Spectres are one of the most beloved and powerful mechanics in Path of Exile, offering players the ability to summon and control the corpses of fallen enemies to fight for them. In Path of Exile 2, the Spectre mechanic continues to be a core part of summoner builds, and understanding which Spectres are the best can make a significant difference in your build's effectiveness. From offensive powerhouse Spectres to defensive utility companions, there is a vast range of options to choose from, each bringing something unique to the table.

In this guide, we will explore the best Spectres to summon in Path of Exile 2, covering key Spectres for both offensive and defensive roles, how to get them, and how to optimize them for your build.

What Are Spectres in Path of Exile?

In Path of Exile, Spectres are summoned minions that come from the bodies of slain enemies. The player can choose to summon specific Spectres by interacting with the corpses of certain creatures. These creatures will then fight on your behalf, replicating their abilities and adding powerful support to your arsenal.

Unlike Zombies or Skeletons, which are more predictable and come with specific characteristics, Spectres allow players to summon creatures with their own unique sets of abilities and playstyles. Spectres are typically more versatile than Zombies or Skeletons and can range from ranged attackers to spell-casters or even tanks, depending on the creature's abilities.

In Path of Exile 2, Spectres have seen significant improvements, with new ones being introduced and older ones receiving new abilities and upgrades. Finding the best Spectres for your specific build can elevate your gameplay, allowing you to dominate both bosses and mobs with ease.

Best Spectres for Offense

Spectres are an essential part of many offensive builds in Poe 2 trade, and several Spectres stand out for their incredible damage potential. Whether you prefer using ranged or melee damage, these Spectres can significantly increase your damage output.

1. Solar Guards (Solar Guards - Act 4)

Role: Ranged Attackers / Elemental Damage Dealers

Best for: Elemental Damage Builds, Offense-focused Summoner Builds

Solar Guards are one of the most popular and strongest Spectres in Path of Exile. These enemies have a powerful lightning-themed attack that deals substantial area damage and can hit multiple enemies at once. Their lightning-based projectiles also have pierce potential, allowing them to pass through multiple enemies and continue dealing damage.

In Path of Exile 2, Solar Guards are a great pick for builds that focus on elemental damage, especially Lightning or Elemental Focus builds. Their ranged attacks allow them to deal significant damage while staying out of harm's way, making them perfect for clearing trash mobs or dealing damage to bosses from a safe distance.

Pros:

High burst damage.

Great at clearing mobs and dealing AoE damage.

Excellent for Elemental Damage builds, especially Lightning builds.

Cons:

Relatively squishy in high-level content.

Requires proper positioning to maximize damage output.

How to Get Them: Solar Guards can be found in Act 4, particularly after defeating Dominus. Their summons are generally easy to come by if you're focusing on clearing this area.

2. Phantasmal Wolves (Act 10)

Role: Physical Attackers / Summoning Support

Best for: Hybrid Damage and Tanky Builds, Physical Damage Builds

Phantasmal Wolves are aggressive Spectres that are often used by players who need both offensive and defensive support. These Spectres are fast and deal high physical damage, making them fantastic for both single-target and area damage. They also have the ability to summon more wolves around them when they kill enemies, thus multiplying the amount of damage you can output.

These Spectres are particularly useful in physical-damage-based summoner builds or builds that use hybrid damage, as they add both raw power and the ability to sustain longer fights by summoning new wolves to overwhelm enemies.

Pros:

Fast and aggressive attackers.

Summon additional wolves for added damage output.

Good for Physical Damage and Hybrid Builds.

Cons:

Can be squishy if not properly supported by defensive skills.

May not scale well in high-level content unless properly leveled and supported.

How to Get Them: You can find Phantasmal Wolves in Act 10, specifically after defeating Kitava. These wolves are commonly found near Zana's Encampment.

3. Carrion Queens (The Beast's Den, Act 9)

Role: AoE Summoners / Chaos Damage Dealers

Best for: Chaos Damage and Summoner Builds

The Carrion Queen is one of the strongest Chaos Damage Spectres in the game. These enemies excel at summoning smaller minions to overwhelm their enemies. The Carrion Queen's summoned minions are tough to deal with, making them a strong choice for builds that focus on summoner strategies.

Carrion Queens can deal with a variety of mobs and bosses using chaos-based damage and summon attacks, which makes them versatile in different types of content, including boss fights and massive AoE clear setups.

Pros:

Excellent at dealing Chaos damage.

Good for summon-heavy builds.

Creates minions that can tank damage.

Cons:

Requires time to summon minions.

Chaos damage scaling can sometimes be slower than elemental or physical builds.

How to Get Them: Carrion Queens can be summoned after defeating The Beast's Den in Act 9.

Best Spectres for Defense

While offensive Spectres are crucial for clearing content efficiently, defensive Spectres are equally important for surviving tougher encounters. These Spectres focus on mitigating damage, providing shields, or offering other utility benefits to your character.

1. Flame Sentinels (Act 2)

Role: Defensive Tank / AoE Damager

Best for: Defensive Builds, Elemental Tanks

Flame Sentinels are some of the most useful defensive Spectres in Path of Exile 2. They have the ability to create a barrier of fire around them, blocking enemies from approaching and damaging them with fire-based attacks. These Spectres are excellent for crowd control as they can lock down large areas and deal continuous fire damage over time.

Flame Sentinels are also very good for boss fights where the player needs to mitigate large amounts of damage or crowd control while still dealing with smaller enemies.

Pros:

Can block incoming enemies and projectiles.

Deals fire damage over time.

Great for crowd control and defending objectives.

Cons:

Can be vulnerable to chaos and lightning damage.

Requires proper positioning to maximize their defensive capabilities.

How to Get Them: Flame Sentinels can be found in Act 2, particularly in the Prison area.

2. Frost Sentinels (Act 8)

Role: Crowd Control / AoE Slowing

Best for: Tanky Builds, Defensive Summoners

Frost Sentinels specialize in slowing down enemies by using frost-based attacks. These attacks have a chilling effect, causing enemies to move more slowly and take reduced damage from attacks. The defensive nature of Frost Sentinels can help keep enemy mobs at bay while you focus on dealing damage.

These Spectres are often used in tank-centric builds that need crowd control and debuffs to control the flow of battle. They are also excellent in both mapping and boss encounters where crowd control is key.

Pros:

Slows enemies and reduces damage output.

Good for crowd control.

Strong utility in tank builds.

Cons:

Less damage output than offensive Spectres.

Requires effective positioning to maximize slow effects.

How to Get Them: Frost Sentinels can be found in Act 8 after completing The Eternal Labyrinth.

Spectre Gem and Support Options

To fully maximize your Spectre build, you'll need to combine your Spectres with the appropriate Support Gems. These gems enhance the performance of your minions and can make them significantly more powerful.

Key Support Gems for Spectres:

Minion Damage: Boosts your Spectres' damage output.

Spell Echo: Increases the number of casts for spell-based Spectres.

Generosity: Increases the effect of your aura skills, which benefits Spectres.

Elemental Focus: For elemental Spectres, this gem boosts elemental damage at the cost of reducing elemental status effects.

Conclusion

The best Spectres in buy POE 2 Currency depend on your playstyle and build. Whether you want aggressive Spectres that deal high damage like Solar Guards, or more defensive options like Flame Sentinels, there's a perfect Spectre for almost any situation. Balancing offensive power with defensive utility can allow you to tackle endgame content with ease.

Understanding how to best pair your Spectres with your core build is key to maximizing their potential. With the right choice of Spectres, gems, and synergies, you'll be well on your way to mastering the art of summoning in Path of Exile 2 and conquering even the toughest bosses and maps.