Path of Exile (PoE) is a game rich with diverse and creative build options, and summoners hold a special place among players who enjoy commanding armies of minions to wreak havoc across Wraeclast. Among summoner builds, Lightning Spectres stand out for their impressive clear speed, strong damage output, and enjoyable playstyle. This build harnesses the power of Spectres that use lightning spells, allowing you to annihilate packs of enemies with electrifying speed and style.

 

In this comprehensive guide, you'll discover how to create a Lightning Spectres build that thrives in both mapping and bossing content, covering everything from the best Spectres to summon, gear choices, passive skill tree, ascendancy, and gameplay tips.

 

What Are Spectres in Path of Exile?

Spectres are resurrected monsters you summon using the Raise Spectre skill gem. Unlike other minions such as zombies or skeletons, Spectres retain the abilities they had when alive, enabling a wide variety of playstyles based on which monsters you raise.

 

Lightning Spectres utilize monsters that cast lightning-based spells, providing great area damage and reliable clear speed. By carefully selecting which monsters to raise, you shape your army to fit your preferred combat style.

 

Why Choose a Lightning Spectres Build?

Powerful AoE Damage: Lightning spells often have excellent area coverage, allowing Spectres to clear groups of monsters quickly.

 

Strong Single-Target: Many lightning spells also excel at focused damage, essential for boss fights.

 

Safe Playstyle: As a summoner, you rely on your minions to take the brunt of enemy attacks.

 

Flexibility: This build scales well from early league start to endgame content.

 

Budget-Friendly: Can be started cheaply, with scaling options through Path of exile currency and passive skill points.

 

Best Spectres for Lightning Spectres Build

Choosing the right Spectres is critical. Here are some of the top choices that form the backbone of the Lightning Spectres build:

 

1. Slave Drivers

Location: Act 5 - Control Blocks.

 

Skill: Casts Ball Lightning.

 

Why Use Them: Slave Drivers are the premier Lightning Spectres due to their fast, repeated Ball Lightning casts, which excel at both clear speed and boss damage. They are the most popular choice for Lightning Spectres and provide excellent performance throughout the game.

 

2. Solar Guards

Location: Act 8 - Solaris Temple.

 

Skill: Casts Solar Beam and other fire/lightning skills.

 

Why Use Them: While they mix fire and lightning damage, Solar Guards' piercing beams have great coverage and complement Slave Drivers if you want diversity.

 

3. Baranite Clerics (Optional)

Location: Baran-influenced maps.

 

Skill: Lightning projectile attacks that chain between enemies.

 

Why Use Them: Offer chain lightning style attacks, providing excellent clear potential. Best used alongside Slave Drivers.

 

4. Arena Master (Support Spectre)

Location: Drox-influenced maps.

 

Skill: Buffs minions with attack and cast speed.

 

Why Use Them: Arena Masters don't deal damage but significantly boost your Spectres' speed, increasing their overall DPS.

 

Skill Gem Setup

Main Spectre Link (6-Link)

Raise Spectre

 

Spell Echo Support (Increases cast speed and repeats spells)

 

Minion Damage Support

 

Controlled Destruction Support (More damage, less critical chance)

 

Elemental Focus Support (Increases elemental damage but disables status ailments)

 

Added Lightning Damage Support (Boosts lightning damage)

 

Alternative: Use Awakened versions of Controlled Destruction, Elemental Focus, or Added Lightning Damage if available.

 

Utility Gems

Summon Carrion Golem: Buffs minions by increasing their damage.

 

Summon Stone Golem: Provides life regeneration.

 

Raise Zombie: Acts as a meat shield and additional damage.

 

Convocation: Teleports minions to you, crucial for repositioning.

 

Desecrate: Creates corpses for summoning Spectres in maps.

 

Flame Dash: For your mobility.

 

Flesh Offering / Bone Offering: Increases minion attack/cast speed and block chance.

 

Auras

Wrath: Flat lightning damage boost for Spectres.

 

Determination: Boosts armor for survivability.

