Minions in PoE 1 as “free auras” - is this actually fine?

Some minions - Animate Guardian, Spectres, Golems - don’t really function as a build.
They function as a buff package you can add to almost any character.

You get:
- solid damage/defence boosts
- almost no investment
- no real cost

You pay:
- a few sockets
- annoying micromanagement

So even if you don’t want to play minions, you still run them — because it’s too efficient not to.

The issue:
- no real trade-off — just free power
- becomes mandatory for min-maxing
- “cost” is just bad UX, not a resource

Possible fix:
Move minions to a reservation-based system.

They already behave like auras:
- persistent
- provide buffs
- require little to no interaction

If it works like an aura, it should cost like one.

This would force actual choices:
- another aura
- or a “minion aura”

Instead of taking everything for free.

Important:
This is not about nerfing summoners.

This is about:
- Animate Guardian
- buff spectres
- utility golems

Minions used as universal buffs, not as a main playstyle.

Summary:
Right now these are hidden multipliers with no real cost, which is why almost every build runs them.

Permanent buffs should consume a real resource — not be free.

Specters and AG will die instantly in any juiced map without defensive investment. Thats your opportunity cost.

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gladiatorpie#3317 wrote:

Specters and AG will die instantly in any juiced map without defensive investment. Thats your opportunity cost.

I just ran a 5-way solo — the fire golem didn't die. Also farmed T16 ultimatum — AG and stone golem lived. Yeah, on full juiced maps they often die. But on the other hand, my AG doesn't have a sustain setup. There are setups for AG that allow it to survive even on a 4-link, even on fully juiced content. Either way, the fact that they can die makes them even more broken and frustrating. So you get free auras, rarity/culling strike, and many other bonuses, but there's a chance they might die. Still, you're forced to use them if you want to min-max

1. You need to invest in their survivability
2. You are losing gem slots, and when they cannot survive jiuced content even with 4-link - it is not optimal use of slots. If you build can freely use 4-link for a buff that can be lost at any juiced map, at any second, maybe you have better options for your build or the build is not the best one.

For example, I have AG 5-link with my str stack jugg, but I am wasting 5-link + it cost me 20+ divines to get mid+ gear that will give me some buf + sustain for my AG. And it still sometimes dies in a nightmare and to the normal Feared.

I cannot imagine AG or golems without the investment (points, gem sockets, currency) that can survive anything apart from alch and go

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besmertn#3371 wrote:

1. You need to invest in their survivability
2. You are losing gem slots, and when they cannot survive jiuced content even with 4-link - it is not optimal use of slots. If you build can freely use 4-link for a buff that can be lost at any juiced map, at any second, maybe you have better options for your build or the build is not the best one.

For example, I have AG 5-link with my str stack jugg, but I am wasting 5-link + it cost me 20+ divines to get mid+ gear that will give me some buf + sustain for my AG. And it still sometimes dies in a nightmare and to the normal Feared.

I cannot imagine AG or golems without the investment (points, gem sockets, currency) that can survive anything apart from alch and go

In my main skill gem setup, just two core gems alone cost over 250 divines.
Spending 20 divines on a helmet and body armour to make your AG practically immortal and get free buffs from Kingmaker and similar - really isn’t an issue when your build is worth 2 mirrors.

And in current PoE, that’s pretty much the norm.

There are basically no real alternatives to AG, golems, or spectres. Sure, they sometimes die, but in practice they’re just an overpowered “free” bonus for their cost.

That kind of design shouldn’t exist in the game - not to mention how much it hurts the overall gameplay feel.

only 3 % of players for SC Trade Mirage on POE Ninja are currently playing AG.

That is not the metric of a way too OP skill.

Personally, as a summoner main, I don't like utility minions. All other minions are being held back as you're expected to use them, which has the downside of GGG ignoring them as a viable option to main.

If GGG deleted AG and utility spectres then buffed all other minions to make up for their removal, I would support it 100%.