Summon Amazon (Valkyrie / Decoy) -- PD2 Season 14 Guide — Amazon Guide

01Overview

Season 14 rating

hiimpd2 S14 solo: Good (Summon Zon); group: Top; S14 starter list; Vision of Terror T0: Easy

The Summon Amazon is one of hiimpd2's three Season 14 Amazon starter builds ('Pure Summon (Decoy & Valk)', tagged Chaos, Early Map, Key Farming and Uber Tristram). It is Good on the S14 solo mapping list ('Summon Zon', best clear Throne of Insanity 4:50, a time recorded in Season 12 that has not been re-run since) and Top on the S14 group list ('Pure Summon (Max Valk/Decoy Synergies)'). On the S14 bossing list Decoy is new at Vision of Terror (Diablo Clone) with a T0 rating of Easy; T2 is not rated, and it is not rated for Voidstone or Shadow of Hatred. Odealo's S14 tier list (last updated 2026-09-28, before launch) puts Valkyrie/Decoy in A tier and calls summon builds safer and more forgiving but limited in clear speed by minion targeting and movement. Honest summary: an excellent, cheap, very safe starter and farmer, and a strong group build, but not one of the fastest solo mappers.

Summary

The Summon Amazon ('Summazon') lets two summons from the Passive and Magic tree do almost all the work:

Decoy creates copies of you that stand where you cast them and fire Strafe-like volleys of flat physical damage. They scale with skill levels, not with your weapon. With 20 hard points you can keep three Decoys up.
Valkyrie summons spear-wielding allies (two at skill level 20, three at 30, one more with Peace) that tank, hit with physical damage and use Power Strike for lightning damage. They wear random equipment that improves as the skill level rises.

You stay behind this wall, recast summons onto the next pack and pick up loot. Everything else in the build multiplies the summons:

Strafe and Valkyrie are each a +10% damage synergy per hard point for Decoy.
Decoy gives each Valkyrie +20 strength per hard point (about +15% damage per point, per the wiki).
Penetrate adds attack rating to both summons, and Decoys receive your hard levels of Critical Strike, Pierce and Penetrate.
+skills raise everything at once, so the gear plan is simple: +Passive and Magic skills, +all skills and Faster Cast Rate.

Who it is for: players who want a safe, cheap season start, hardcore players, and anyone who wants to farm keys, Uber Tristram and T0 Diablo Clone without trading. TDL's S14 wiki guide calls it 'pretty much the easiest Amazon season starter that can farm almost anything'. Odealo calls it beginner-friendly but notes 'mediocre clear speed'.

Damage type: mostly physical (Decoys and Valkyrie spears), plus lightning from the Valkyries' Power Strike. In S14 the Valkyrie's Power Strike synergy was fixed so that it also boosts her direct lightning hit, not only the nova (PD2 wiki, hiimpd2 Season 14 page).

How it starts: level with Power Strike through Normal, as described in our Amazon leveling guide and TDL's guide. Respec into Decoy and Valkyrie when you reach Nightmare (around level 27-30) and stay a summoner from then on.

What works

One of hiimpd2's three S14 Amazon starter builds; strong with almost no gear because summons scale from skill levels
Very safe: Valkyries hold the front line and Decoys shoot from where you place them, so you stay out of melee. Hiim tags his group planner for hardcore
Farms Chaos Sanctuary, keys, Uber Tristram and early maps; Decoy is rated Easy for T0 Diablo Clone on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list
Top tier in group play, where the summon wall protects the party (hiimpd2 S14 group list)
Your weapon's damage is irrelevant, so you can use cheap low-requirement bases and spend stat points on Vitality
S14 buff: Valkyries now get the Power Strike synergy on their direct lightning hit as well as the nova

What to plan around

Only Good tier for solo mapping; clear speed is limited by summon targeting and movement (hiimpd2, Odealo)
You must keep recasting and repositioning Decoys, which costs mana and needs Faster Cast Rate
Mostly physical damage: maps with physical resistance or physical immunes slow it down
Diablo Clone needs practice: the merc does not enter the arena and you have to resummon after entering (hiimpd2 T0 guide)
Not rated for Rathma (Voidstone) or Lucion (Shadow of Hatred) on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list
S14 lowered Heart of Wolverine's real damage bonus, which slightly weakens the Passion/Oath weapon options

Playstyle

A positioning game with summons. Decoys are stationary: cast them on or next to a pack and they shoot it, while your Valkyries run in and tank. TDL's guide stresses that you will 'be recasting them a lot to position', which is why Faster Cast Rate (32% minimum, 48% recommended) is the first gear stat after +skills. Strafe is maxed only as a synergy; you can fire it yourself or never use it (Odealo).

Rotation

Keep your Valkyries summoned (two at Valkyrie level 20, three at 30, one more with Peace). Recast if one dies; the S14 data gives Valkyrie a 1-second cooldown
Move toward the next pack. Your Valkyries engage first and draw attention
Cast up to three Decoys onto or beside the pack. They last about 30 seconds (PD2 wiki), so recast them on every new pack instead of waiting for them to expire
Optionally fire Strafe or keep your merc's curse/aura on the pack. Otherwise stay back and pick up loot
When the pack is dead, walk on and repeat. On tough elites, stack all Decoys on the elite and let the Valkyries hold it

Positioning: Stay behind your Valkyries and let them hold the front line. Decoys draw some attention too, but S8 lowered their threat to about the level of a mercenary (PD2 wiki), so do not expect them to tank for you. Do not stand next to ranged packs: cast Decoys in their face instead. S14 increased the base leash distance of all player pets, so your Valkyries can stray a little farther from you before they are pulled back.

Bossing: Uber Tristram: hiimpd2 tags the S14 starter build for Uber Tristram, and TDL's guide says that with mid-game gear you can 'easily' do it for your own Hellfire Torch (see also TDL's 'Budget Amazon Decoys vs Uber Tristram' S13 video). Keep Valkyries up, drop Decoys on each uber and stay out of melee range.

Diablo Clone (Vision of Terror) T0: rated Easy on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list, with TDL's S12 Decoy kill as the reference video. Important points from hiimpd2's T0 guide:

Your mercenary does not come into the arena, and most buffs are removed. Resummon Valkyries and Decoys right after you enter.
Diablo Clone takes no damage unless a player is within about 10 yards of him, so you must stay close even though your summons do the damage.
Hide behind a pillar during each cold-nova wave.
Bring about 25-30% physical damage reduction, 80-85% maximum fire resistance and Cannot Be Frozen.

TDL notes that the S13 Decoy and Heart of Wolverine nerfs made the fight harder, but S14 removed the ability to target the arena pillars, which should help summons.

Uber Ancients: TDL lists them as a good spot ('just keep resummoning your Decoys/Valks and keep your mercenary alive').

Rathma and Lucion: not rated for this build on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list. Treat them as untested.

