Below will be edited as I progress through the game and is due to change a lot.
Update 2020-02-26. BE finally nerfed lol. Will be trying out summons a bit more and see if it's possible to build around
Perk tree updated 2020-02-21
​
​
The Wolcen-Universe build has been changed to adapt to the new patch
Edit: won't be as focused on this 'til they fix Bleeding Edge amongst other things. The current state of the game just isn't that enjoyable for me, where I can just choose one skill and blast all the way to the end without a care. I will not include a BE build, but it's easy enough to make even without experience. Just find a nice 2h or weapon + catalyst if you want to ruin the experience.

https://wolcen-universe.com/builds/GBvE8G-kvistegaard's-updated
https://imgur.com/a/6KHY6BG < 60 without dying achievement in first Champion level

Important note

VERY IMPORTANT! LATEST PATCH CHANGED A LOT, THE BELOW POSTS ARE NOT UP TO DATE. This is now a Poison + Rend build.
Here is some updated results from testing:

Lower damage now than before, even with same gear. Something seems a tad odd about the multipliers *Fixed. With a lot more material damage it actually increased. Using Rend on spell now as well as commented, works wonders!
Toxic on Spell increases, Material% increases, Toxic%Increases, Spell Damage% Does NOT increase.
Rend on spell is great now that Material% works, esentially a 40% damage increase lol
Be careful when swapping gear. swapped between bruiser and heavy and lost half my resistances, had to unequip my chest and helmet for it to work correctly lol
Anomaly is a must, that damage increase is need now more than ever
Bulwark heals as much as the old perk, but is a must now
​
​
Kim posted this in comments: https://gyazo.com/8c67403f315d079c5f43bca537e154bf
If you find that ring, I curse your name. I want two ;P

CORRECTION I am now using Annihilation again with extra beam. It procs poison 4x as fast and deals higher ailment damage than infinity-blades for some reason, at least seems that way atm when I'm trying it out again. Toxic + extra beam + extra beam + ailment damage seems like it might be the way to go after all!

Introduction

[Img]
I've always loved summoners, and whenever I'm not birthing an army of death, I usually play a spewer of plagues and diseases so the Plaguebringer instantly catched my interest. I saw a lot of people saying summoner/necro/Plaguebringer is unplayable so I guess I want to prove them wrong or something.

Looking through the perk-tree I found that a mix could be quite easily be built using Scholar - Cabalist - Plaguebringer, and that it was a heavy focus on toxic/poison damage and afflictions. The summon-bonuses seemed a bit underwhelming, but the poison and toxic bonuses got me interested.

Gates of Fate and Skills

https://imgur.com/a/2EKBYU0 <-- perks and skills when finished with act 3 online no deaths

https://imgur.com/a/6y18ttL <-- lvl 60 no death setup

https://wolcen-universe.com/builds/GBvE8G-kvistegaard's-updated <-- Speculated end-game perks

IMPORTANT I am now trying out anomaly instead of Thicc boi, as I'm just way too tanky to even bother summoning him atm. Anomaly can increase ailment chance AND damage to all enemies in area, so might be hot

GEAR

Heavy. All that resistance with Siegebreakers Salvatory Anchor is just... amazing. Mix with some bruiser parts on everything but chest and head for more health. I use whichever gives most net-value, If I find a bruiser shoulder with good health and resistance with some %damage I use it instead of a heavy shoulderpiece.

There are late legendary amulets(IIRC) that increases max ailments.

Weapon: 2 rend on spell runes and 1 Toxic on spell on staff. Look for Material/Poison ailment damage. Edict + Catalyst is super as well.
​
​
1. Material damage
2. Poison Ailment Damage
3. Damage
4. Ailment chance.
​
​

Early thoughts on skills and experience

I didn't really blaze through the start, I took my time with crashes and disconnects. But I pushed on. The summons would be mine no matter the cost. And there they were, the most useless bags of flesh I've ever witnessed: Feeding Swarm. Don't ever use this. No damage, no health, even the explosion rune ain't worth it. They died before even attacking 99% of the time, absolute waste of Willpower. At this point I became worried, was this a warning of things to come? Were summoners to be absolutely useless? Just 10 minutes later I got my answer. A god descended upon me, a boi so thicc his clapping could be heard across all acts. The Thiccboi Mortis.

(Generational Grief) makes him into the guardian angel that lets my diseases spread. I don't think I've ever seen the guy down, he's just been tanking and tanking for as long as I've had him. Sure, he hits like a toddler, but the damage is my job. Which brings us to the rest of the skills.

Annihilation, turns into a toxic spread of doom as soon as you get Inevitable Decay, which should be rushed. With the 10+ max afflictions and duplicate chance of afflictions on target perks, it takes a second for it to tick bosses for over 2k damage under a sec, killing Dudeand BOSS in under five seconds, without having to move. It is a clear-machine together with this next blessing.

^ Infinity Blades is a great alternative, and better in most cases after lvl 40. I'm using now instead as it hits more often and hits more targets. While the skill in itself isn't toxic, with enough + Toxic damage on spells it will start proccing poison :)
PS. This is no longer the case. in Veteran 61 run I tried swapping back to annihilation with Inevitable Decay, Pressure of time and Radiation and it killed bosses much more quickly

Plagueburst. I love it. Probably my favourite skill across all ARPG's I've played. The screen turns into a plague cloud of death as soon as one mob dies, for when one mob dies everything dies, leading to a chainreaction of absolute carnage. Swarm of Corpuscules and Noxious Smog is a must. Together with the next skill, you turn into an immortal stationary toxic Deathray turret.

Bullwark of Dawn is bae. Modified with increased healing, duration and afflictions chance as well as lowered cooldown, it is a MONSTER of an ability. Healing for way more than any boss or elite/rare mob can damage you when you share life with Thiccy. As everything dies around you leaving toxic clouds of death and you're healing non-stop... it's just so nice and calming in all the carnage.

And the fifth skill Parasite is the only real damage summon out there. Taking over a tormentor, or any AoE big boi with On The Shoulder of Giants rune activated, It's about as strong as you in act 1-3(much weaker in 50+ but a Frozen Tormentor is still nigh-unkillable and kills trash like a god). Absolute unit. You should only go for the big bois though, as three small ones are never even close to strong enough and die all the time. If you want small ones, just take over a "spawning" unit, as they can spawn up to 8(!) units extra under your command.

The final skill should be something for movement, such as Aetherjump or Light Bringer. I'm currently trying out Light Bringer, as it seems to bring more to the table.

Later, more relevant thoughts

Siegebreaker must be one of the, if not THE strongest defensive tree out there. This is still the case even with the nerf to regen, since bulwark heals more than enough.

Time Weaver will be a must to get the extra ailments.

Warmonger is a damage increase beyond mortal comprehension

Late skills

Anomaly

Plague Burst

Bulwark

Livor Mortis

Aether Jump

Annihilation

https://imgur.com/a/9qIF1Vz < Final Skillset-ish

https://imgur.com/a/hLtHny2 <-- the no death act 1-3 achievements, since the proof is in the puddin' or something. Let's make this a no death 90 build :P

This build can absolutely do champion! Don't know to what limit, but at lvl 60 it finished the first champion level without any trouble at all and have yet to die or even get knocked down.

Edit* It can certainly do Master as well, though not clear at the level that all broken BE builds are doing.