[PoE 2] TOTEMS WILL BE META! // Visual Explanation & Showcase
Summary
- Ancestral Bond Rework: The Keystone no longer requires charges (endurance/power) to summon totems, removing a significant mechanical barrier for Spell Totems and Ancestral Warrior Totems.
- New Limitation (Spirit): Totems now reserve Spirit instead of consuming charges. This limits the total number of active totems (typically to 5–6) based on gear and reservation efficiency.
- Loss of Benefits: Players no longer gain the auxiliary effects previously associated with consuming charges (e.g., healing upon summoning), requiring a trade-off between convenience and defensive utility.
- Meta Implications: Spell Totems are expected to become highly popular due to the ability to pair them with powerful spells like Spark or Plant-based skills.
- Strategic Optimization: Utilizing items with high Spirit stats (like Alpha’s Howl) and the “Efficient Inscriptions” passive node will be essential for maximizing totem counts.
The Ancestral Bond Keystone Rework
The most significant change in Patch 0.5 regarding totems is the adjustment to the Ancestral Bond Keystone passive. Previously, summoning totems required consuming endurance or power charges, which many players found clunky and restrictive.
- Removal of Costs: Placing totems no longer requires consuming charges or incurring resource costs.
- Spirit Reservation: Instead of charge consumption, each totem now reserves 75 Spirit. This imposes a hard limit on how many totems can be active simultaneously, preventing an unlimited “armada” of totems.
- Build-Specific Downsides: By taking this Keystone, players forfeit the defensive benefits linked to charge consumption, such as recovering life when summoning.
Optimization and Scaling Totems
Because totem capacity is now tied to Spirit, successful builds will require significant investment into Spirit reservation and efficiency.
- Spirit Sources: Players must prioritize gear pieces that provide extra Spirit, such as body armor, amulets, and specific helmets like Alpha’s Howl.
- Efficient Inscriptions: This passive skill node on the skill tree is considered mandatory for totem builds. It grants:
Meta skills have 20% increased reservation efficiency.
- Meta Skill Selection: Since “Meta skills” are those capable of socketing other skills (e.g., Spell Totem, Mortar Cannon, Ancestral Warrior Totems), using this node effectively allows for a higher number of active totems.
Build Viability and Recommendations
- Spell Totems: Highly favored for the upcoming meta. The removal of charge requirements allows for pairing powerful spells like Spark or various plant spells with totems, providing strong passive damage while the player remains mobile.
- Ancestral Warrior Totems: While still viable, options are more limited compared to Spell Totems. Currently, the skill “Sunder” is noted as a particularly strong pairing for this archetype.
- League Starter Strategy: Maintaining a tested build (like the Warbringer setup used in previous patches) to clear content and unlock the Atlas Skill Tree is recommended before transitioning into a higher-investment Spell Totem build.