In Path of Exile, Simulacrum farming has become one of the most lucrative and challenging endgame activities, offering players a shot at valuable rewards like Cluster Jewels, Simulacrum-only uniques, and Delirium Orbs. However, farming Simulacrum efficiently requires more than just decent gear it demands the right build that can handle overwhelming hordes of enemies, scale well with increasing difficulty, and survive the onslaught of chaos and madness that defines this encounter. Choosing the best Simulacrum farmer is essential for maximizing profit, speed, and consistency, especially in the later waves where the challenge spikes significantly.
Understanding Simulacrum Farming in PoE
What is Simulacrum?
The Simulacrum is a wave-based arena encounter introduced in the Delirium league. Players face 30 increasingly difficult waves of monsters, many of which carry delirium modifiers and scale in power over time. As the waves progress, enemies become deadlier and bosses start appearing more frequently, making it essential to have both clear speed and strong survivability.
Why Farm Simulacrum?
Simulacrum farming is popular for several reasons:
- High-value loot, especially Cluster Jewels and Simulacrum-exclusive items
- Efficient XP gain for high-level characters
- Steady income from splinters, catalysts, and Delirium currency
Due to its scaling nature, only powerful endgame builds can consistently farm it past wave 20 or even reach wave 30 with ease. This makes choosing the right Simulacrum farmer essential to success.
Criteria for a Great Simulacrum Farmer
To determine the best build for Simulacrum farming, players should consider the following factors:
- Clear speed: The ability to wipe out large groups of enemies quickly is crucial.
- Boss damage: Late waves include tough bosses like Kosis and Omniphobia.
- Survivability: Tankiness is required to endure the chaos and high damage output.
- Lag resistance: Some builds cause performance drops; smoother builds are preferable.
- Consistency: The build should be reliable and not reliant on temporary buffs or RNG.
Top Simulacrum Farmer Builds in PoE
1. Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist
This is one of the strongest choices for players who prefer a turret-style gameplay. Explosive Arrow Ballista stacks burning fuses on enemies and creates massive AoE explosions that obliterate groups and bosses alike.
- Pros: High single-target damage, good AoE, strong scaling with Ignite Proliferation
- Cons: Requires setup time and can be vulnerable to high burst damage
Elementalist’s ‘Shaper of Flames’ and ‘Heart of Destruction’ ascendancy nodes boost the damage even further, while the Ballistas do most of the work, keeping the player mobile and safe.
2. Poison Blade Vortex Occultist
Another popular Simulacrum farmer, this build excels in high-density environments thanks to its poison stacking and great area coverage. Occultist benefits from Profane Bloom, which causes enemies to explode on death, chaining clears rapidly.
- Pros: Excellent scaling with enemy density, high survivability through Energy Shield and Curses
- Cons: Needs investment to fully optimize damage and sustain
This build is well-suited to tank chaotic waves and deal with bosses at the same time, making it a top-tier choice for consistent Simulacrum runs.
3. Toxic Rain Pathfinder
Toxic Rain has long been a favorite for mapping, but it’s also effective in Simulacrum thanks to its overlapping DoTs (Damage over Time) and impressive scaling. Pathfinder ensures near-permanent flask uptime, further improving survivability and damage.
- Pros: Great crowd control, smooth playstyle, budget-friendly version available
- Cons: May lack burst damage in very late Simulacrum waves without min-maxed gear
The synergy between Toxic Rain’s overlapping pods and Pathfinder’s flask utility allows players to maintain high uptime on Wither stacks and damage bonuses.
4. Detonate Dead / Volatile Dead Necromancer
This build shines with corpse generation and chain explosions. By converting corpses into volatile balls of death, the Necromancer can obliterate massive enemy packs in a single trigger, making it an excellent pick for the arena-style environment of Simulacrum.
- Pros: Massive AoE clears, effective boss damage, strong scaling with levels
- Cons: Can suffer from visual clutter or lag on lower-end PCs
Corpse generation via Unearth or Desecrate fuels the engine of death, with explosions chaining rapidly across tightly packed groups in Simulacrum’s later waves.
5. Minion Army Guardian (Absolution / Summon Raging Spirits)
For players who prefer a passive playstyle, a Guardian with minions like Absolution Sentinels or SRS is a top contender. Minions scale well into endgame and handle both mob packs and bosses efficiently, allowing the player to focus on positioning and survivability.
- Pros: High survivability, scalable with modest gear, low input required
- Cons: Slower clear compared to some meta builds, requires AI awareness
The Guardian’s defensive auras and buffs keep minions and players alive even during intense onslaughts, making it a reliable choice for Simulacrum content.
Important Tips for Farming Simulacrum Efficiently
Gear Up Properly
Invest in gear that enhances your clear speed, survivability, and recovery. Items with chaos resistance, increased damage over time, or cast speed often provide a significant advantage in Simulacrum.
Bring Utility Flasks
Use flasks that remove curses, freeze, or bleeding. Jade and Quartz flasks provide great evasion and phasing, which are useful when navigating densely packed enemies.
Watch the Timer
Each wave begins on a timer. Avoid letting it run out by keeping momentum and speed in your clear. Builds with strong AoE and quick repositioning abilities often perform better for this reason.
Know Your Bosses
Waves 20 and beyond often include Kosis and Omniphobia. Learn their patterns and stay mobile during their attacks. Builds with strong single-target damage and movement speed will have a much easier time surviving and finishing these encounters quickly.
The best Simulacrum farmer in PoE depends heavily on your playstyle and the gear you have access to. For many players, Poison Blade Vortex Occultist or Explosive Arrow Ballista Elementalist top the charts due to their raw clearing power and boss-handling capabilities. However, minion-based builds, Toxic Rain, and corpse explosion builds all provide excellent alternatives with varying degrees of cost, complexity, and interaction. Mastering Simulacrum farming is not only profitable but also one of the most rewarding challenges in Path of Exile’s deep endgame, and choosing the right build is your first step toward dominating the arena of madness.