Overview
This Spirit Walker build fields a companion army led by the Mighty Silver Fist Monkey, a captured unique beast that one-shots bosses and tears through maps. It is built explicitly as a cheap, all-content league starter: the only mildly expensive piece is a Vertex helmet bought to cover attribute requirements, and everything else is budget gear focused on minion scaling, spirit, and survivability.
The plan is to let the companions do the killing while you support them with curses, offerings, and auras. A unique Rune-forged hammer feeds the companions damage off your weapon and grants spirit plus minion skill levels, and Giant’s Blood on the tree lets you wield it alongside a minion scepter. The playstyle is hands-off and forgiving, which is exactly what makes it a strong fresh-league pick.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Very cheap to assemble — strong league-starter value
- Companions one-shot bosses, including T15 boss footage shown
- Hands-off, low-APM playstyle led by the Mighty Silver Fist Monkey
- Simple tree pathing — search “companion” and grab those nodes plus Giant’s Blood
- Clears all content per the creator
Cons
- Relies on capturing the right unique beast (Mighty Silver Fist Monkey)
- Vertex helmet (attribute fix) is the one notable up-front cost
- Companion AI/positioning can be inconsistent like any minion build
- The Twister hybrid leveling shell gets squishy past ~T7-T8 and is meant to be transitioned out of
Key Skills
- Mighty Silver Fist Monkey — captured companion carry, linked Master, Rage, Feeding Frenzy, Hulking Minions
- Wolf Pack — secondary companion damage with Minion Splash and Withering Touch (for Evergrasping Ring)
- Barrow Wild Protector — durable companion with Loyalty for damage reduction
- Vulnerability — curse with Hinder to amplify companion damage and slow enemies
- Sacrificial Offering / Dance Macabre — buffs and recovery for the minion army
Gear & Anointments
The unique Rune-forged hammer is the keystone item — it grants spirit, minion skill levels, and passes weapon damage to companions; pair it with a scepter rolling +2 all minion skills. Use Evergrasping Ring for extra minion damage, an amulet with as many minion spell levels (and spirit) as possible, and otherwise stack life and resistances on belt, boots, and gloves. Jewels should target minion critical hit chance and minion damage. Specific anoint to be confirmed against the source video.
Endgame Notes
For leveling, the creator ran a Twister hybrid that scales off the same minion-damage investment, swapping to the full companion setup around Act 3 once the Silver Fist Monkey is captured. The companion build itself is shown clearing T15 maps and dropping bosses quickly.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Barczi POE2. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: BEST Spirit Walker League Starter? Companion Army Build Guide.