Mapping: hiimpd2 lists Summon Zon as Good for solo mapping (Throne of Insanity 4:50, recorded in S12), behind the Top-tier Lightning Fury, Fire Arrow, Multiple Shot and Strafe. Odealo's S14 tier list explains why: summons are safe but their clear speed is capped by targeting and movement. In practice:

Prefer open, dense maps where Decoys can be dropped on packs quickly.
Reroll or skip maps with high physical resistance or physical immunity modifiers.
Use Valkyrie Wing, Rite of Passage or rare boots for run speed; Odealo names Enigma's Blink charges as an endgame mobility upgrade.

In group play the build is Top on hiimpd2's S14 group list as a 'Summon Wall'. Early season public games are a good place for it.

02Skills

Level 30 · 33 skill points

Decoy 13
Penetrate 7
Strafe 5
Critical Strike 1
Guided Arrow 1
Inner Sight 1
Magic Arrow 1
Multiple Shot 1
Pierce 1
Slow Movement 1
Valkyrie 1

Skill order

Levels 1-~29: Power Strike as in the Amazon leveling guide (temporary; refunded at the respec)
Respec at the start of Nightmare (~clvl 30): 1 point each in Inner Sight, Slow Movement, Critical Strike, Pierce, Magic Arrow, Multiple Shot and Guided Arrow
Max Decoy
Max Valkyrie
Max Penetrate (before Strafe: attack rating matters most early, TDL)
Max Strafe
Critical Strike to 10, then Pierce (TDL); or Pierce to 16 with 1 point each in Evade and Dodge (Hiim)
Optional rich endgame: Jab 1 + Power Strike points for the Valkyries' lightning (Hiim)

Synergies

All endgame planners (TDL's three S14 planners, Hiim's three S14 planners, Odealo) max the same four Passive and Magic skills plus Strafe: Decoy, Valkyrie, Penetrate and Strafe at 20. The S14 Skills.txt and the PD2 wiki explain how they connect:

Decoy: +10% damage per hard point of Strafe and of Valkyrie (+400% with both maxed). Number of Decoys = 1 + hard points / 10, so 20 hard points give three Decoys. Decoys receive your hard levels of Critical Strike, Pierce and Penetrate and get those skills' full effects (wiki). Their damage is flat and scales with +skills, not your weapon.
Valkyrie: +20 strength per hard point in Decoy (wiki: about +15% damage per point through spear strength scaling), +40 attack rating per hard point in Penetrate, +2% enemy lightning resistance pierce per hard point in Pierce, and +20% lightning damage per hard point in Power Strike. She also gets your hard Critical Strike. She casts Power Strike at level 5 + Valkyrie level / 2. Number of Valkyries: one, two at skill level 20, three at 30, plus one more from Peace.
Penetrate: raises attack rating, which TDL calls the most valuable stat for Decoys early. It also gives physical pierce (S14 data: hard points / 2, so 10% at 20), and the S14 data gives Decoy a duration synergy from it.
Strafe: a pure Decoy synergy here. Fire it yourself if you like; Odealo says it is not mandatory.
Leftover points: TDL puts 10 points into Critical Strike and the rest into Pierce. Hiim's S14 endgame planners put almost all spare points into Pierce (16), which helps the Valkyries' lightning. Hiim's 'rich' endgame stage also puts 11 points into Power Strike (with Jab 1) for the Valkyries' lightning.
Prerequisites (1 point each): Inner Sight, Slow Movement, Critical Strike, Pierce, Magic Arrow, Multiple Shot and Guided Arrow. Hiim also puts 1 point each into Evade and Dodge.

About these skill plans

Respec into summons (start of Nightmare) (level 30): 33 points = 29 from levels + 4 Normal quest points (Den of Evil, Radament, Izual x2). This is the allocation right after Akara's Nightmare respec, applying TDL's order (max Decoy, Valkyrie, Penetrate, Strafe) under the skill-level cap: at clvl 30 Decoy can hold 13 points, Valkyrie 1, Penetrate and Strafe 7 each (cap = clvl - required level + 1, vanilla rule). Penetrate goes before Strafe because 'Decoys benefit the most from AR early game' (TDL). If you also did the Nightmare Den of Evil before respeccing, put the extra point into Strafe.
Early endgame (TDL's S14 planners) (level 80): 91 points = 79 + 12 quest points, copied from TDL's three S14 'Decoys and Valks' planners (early, mid and late gear all use this allocation at clvl 80). Hiim's S14 starter base planner at clvl 80 is almost identical: Critical Strike 3 instead of 5, plus 1 point each in Evade and Dodge.
Endgame (Hiim's S14 planners) (level 93): 104 points = 92 + 12, copied from Hiim's S14 group planner 'Pure Summon (Max Valk/Decoy Synergies)' and the 'Loyalty + Peace, upgraded' stage of his solo 'Summon Zon' planner (both clvl 93). Peace adds +2-3 Critical Strike, so Hiim keeps only 1 hard point there. TDL's alternative: 10 hard points in Critical Strike and the rest in Pierce (Critical Strike 10, Pierce 9, no Evade/Dodge). This is what the leveling steps below arrive at, and it needs no respec. Hiim's 'rich' stage (clvl 99): Jab 1 + Power Strike 11 for the Valkyries' lightning (+20% per hard point, S14 fix), Pierce 10, Critical Strike 1.

Dealing with immunities

Decoys and Valkyrie spears deal physical damage, and the Valkyries' Power Strike adds lightning. How the community handles immunes:

Physical immunes (stone skin): the Valkyries' lightning (Power Strike, boosted in S14 and by Pierce's +2% lightning pierce per hard point) still hurts them. Amplify Damage from the Act 4 Dark merc, Witchwild String or The Vile Husk lowers physical resistance; in PD2 resistance reduction on immune monsters works at 1/2 effectiveness, so it only helps against lower physical immunities.
Penetrate gives physical pierce (S14 data: hard points / 2, so 10% at 20 points) for you and your Decoys. It lowers physical resistance but does not remove immunity on its own.
Lightning immunes take full physical damage from Decoys and Valkyries.
Maps: reroll or skip maps with physical immunity or high physical resistance modifiers. They are the build's real weakness.

03Stats

Strength for gear (about 115 total with Valkyrie Wing), no Dexterity, some Energy early if you run dry, everything else Vitality.

Attribute	Recommendation
Strength	Enough for gear. TDL's example is 115 strength for Valkyrie Wing (Winged Helm). Hiim's S14 starter planner adds 95 points (Amazon starts with 20, so 115 total). Peace in an Archon Plate needs 103, Lidless Wall (Grim Shield) 58. Loyalty (Missile Weapon) in Hiim's Demon Crossbow needs 141 strength and 98 dexterity, but you can choose a lighter base (see the weapon notes).
Dexterity	None for the summons: neither Decoy nor Valkyrie damage depends on your dexterity. Hiim's and TDL's planners put 0 points into Dexterity. Odealo: slightly more only if you want to Strafe actively.
Vitality	Everything else (TDL, Odealo, Hiim's starter planner: 255 Vitality at clvl 80). Summons tank most of the damage, but life keeps you alive against ranged attacks, meteors in Diablo Clone and map modifiers.
Energy	Optional. Decoys and Valkyries are expensive to recast, and TDL and Odealo suggest some Energy if mana is a problem. Hiim's starter planner uses 60 points. S14 raised Amazon mana per Energy from 1.5 to 2, so 60 Energy now gives 120 mana instead of 90.

