Build help: PN vs CE for a MF summoner

[droid]

Right now I have a straight-up MF fishymancer.....skellies and CE, and I was going to do 20 pts in Golem Mastery so I could bring up an Insight Golem that would survive. I have all MF gear as I built the char to be a high-MF zone crawler, since I have a Sorc target-runner and a Bowazon level-clearer already.

My problem is, I have a lot of trouble getting ramped up, and if my merc dies and I cant rez him, I'm pretty much stuck going back to Normal and GFing. Common nec problem, I'm sure. I've also found CE a little less cool than I thought, since my skellies spread around and by the time one monster in a pack is dead, the rest are at 1/3 life already most of the time.

I was thinking I might do this instead:

20 RS/SM/PN
1 pt wonders
rest into PN synergies

with an Insight Might merc.

That way I'd have the skellies and a non-corpse-based damage skill of my own to kickstart things and to add more damage, and still have a L9 CE after +skills. It seems that PN would be a good support skill for when your army's all engaged around you, too. I'd drop the Chancies for Trang gloves, but otherwise still all-MF gear. I'd still use Amp as my main curse.

Do you think its worth it to go for PN with only Trangs to support it, and not using LR? Anyone have experience with a Poison Summoner?

[Mad Mantis]

Do you think its worth it to go for PN with only Trangs to support it, and not using LR?

Not really. The extra damage output isn't that high without some good gear and at least one maxed synergy. Gear doesn't leave a lot of room for MF gear.

You could try working out where your pure summoner is having a hard time and see if you can correct that.

[stephan]

My Fishy only sports +7 to summoning and he has no trouble clearing an area like the WSK at all.

My advice would be to learn to play without Insight (at least if you have a better merc weapon). The problem I find with Insight is that it dictates your other merc gear as well and for a char that is rather reliant on his merc to do damage this is not a good thing. Some form of teleport (even if it is just a staff on switch) is a great help as well.

[SnickerSnack]

Imo, the best non-Infinity fishymancer merc weapon is Obedience in an ethereal elite polearm. I've only ever made them in threshers, but a GPA would give more damage.

It gives very good damage, 40% CB, and a healthy chunk of resists. All you need to get from other gear is leech and DR. A great combination is eth Obedience + Guardian Angel + Vampire Gaze. And it's pretty cheap with the highest two runes being Ko and Fal.

[5zigen]

Not really. The extra damage output isn't that high without some good gear and at least one maxed synergy. Gear doesn't leave a lot of room for MF gear.

You could try working out where your pure summoner is having a hard time and see if you can correct that.

You can get plenty of psn damage with mf gear....

Trangs belt / helm / gloves + dweb (or +3 pn white). Shako and Skullders for MF (sure you will be very reliant on boots / rings / ammy for res...)

The harder part will be having crappy skeletons when you max your PN synergies. PN without synergies is pretty lackluster. Particularly if you dont support it with trangs gloves / shield / belt combo.

[RogueJuggalo]

My personal favorite build to go with for MF summoner is a golemmancer. I have a level 90 one that I use 100% mf gear on and I love it.

Max CE, Fire Golem, Golem Mastery, Summon Resists, 1 point into Amp and dump the rest into blood golem (for life to your fire golem)

Fire golem is the golem of choice because you won't risk your own health with a blood golem and because iron golem will have way too much defense.

For a mercenary I use an act 1 merc using Edge (Tir Tal Amn in a bow) and Bramble armor to get stacked thorns. Combine that with amp damage and anything that hits your golem/merc/you dies almost instantly, leaving you free to CE the hell out of them with a ridiculously high range.

Watching Hell meph kill himself in 3-4 hits never gets old. :P