PoE 3.26 BAMA Necromancer Build Guide - Best League Starter

If you’ve played even a single Path of Exile league before, you know how chaotic day one can be. But every league has one consistent winner when it comes to low-budget power — minions. And in 3.26, BAMA (a community nickname for Bone Archmage Absolution) is taking center stage. Paired with the Necromancer ascendancy, this build lets you clear screens, handle bosses, and crush endgame content without needing a mirror-tier stash.

One of the biggest advantages of the PoE 3.26 BAMA Necromancer build is how well it scales with minimal investment. Even with just a couple chaos worth of gear, you’re clearing content comfortably. And if you’re planning ahead or trading early, it’s easy to buy cheap PoE currency at PVPBank to accelerate your setup and get to red maps faster.

Let’s dive into what makes this build so effective and how to get it off the ground.

Why Choose the BAMA Necromancer in PoE 3.26?

So what’s all the hype about BAMA?

Absolution has always been a solid league starter skill, but in 3.26, buffs to minion survivability, access to better minion scaling gear, and the improved consistency of Absolution’s trigger mechanics make it feel way smoother.

Here’s what makes it shine:

• Minions do the heavy lifting, letting you focus on staying alive.

• Easy to scale on the tree: just stack minion damage, duration, and survivability.

• Hardly any buttons: drop Absolution and let the Sentinels do work.

• Safe playstyle: you can hang back while your summons clear.

• Boss killer + screen clearer in one package.

Whether you’re aiming for red maps on day 3 or just want something reliable and chill, the PoE 3.26 BAMA Necromancer build has your back.

Core Mechanics: How the BAMA Build Works

At the heart of the build is Absolution — a spell that, when it kills something or hits a rare/unique enemy, summons Sentinels of Absolution. These are temporary minions that scale with your minion stats and stick around long enough to delete entire packs.

You’ll also scale:

• Minion damage

• Minion life (for survivability)

• Duration to keep Sentinels active longer

• Aura stacking for both offense and defense

• Optional Herald of Purity or Carrion Golem for even more damage support

The rest of the build is just about enabling that core loop: cast, summon, dominate.

Passive Tree & Ascendancy Choices

Key Passive Tree Highlights

• Minion nodes near Witch start are a no-brainer

• Grab Spiritual Aid to double-dip with your own gear stats

• Gravepact and Righteous Army are mandatory

• Consider Indomitable Army and Death Attunement for tankier minions and +1 summon cap

• Life and resist nodes are essential until your gear carries those

Use tools like Path of Building or PoE Planner to preview trees at levels 20, 50, and 90.

Necromancer Ascendancy Order

1. Mindless Aggression – Early boost to damage and movement

2. Unnatural Strength – Flat +2 to all minion gems is HUGE

3. Commander of Darkness – Easy res cap and aura boost

4. Bone Barrier – Adds a fat layer of defense with bone armor and life regen

If you prefer a glass cannon, swap Bone Barrier for Mistress of Sacrifice — but only in softcore.

Gear Breakdown: What You Need and Why

Here’s the good news: the PoE 3.26 BAMA Necromancer build doesn’t require expensive uniques. Here’s what to focus on:

Weapon:

• Convoking Wand with +1 to all spell or minion skill gems

• Cast speed and minion damage are bonuses

Shield:

• Victario’s Charity or a rare shield with life and res

• Bonus: Use with Necromantic Aegis for fun utility

Helmet:

• +Minion gems and life

• Bonus if you can get Absolution enchant

Chest:

• Tabula Rasa early

• Upgrade to a rare with life, res, and possibly +1 to socketed minion gems

Gloves, Boots, Belt:

• Just stack life and resistances

• Boots with movement speed are vital

• Look for bone rings or Stygian Vise belt with abyss jewel sockets

Jewels:

• Ghastly Eye Jewels with minion damage, life, blind/chill on hit

• Consider Fortress Covenant or Quickening Covenant for scaling

Gems and Links Setup

Main Skill (6-Link):

Absolution – Minion Damage – Spell Echo – Physical to Lightning – Increased Duration – Controlled Destruction

You can replace Controlled Destruction with Elemental Focus or Empower once you have levels.

Auras:

• Determination

• Purity of Elements (especially early)

• Convocation (low mana cost, great utility)

• Desecrate + Offering (if using Mistress of Sacrifice)

Optional:

• Flame Dash

• Arcanist Brand + Assassin’s Mark for bossing

Bandits, Pantheon, and Progression Tips

Bandits:

• Kill all for 2 passive points. You’ll need them.

Pantheon:

• Major: Brine King (Stun immunity)

• Minor: Abberath or Shakari (Burning ground or poison avoidance)

Leveling Tips:

• Start with Summon Raging Spirit until Absolution unlocks (Level 12)

• Transition to Absolution at 12 and scale with added lightning damage

• Use Minion Damage and Added Lightning supports early

• Grab a 4-link ASAP and just push story content fast

• Don’t overinvest in gear until maps

Endgame Scaling – How to Push BAMA Further

Once you hit yellow maps, you’ll want to upgrade in this order:

1. +1 or +2 wand and helmet

2. 5/6-link chest

3. Cluster Jewels with minion damage and attack/cast speed

4. Awakened gems for Spell Echo and Minion Damage

5. Fleshcrafter or Ashes of the Stars if you're feeling spicy

Mapping feels smooth the whole way, but bosses will eventually require either extra supports like Golems or a trigger wand setup to keep Sentinels rolling consistently.

Pros and Cons Recap

Pros:

• Extremely budget-friendly

• Chill playstyle, great for newer players

• Fast clear speed, strong boss damage

• Scales into endgame with proper investment

Cons:

• Needs time to summon minions

• Minion AI can still be a little dumb

• Gearing into high-tier minion stuff can be pricey

The PoE 3.26 BAMA Necromancer build is probably one of the most reliable and satisfying league starters available right now. Whether you're a minion veteran or just dipping your toes into summoner builds, this setup will carry you to red maps and beyond.

And if you want to get a leg up early on — especially during league rush — it’s worth checking out PVPBank for cheap PoE currency so you can get your 6-link and core items faster. Saves you time and lets you focus on content instead of farming Act 9 for scraps.

At the end of the day, this build is everything you want in a league starter: scalable, safe, cheap, and fun. BAMA is the truth in 3.26.