04Leveling

Leveling plan

Level exactly as in our Amazon leveling guide (leveling/amazon.json), which follows TDL's S14 'standard Amazon leveling': Power Strike through Normal, then respec into Decoy and Valkyrie at the start of Nightmare (around level 27-30; Valkyrie needs level 30). The only difference is that you never do the guide's last stage (the respec into Lightning Fury after Thunderstroke): you stay Summon Amazon and move into the endgame setups above.

Switching to your main skill: At the start of Nightmare, ideally at clvl 30 when Valkyrie unlocks (TDL: 'swap to Decoys/Valks when you hit Nightmare'). Decoy is available from level 18 if you prefer to switch a little earlier, but Normal goes faster with a maxed Power Strike.

Respec: One respec is part of the plan: Akara's free respec after the Nightmare Den of Evil. You do not need a second respec unless you later move to Lightning Fury (Token of Absolution = Twisted Essence of Suffering + Charged Essence of Hatred + Burning Essence of Terror + Festering Essence of Destruction).

Level 1 to endgame

Level 1–12Normal
(Normal Act 1-2): Power Strike
Follow the leveling guide's first phase: Jab and Poison Javelin until level 6, then Power Strike with any spear or javelin. In PD2, Power Strike releases a lightning nova around the target. Every point here is refunded at the respec. Gear: Steel and Stealth (see the leveling guide).
Skill points
1. +1Jab
2. +4Poison Javelin
3. +7Power Strike
Where to farm
Countess (Forgotten Tower), Normal: Rune runs for Steel, Malice and Stealth. Maxroll's Amazon leveling guide farms her in Normal and Nightmare; the mechanic is unchanged in PD2. Drops: Low runes (El Rune-Ral Rune)
Story progression: No dedicated farming needed in Normal with Power Strike.
Quests
Den of Evil (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point and one free Akara respec (per difficulty). Keep the Normal respec unused if possible; the Nightmare Den of Evil gives another one for the Summon respec.
Sisters' Burial Grounds (Act 1, recommended): Free Rogue mercenary. A Fire Rogue (Vigor) is one of TDL's merc picks for the summon stage.
Tools of the Trade (Act 1, optional): Charsi imbue. Imbue gloves or an amulet base; the summon stage wants +Amazon/+Passive skills.
Level 13–29Normal
(Normal Act 2-5): finish Normal with Power Strike
TDL: 'use Power Strike until 27-30 then respec into Decoy/Valks. Basically finish Normal difficulty with Power Strike'. Max Power Strike and put leftover points into Lightning Bolt (+25% Power Strike damage per point in S14). Collect runes for the summon-stage runewords now: Tal Rune/Thul Rune/Ort Rune/Amn Rune (Spirit (Sword/Any Shield)), Ort Rune/Sol Rune (Lore), Shael Rune/Thul Rune/Amn Rune (Peace), Shael Rune/Eth Rune (Rhyme).
Skill points
1. +13Power Strike
2. +5Lightning Bolt
Where to farm
Countess (Normal/Nightmare): Runes for Lore, Strength, Insight, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) and Peace. Drops: Tal Rune, Ral Rune, Ort Rune, Thul Rune, Amn Rune, Sol Rune
Quests
Radament's Lair (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
Lam Esen's Tome (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
The Fallen Angel (Izual) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points
Rescue on Mount Arreat (Act 5, recommended): Ral Rune + Ort Rune + Tal Rune runes. Ort Rune is half of Lore.
Prison of Ice (Anya) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances
Level 30Nightmare
(Nightmare Act 1): respec into summons
Use Akara's free respec after the Nightmare Den of Evil (or a Token of Absolution). Spend points as in the clvl 30 tier: 1 point each in the prerequisites, Decoy to its level cap (13 at clvl 30), Valkyrie 1, then Penetrate and Strafe. Numbers below are the full allocation after the respec. Put on Spirit (Sword/Any Shield), Lore, Peace and Rhyme/Splendor and hire an Act 4 Dark Ascendant (Amplify Damage) or keep your Act 1 Vigor Rogue.
Skill points
1. +1Inner Sight
2. +1Slow Movement
3. +13Decoy
4. +1Valkyrie
5. +1Critical Strike
6. +1Pierce
7. +7Penetrate
8. +1Magic Arrow
9. +1Multiple Shot
10. +1Guided Arrow
11. +5Strafe
Where to farm
Travincal, Pit, Arcane Sanctuary, Chaos Sanctuary: TDL's farming list for the Summon Amazon; philanthropy777's Day 1 Summon section farms Travincal, Corrupted Zones and Chaos Sanctuary (Corrupted Zones only appear in Hell after a Hell Baal kill, PD2 wiki Zones). Drops: Runes, uniques, XP
Countess (Nightmare): Runes for Peace, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield), Splendor (Thul Rune, Amn Rune, Sol Rune, Shael Rune and other runes up to Io Rune; Nightmare Countess does not drop Lum Rune or Ko Rune, so Lum Rune for Splendor and Ko Rune for Hustle come from Hell Countess or cubing, S14 treasure-class data). Drops: Up to mid runes
Quests
Den of Evil (Nightmare) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point and a free Akara respec. Use this respec to switch to Decoy/Valkyrie.
Radament's Lair (Nightmare) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
Lam Esen's Tome (Nightmare) (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
The Fallen Angel (Nightmare) (Act 4, must do): +2 skill points
Level 31–45Nightmare
Nightmare
Finish Decoy first (third Decoy at 20 hard points), then every point into Valkyrie. Your second Valkyrie arrives at Valkyrie level 20, which +skills from Peace and an Athlete's/Gymnast's amulet help reach. Quest points: Nightmare Den of Evil, Radament and Izual.
Skill points
1. +7Decoy
2. +12Valkyrie
Level 46–80Endgame
Hell, maps from 80
Max Valkyrie, then Penetrate, then Strafe, then Critical Strike to 5. This reaches TDL's clvl 80 allocation. Switch to mid-game gear (Passion, Valkyrie Wing, Skin of the Vipermagi, Lidless Wall, Marrowwalk, Acrobat's grand charms). Farm keys, Chaos Sanctuary and Uber Tristram (hiimpd2 starter tags).
Skill points
1. +7Valkyrie
2. +13Penetrate
3. +15Strafe
4. +4Critical Strike
Where to farm
Hell Travincal, Pit, Arcane Sanctuary, Chaos Sanctuary, Shenk/Eldritch/Pindleskin, Uber Tristram (with mid gear): TDL's Summon Amazon farming list; Uber Tristram for your own Hellfire Torch. Drops: Runes, uniques, Hellfire Torch
Corrupted Zones (Hell): philanthropy777's Day 1 Summon route; S14 also raised Worldstone Shard drops there by 50%. Corrupted Zones only appear after you have killed Hell Baal (PD2 wiki Zones). Drops: Worldstone Shards, XP
Quests
Prison of Ice (Nightmare) (Act 5, must do): +10 all resistances
Den of Evil (Hell) (Act 1, must do): +1 skill point and an Akara respec. Keep the Hell respec in mind for the Lightning Fury switch if you have no Token yet.
Radament's Lair (Hell) (Act 2, must do): +1 skill point
Lam Esen's Tome (Hell) (Act 3, must do): +5 stat points
Level 81–93Endgame
maps
TDL: 'Leveling up more you put 10 points into Critical Strike and the rest into Pierce'. Hiim's endgame planners prefer Pierce 16 with Critical Strike 1 (Peace adds 2-3) and 1 point each in Evade and Dodge. Both work; Pierce also adds lightning pierce to the Valkyries.
Skill points
1. +5Critical Strike
2. +8Pierce

