Path of Exile 2: The Advent of Exile Dawn of Hunt Summoner Beginner's Guide – Starting from 0

Table of Contents

• Basic Introduction
• Chapter 1: The early low-damage phase
• Chapter 2: The Agony Phase
• Chapter 3: The Kickoff Phase
• Chapter 4–6: The Enhancement Phase
• Skill Links

Basic Introduction

When starting out in the early stages of expediting your clearing runs, do not use your skill gems carelessly. Choosing the wrong skills can lead to significant frustration later on. Furthermore, if you're not in a speedrun or do not wish to memorize every map's task locations, simply walking along the edges of each map will help you save time. Also, note that your waypoints allow teleportation between each other, so if you're tired, you can always return to the most recent checkpoint and then teleport from there to another point, conserving time.

In most maps that have a single exit, the task location is usually at a diagonal corner. However, if there are multiple exits, this method may not work as effectively.

This guide specifically focuses on the summoner build details. After the official 0.2 launch, all skills, Ascendancy, and passive tree updates in the new season will see major adjustments. Most of the techniques mentioned herein will remain largely unaffected by the changes in Ascendancy, so rest assured.

Chapter 1: The early low-damage phase

At this stage, you obtain your very first skill gem.

Priority: Choose between Flame Wall and Frost Bomb as your initial skill. Although Flame Wall can synergize with Skeletal Sniper, it is recommended to start with Frost Bomb as it is considerably more satisfying early on; its damage can instantly kill weak monsters.

Once you acquire the support gem, choose “Arcane Surge” to allow Frost Bomb to hit up to three targets at once. (Make sure to uncheck the recommended support gem option so that the system can search for it properly.)

This skill can remain useful for a long time. For your second skill, you might consider learning Fire Skeletons (though not advised because its damage is too low—after the updates, monsters' HP increases significantly; it is better to use Skeletal Bow combined with Flame Wall). At this time, you can summon 2 of them and give them 2 auxiliary skills, one is Scattershot and the other is Last Gasp, which will help mitigate the fragility of your early summons. Alternatively, you can choose to use Skeletal Sniper (keeping the support skills unchanged). For the third skill, Flame Wall is essential—no matter whether you use Skeletal Sniper or Fire Skeletons, you need it. By the time you acquire this third skill, you are most likely already in the Hunting Grounds. Walk along the edge until you reach “Freythorn”. After completing the four-altar quest, you will obtain +30 Spirit along with a 4th-level Spirit gem; then select “Raging Spirits”. This skill is extremely critical and must be taken. (Remember that Raging Spirits requires right-click activation!)

Skill Link (Chapter 1 example):

• Raging Spirits: Linked with Martial Tempo + Fire Infusion.

With this link, along with Fire Skeletons or Flame Wall and Frost Bomb, you can progress steadily.

Tip:

When you have gold, check at the town to see if there is a weapon with +1 level. Also, reserve a 3-level skill gem for learning the shield charge from the Maces skill set, which can greatly expedite your progression—but the prerequisite is to have at least 16 Strength.

Note:

If you find yourself with few skills in Chapter 1, you can reset the map by pressing CTRL+Left Click on the “Portal”, and brush the “Candle” mini-BOSS located upstairs by the “Ogham” Count Geonor, which yields transitional skill gems.

Primary Skill Links for Chapter 1:

• Skeletal Warrior: No
• Shield Charge: No
• Skeletal Sniper: Scatter, Last Gasp
• Agony Offering: Persistence
• Raging Spirits: Martial Tempo, Fire Infusion
• Flaming Wall: Fortress
• Frost Bomb: Arcane Surge

Chapter 2: The Agony Phase

This phase is the most challenging for summoner builds, as the skills you use are the low-level gems obtained in Chapter 1.

At this stage, you still rely on Skeletal Sniper or Fire Skeletons coupled with Raging Spirits for damage. However, note that the Raging Spirits obtained in Chapter 1 is only level 4.

Follow the quest instructions: teleport to the Lost City, specifically to the "Lower Temple" of the Keth Underground (around level 26). There, obtain Spirit gems of level 6–7 (if your character level is too low, you might only get level 6; try to keep your map and character levels closely matched) to further boost your Raging Spirits output.

Between levels 20–25, head over to the Traitor's Passage to kill "Balbala" and acquire the Ascendancy item “Djinn Barya”. This completes the first Ascendancy, transitioning you to the Lich class. Before allocating points to Profane Power, ensure that you remove the 2 points from Mana Regeneration that were applied at the start, or else your mana will be insufficient. Also, remember to choose the option that increases Mana Regeneration in the third chapter's potion task.

Tip: The very first 2-level support gem must be “Infernal Legion”, paired with the 1-level support skill “Minion Instability” to achieve group explosion damage.

Primary Skill Links for Chapter 2:

• Skeletal Warrior: Sacrificial Lamb
• Skeletal Bow: Scatter, Last Gasp (add “Concentrated Effect” for BOSS if you have a Jeweller's Orb)
• Agony Offering: Persistence
• Raging Spirits: Infernal Legion, Minion Instability (or alternatively use Fire Infusion and Martial Tempo if Legion is unavailable)
• Flaming Wall: Fortress + Arcane Surge
• Shield Charge: Ingenuity (if available)
• Flammability: Follow the recommended setup

Chapter 3: The Kickoff Phase

Note:
If the new season launches with Spirit skill gems, avoid using Spectres early on as they could trap you. Instead, focus on upgrading Fire Skeletons or Skeletal Bow initially.

