Best Summon Build in Core Keeper: Tomes, Minion Gear & Talents

Best weapons for a minion build (tomes and minions)

Tomes are weapons that summon minions. They are sorted by the DPS of one minion (Lv.20): "damage per hit × hits per attack ÷ attack interval", plus damage over time from burning or radiation (every 2 seconds). For example, Tome of Sprouts hits for little per projectile but fires 3 at once, so if all of them land it deals 3x.

Gear, food and skill effects (minion damage %, attack speed, etc.) apply equally to every tome, so they are left out here (more minions multiply the total by that number). Projectile counts match the minions' prefabs in the game files (3 per shot for the poison minion, 1 for the bat; orbiting minions wait 0.5 s after a hit). The attack intervals and damage over time are taken from the Core Keeper Wiki (Fandom) pages for each tome (CC BY-SA 3.0): the prefabs only give a 1-second cooldown between attacks, which does not include the attack animation, so the full interval could not be read from the game data.

Rank	Tome	How it attacks	Damage per hit	Interval	Damage over time	DPS (1 minion, Lv.20)	Base (Lv, DPS)	Mana
1	Tome of Sprouts	Fires 3 projectiles in a fanValue assumes all 3 projectiles hit. They spread out, so distant or small enemies may not take all of them. Poison is not damage (it cuts healing by 75%), so it is not counted in DPS.	78 ×3	1.66 s	—	141	Lv.1092/s	17→15
2	Tome of Ashes	Attacks up close + burning	96	1.73 s	70 / 2 sBurning	90	Lv.746/s	20→15
3	Tome of the Dead	Attacks up close	113	1.83 s	—	62	Lv.1040/s	17→15
4	Tome of the Dark	Fires a projectileThe number of projectiles per attack is not documented, so 1 is assumed.	87	1.66 s	—	52	Lv.220/s	25→15
Ref.	Tome of the Deep	Circles you (2 tiles) and hits enemies it touches	87	0.5 safter a hit	—	up to 174	Lv.12126/s	15→15
Ref.	Tome of Decay	Circles you and hits enemies it touches + radiation (5-tile radius)	57	0.5 safter a hit	69 / 2 sRadiation (area)	up to 149	Lv.17132/s	15→15
Ref.	Tome of Breach	Digs walls (for mining)	52	—	—	—	Lv.5	22→15

"Ref." rows are not ranked. The minions from Tome of the Deep and Tome of Decay circle the player and hit enemies they touch (they cannot hit again for 0.5 s after a hit), so their value is the maximum when an enemy stays in the ring; how often they actually hit depends on positioning. The radiation from Tome of Decay hits every enemy within 5 tiles, but it does not stack with other radiation (such as the Core Commander set bonus); only the strongest applies. Tome of Breach is for digging walls. Whether minion damage effects boost the burning from Tome of Ashes is unconfirmed.

Scepters (curses) that raise minion damage

Cursing an enemy with a scepter attack makes your minions deal more damage to it. Swap between it and your tome.

Weapon	Base Lv	Magic damage (Lv.20)	Attacks /s	Expected DPS (with endgame gear)	Weapon only /s	Effects (Lv.20)
Veil Crux	19	148–180	1.43	1,182	234	Each hit gives the secondary use more power Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. The special attack (a 2–5x area attack depending on charges) is not included.
Pandoric Scepter	17	137–167	1.43	1,121	217	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. +20% chance to stun targets on hit Projectiles bounce off walls and enemies up to 3 times (only one hit is counted).
Blightbloom Scepter	10	126–152	1.54	1,104	214	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. Charging creates a 6-second area attack (not included).
Withered Scepter	2	190–232	1	1,089	211	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets.
Abyssal Scepter	13	127–155	1.43	1,040	201	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. Cursed enemies burst on death, dealing 407 explosive damage Cursed enemies explode when killed (not included).
Hollowcore Scepter	17	122–148	1.43	995	193	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. On hit it splits into 1–3 piercing shards, and charging adds +2 projectiles (neither is included).
Runestone Scepter	7	108–132	1.33	826	160	Apply curse on hit, minions deal 40% more damage to cursed targets. Projectiles pierce enemies (only one target is counted).

Best armor for a minion build (helm, chest, pants)

Keeping every other slot of the best combination above as is, this shows how much damage (expected DPS) rises when only that slot is swapped (compared with leaving the slot empty; set bonuses included). Accessories use the same calculation.

Best helm for summon

Rank	Helm	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Chieftain Headdress	5	+52.5%	+50 max health +78 magic barrier +20.4% minion damage -26% minion mana reservation cost
2	Grim Hood	16	+44.3%	+53 max health +33 magic barrier +8.4% magic damage +2 max minion count +7.3% minion damage
3	Scholar's Hood	13	+31.6%	+49 max health +67 magic barrier +1 max minion count +32.4% minion attack speed
4	Desert Guardian Mask	18	+29.3%	+48 max health +24 armor +1 max minion count +25.6% minion attack speed -19% minion mana reservation cost
5	Corrupt Warden Mask	10	+20.4%	+76 max health +6.4 mana every sec +1 max minion count -43% minion mana reservation cost

Best chest armor for summon

Rank	Chest armor	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Corrupt Warden Tunic	10	+26.5%	+90 max health +64 max mana +1 max minion count +19.3% minion damage
2	Grim Breastplate	16	+16.8%	+68 max health +51 magic barrier +62 max mana +1 max minion count -25% minion mana reservation cost
3	Scholar's Cloak	13	+16.7%	+70 max health +92 magic barrier +62 max mana +1 max minion count
4	Witch Doctor Vest	3	+16.6%	+72 max health +18 armor +1 max minion count
5	Chieftain Tunic	5	+16.6%	+61 max health +43 magic barrier +1 max minion count

