The Keeper’s League in PoE 3.27 introduced a new layer of endgame difficulty, and summoner builds—especially Zombie armies—have made a surprising comeback. With the right setup, you can field 30+ Zombies that hit like trucks, tank like juggernauts, and overwhelm even the nastiest T17 map mods. This guide breaks down how to scale your undead legion into a true endgame force capable of clearing T17 maps, Uber Sirus, Uber Exarch, Cortex, and even Delve.
To keep things digestible, I’ll break the guide into sections:
- Why Zombies Work in 3.27
- How to Reach 30+ Zombies
- Gear, Gems, and Passive Tree
- T17 Mapping Strategy
- Uber Boss Strategies (Sirus, Exarch, Cortex)
- Delve Strategy
- Final Tips for Keeper’s League
Along the way, I’ll highlight key ideas like minion survivability scaling, corpse generation loops, and endgame boss positioning so you can dive deeper if you want.
Why Zombies Work in 3.27
Zombies have historically been considered “starter minions”—slow, tanky, but not exactly boss killers. But in 3.27, several factors make them surprisingly powerful:
- Keeper’s League modifiers reward builds that can maintain pressure without exposing the player.
- Minion life scaling is easier than ever thanks to new support gems and cluster jewels.
- Corpse-based mechanics allow you to refresh and buff your Zombies constantly.
- Minion AI improvements make Zombies more aggressive and responsive.
With the right setup, Zombies can reach 10–20 million DPS each, and when you have 30+ of them, the damage becomes absurd.
How to Reach 30+ Zombies
A standard summoner gets around 10–12 Zombies. To reach 30+, you need to stack multiple sources of additional minions:
Sources of Extra Zombies
- Level 30+ Raise Zombie gem (corrupted, +gem gear, Empower)
- Helmet enchant: +2 Zombies
- Amulet with +1 Zombies
- Body armour with +1 Zombies
- Cluster jewels with Rotten Claws / Hulking Corpses
- Ascendancy: Necromancer’s Bone Barrier + Commander of Darkness
- Unique PoE items like Alberon’s Warpath
- Ghastly Eye jewels with minion modifiers
- Vaal Raise Zombie (adds temporary extra Zombies)
With all of these combined, you can comfortably reach 30–36 Zombies.
Core Gear
Weapon
Convoking Wand with:
+1 to all minion skill gems
+1 to all spell skill gems
Minion damage
Trigger socketed spells
Shield
Victario’s Charity (for frenzy charges)
Or Rare shield with +minion gems
Helmet
Bone Helmet with:
+2 to minion gems
Minion life
Minion damage
Enchant: +2 Zombies
Body Armour
Skin of the Lords or Skin of the Loyal
Optional: Rare with +1 Zombies
Boots
Alberon’s Warpath
+1 Zombies
Strength scaling (Zombies benefit from strength stacking)
Gloves
Grip of the Council for cold conversion
Or Rare minion gloves
Amulet
Rare with +1 Zombies
Anoint: Death Attunement
Rings
Convoking rings with minion damage, life, and resistances
Belt
Stygian Vise with a strong Ghastly Eye jewel
Gem Setup
Main Link: Raise Zombie (6-link)
Raise Zombie
Minion Damage
Melee Physical Damage
Multistrike
Elemental Damage with Attacks
Empower (lvl 4)
Utility
Desecrate
Flesh Offering
Convocation
Vaal Haste
Determination
Purity of Elements
Pride
Passive Tree
Key clusters:
Minion Instability (optional)
Death Attunement
Grave Intentions
Ravenous Horde
Enduring Bond
Sacrifice
Spiritual Command
Spiritual Aid
Cluster jewels:
Rotten Claws
Feasting Fiends
Hulking Corpses
T17 Mapping Strategy
T17 maps are brutal—high damage, high density, and dangerous map mods. But Zombies excel here because they:
- Body-block projectiles
- Auto-target enemies
- Scale well with auras
- Can be instantly resummoned
Here’s how to handle T17s:
1. Enter with full buffs
Vaal Haste
Flesh Offering
Determination + Purity of Elements
Convocation on left-click
2. Keep Zombies clumped
Use Convocation to reposition them constantly.
3. Avoid dangerous map mods
Reduced aura effect
Monsters have crit multi
Reduced minion life
Extra chaos damage
4. Use your Zombies as a wall
Let them push forward while you stay behind.
5. Bossing in T17 maps
Most T17 bosses melt under 30+ Zombies.
Use Pride and Flesh Offering for maximum burst.
Uber Boss Strategies
Uber Sirus
Uber Sirus is dangerous because of:
Die beams
Corridor phases
Meteor maze
Zombies help because they:
Tank corridor mobs
Keep pressure on Sirus during downtime
Don’t die to storms if properly geared
Strategy
Stay behind your Zombies
Use Convocation to pull them out of storms
Burst Sirus during the stationary phases
Avoid chasing him into storms
Uber Exarch
Uber Exarch is easier for minion builds.
Key points
Zombies ignore rolling balls
They auto-target Exarch during beam phases
You only need to dodge the big slams
Strategy
Keep moving in circles
Use Convocation to keep Zombies on Exarch
Pop Vaal Haste during add phases
Cortex
Cortex is chaotic because of:
Random arenas
High spell damage
Multi-boss phases
Strategy
Zombies tank most spell hits
You focus on dodging ground effects
Use Desecrate + Offering to maintain buffs
Save Vaal Haste for the final phase
Delve Strategy
Zombies are exceptional in Delve because they:
Body-block monsters
Clear tight corridors
Don’t get lost
Scale infinitely with minion life
Tips for Deep Delve
Use Convocation constantly
Keep Flesh Offering up for speed
Zombies will kill darkness mobs automatically
Use a Darkness Resistance flask
Avoid nodes with “minions take increased damage”
Boss encounters
Zombies trivialize most Delve bosses because they swarm them from all sides.
Final Tips for Keeper’s League
To get the most out of your 30+ Zombie army:
Stack strength for more Zombie life and damage
Use Convocation aggressively
Keep your auras active
Refresh corpses often
Use Vaal Raise Zombie for burst
Avoid chaos-heavy content unless you have chaos res capped
With this setup, you can comfortably clear T17 maps, defeat Uber Sirus, Uber Exarch, Cortex, and push Delve with an army of undead that feels unstoppable. And welcome to MmoGah to get your cheap and safe PoE currency to hold this setup.
