Ranking the Best Summoning Skills in Divinity Original Sin 2

I remember the first time I realized that Divinity: Original Sin 2 does not force me to rely on its colorful companions. The Summoning skill school lets me build an army from the essence of enemies I have killed or surfaces I have ravaged, and that still feels incredible in 2026. These are the summoning skills I value most, ranked from my reliable counterplay tools to the broken centerpiece of Lone Wolf runs.

10. Dominate Mind

⚡ AP cost: 3 | ⏳ Cooldown: 5 turns | 🎯 Usage: Countermeasure against hostile summoned creatures

I used to dread summoner versus summoner fights because they turn into endless slogs. Dominate Mind changed that. It lets me charm any hostile summoned creature for two turns, which is essentially a Charm spell for bound enemies. When an enemy Incarnate suddenly switches sides, the fight swings in my favor immediately.

9. Farsight Infusion

⚡ AP cost: 1 | ⏳ Cooldown: 3 turns | 🎯 Usage: Buffing your Incarnate and giving them a ranged attack

Base Incarnates are melee-only and sometimes feel underwhelming in offense. Farsight Infusion gives them magical armor and a ranged attack, so they can punish enemy mages or retreating rogues without wasting AP repositioning. I almost always keep this infusion ready.

8. Rallying Cry

⚡ AP cost: 2 | ⏳ Cooldown: 3 turns | 🎯 Usage: A dedicated healing skill for summoners

Summoners are more independent because Rallying Cry provides healing and magic armor. What makes it special is that the amount restored increases based on nearby allies, including totems, Incarnates, and other summoned creatures. In crowded battles this can be a massive burst of recovery.

7. Dimensional Bolt

⚡ AP cost: 2 | ⏳ Cooldown: 1 turn | 🎯 Usage: Direct damage and creating surfaces

Sometimes the Incarnate draws too much aggression and totems get crushed, so I need direct damage. Dimensional Bolt is a ranged spell with random damage type, which makes it a bit unreliable, but it also creates a surface based on the damage type. That lets me summon totems of different elements from the resulting terrain.

6. Ethereal Storm

⚡ AP cost: 4 | ⏳ Cooldown: 5 turns | 💠 SP cost: 3 | 🎯 Usage: For mass direct damage or mass healing

This Source skill is chaotic and expensive, but I save it for tough fights. It summons multiple projectiles with random elements that either damage enemies or heal friendly units. I have seen it obliterate an area full of enemies, and I have also seen it save my party with mass healing. The 3 SP cost and 4 AP cost mean I cannot spam it, but as a finisher it is excellent.

5. Soul Mate

⚡ AP cost: 1 | ⏳ Cooldown: 5 turns | 🎯 Usage: For increasing survivability and tactical advantage

Soul Mate is one of my favorite low-cost survival tools. For 1 AP, it transfers some of the healing and armor restoration I receive to another character, whether friend or foe, and it is not resisted by any armor type. Casting it on a foe can even damage enemies if one of us is undead, so it has tricky offensive uses.

4. Door To Eternity

⚡ AP cost: 2 | ⏳ Cooldown: 3 turns | 💠 SP cost: 1 | 🎯 Usage: Keeping your summoned minions alive

Sometimes my summoned creatures gain sentimental value after winning battles. Door to Eternity keeps them from dying even when their Vitality reaches zero for two turns. It is a low-cost Source skill with a short cooldown, so I can use it often and then bring minions back with Rallying Cry or Soul Mate.

3. Summon Inner Demon

⚡ AP cost: 1 | ⏳ Cooldown: 6 turns | 💠 SP cost: 1 | 🎯 Usage: Grants offensive demon avatar, magical armor, and the Terrify status to enemies

I love skills that do more than one thing because they save AP and enable combos. Summon Inner Demon gives the caster a demonic avatar for three turns. The demon can Terrify enemies, attack, and provide magical armor. The cooldown is long, but the duration means downtime feels manageable.

2. Elemental Totem

⚡ AP cost: 2 | ⏳ Cooldown: 1 turn | 🎯 Usage: Summoning elemental variations of stationary attackers

This skill makes summoners annoying to fight. Elemental Totem lets me conjure several attack outlets that assume the element of the surface where they are summoned. Because they can deal physical or magical damage depending on my setup, totems are versatile. With creative elemental chains, I have used them to stunlock certain targets.

1. Conjure Incarnate

⚡ AP cost: 2 | ⏳ Cooldown: 5 turns | 🎯 Usage: Summoning a mobile and independent demon that fights for you

No Summoning skill matters more than Conjure Incarnate, especially for Lone Wolf runs. At Summoning 10, the Incarnate becomes a giant rage monster that tanks and deals huge damage. It also gains a unique ability based on the surface element where it is summoned. On a Lone Wolf character, a Summoning 10 Incarnate can practically take Fort Joy by itself.

These rankings reflect my experience after many playthroughs through 2026, and I still find Summoning to be one of the most independent playstyles in Divinity Original Sin 2.