Best pants for summon

Rank	Pants	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Chieftain Shorts	5	+62.1%	+58 max health +39 magic barrier +46.1% minion attack speed
2	Corrupt Warden Shorts	10	+28.6%	+85 max health +59 max mana +1 max minion count +18% minion damage
3	Grim Legwear	16	+26.8%	+58 max health +44 magic barrier +7.6 mana every sec +1 max minion count +14% minion damage
4	Desert Guardian Pants	18	+23.0%	+61 max health +32 armor +1 max minion count +6% minion critical hit chance
5	Arcane Monk Leggings	17	+0.3%	+63 max health +6% dodge chance +8.2 mana every sec +13% magic damage +6% critical hit chance

Best accessories for a minion build (necklace, rings, off-hand)

Best necklace for summon

Rank	Necklace	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Codex Necklace	12	+33.5%	+83.4% minion attack speed -22% minion mana reservation cost
2	Skull Necklace	9	+31.0%	-57 max health +77.2% minion damage
3	Soul Medallion	17	+19.1%	+1 max minion count +10% minion critical hit chance
4	Orb Necklace	3	+18.5%	+45.9% minion attack speed -20% minion mana reservation cost
5	Polished Gold Crystal Necklace	13	+12.0%	+28.2% magic damage +29.9% minion damage

Best ring for summon

Rank	Ring	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Puppet Ring	10	+36.1%	+1 max minion count +48% minion attack speed
2	Vicious Ring	11	+11.6%	+28.9% minion damage +26% mana cost reduction for a short duration after detonating an explosion
3	Hourglass Ring	7	+0.3%	-40% minion mana reservation cost
4	Sacred Ring	14	+0.2%	+6.3 mana every sec
5	Glow Tulip Ring	5	+0.1%	+8 blue glow +3.7 mana every sec

You can wear 2 rings. This table ranks swaps for one ring while keeping the other (Jailor's Ring) equipped.

Best off-hand for summon

Rank	Off-hand	Base Lv	Damage gain	Effects (Lv.20)
1	Scratched Stone	8	+26.0%	+18.6% minion damage +1 max minion count
2	Blue Leather Tome	9	+0.1%	+19.8% magic damage +3.4 mana every sec

Recommended set bonuses for a minion build

Keeping the other slots and food from the best combination above, these sets give the highest damage when their pieces are swapped in (set bonus included). "Damage" is relative to the best combination = 100.

Recommended food for a minion build

Best combination

Golden Lunacorn+Greenhorn Pico

• +4 blue glow (10 min)
• +39.5% minion damage (10 min)
• +55.2% minion attack speed (10 min)
• +6.6 health every sec (40 s)
• +12% minion critical hit chance (10 min)

Ingredients with strong effects

• Golden Lunacorn
  • +4 blue glow
  • +39.5% minion damage
  • +55.2% minion attack speed
• Pinkhorn Pico
  • +9.5 health every sec
  • +52.1% minion damage
• Greenhorn Pico
  • +6.6 health every sec
  • +36.8% minion attack speed
  • +12% minion critical hit chance
• Lunacorn
  • +4 blue glow
  • +30% minion damage
• Dagger Fin
  • +3.9 health every sec
  • +23.3% minion damage
• Golden Glow Tulip
  • +6 blue glow
  • +2.3 mana every sec
  • +25 max mana

See the best food for each goal →

Recommended pets for a minion build

• Earie
  • +1 max minion count
  • +7.2% minion damage
• Arcane Symbiote
  • +28 magic barrier
  • +11% mana regeneration while casting

See the best pet rankings →

Recommended talents for a minion build

1. SummoningFerocious creaturesPer point: +4% minion attack speedMinion attack speed translates directly into damage, so take it first.
2. SummoningEfficient bindingPer point: -8% minion mana reservation costLess mana reserved per minion, leaving you more mana to work with.
3. SummoningCritical commandPer point: +4% minion critical hit chanceRaises your minions' critical hit chance.
4. SummoningTrickle down arcanaPer point: Minion damage is increased by 10% of your magic damage increasePart of your own magic damage bonus is added to minions. Pairs well with magic damage gear.
5. SummoningHeartbound hordePer point: +1% minion attack speed for every 10 max health points you haveMinions attack faster the higher your max health. Level it together with Vitality.
6. VitalityMaxed out!Per point: +6% of all skill points added to max healthMore max health. Works well with the minion attack speed talent above.

See recommended talents for every build →

How gear is scored

Each gear effect (value at Lv.20) is multiplied by the points below and summed. 1 point ≈ +1% damage (expected DPS) with endgame gear. "Damage %" effects such as physical melee damage and all damage add together in one bucket, so late game, when that bucket is already large, each 1% is worth little, and effects in other (multiplying) buckets like attack speed, critical hit chance and triple damage score higher (damage formula and detailed calculation).

• +1 max minion count14.29 pts
• +1 mana every sec0.8 pts
• +1% minion damage against bosses0.5 pts
• +1% minion critical hit chance0.44 pts
• +1% minion damage0.4 pts
• +1% minion attack speed0.3 pts
• +1% minion critical hit damage0.26 pts
• -1% minion mana reservation cost0.2 pts
• Apply curse on hit, minions deal +1% more damage to cursed targets.0.2 pts
• Minion damage is increased by +1% of your magic damage increase0.12 pts
• +1 max mana0.04 pts
• +1% damage taken-0.2 pts

Conditional effects (only at full health, etc.) are counted at about half. Effects other than damage, such as healing and mana, are valued in "points of damage %" so they share the same unit. A weapon's expected DPS is damage × attacks per second, multiplied by endgame gear and the weapon's own effects using this calculation.