Other ways to level

Power Strike (Normal) -> Decoy/Valkyrie Summon Amazon (Nightmare/Hell) -> Lightning Fury (after Thunderstroke): This is the route described in the S14 PD2 wiki starter guide, Odealo's Summon and Lightning Fury guides, and the S13 Amazon YouTube progression guides. Power Strike is a cheap melee hit with a PD2 lightning nova that clears Normal quickly. Decoys and Valkyries scale only with skill levels, so they carry you through Nightmare and Hell with almost no gear and are safe; hiimpd2 lists 'Pure Summon (Decoy & Valk)' as an S14 Amazon starter build. Lightning Fury only shines with Thunderstroke, lightning facets and enough pierce, so you switch when you have those. 1) Start of Nightmare (level ~30): Power Strike -> Decoy/Valkyrie (TDL, Odealo Summon). 2) When you own Thunderstroke (level 69+): Summon -> Lightning Fury (Odealo Lightning Fury guide).
Stay Summon Amazon: TDL's S14 guide says the Summon Amazon can farm almost anything (Pit, Arcane Sanctuary, Travincal, Chaos Sanctuary, Uber Tristram) with early/mid/late gear planners provided. If you have not found Thunderstroke yet, or you prefer a safe minion playstyle.
Lightning Strike or Magic Arrow starter: hiimpd2's S14 starter-build list names Pure Summon, Lightning Strike and Magic Arrow as the Amazon season starters. Ezo's Magic Arrow leveling planner is linked there. If you want a different playstyle for the Nightmare/Hell stage; respec into Lightning Fury later the same way.
Power Strike -> Lightning Fury directly (no summon stage): An older community guide (Marvl, S4, linked on the PD2 wiki Links page) levels with Power Strike straight into Lightning Fury. Newer sources (Odealo, last updated May 2026, before S14) warn that Lightning Fury has become more gear-reliant since then. Only with good trade access (Thunderstroke early) or as a self-found experiment. The detailed point plan of that guide could not be checked (Reddit was not reachable).

Respecs

Free respecs: Akara gives one free respec per difficulty after Den of Evil (vanilla behaviour, kept in PD2). The community route uses the Nightmare one to go from Power Strike to Summon Amazon.
Token of Absolution: Twisted Essence of Suffering (Andariel/Duriel) + Charged Essence of Hatred (Mephisto) + Burning Essence of Terror (Diablo) + Festering Essence of Destruction (Baal) in the cube. In PD2 Nightmare bosses drop essences too (PD2 wiki General Changes).

05Gear

Character

HelmLore

AmuletAthletic Amulet

WeaponSpirit (Sword/Any Shield)

ArmorPeace

2nd HandSplendor

GlovesAthletic Leather Gloves of the Apprentice

BeltGloom's Trap

RingNagelring

BootsRite of Passage

WeaponSpirit (Sword/Any Shield)+1 all skills, 25-35% FCR (S14 data, clvl 25). TDL: 'For weapon you can go Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) Sword or Neophyte'. Hiim's starter stage uses it too. How to get: Tal Rune + Thul Rune + Ort Rune + Amn Rune in a 4-socket sword. Crystal Sword can roll up to 6 sockets, so use a low item-level base to get exactly 4 (or cube a normal one with the socket recipe and check).
- AlternativeNeophyte (Scepter/Club/Sorceress Item/Hand to Hand/Hand to Hand 2)TDL's alternative: 30% FCR in a 2-socket scepter, club, claw or orb (clvl 23).
2nd HandSplendor+1 all skills, 20-35% FCR (clvl 37). TDL's early planner. How to get: Eth Rune + Lum Rune in a 2-socket shield (Bone Shield max 2).
- AlternativeRhymeHiim's starter base planner: Cannot Be Frozen, +25 all resistances, available at clvl 29.
HelmLore+1 all skills (clvl 27). TDL and Hiim's starter planner. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune in a 2-socket helm.
ArmorPeace+1 Amazon skills, +2-3 Critical Strike, +1 maximum Valkyrie (S14 data, clvl 29). TDL's early planner; named by Odealo and TDL as a core early runeword. How to get: Shael Rune + Thul Rune + Amn Rune in a 3-socket body armor (TDL: Breast Plate, max 3 sockets).
- AlternativeHustleHiim's starter base planner uses Hustle (Archon Plate) instead.
GlovesAthletic Leather Gloves of the ApprenticeTDL: 'Get a +3 amulet and +3 pair of gloves asap. Gloves preferably have FCR on them.' His S14 planners use exactly this item. How to get: Vendors or gambling. 'Athlete's' is magic-only and needs character level 45 (S14 MagicPrefix.txt).
- AlternativeGymnastic Leather Gloves of the ApprenticeBefore character level 45: +2 Passive and Magic Skills ('Gymnast's', clvl 30) with 10% FCR.
BeltGloom's Trap10-20% FCR, mana, mana leech (clvl 36). TDL's early and mid planners; Hiim's starter stage. How to get: Random drop (Mesh Belt).
- AlternativeLight Belt of the ApprenticeUntil you find Gloom's Trap.
BootsRite of Passage30% FRW, Cannot Be Frozen (clvl 29). TDL's early planner, Hiim's starter stage. How to get: Random drop (The Disciple set boots, Demonhide Boots).
AmuletAthletic AmuletTDL's '+3 amulet', also in all of Hiim's planners. How to get: Shop or gamble; character level 45 for 'Athlete's'.
- AlternativeGymnastic AmuletBefore character level 45: +2 Passive and Magic Skills from character level 30. Add a resistance or life suffix if you find one ('Gymnast's' can also roll on rares).
RingNagelringTDL's early and mid planners use two Nagelrings (magic find, attack rating). How to get: Random drop (clvl 7).
- AlternativeManald HealHiim's starter stage: mana leech and mana regeneration help with recasting.
RingNagelringSecond Nagelring (TDL). How to get: Random drop.
- AlternativeRing of the ApprenticeIf you are short of FCR breakpoints.

Charms

TDL and Odealo: Annihilus and Hellfire Torch, then grand charms with +1 Passive and Magic Skills (Acrobat's), ideally with life; small charms for resistances, life or FCR. Hiim's S14 endgame planners carry 9-11 Acrobat's grand charms, Annihilus and Hellfire Torch; his group/hardcore planner fills the rest with Shimmering small charms. TDL notes that FCR on large charms helps reach the 32/48% breakpoints early.

