Path of Exile 2 patch 0.5.5, the Forbidden Rites mini event, keeps the minion meta almost identical to what players saw in 0.5, but now the guesswork is gone about which summoners will dominate. With no balance changes touching minion skills, the community has already sorted out which builds carry hardest from level one to red maps, and which ones plateau in mid-game. In this PoE 2 0.5.5 Tier List, we pull together the top summon builds recommended by veteran minion players like Ghazzy, Majestic Rain, and Ostrix, ranking the top meta summoner builds for league starter to the endgame.
PoE 2 0.5.5 Minion Build Tier List
Best Summoner Builds for Forbidden Rites League Starter and Endgame
Minion builds are in a very healthy spot heading into 0.5.5. Because no balance patch is coming to companions, spirit, or minion damage, everything that was strong in 0.5 remains strong now, including the two heavyweights that will very likely get nerfed at 1.0 launch: the Gemini Legionnaire on Earth and the Spirit Walker Monkey. Alongside those, the Disciple of Rhasta offers arguably the smoothest campaign minion leveler in the game, while options like Chonk Reavers, Spectres, and Infernal Legion round out a deep A tier. With so many viable choices across the Druid, Witch, and Huntress starting classes, this event is one of the best times to commit to a summoner playstyle. Let us get into the actual rankings below.
Below is the ranked list, moving from the top S-tier picks down through solid A-tier options and a couple of dependable B-tier alternatives. Each build gets a short breakdown followed by a five-star rating across the factors that matter most to a minion player.
S-Tier
1. Gemini Legionnaire on Earth (Gemling Legionnaire)
The Gemini Legionnaire on Earth build has been called the most fun minion build in the entire history of Path of Exile 2, edging out even the old cocaine ant build from earlier patches. You level using explosive grenade with the Grenadier path, then swap into the on Earth minion setup at the end of the campaign. Clear speed is very strong, single target damage is competitive, defensive layers are excellent, and scaling costs stay reasonable. On top of that, playing Gemling opens the door to a huge variety of pivot builds later without re-leveling.
Leveling: ★★★★☆
Clear Speed: ★★★★★
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★★
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
2. Spirit Walker Monkey (Tame Beast Companion)
The Spirit Walker running the Act 3 monkey is the ceiling king of minion builds this patch. Early leveling with Twister into the tamed bear, then swapping to the monkey after the second ascendancy, is one of the smoothest starts available. Once you find a crit monkey (a grind that is admittedly annoying and frustrating), the build one-shots or two-shots bosses. Push it into a Summoner conversion later and you become practically immortal thanks to loyalty support and a wider companion roster. This one is almost guaranteed to eat a nerf at 1.0.
Leveling: ★★★★★
Clear Speed: ★★★★★ (with AOE supports scaled)
Single Target: ★★★★★
Defense: ★★★★★ (Summoner variant)
Budget Friendly: ★★★☆☆ (crit monkey grind hurts)
3. Disciple of Rhasta (Sorceress Resonance)
The Gin Commander Disciple of Rhasta leveling build by Duke is possibly the most broken and effective campaign minion leveler in the game right now. It never has a dead zone. Once you hit your first ascendancy the build just climbs upward without dips, no gear check moments, no rough patches. Rumor has it there is some hidden tech that adds around 70 percent more damage on top of what people already know about. If a linearly scaling minion character sounds good to you, this is the pick.
Leveling: ★★★★★
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★★
A-Tier
4. Infernal Legion Multi-class (Tamed Beast Elephant / Spirit Walker Chimera)
Infernal Legion is a very good multi-class package that can run either the tamed beast elephant variant or the Spirit Walker Chimera version. Damage output is strong once invested, and clear can push into S-tier territory with enough currency. The catch is the play style: you have to constantly weapon swap while running through maps, ideally bound to your scroll wheel. Some players love it, others find it obnoxious. There is also an Otter Jones collaboration Acolyte of Chayula variant that skips the weapon swap in exchange for slightly slower clear.
