What’s your opinion on that? Tell us, Doc, are they dead? 
I havent tried skellies for some time but I wonder what difference it would make if we choose to fight Korvaak after Malmouth content instead
I’m not sure about leveling a summoner since 1.1.4.0 but I’ve managed to do multiple 75-76 SR and a full 150 - 170 until forced reset on crucible today using one of Maya’s Cabalist builds. They are a tad more squishy but they certainly are not “dead”. Skeletons themselves however have been dead since FG came out and are in need of a buff if they want a real chance of beating any of the tougher Super bosses
Skeletons really could use a buff imo. My skeletons defiler (yea ik it’s not the most optimal class) using korvaak’s burning-blade was my first char in a long time that I managed to die with before lvl 94. He died to korvaak’ 3rd phase on elite not only due to me missplaying (because honestly every death in this game is due to a missplay), but also due to the skeletons just dying like flies to korvaak(even with decent pet res) and being unable to dish out enough dmg.
You actually made it to Korvaak? Given how much I struggled with the Tomb before, I heeded papa Kymon’s advice and turned back. Didn’t even make it to Kymon on ultimate. Skeletons die too fast to even trash to work well. 2-3 Chthonian Bloodkeepers can outheal them unless they somehow sit still in the aetherfire patches from imp devotion. And that’s with wrath of the beast pharma and L90 faction gear.
I managed to make it all the way to Lokarr with Bane of Uroboruuk. (Pet Cabalist ) build but the skeletons simply died too quickly and didn’t do enough damage to push him anywhere below 80% even after getting all the gear in the build. In my experience they are simply incapable of beating any of the Super bosses on Ultimate difficulty besides the clone spam. Said build was capable of 170 Crucible farm without bonuses but 60+ SR was too much for the squishy skeletons. Maya’s build got me through the rest of the game. They preform better with the lost souls set but it’s still not enough to beat the end game Super bosses
Keep in mind this was all before the most recent patch in which I’ve heard they’ve gotten even worse.
I made it to korvaak on elite and skipped kymon due to merits.
Nope, they are very much alive. If pet builds are dead, so are non pet builds since the only nerf pets themselves received was the Shadowfiend one which is not a leveling item.
Skeletons are another issue entirely, but Zantai wants to keep them as squishy disposable minions though I personally think that some of their tankiness could be taken from Lost Souls set and added to the base skill itself.
#DeadBuilds2019
#BuffPets2019
#GlowingBriarbutts
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Yup… I’ve been testing both leveling early Veteran. Started one with Occultist and just my lone Raven carried me thru fine all the way til I could snag the Hound.
And I’ve been testing Necromancer and skeles have been stomping thru everything just like they did before… they might die a little more but I haven’t had any issues steam-rolling.
I doubt they die any more than they die to every other ghost mob pack in forgotten gods. Their pbaoe curse on death is retarded strong against them in the early game.
Thankfully, Vanilla still goes easy enough on pet players to let them grow up. I suspect Sigatrev had something to do with that.
In endgame, pets are probably still the best jack-of-all-trades do-it-alls.
For leveling, Ravens and Briarthorns are great.
Skeletons are more of an endgame thing. I remember leveling a cabalist and it was smooth at first and got hard mid game before it got op once proper gear was acquired. You gotta give ground with skeletons often. And building skeletons is hard because you gotta find the balance between being able to steamroll and survive long enough.
Anyways pls don’t say summoners are dead. You’re stealing martyrdom from the binders. 
@Maya what grade would you give for this essay?
Accurate_but_not_a_clunky_bloated_wall_of_text_so_not_an_essay/10
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I’d say Skeletons are great for early game and end game, in mid game not so much - especially if you lack gear
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They are working just fine for me in Act 1 (Vet) so far. Anyone who thinks they can’t hang hasn’t actually played them.
And don’t you worry… I’ll let ya know how mid-game goes. I really don’t find gear to be much of a problem tho… between the ground and frequently browsing the merchs for pet-related gear I don’t foresee having too much issue there.
try going FG before act 2… it’s going to be !fun! (and also some skeleton related gear in there from korvaaks chosen)
Act 1 Vet should not be the measuring point 
Skeletons fall off rather quick. That was before the patch. Can’t imagine things going better for them now. I hated how fragile they were so much that I decided against playing SSF, went Lokarr + Xp Pots and got BlightFiends+Reap Spirits ASAP because it was that unbearable.
again, 2 blight fiends = 8 skeletons in terms of damage for a long part of the game, and they actually live their duration most of the time.
Skeletons should leave Vitality pools upon death imo. If they are designed to be fragile disposable things, makes sense.
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AND the blight fiends actually do something upon dying, making their disposability work even when they can’t live long enough to deal damage with their attacks (Noxan Shade pls)
or fire explosion, depending on their type. Could be a good add-on
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