Grand charms: Acrobat's Grand Charm: +1 Passive and Magic Skills (Amazon only), character level 42 (all of Hiim's and TDL's planners); Suffix wish list: life ('of Substinence', up to 31-35), 7% FRW ('of Inertia', Hiim's rich stage) or 12% FHR ('of Balance'); Hiim's rich stage also uses Fletcher's (+1 Bow and Crossbow) grand charms with FRW: they only raise Strafe, a Decoy synergy that is already maxed with hard points, so this is a low priority
Large charms: Mystic Large Charm (5-6% FCR) of Vita (+26-35 life). Hiim's rich stage (hiimpd2 calls it 'Arcane'; in the S14 data 'Arcane' rolls 3-4% FCR and 'Mystic' 5-6%); Arcane Large Charm (3-4% FCR) for early breakpoints (TDL)
Small charms: Shimmering Small Charm (+3-5 all resistances; Hiim's group/hardcore planner uses ten); Small Charm of Vita (+16-20 life); Small Charm of Balance (5% FHR) if you need an FHR breakpoint
Annihilus: +1 all skills, attributes and resistances (Hiim, TDL's late planner, Odealo). Hiim's rich stage uses a corrupted +2 Annihilus.
Hellfire Torch: +3 skills of a random class; you want an Amazon Hellfire Torch (Hiim, TDL, Odealo). TDL says you can farm your own Uber Tristram with mid-game gear.
Gheed's Fortune: TDL's late planner: magic find and gold find for farming.

Socket fillers

shield (Lidless Wall corrupted to sockets): Um Rune -- Hiim's mid stage: 2 Um Rune runes, 22% all resistances each in a shield (S14 Gems.txt).
helm (Athlete's Diadem or Valkyrie Wing corrupted to sockets): Um Rune -- Hiim's group/hardcore planner: Um Rune runes in the corrupted diadem (15% all resistances each in a helm).
body armor (Skin of the Vipermagi corrupted to sockets): Jewel -- Hiim corrupts Skin of the Vipermagi to sockets but leaves them empty in the planner. Resistance or FCR jewels are a sensible filler; no source names one.

06Mercenary

Which mercenary

Act 4 -- Ascendant - Dark (casts Amplify Damage)

Aura: None. He curses enemies with Amplify Damage. His runewords can add auras (Beast: Fanaticism) and his armor can add Might (Templar's Might)

Amplify Damage lowers monster physical resistance, which suits the mostly physical damage of Decoys and Valkyries. It is TDL's first merc pick. Hiim's S14 starter base planner, his solo 'Loyalty + Peace' stage and his rich end-game stage all use the Act 4 Dark Ascendant (in PD2, Act 4 mercs use staves). He does not follow you into the Diablo Clone arena (hiimpd2 T0 guide), so he is for mapping and farming only.

Alternatives

Act 1 Rogue Scout - Fire (Vigor aura): TDL's alternative and Odealo's 'very popular' general pick: Vigor gives run speed, and Witchwild String adds Amplify Damage procs. TDL's S14 mid-game planner gives him Witchwild String, Rockstopper, Rockfleece, Laying of Hands, Rite of Passage and String of Ears. Hiim's mid and 'Loyalty + Peace, upgraded' stages also use a Vigor Rogue (upgraded stage: Skystrike).
Act 5 Barbarian - Combat (Might aura): TDL: 'for an even bigger damage increase on your decoys use an A5 Might mercenary and give him a Vile Husk' (The Vile Husk has an Amplify Damage proc). Odealo also calls the Might merc the strongest damage option. TDL's late planner: The Vile Husk, Vampire Gaze, Shaftstop, Lava Gout, String of Ears, Marrowwalk.
Act 1 Rogue Scout - Physical (Slow Movement): Used in Hiim's S14 group/hardcore planner with Demon Machine, Echo, Duskdeep, The Gladiator's Bane, Bloodfist, Sandstorm Trek and Razortail. Slow Movement slows enemies, and the planner also enables Inner Sight from this merc.

Mercenary

HelmLore

WeaponMemory

2nd Hand

ArmorStealth

GlovesBloodfist

BeltGloom's Trap

BootsRite of Passage

Mercenary WeaponMemoryTDL's S14 early planner. Ascendants use staves, and Memory is a cheap 4-socket staff runeword (clvl 37). How to get: Lum Rune + Io Rune + Sol Rune + Eth Rune in a 4-socket staff. Gnarled Staff has exactly 4 max sockets.
Mercenary HelmLoreTDL's early planner. How to get: Ort Rune + Sol Rune in a 2-socket helm (Bone Helm max 2).
Mercenary ArmorStealthTDL's early planner. How to get: Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor.
Mercenary GlovesBloodfistTDL's early planner (life, FHR). How to get: Random drop (Heavy Gloves, clvl 9).
Mercenary BeltGloom's TrapTDL's early planner. How to get: Random drop (Mesh Belt, clvl 36).
Mercenary BootsRite of PassageTDL's early planner: run speed, Cannot Be Frozen. How to get: Random drop (The Disciple set boots, Demonhide Boots, clvl 29).

07Breakpoints

Stat	Breakpoints	Aim for	Notes
FCR (cast rate)	07142232486899152	32% minimum (15 frames), 48% recommended (14 frames) - TDL and Odealo. 68% (13 frames) comes almost free with mid/endgame gear.	Amazon. Faster Cast Rate is the most important stat after +skills because you recast and reposition Decoys constantly (Odealo). Examples (S14 data, max rolls): early Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) 35 + Splendor 35 + Gloom's Trap 20 + gloves 10 = 100% (99% breakpoint). Mid: Lidless Wall 40 + Skin of the Vipermagi 30 + Gloom's Trap 10-20 + gloves 10 = 90-100%. Hiim's endgame: Loyalty (Missile Weapon) 60 + Diadem of the Magus 20 + amulet 10 = 90% (68% breakpoint).
FHR (hit recovery)	061320325286174600	Optional; 32% or more for bossing	Amazon. Odealo calls FHR optional but helpful in tougher content. Valkyrie Wing gives 30%. hiimpd2's T0 guide recommends a good FHR breakpoint for Diablo Clone.
IAS (attack speed)	Use the hiimpd2 IAS calculator; Strafe has its own PD2 breakpoints	None for pure summon	Amazon (only if you Strafe yourself). Odealo: IAS is only relevant if you actively use Strafe. Hiim's endgame gloves still carry 20% IAS.
FRW (run/walk)	—		Summons follow you, so run speed is your clear speed: Valkyrie Wing 30%, Rite of Passage 30%, rare boots 'of Speed' 30%, Marrowwalk 20%, Acrobat's grand charms 'of Inertia' 7% each, plus a Vigor merc. Odealo: Enigma's Blink charges for repositioning at the top end.