Leveling: ★★★★☆
Clear Speed: ★★★★★ (with weapon swap)
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
5. Chonk Reavers (Acolyte of Chayula Monk - Raging Reavers)
Chonk Reavers, played on the Monk with the Acolyte of Chayula ascendancy, was a top-tier favorite before the Gemling on Earth build took over. You use Shattering Palm to level through the Chayula path, then transition to Raging Reavers empowered by the purple flame that grants extra chaos damage. Defensive layers combine deflection, evasion, and energy shield as a buffer, giving tankiness comparable to the pre-Summoner Spirit Walker. Fewer buttons than the Gemling version, and just as chill in endgame.
Leveling: ★★★★☆
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★★
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
6. Spectres (Gargantuan Wasps / Powered Skeletons)
Spectres are the ultimate copy-paste build. You can slot the same skeleton setup onto Oracle, Shaman, Infernalist, Lich, or Chonk, and it works. The two top variants are the Gargantuan Wasps (the "cocaine wasps") which shine in Sekhema Trials and general clear, and Powered Skeletons with Spark for the best single target boss damage in the minion category. Visual clarity is bad, but that is basically the price of admission for minion builds in PoE.
Leveling: ★★★☆☆
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★★ (Powered Skeletons)
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★★
7. Varasha Minion Build
Varasha earns her A-tier spot as a solid all-around summoner option. She works well as a multi-class base and can be built to handle both mapping and bossing at a competent level without demanding S-tier levels of investment. A reliable pick for players who want a proven frame without the grind of a crit monkey hunt.
Leveling: ★★★★☆
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
8. Rage Zombies / Rage Berserker Shamans (Druid)
The Druid going Shaman is one of the strongest early-game summoners because the secret flow gives you a free 120 spirit right at first ascendancy, immediately fueling powerful minions. From there you can run Berserking Druids leaping onto enemies at high attack speed, or swap to Rage Zombies with rank 40 skeletons that receive around 670% more damage through Shaman scaling. This is more of a boss-focused package than a clear king, and Ostrix has been running the zombie variant to great effect.
Leveling: ★★★★★
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★★ (Rage Zombies)
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
B-Tier / B+ Tier
9. Lich Skeleton Mage Summoner (Witch)
The Lich variant using skeleton mages remains the smoothest budget-friendly leveler in the summoner category. Unholy Might grants your allies increased chaos damage, which scales skeleton mages hard, and stacking energy shield turns you into a very durable caster. You can walk around while your minions one-shot the whole screen with zapping potential. It runs all the way to tier 15 comfortably on a small budget.
Leveling: ★★★★★
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★★
Budget Friendly: ★★★★★
10. Witch Infernalist Flame Wall Summoner
The Witch into Infernalist uses flame walls to auto-summon raging spirits alongside skeleton archers, burning through leveling content with almost no gear requirements. The Infernalist passive that converts life into spirit plus the hell hound companion give you extra damage and protection. Scaling is not top-end for pure summoning, but the class is well-known for pivoting into wild late-game builds like the infinite meteor CoC comet setup later on.
Leveling: ★★★★★
Clear Speed: ★★★★☆
Single Target: ★★★☆☆
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★★
11. Wolf Companion Build
The wolf builder sits slightly below the A-tier options as more of a personal preference pick. It performs well enough to be viable but does not push past the ceiling of what the top S and A picks are doing.
Leveling: ★★★★☆
Clear Speed: ★★★☆☆
Single Target: ★★★☆☆
Defense: ★★★★☆
Budget Friendly: ★★★★☆
With no balance changes touching minions in 0.5.5, this is the safest patch in recent memory to commit to a summoner league starter. The top three S-tier picks are especially worth trying now, since 1.0 will almost certainly bring the nerf hammer down on the Spirit Walker Monkey and the Gemling on Earth. Pick your favorite from the list above, follow the linked leveling guides from the original creators, and enjoy Forbidden Rites.
