Raise Zombie

Quick Summary: Summons permanent zombie minions from corpses. Classic starter minion for all summoner builds and excellent for leveling.

Overview

• Skill Name: Raise Zombie

• Skill Type: Active Spell

• Gem Color: Blue (Intelligence)

• Gem Tags: Spell, Minion

• Release: Early Path of Exile (1.0.0)

• Last Changed: Patch 3.27

Skill Identity

Primary Use

Raise Zombie is one of the fundamental minion spells in Path of Exile. It summons permanent zombie minions from corpses that will follow you and automatically attack enemies. Zombies are tanky melee minions that provide consistent physical damage and serve as meat shields for the player.

This skill is available from level 1, making it the go-to starting minion for all summoner builds during leveling. While zombies can work in endgame content, they’re often used as supplementary tanks rather than primary damage dealers in higher-tier builds.

Playstyle

Gameplay Pattern:

• Find corpses (from killed enemies or Desecrate)
• Cast Raise Zombie on corpses
• Zombies persist as permanent minions
• Zombies automatically attack nearby enemies
• Resummon if zombies die

Best Content For:

• ✅ Leveling - available from level 1
• ✅ Tanking - high life pool
• ✅ Campaign - reliable damage
• ✅ Supplementary minions - work alongside other minions

Gem Stats

Base Stats (Level 1)

Required Attributes

Mechanics

How It Works

Raise Zombie targets a corpse and summons a permanent zombie minion. Zombies are melee minions that deal physical damage through slam attacks. They have high life pools and serve as both damage dealers and tanks.

Zombies scale with gem level, minion damage modifiers, and minion life. Higher gem levels dramatically increase zombie survivability and damage output.

Damage Calculation

Zombies use physical melee attacks that scale with:

• Gem level (increases zombie stats)
• Minion damage modifiers
• Minion attack speed
• Added physical damage to minions

Support Gem Compatibility

Best Support Gems

Must-Have Supports

Optimal 4-Link Setup

1. Raise Zombie
2. Minion Damage Support
3. Melee Physical Damage Support
4. Multistrike Support

Scaling & Optimization

Primary Scaling Factors

1. Gem Level: Dramatically increases zombie stats
2. Minion Damage: All sources of increased/more minion damage
3. Minion Life: Keeps zombies alive
4. Minion Attack Speed: More DPS

Stat Priority

For Campaign/Leveling:

1. Gem level - Keep gem leveled
2. +X to maximum Zombies - More minions
3. Minion damage - Basic scaling

For Endgame:

1. +Gem levels - From items
2. Minion life - Survivability
3. Minion damage - Damage output

Leveling with This Skill

Availability

First Available: Level 1, starting gem or vendor

How to Obtain:

• Witch/Necromancer starting gem
• Available from vendors at level 1

Leveling Viability

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros for Leveling:

• ✅ Available from level 1
• ✅ No gear requirements
• ✅ Permanent minions
• ✅ Tanky - absorbs damage

Cons for Leveling:

• ❌ Slower than some alternatives
• ❌ Needs corpses to resummon
• ❌ Can get stuck on terrain

Leveling Links

2-Link (Act 1-2):

• Raise Zombie + Minion Damage

3-Link (Act 3-4):

• Raise Zombie + Minion Damage + Melee Physical Damage

4-Link (Act 5+):

• Raise Zombie + Minion Damage + Melee Physical Damage + Multistrike

Common Builds Using This Skill

Pros & Cons

Strengths ✅

• ✅ Available level 1: Best early minion
• ✅ Permanent minions: Persist through zones
• ✅ Tanky: High life pool
• ✅ No gear requirement: Works naked
• ✅ Reliable: Consistent damage

Weaknesses ❌

• ❌ Melee AI: Can be clunky
• ❌ Slower clear: Not the fastest
• ❌ Corpse dependent: Needs corpses to summon
• ❌ Falls off: Outscaled by specialized minions

Resources

Official Resources

• Gem Wiki Page: https://www.poewiki.net/wiki/Raise_Zombie

Related Content

Similar Skills

• Summon Raging Spirit: Temporary ranged minions
• Raise Spectre: More specialized permanent minions
• Summon Skeletons: Temporary melee minions

Support Gems

• Minion Damage Support
• Melee Physical Damage Support
• Multistrike Support

Changelog