Keep in mind curse on hit doesn't work with trap skills. Flame Dash is our best source of mobility as we have far more cast speed than attack speed. Keep an eye on your charges.


Utility


We run flesh offering to keep ourselves mobile and let our minions DPS harder. Desecrate to provide a flesh offering target when the environment doesn't provide them. I usually like to lay down several before a boss fight starts so I can quickly reapply flesh offering. Because we deal damage of all three elements Elemental Weakness is the best curse. Increased Duration can be swapped with faster casting if you choose. Desecrate and flesh offering both have relatively lengthy cast times and can be dangerous during tougher boss fights when you need to recast.

This build is relatively cheap to get going and scales very well as you invest.

Required Uniques

You will need two of these. They convert your skeleton warriors into skeleton mages. Make sure you get the non-legacy versions. The legacy version only gives 3 skeleton mages. Non-legacy gives 5.


Allows us to summon 3 skeleton mages at once. With Spell Echo from Pledge of Hands we get 6 skeletons per cast. This gem makes the build much faster as you can reposition and replace your entire army in 2 seconds for far less mana.


This staff is best in slot for skeleton mages. We benefit from it because it allows us to cast 6 skeletons at once and at lightning speed. Our mages benefit from it because it acts as a 7th link. The bonus mana isn't wasted either. We reserve nearly all of our mana with auras but we still need some to cast our spells.


This helmet lets us run 3 50% reservation auras with generosity rather than enlighten. It also provides immunity to freeze and decent evasion. Invaluable.


Recommended Uniques

This chest provides the largest life boost possible while still allowing sockets. It also gives us a major boost to our life flasks. Not required but nice to have. Any high life armour / evasion chest will do. Be sure to consider the socket colors required when picking a chest.


These boots bring our maximum skeleton count from 9 to 10 which happens to be the maximum two dead reckoning jewels allow. They certainly aren't required and are more of a personal choice. Any boots with life and high movement speed will work. Mutewind Whispersteps are a good swap when maps roll chilled ground and you don't want to waste a chaos rerolling.


Rares

Our remaining slots are filled with rares. Look for high life/ resists and cast speed if you can. We also need a fair amount of dexterity and a bit of strength.


Jewels

Any rare jewel with life and minion damage. Extra stats like cast speed, minion resist, dexterity or strength are welcome.


Potions

Potions should be chosen based on the content you are running. You always want an instant divine flask and a saturated eternal flask. One of them should grant immunity to bleed. The other slots are up to you. General map clearing is best paired with quicksilver flasks. The chimera boss should be paired with a granite and a basalt for the smoke phases. Maps with nasty curses benefit from a curse immunity flask (yes, as of 3.0 curse immunity flasks work on map curses!). The choice is yours.

LvL 4


LvL8


LvL 10


LvL ~18


***23 Point Tree***



Bandits?



Ascendancy?



Skill Tree Progression

Shaper Kill (1 Death)
Dangerous Maze Clear (T14)
Shaped Shore Clear (T13)