08Tips & Tricks

Tips

Respec at Nightmare, not earlier: Power Strike clears Normal faster than low-level summons, and Valkyrie needs level 30 (TDL).
Recast Decoys on every new pack. They are stationary and last about 30 seconds, so pre-placing them is how you aim your damage.
Reach 32% FCR as soon as possible and 48% soon after (TDL, Odealo). Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) plus Splendor already exceeds this.
Check item level requirements: the +3 'Athlete's' prefix needs character level 45 in S14 data, so use +2 'Gymnast's' (level 30) items until then.
+skills scale everything (Decoy count and damage, Valkyrie count, gear item level, Power Strike level). Prioritize them over almost anything else.
Your weapon's damage does nothing for the summons. Put Spirit (Sword/Any Shield), Passion, Oath or Loyalty (Missile Weapon) in the lowest-requirement base that holds the socket count and save stat points for Vitality.
Peace gives +1 maximum Valkyrie and +2-3 Critical Strike, which is why Hiim goes back to it at the endgame even after Skin of the Vipermagi.
Valkyries wear random gear whose item level rises with Valkyrie level (item level 25 at skill level 1, +3 per level, per the wiki). Hover over one with Unsummon on right-click and press the inspect hotkey to see it; resummon if she got a bad roll.
Hiim's rich endgame puts 11 points into Power Strike: since S14 each hard point adds +20% to the Valkyries' direct lightning hit as well as the nova.
Keep your merc alive in maps (Amplify Damage or an aura matters), but plan Diablo Clone without him: he does not enter the arena (hiimpd2 T0 guide).
In Diablo Clone, stay within about 10 yards of him or he takes no damage, resummon right after entering, and hide behind a pillar for each nova wave.
Use 60 or so Energy early if mana is a problem (Hiim's starter planner). Since S14 each point gives 2 mana.

Where to farm

Chaos Sanctuary (Hell): hiimpd2's S14 starter list tags Pure Summon for Chaos. TDL lists it among the areas it can 'basically farm'.
Countess, Summoner, Nihlathak (Hell) for uber keys: Key Farming tag on hiimpd2's starter list. In PD2, Blood Raven, Bloodwitch and Izual in Hell also drop keys.
Uber Tristram: hiimpd2 starter tag; TDL: 'With midgame gear you can also easily do Uber Tristram for your own Torch'.
The Pit, Arcane Sanctuary, Travincal, Shenk, Eldritch, Pindleskin: TDL's farming list for the starter phase.
Early maps (T1): 'Early Map' tag on hiimpd2's starter list. Prefer open, dense layouts.
Diablo Clone (Vision of Terror) T0: Rated Easy for Decoy on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list. TDL: 'You CAN kill Diablo Clone with it to get your own Annihilus, but it might require some practice'.
Uber Ancients (Relic of the Ancients): TDL: a good spot, 'just keep resummoning your Decoys/Valks and keep your mercenary alive'.

Hardcore

Hiim tags his S14 group planner 'Pure Summon (Max Valk/Decoy Synergies)' for hardcore, and summoners are one of the safest ways to progress because the Valkyries hold the front line. HC-specific setup from that planner: Sandstorm Trek, two Bul-Kathos' Wedding Bands (life leech), an Athlete's Diadem with Um Rune runes, ten Shimmering small charms for resistances, and a Physical Rogue (Slow Movement) with The Gladiator's Bane. General HC advice (not from a specific source):

Keep all resistances capped, and keep Cannot Be Frozen (Rite of Passage, Marrowwalk, Raven Frost or Rhyme).
Put most stat points into Vitality.
Never let your Valkyries die in a fight without recasting. Without them, enemies reach you.
Treat maps with extra-damage, physical immunity or curse modifiers as rerolls.
Practice Diablo Clone in a TCP/IP single-player game first, as hiimpd2's T0 guide recommends. The cold-nova waves and desync are what kill players.

09FAQ

About this build

Is the Summon Amazon a good league starter in S14?

Yes. That is its main strength. hiimpd2 lists 'Pure Summon (Decoy & Valk)' as one of the three S14 Amazon starter builds (Chaos, Early Map, Key Farming, Uber Tristram). TDL calls it 'pretty much the easiest Amazon season starter', and Odealo calls it 'an exceptionally strong season starter, capable of farming almost all content with minimal gear'. Your damage comes from skill levels, so cheap runewords (Spirit (Sword/Any Shield), Lore, Peace, Splendor) and +3 magic items are enough for Hell.

How fast does it map compared to Lightning Fury?

Slower. hiimpd2's S14 solo list has Summon Zon at Good (Throne of Insanity 4:50, recorded in S12), while Lightning Fury, Fire Arrow, Multiple Shot and Strafe are Top. Odealo's S14 tier list puts Valkyrie/Decoy in A (Lightning Fury and Strafe in S) and says summons trade top clear speed for safety. In groups it is Top (hiimpd2 S14 group list).

Should I respec into Lightning Fury later?

Only if you want faster solo mapping and have its core gear. Our Amazon leveling guide treats the summon stage as a bridge to Lightning Fury once you own Thunderstroke (level 69), via a Token of Absolution. Staying Summon is a complete endgame build: TDL's and Hiim's S14 planners take it to clvl 80-99, and it is the safer choice for hardcore, Uber Tristram and T0 Diablo Clone.

Which does more damage, Decoys or Valkyries?

Hiim marks Decoy as the main skill in his solo planner and Valkyrie in his starter and group planners. TDL builds around Decoy damage (Passion and Oath exist mainly for the Decoys). Both matter. Decoys are the burst you aim at packs: three of them with +400% from Strafe and Valkyrie synergies. Valkyries are the tanks and a steady second damage source with physical and lightning damage. You max both either way.

Why max Strafe if I never use it?

Each hard point in Strafe gives Decoy +10% damage (S14 data), as does each point in Valkyrie. All of the planners max it for that reason. Odealo says actively firing Strafe is optional.

Why Penetrate before Strafe?

TDL: 'Decoys benefit the most from AR early game, so max Penetrate before Strafe.' Penetrate adds attack rating to you and your Decoys and +40 attack rating per hard point to your Valkyries (S14 data). In S14 its tooltip was also corrected: it pierces physical resistance (hard points / 2 in the data).

How many Decoys and Valkyries can I have?

Decoys: 1 + hard points / 10 (S14 data), so 3 with Decoy maxed. Valkyries: one, two at skill level 20, three at skill level 30 (soft level counts), plus one from Peace. With 20 hard points you need +10 Valkyrie levels from gear for the third: Valkyrie Wing gives +2 Valkyrie plus +1-2 Amazon skills, Athlete's items +3 each, and Loyalty (Missile Weapon) adds +2 Passive and Magic.

Does my weapon's damage matter?

No. Decoy damage is flat and scales from +skills, not weapon damage (wiki), and Valkyries use their own randomly generated gear. Choose weapons for +skills, FCR and charges (Spirit (Sword/Any Shield), Passion, Oath, Loyalty (Missile Weapon), Mist), and choose bases with low requirements. TDL: 'make this runeword in anything with low str/dex requirements'.