 

Purity of Elements: Grants elemental ailment immunity.

 

Defiance Banner: Further boosts armor and evasion.

 

Vitality: Life regeneration if needed.

 

Passive Skill Tree and Ascendancy

Ascendancy: Necromancer (Witch)

Mindless Aggression: Boosts minion damage and movement speed.

 

Unnatural Strength: Grants +2 to all minion skill gems, crucial for boosting Spectre levels.

 

Commander of Darkness: Provides aura effect increases and resistances.

 

Bone Barrier: Grants Bone Armour to minions and yourself, boosting survivability.

 

Key Passive Skill Tree Nodes

Minion Damage: Boosts your Spectres' damage output.

 

Minion Attack/Cast Speed: Important for faster spell casting.

 

Minion Life and Resistances: Enhances survivability.

 

Gravepact: Increases minion damage.

 

Death Attunement: Increases maximum Spectres by 1.

 

Spiritual Command: Adds minion attack and cast speed.

 

Cluster Jewels: Use minion-focused cluster jewels to add life, damage, and speed.

 

Gear Recommendations

Weapon

Convoking Wand: The best weapon for minion builds. Look for:

 

+1 to Level of all Spell Skill Gems.

 

+1 to Level of all Minion Skill Gems.

 

Increased Minion Damage.

 

Cast speed or other minion-related modifiers.

 

Shield

Victario's Charity: Grants frenzy charges to minions, improving attack/cast speed.

 

Rare Shaper Shield: With +1 to minion gems and resistances.

 

Helmet

Rare helmet with:

 

+3 to Level of Raise Spectre (Elder-influenced).

 

Minion damage or minion life.

 

Life and resistances.

 

Body Armour

Skin of the Lords: +2 to all socketed gems and huge ES bonus.

 

Or rare armor with +minion gems and life.

 

Gloves

Grip of the Council: Adds cold damage to minions.

 

Or rare gloves with minion damage, life, and resistances.

 

Boots

Bones of Ullr: +1 to maximum Spectres.

 

Rare boots with movement speed, life, and resistances.

 

Amulet and Rings

Rare with +1 to Intelligence Skill Gems, minion damage, life, and resistances.

 

Belt

Stygian Vise with abyssal jewel:

 

Minion damage.

 

Minion life.

 

Life and resistances.

 

Jewels

Ghastly Eye Jewels with minion damage, minion resistances, or minions have chance to blind.

 

Cluster Jewels focused on minion damage and life.

 

Playstyle Tips

Use Convocation to reposition minions when bosses or dangerous packs appear.

 

Desecrate in maps that contain your desired Spectres' corpses for easy resummoning.

 

Keep Bone Armour active for survivability.

 

Use Flesh Offering or Bone Offering to boost minion speed and survivability.

 

Avoid standing in bad AoE damage zones, as your minions will handle most of the fighting.

 

Maintain your auras constantly for maximum damage and survivability.

 

Mapping and Bossing

Lightning Spectres excel at clearing maps due to their high AoE damage. When approaching bosses:

 

Use Convocation to gather minions near the boss.

 

Supplement your main Spectres with Raise Zombies or Carrion Golem for additional damage or tankiness.

 

Use curses like Conductivity to reduce enemies' lightning resistance and improve your DPS.

 

For tougher bosses, consider swapping in additional support spectres or minions that provide buffs (like Arena Master for attack speed). And can also buy Path of exile currency to improve buffs.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

Exceptional clear speed.

 

Minions keep you safe from direct damage.

 

Scales well with investment.

 

Flexible gear choices.

 

Weaknesses

Minion AI can be unpredictable.

 

Requires corpse availability for Spectres.

 

Single-target DPS can lag without proper support.

 

Conclusion

The Lightning Spectres build in Path of Exile is a powerful and fun summoner option, well-suited for players who want to command a lightning-wielding minion army with excellent clear speed and strong boss potential. With the right Spectres, gear, and passive skill investment, you can confidently tackle all of Wraeclast's challenges, from mapping to endgame bosses.