Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4: All Minion Build Changes Explained

Minion players in Path of Exile 2 have plenty of reasons to be excited for Patch 0.4 and the Fate of the Vaal League. While several archetypes received nerfs or restrictions, minion builds came out looking surprisingly strong. Better yet, these improvements are universal-meaning almost every minion skill, support gem, and build path gets value.

The guide is about the breakdown of all the major minion-related changes in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4 and how they affect your next build.

All Notable Minion Changes in Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4

1. Sacrifice - Faster Revives, Better Detonate Dead Scaling

Sacrifice remains a staple for players using Detonate Dead, SRS variants, or minion-loop builds. Before Patch 0.4, Sacrifice came with a harsh drawback-your minions revived up to 66% slower at higher gem levels.

Now, the revival penalty has been significantly improved:

·Old: 66-60% revive slowdown (Gem Lv. 14-20)

·New: 46-40% revive slowdown

·Spirit Cost: unchanged

This is a massive buff. Faster revives mean more uptime, smoother detonation cycles, and much less downtime waiting for your frontline to reform. If your build depends on repeatedly sacrificing minions, this change alone boosts overall DPS consistency. It also makes certain gear interactions-especially crafted Path of Exile 2 Items-substantially more efficient.

2. Cast on Minion Death - Massive Spirit Reservation Cut

One of the most impactful improvements in Patch 0.4 is the change to Cast on Minion Death, a gem used in many tech-heavy minion setups.

·Old Spirit Reservation: 60

·New Spirit Reservation: 30

A 50% reduction is enormous. With half the reservation cost, minions can now fit more auras, better defenses, or higher-value command skills without sacrificing core damage tools. You can also buy POE2 Items to self-craft a new minion setup.

However, be aware of this key detail:

The skill only gains Energy when persistent minions die.

That means you can't rely solely on enemy damage. To consistently trigger it, you'll want to use:

·Infernal Legion Support

·Romira's Requital Support

·Passive tree nodes that harm or expend minions

This ensures a constant rotation of minion deaths, letting you unleash repeatable spell procs during combat.

3. Lineage Support Gem Buffs - Stronger Commands and Uptime

Several Lineage Support Gems that previously felt niche are now significantly better.

Kurgal's Leash - Longer Unholy Might Duration

·Old: 5 seconds

·New: 15 seconds

Both the player and minions gain Unholy Might much longer, resulting in drastically improved burst windows. This is outstanding for builds that use commands frequently-especially aggressive melee minions or fast-hitting spectres.

Tecrod's Revenge - Stronger Death-Based Bonuses

·Minions now linger 20 seconds after hitting 0 life (up from 10)

·Minions gain 40% increased Attack and Cast Speed when reduced to 0 life (up from 20%)

Although the Soul Eater mechanic has been removed, the attack speed spike more than compensates. It creates a window where your "dying" minions output extreme DPS before disappearing.

4. Soul Core Changes - Restrictions but Stronger Individual Value

Path of Exile 2 Patch 0.4 brings significant changes to Soul Cores, particularly those used in minion builds.

Xipocado's Soul Core of Dominion

·Now limited to 1

·Grants 40% increased Damage with Command Skills for Staves, Wands, and Scepters

This is still strong, but previously, players could stack multiple copies for heavy multiplicative gains. Staff and Scepter users lose potential socket slots, while wand users retain one.

Idol of Ralakesh

·Now limited to 1

·Reservation Efficiency increased to 8% (up from 6%)

The limitation hurts, but the added efficiency helps compensate. Since helmets normally have two sockets, losing the second copy means giving up 4% additional efficiency.

Overall, these restrictions aim to reduce stacking abuse while keeping individual Soul Cores meaningful.

5. Primal Weapon Forms - Best Choice for Minion Builds

Every character can now use Talisman weapons and transform using one of the three Primal Forms. For minion builds, Werewolf is the clear winner.

Why Werewolf Form is Best for Minion Builds

·Access to Pounce, a mobility skill

·Applies Mark on enemies

·Minions automatically prioritize marked enemies.s

This dramatically improves minion AI, ensuring your army attacks the correct target instead of scattering.

Final Thought: Why Minion Builds Will Shine in Patch 0.4

The Fate of the Vaal League is shaping up to be one of the most minion-friendly leagues Path of Exile 2 has seen so far. Faster revival, lower Spirit costs, stronger Lineage buffs, and improved primal targeting all contribute to a smooth, powerful playstyle.