Can it kill Diablo Clone and the other ubers?

Diablo Clone (Vision of Terror) T0: yes. Decoy is new on hiimpd2's S14 bossing list with T0 Easy (T2 not rated), and TDL has an S12 kill video. Uber Tristram: yes with mid-game gear (TDL, hiimpd2 starter tags). Uber Ancients: TDL calls them a good spot. Rathma and Lucion: not rated for this build on hiimpd2, so treat them as untested.

Which mercenary should I use?

TDL: an Act 4 Dark Ascendant with Amplify Damage, or an Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor) with Witchwild String. For more Decoy damage, an Act 5 Might merc with The Vile Husk. Odealo agrees: Act 1 for speed, Act 4 for consistent Amplify Damage, Act 5 for maximum damage. Hiim's S14 planners use the Act 4 Dark merc (starter, solo, rich endgame), the Act 1 Vigor Rogue (mid stage) or, for group/hardcore, the Act 1 Physical Rogue with Demon Machine.

Passion, Oath or Loyalty (Missile Weapon)?

Passion (clvl 43) is TDL's mid-game pick: level 8 Heart of Wolverine charges, about +81% Decoy damage in S14. Oath (clvl 49) is TDL's late upgrade: level 16 charges, about +145%, and it replenishes its own charges (S14 data). Loyalty (Missile Weapon) (clvl 45, missile weapons) is Hiim's endgame choice: +2-3 Decoy, +2-3 Strafe, +2 Passive and Magic and 60% FCR. That lets you use a +3 quiver in the off hand instead of Lidless Wall. Mist (Concentration aura) is Hiim's 'rich' option.

How much FCR do I need?

32% minimum and 48% recommended (TDL, Odealo). The Amazon table is 0/7/14/22/32/48/68/99/152 (PD2 wiki). Most mid and endgame setups land at 68% anyway (Lidless Wall + Skin of the Vipermagi, or Loyalty (Missile Weapon) + a Diadem of the Magus).

Is it good for hardcore?

Yes, it is one of the safest Amazon options. Hiim tags his S14 group planner for hardcore. The Valkyries tank, you never need to stand in melee, and the build works with cheap gear. The dangerous moments are Diablo Clone's cold novas and map modifiers. See the hardcore notes.

Leveling questions

Why not level as Lightning Fury from the start?

Odealo's Lightning Fury guide says it is 'not suitable for early leveling, as you are very reliant on your gear' and recommends the Summon Amazon for leveling. hiimpd2's S14 Amazon starter list also does not include Lightning Fury (it lists Pure Summon, Lightning Strike and Magic Arrow).

When exactly do I switch from Power Strike to summons?

The PD2 wiki starter guide says Power Strike 'until 27-30', i.e. finish Normal with it and switch when you hit Nightmare. Valkyrie needs level 30, so level 30 with the Nightmare Akara respec is the clean moment.

When do I switch to Lightning Fury?

When you own Thunderstroke (level 69) and can reach good pierce. Both of Hiim's S14 Lightning Fury planners, budget and endgame, are built around Thunderstroke and Griffon's Eye.

Where do I get Stealth early?

Tal Rune from the Countess (Normal/Nightmare), Eth Rune from Act 1-2 monsters, in any 2-socket armor at level 17.

Which merc should I use?

Leveling: Act 1 Fire Rogue (Vigor) or Act 2 with Insight. Summon stage: TDL recommends an Act 4 Dark Ascendant (Amplify Damage) or Act 1 Fire Rogue, later an Act 5 Might Barbarian. Lightning Fury: Act 2 Defiance with Infinity (Odealo, Hiim).

Do I need Energy?

Lightning Fury: no (Odealo). Summon stage: TDL says to add some only if Decoy/Valkyrie mana costs are a problem.

Is there a direct Power Strike -> Lightning Fury route?

Yes, an older PD2 guide by Marvl (S4) does that and is still linked on the PD2 wiki. Current sources recommend the summon stage because Lightning Fury depends on gear. Treat the direct route as an option for traders.

General PD2 questions

How do I respec: Akara or a Token of Absolution?

Akara: after you finish Den of Evil, Akara offers one free full respec (skills and stats) per difficulty. Use the Normal one right after switching from your leveling build. Respeccing early is fine because you get more chances later.

Token of Absolution: cube one of each of the four essences:

Twisted Essence of Suffering (Andariel ~16%, Duriel ~21%)
Charged Essence of Hatred (Mephisto ~8.3%)
Burning Essence of Terror (Diablo ~8.3%)
Festering Essence of Destruction (Baal ~8.3%)

In PD2 the essences drop in Nightmare and Hell at the same rates, and they stack in the materials tab. Right-click the token to reset all skill and stat points. Tokens are also easy to buy from other players, so a respec is rarely a big deal. Experiment with builds freely.

Which mercenary should I hire?

PD2 reworked every merc. They have the same stats whichever difficulty you hire them in, and they all wear helm, armor, gloves, boots and belt. The PD2 merc table:

Act 1 Rogue: Fire (Vigor aura), Cold (Meditation), Physical (Slow Movement). Bows and crossbows.
Act 2 Desert Guard: Defensive (Defiance), Offensive (Blessed Aim), Combat (Thorns). Polearms, spears and javelins; one-handed weapons do double damage. There is no Might, Prayer or Holy Freeze Act 2 merc in PD2.
Act 3 Iron Wolf: Fire (Cleansing), Cold (Prayer), Lightning (Holy Shock plus Static Field, which Season 14 reduced to 8% life).
Act 4 Ascendant (new): Dark (casts Amplify Damage), Light (Sanctuary). Staves.
Act 5 Barbarian: Combat (Might), Warcries (Battle Orders plus Battle Cry).

The usual default is an Act 2 Defiance merc in Insight (mana, and survives well). Physical builds love Might or Battle Orders, and casters often like Act 3 Cold for Prayer. Season 14 mercs get full XP from your kills, so they keep up easily.

What are breakpoints and which ones matter?

Diablo 2 animations run in whole frames, so Faster Cast Rate (FCR), Faster Hit Recovery (FHR), Faster Block Rate and Increased Attack Speed only help once you reach the next threshold. Anything between thresholds is wasted. PD2 uses the vanilla FCR tables, for example:

Sorceress FCR: 0/9/20/37/63/105/200. Frozen Orb and Chain Lightning use a slower table, 0/7/15/23/35/52/78/117/194.
Paladin and Necromancer FCR: 0/9/18/30/48/75/125.

For most casters, 105% (Sorceress) or 75% (Paladin and Necromancer) is the main target. Get one or two FHR breakpoints for survival, such as 42-60% on a Sorceress. PD2 attack mechanics differ from vanilla: Whirlwind ignores IAS and hits at fixed intervals, Berserk uses Frenzy breakpoints, and item IAS has diminishing returns. Use the PD2 wiki breakpoint tables or an S14-aware planner for your class and weapon. Check a breakpoint before paying a lot for 5% more FCR.

Where do I get Stealth early, and how do I farm Tal Rune and Eth Rune?

