User:Warriorofworlds/buildarchive/NERenewal

This minion master variant uses the elite skill Glyph of Renewal to keep up a near-permanent Verata's Sacrifice on your minions. This demonstrates that even after the nerf, the skill Verata's Sacrifice can still be used to effectively keep your minions alive.

Usage
Raise minions, keep your health up by consuming corpses. Use Glyph of Renewal followed by Verata's Sacrifice every 15 seconds. Use Glyph of Lesser Energy to reduce the cost of raising minions.

Check General minion mastery guide for an in depth discussion of minion usage.

Equipment
Halves skill recharge time on death magic spells is a very useful mod as well as it will enable you to raise minions more often.
 * A Death Magic requirement Wayward Wand, or the truncheon from Arliss Vaughn or Radamon
 * The offhand Bortak's Bone Cesta provides a chance for level 19 Bone Fiends and Horrors, as well as a chance to quick cast the animate spell.
 * Another choice would be the focus available from Sir Pohl Sanbert or Volsung Stoneketil which will increase the chance at a fast recharge of animate spells to 36%.

Variants

 * Bitter Chill and Deathly Swarm can be switched in for damage.
 * Well of Suffering is excellent in areas where there are large numbers of monsters bunched together. A good example of this is the Ruins of the Tomb of the Primeval Kings, where you will constantly find yourself with a lot of excess corpses. One well-placed cast of this is very effective, and can be bunched with Rotting Flesh to easily give a large group of enemies -10 pips of Health Degeneration.
 * Animate Bone Horror can replace Animate Vampiric Horror, with its much lower energy cost. This is recommended in areas where there are fewer exploitable corpses for you to cast Consume Corpse on, to deal with the huge 25 Energy cost for Vampiric Horrors.
 * Animate Bone Minions can be switched in for extra benefits from Soul Reaping.