Best Coin Color for Herald of Purity

Players of Path of Exile are currently analyzing optimization strategies for the Herald of Purity skill gem to reach maximum performance ceilings, particularly within the context of Patch 3.27. The skill functions as a Herald gem that reserves mana to provide a buff increasing physical damage for both attacks and spells, while also summoning a friendly Sentinel of Purity minion upon killing an enemy or hitting a rare or unique enemy.

The technical challenge of optimizing Herald of Purity lies in the distinction between scaling character damage and scaling minion damage. While the passive ability of the gem increases the player’s own physical damage, the Sentinels of Purity require separate scaling to be effective as a primary damage source.

Scaling Sentinels of Purity

For builds utilizing Sentinels of Purity as the main source of damage, the base damage of these summons is heavily dependent on the Gem Level. Increasing the level of the Herald of Purity gem is a primary method for raising the build’s damage ceiling.

Technical optimization often involves specific equipment to maximize these levels. For instance, equipping two Cold Iron Point Daggers can provide an additional six gem levels. The use of Circle of Guilt rings is critical for this specific skill, as these items can increase the damage of the Sentinels by up to 200%.

Class-Specific Implementation

The Necromancer class is a primary choice for maximizing the performance of these minions. To improve both damage per second (DPS) and defenses, Necromancer builds typically utilize several specific keystones: Commander of Darkness, Mindless Aggression, Bone Barrier, and Mistress of Sacrifice.

Alternatively, the Guardian ascendancy has been used in the past, though some guides indicate it may result in lower overall damage compared to the Necromancer. In previous iterations, such as those seen in version 3.25, Guardian builds utilized a combination of Ball Lightning and Unleash Support to hit enemies frequently, ensuring the consistent summoning of Sentinels via killing blows or hits on rare and unique enemies.

Secondary Minion Synergy

To further enhance the performance of the Sentinels, high-ceiling builds often incorporate secondary minions. This includes the use of a Specter and an Animated Guardian equipped with Kingmaker, which serves to buff the primary Sentinels of Purity.

Other advanced modifications include using helmet crafting for Herald of Purity conversion to allow the skill to work alongside other abilities, such as Absolution. Some players also consider chaos conversion or impale strategies through the Necromancer class to further optimize damage output.

While these high-performance builds rely heavily on unique items to increase gem levels, this often complicates the process of capping elemental resistances. To mitigate this, players frequently use Cluster Jewels, typically employing one large and up to two medium jewels to fill the gap in statistics.