How to fix the Undercrown...
I've been playing Shadow Minions since season launch, and while I wouldn't saying I'm blitzing through T12, I'm at least power-walking. At this point, my biggest hopes are a lucky Gem Strength roll on a 2H, which is fine, but I can't help but feel like minion Necro lost out a bit this season, especially to minion Barbs and Druids. The biggest loser for the minion builds is undoubtedly The Undercrown, which feels like an AotD item more than anything else. In fact, it made me realize what we actually lost with this new patch...
Necromancers no longer gain %[x] damage per minion.
Most of the Kalan's Edict passive went to Pact of Bone, which I do appreciate, since Ring of Mendeln felt clunky and inconsistent. But losing that scaling-per-minion damage modifier hurts in a way I don't think the devs were expecting. I think bringing it back in some capacity would tangentially fix Undercrown by providing a hidden stat buff to it's existing passive. So, how do we fix it? Right now, I have two ideas...
1. Give Necromancers the "Shepard's Aspect."
Right now, Druid's top out at 25 companions (9 ravens, 7 wolves, 5 creepers, and 4 bears) for a 650%[x] buff. Necromancers can currently top out at 26 (9 warriors, 5 mages, 3 golems, 8 from undercrown, and 1 from gloves) for a 676%[x] buff, but realistically will float between 22-24, depending on the build, for 572-624%[x]. I realize necro minions have higher base damage numbers than druid companions, but - assuming druid is also getting additional numbers from Spirit Wolves (which IIRC are coded as companions) - it should balance out, relegating Reanimation and Hellbent Commander to jewelry slots.
2. Rework the Rathma's Waking Touch 5pc bonus.
I would argue this is an even simpler fix: Change the wording of the 5pc set bonus to "Your Summon skills deal 450%[x] increased damage." This keeps the AotD functionality while enabling more passive minion playstyles. Now you can build any minion playstyle you want - Shadow, Blood, Bone...hell, make Thorns minions if it makes you happy! It's a cleaner fix, and it automatically negates breaking other minion classes since it's a necro-exclusive set. Plus, if it turns out the damage is still underwhelming, you can always boost the numbers later.
I think either of these fixes would be fine, since they both fix Undercrown by proxy, but I'm interested to hear what y'all think!