PoE2 Minion Spirit Costs: Planning Permanent Minion Setups
Understand how to plan minion Spirit costs in Path of Exile 2 and compare permanent minions, Raging Spirits, auras, and other reservations.
Quick Answer
Minion builds should reserve the build-defining minions first, then compare extra minions, auras, and buffs with the remaining Spirit.
Search intent
Plan permanent minion reservations before adding optional effects.
Plan the minion setup from one path
Start with the quick guide for the safe best-minion-build baseline, check official 0.5.0 to 0.5.3 notes when patch assumptions matter, then move to the Wardbound planner, template, or calculator for a shareable Spirit setup.
Reviewed on 2026-06-21 through Path of Exile 2 0.5.3 Hotfix 5. Patch 0.5.3 added Build Planner .build file support for a link field, fixed additional_text display from build planner files, removed the Spirit cost from His Grave Command, and improved Runeforging armour defence loss. The reviewed notes still do not publish a direct Wardbound Minions Spirit-reservation value change. Confirm final skill costs and support behavior in game.
Permanent minions are usually the first reservation
For a minion-focused character, the minions that define the build should be entered before optional buffs or luxury effects.
If the core minion package does not fit, an aura comparison is less important than solving the baseline Spirit requirement.
Treat Raging Spirits as a named package
If a minion setup uses Raging Spirits, plan it as a specific reservation package rather than leaving a vague block of spare Spirit.
The 0.5.0 notes include a Raging Spirits fix, so use live-patch plans as checklists and verify the in-game behavior before presenting a final build ranking.
For practical planning, compare a current setup without Raging Spirits against a target setup that includes it. The gap shows whether the next upgrade should be Spirit, a lower-priority aura cut, or a different minion package.
Compare another minion against another aura
Extra Spirit often creates a real choice: add another minion, add an offensive aura, or keep a defensive reservation active.
Use the calculator to compare those packages rather than relying on a single damage number. Survival, clear speed, and boss uptime can change which option is best.
Do not hide progression problems with ideal gear
Many minion plans look better when every future item is assumed to have strong Spirit rolls. That can be useful for a final target, but it should not be the only version of the build.
Create a lower-budget planner setup for the gear you can reasonably obtain soon, then use the final version as a direction rather than a requirement.
Patch-sensitive values need review
Minion and reservation values can change. Treat any static cost list as a starting point and confirm important numbers in game after updates.
When a patch changes a core minion or support gem, update the planner setup before changing the rest of the build.
FAQ
Should minion builds spend all available Spirit?
They often spend most of it, but only useful reservations deserve space. A weaker extra effect can be worse than leaving room for a more stable setup.
What should I remove first if minions are overreserved?
Keep the build-defining minions first, then test whether an optional aura, buff, or extra minion is the least important reservation.
Should Raging Spirits be planned before auras?
Plan the build-defining minion package first. If Raging Spirits is part of that package, add it before luxury auras; if it is optional, compare it against the aura or buff that solves the same problem.
Plan the setup
Use the best-minion-build planner for priorities, then compare aura tradeoffs if Spirit remains.
Related planner templates
PoE2 Best Minion Build Spirit Template
A higher-budget minion planning preset that keeps core minions first, then tests whether the next breakpoint should become an aura, support effect, or extra minion.