They just HUGELY BUFFED minions ONE DAY before launch LOOL

Summary

• A significant, last-minute buff to minion damage has been introduced, providing approximately 25–35% more damage against non-unique enemies and 20–25% more damage against unique enemies.
• This update addresses a bug where previous minion damage scaling was functioning incorrectly.
• The update also affects how damage is displayed in Path of Building (PoB), revealing that flat added damage modifiers (such as those on rare scepters) were previously undervalued.
• These changes validate the effectiveness of existing minion builds while offering more accurate theoretical DPS calculations for future theorycrafting.

Understanding the Patch Notes

A bug fix concerning minion damage bonuses against non-unique enemies was released. Previously, these bonuses were intended to scale from 3% at skill level 3 up to 50% at skill level 8. However, the mechanic was functioning incorrectly and, in some cases, acted as a damage nerf against bosses.

Instead of a traditional fix, the developers balanced the game around the actual behavior of the skill. The result is a substantial, across-the-board damage increase for minions.

Implications for Minion Builds

The core impact for players—specifically regarding companions and specters—is a significant increase in raw damage output.

• Flat Added Damage: Investigation into hidden damage modifiers reveals that flat added damage from items like rare scepters is significantly more powerful than previously understood.
• Spirit Walker & Sylvan’s Effigy: While the Sylvan’s Effigy remains a strong choice, the newfound value of flat added damage on rare scepters makes them a highly competitive alternative. Players may want to consider using a “From Nothing” jewel to acquire “Lord of Wiles” if opting for a rare scepter build.
• Muster Scaling: Sylvan’s Effigy remains valuable due to its multiplicative damage scaling via “Muster.” It has been confirmed that multiple instances of “Tame the Beast” count as different types of reviving minions, which allows for effective scaling of the Muster modifier.

Changes to Damage Display and Calculations

Historically, the Path of Building (PoB) community tool has not accurately displayed damage numbers for companions and specters due to these hidden modifiers.

• Accuracy: Work is currently underway by the developers of PoB to ensure these hidden modifiers are correctly calculated and displayed.
• Theorycrafting: While players have largely been building correctly based on in-game testing, the updated PoB will provide a more accurate mathematical framework. This will allow for better comparisons between minion builds and other archetypes by reflecting the true, higher damage potential of these units.

Key References

• Path of Exile Official Forums - Official patch notes (see the 28/05/26 update note).
• PoB (Path of Building): The community-standard tool for theorycrafting and build verification.