Stealth is Tal Rune + Eth Rune in a 2-socket body armor and needs clvl 17. It gives 20% FCR, 20% FHR, 10% faster run/walk, +6 Dexterity and 3 magic damage reduction, which makes it the standard leveling armor for nearly every class.

Base: any 2-socket body armor. Quilted Armor, Leather Armor and Hard Leather Armor (max 2 sockets) are cheap and light. Check Charsi and later vendors for socketed armor, or keep grey 2-socket drops from Act 1-2.
Eth Rune: a common drop in Normal Act 1-2 (Eth Rune needs clvl 15). You can also cube 3 Nef Rune into 1 Eth Rune.
Tal Rune: farm the Countess in the Forgotten Tower (Black Marsh, Act 1). Her rune table goes up to Ral Rune in Normal, so Tal Rune comes up regularly. Or cube 3 Ith Rune into 1 Tal Rune.

Save spare Tals: they also go into Ancients' Pledge, Spirit (Sword/Any Shield) and Insight. With Season 14's stash rework, runes stack in their own tab and upgrades need no key.

How does the rune upgrade cube recipe work in Season 14?

Per the Season 14 game data (CubeMain.txt) and the PD2 wiki:

3 runes upgrade into the next rune from El Rune up to Lem Rune (3 El Rune = Eld Rune, 3 Tal Rune = Ral Rune, 3 Lem Rune = Pul Rune).
2 runes upgrade from Pul Rune upward (2 Pul Rune = Um Rune, 2 Ist Rune = Gul Rune, 2 Ber Rune = Jah Rune, 2 Cham Rune = Zod Rune).
No gems are needed, unlike vanilla, which needed chipped/flawed/normal/flawless gems for higher runes.
No key needed in Season 14. Earlier seasons needed a key, but S14 removed keys from all stack recipes.

You can put a whole stack in at once. The same goes for gems: 3 of a gem make the next quality, and 3 flawless make a perfect (also without a key in S14). Because of the 2:1 ratio from Pul Rune upward, high runes are much easier to reach by cubing than in vanilla. Mid runes like Pul Rune, Um Rune and Mal Rune still trade well, so check the market before you cube up.

How do I open the Cow Level, and does killing the Cow King still lock it?

Cube Wirt's Leg + a Tome of Town Portal in the Rogue Encampment, with a character who has killed Baal in that difficulty. Two PD2 quality-of-life changes:

Killing the Cow King no longer prevents you from opening the Cow Level. You can kill him freely, for example for Cow King's set pieces.
Wirt's Leg from any difficulty works, and you can carry several legs.

The Secret Cow Level is area level 81 in Hell, with very high density and no immunities. It's good for leveling, for runes, for socketed bases (for example polearms for Insight) and for Worldstone Shards when the Cow Level is the corrupted zone. Density bonuses don't apply to the Cow Level because it is already dense.

How does corruption with Worldstone Shards work?

Put an item and a Worldstone Shard in the cube and transmute. The result depends on the item:

Normal (white/grey) items without sockets: 50% they gain sockets (up to the base maximum), 50% they become a random rare.
Magic, rare, set or unique items that can have sockets (helm, chest, shield, weapon, quiver): 25% sockets (1-3 on armor, 2-4 on one-handed weapons, 3-6 on two-handed), 50% a corruption modifier, 25% "brick" into a random rare of the same type.
Items that cannot have sockets (gloves, boots, belt, ring, amulet): 75% a corruption modifier, 25% brick.

Modifiers come in low, mid and high rarity tiers. High-rarity rolls are things like +1 all skills or 20% FCR on chests, +1 all skills on weapons, helms and shields, or +15% FRW on boots. A corrupted item can never be corrupted again, but most other recipes still work on it, including Puzzleboxes for sockets afterwards. Runewords count as regular socketed items and can't be corrupted. Make the base corrupt first.

How do maps work, and what do I need to open one?

Maps are PD2's endgame zones. To open one you need a level 80+ character who has killed the Hell Ancients. Right-click the map in your inventory while in Harrogath in Hell. Only one map or uber zone can be opened per game. The tiers:

Tier 1: area level 87
Tier 2: area level 88
Tier 3: area level 89
Tier 4 (dungeons): area level 92, made from a T3 map with a Horadrim Scarab and meant for strong groups

Your first maps come from Anya's Hell reward, rare drops in Hell and Nightmare Act 5, and corrupted zones. After that, maps mostly drop inside maps, with a chance of higher-tier maps. Each map has affixes that add density, experience and magic/gold find, plus monster modifiers. Before opening a map, check its immunities against your build. Map events (11% on normal, 22% magic, 33% rare maps) add bonus content such as the Treasure Fallen, the Dark Wanderer (extra Worldstone Shards) or Shadow of Mendeln (Splinter of the Void).

10Season 14 changes

S13 -> S14 changes that matter for the Summon Amazon (PD2 wiki Patch Notes, hiimpd2 Season 14 page; calculations approximate):

Valkyrie buff: the Power Strike synergy now also applies to the Valkyrie's direct lightning damage, not only her nova (hiimpd2 lists this as a buff for 'Summon Zon, Decoy & Valks'). The synergy is +20% per hard point of Power Strike (S14 data/wiki). Example: Hiim's rich setup with 11 hard points gives +220% to the nova as before and now also +220% to the direct hit.
Power Strike synergies 20% -> 25%: this is your own Power Strike (from Lightning Bolt and Lightning Strike). It makes the Normal-difficulty Power Strike leveling phase slightly stronger: 5 points in Lightning Bolt now give +125% instead of +100%. It does not change the Valkyrie's 20% per point.
Heart of Wolverine nerf (Passion, Oath, Wisp Projector): its real damage scaling was reduced from 10% to 8% per extra level to match the tooltip. Level 8 (Passion): about 95% -> 81%. Level 16 (Oath): about 175% -> 145%.
Summons and monsters without weapons now correctly benefit from critical strike and deadly strike bonuses. Spirit of Barbs (Wisp Projector charges) now grants deadly strike to summons properly.
Pets: base leash distance of all player pets increased.
Amazon mana per Energy 1.5 -> 2: 60 Energy = 120 mana (was 90).
Evade dodge chance fixed and capped at 40%. Penetrate's tooltip now correctly says it pierces physical resistance.
Decoy and Valkyrie base numbers: no S14 changes beyond the Valkyrie fix (the big Decoy and Valkyrie nerfs were in S13).
Diablo Clone: TDL's guide says S14 removed the ability to target the arena pillars, which should help summons.

01Overview

Summary

What works

What to plan around

Playstyle

02Skills

Skill order

Synergies

About these skill plans

Dealing with immunities

03Stats

04Leveling

Leveling plan

Level 1 to endgame

Where to farm

Quests

Where to farm

Quests

Where to farm

Quests

Where to farm

Quests

Other ways to level

Respecs

05Gear

Charms

Socket fillers

06Mercenary

Which mercenary

07Breakpoints

08Tips & Tricks

Tips

Where to farm

09FAQ

About this build

Leveling questions

General PD2 questions

10Season 14 changes

11Sources