A key point in Chapter 3: Once you enter the Sandswept Marsh, stick to the edges. You will encounter two rare bosses, and behind them there will be a yellow chest. On the first chest opening, you are guaranteed to drop a Lesser Jeweller's Orb—a gem that grants an extra socket. This is crucial for boosting damage; it is recommended to equip it on the Skeletal Bow.

Alternatively, you can hold on until you reach level 41, where you can summon a Skeletal Storm Mage. Once you summon the Storm Mage at level 41, your map-clearing experience will improve significantly.

When you reach the Keth Sanctum, be sure to locate the altar that inherently carries the “Vaal” attribute. Here, you might gamble on a 4-socket skill setup to greatly boost damage.

Suggested Skill Setup in Chapter 3 (centered on Skeletal Storm Mage); Ethereal is TBD:

• Skeletal Warrior:
  Skeletal Arsonist: Scatter, Martial Tempo, Turbo (for Mapping); Fight BOSS for Concentrated Effect
• if using Skeletal Bow: Link Scatter, Last Gasp, and Bidding.
• Skeletal Storm Mage: Link: Awakened Controlled Destruction Support, Last Gasp, Feeding Frenzy.
• Conductivity (7-level gem): Link: Spell Cascade, Magnified Effect.
• Agony Offering: Link: Persistence, Meat Shield.
• Shield Charge: Ingenuity.

If you insist on including Raging Spirits and Flame Wall, add them as:

• Raging Spirits: Link with Infernal Legion, Minion Instability.

By the end of Chapter 3, you should be roughly level 45. You can then adjust your passive tree accordingly.

Chapter 4–6: The Enhancement Phase

During the Enhancement Phase, continue completing all tasks. Remember: Equip your Lightning Skeletal with Last Gasp—the early-game summons are very fragile, so this support skill is critical for their survival over an extended period.

Upgrade all skills (except curses) continuously, and focus on acquiring equipment that enhances resistances and adds to your Spirit stats.

For armor: Choose gear that combines Spirit with resistance boosts.

For weapons: Prioritize stats like item level, Spirit bonus, allied damage, and release speed.

If you have ample Intelligence, stack your Dexterity to 72 or higher to prepare for the upcoming Tame Beast skills, even if it temporarily uses 39% of your Spirit. Capturing high-quality beasts will yield benefits that far outweigh this Spirit consumption.

When capturing beasts, it is recommended to use a level 9 skill; refer to the skill description for details on usage. When a beast is near death, use the skill and then finish it off.

If you ascend as the Infernalist, you must summon a Hellhound for support. Here, I list the ideal beast affixes for the early game; they need not be perfect—as long as they are usable—but ensure you have at least two key affixes, otherwise it might be better to forgo the beast entirely.

All damage can be enhanced with keywords like Shock, Swift, Lightning Storm, and Healing Allies to limit enemy recovery.

Explanation:

• Shock can trigger Exposure.
• Swift boosts damage.
• Lightning Storm can sense and expose in groups.
• The importance of Healing Allies does not need to be emphasized.

Regarding beast capturing: can do it in the infected wasteland of Chapter 3 or Chapter 6. There is a campsite that will refresh 2 beasts (one pig and one pangolin).

It is advisable, upon reaching the camp, to refrain from killing the Lightning Skeletal immediately. Instead, if the affixes are not ideal, press ESC to reset to the Origin Zone—this way, monster affixes will refresh until you find a suitable match. You don't need to find the perfect one, because there is still a gap between the Questline affixes and The Exiled Beast. In the later stage, it will still be better to catch when mapping, so everyone must carry a skill that has not caught wild beasts with them and use it at any time.

Next is the Spectre, because we have used new auxiliary skills to summon, each additional summoning object adds 7% more damage, so we need to have as many types as possible. Now we have beasts, Skeletal Warrior, Skeletal Cleric, Lightning Skeletal, and adding a Spectre would be 35% more. For the Spectre, we choose Chapter 2, Terracotta Soldier in The Lost City, which only requires 10 spirit.

Between levels 45 and 65, closely monitor the synergy among your passive tree, skills, and equipment.

PS: Try to ensure that your mana level does not exceed your health, otherwise, you may not be able to keep up with the mana level. For specific reasons, please refer to your own sublimation introduction.

Here is a screenshot of the talent (level 69):

Skill Links

Below are sample skill link setups:

• Skeletal Warrior: Minion Instability, Sacrificial Lamb, Meat Shield
• Skeletal Storm Mage: Feeding Frenzy, Muster, Lightning Penetration, Arcane Tempo, Elemental Focus (tentative for the fifth consecutive)
• Skeletal Cleric: Ingenuity, Death's Door
• Ghost: Culling Strike
• Pain Offering: Ablation, Danse Macabre, Persistence
• Conductivity: Spell Cascade, Cursed Ground, Hex Bloom
• Allies (Beasts): Loyalty, Last Gasp (or switch to Strip Away if your minions are robust), Lightning Exposure

Conclusion

This guide aims to provide a comprehensive summoner clearing walkthrough for the Hunting Dawn Season of Path of Exile. It is designed to take you from zero to proficiency while covering essential tips, skill links, and gear/passive strategies for each phase of the season.

If you have any questions or need more detailed video explanations, please stay tuned for upcoming updates. This guide will be continuously enhanced as new information and strategies become available.

All content is based on personal gameplay experiences and may be subject to adjustments following future updates. Please keep an eye on official announcements and community discussions for the latest strategies.