Crit. Arc
Inquisitor/Templar
Starter build

Updated for Patch 3.7

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: low

Crit. Arc Inquisitor is a beginner friendly build which is one of the best builds for new Path of Exile players. It is most suitable for low budget players that want to learn how to farm maps and start earning currency. This build also provides great AoE damage and good defenses thanks to high Life pool and Mind over Matter Passive. 

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1. Gameplay

This is a typical spellcaster build. It provides great damage, amazing AoE because of Arc's chaining to nearby enemies, as well as very good defenses - thanks to high life pool and Mind over Matter passive. While using this Crit. Arc Inquisitor, you have to clear trash and big packs with Arc spell, which also Shocks enemies for increased damage, while versus bosses it's suggested to use the slow, single-target Ball Lightning spell. This entire build will allow you to start mapping successfully with as little as four links in both the Arc and Ball Lightning setups. This should be more than enough to allow you to farm currency for the end-game items for this or any other build. 

0:06 Tier 12 Defiled Cathedral 0:47 Tier 12 Promenade 1:30 Tier 12 Racecourse This video was recorded on a level 83 Inquisitor wielding Agnerod West Staff. We have also decided to skip the Ball Lightning setup as we had limited budget for this character and had to Maps up to Tier 13 and Arc did just fine in there. This video was recorded pre 3.7, however, the gameplay mechanics didn't change that much

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with spell caster classes is easy. You do not need many items to get enough DPS to kill all the bosses, and you should be focusing on getting mainly rares with life and elemental resistances bonuses. This build provides high Intelligence bonuses, so we suggest leveling up with the Whispering Ice. You can use it starting at level 33, and it will carry you all the way to the mapping phase. Its' damage scales exceptionally well with additional Intelligence, so you should try to get it on as many gear pieces you can, as well as it does not require any links on it. Simply put all the suggested support Gems in the available sockets in this unique staff.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Freezing Pulse setup
	Freezing Pulse - a decent projectile-based spell that is easily accessible early on
	Arcane Surge Support - increases your spell damage and mana regeneration rate after you spend a specified amount of mana on the supported spell. Used solely because it's one of the few spell damage Support Gems available early on
	Added Cold Damage Support - adds flat damage to spells
	Added Lightning Damage Support - same as above, just Lightning-based

Ice Nova Trap setup
	Ice Nova - great area spell that will be triggered by your Traps with the Fencoil staff equipped
	Added Cold Damage - provides additional cold damage
	Spell Cascade Support - grants better AoE, amazing support Gem for leveling and at the same time available on early levels
	Trap Support - granted by the Fencoil staff. Will allow you to throw traps, that when triggered, will cast Ice Nova

Icestorm setup (Whispering Ice only)
	Icestorm - amazing spell that is exclusive to the Whispering Ice staff. Its' damage scales with your Intelligence attribute, which means it can be used from level 33 all the way till Act 11. It is provided by the Whispering Ice and is not a Gem itself, which means you do not need any links on the staff to support it, and you can even have 6 Support Gems socketed
	Added Cold Damage - provides additional cold damage
	Spell Echo Support - greatly increases casting speed of the Icestorm spell
	Cold Penetration Support - lowers enemy resistance to cold damage
	Increased Area of Effect Support - increases Icestorm's radius

Utility Gems
	Frostbite - a curse that reduces the monster's resistance to Cold Damage
	Leap Slam - your main mobility skill during leveling phase
	Herald of Ice - increases your cold damage and causes AoE explosions on killing frozen enemies, which improves your leveling speed
	Clarity - increases Mana Regeneration, great aura for spellcaster classes

Bandits:

We recommend killing all the Bandits for the two additional Passive Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Retribution 2) Elementalist 3) Light of Divinity 4) Devotion 5) Heart and Souls

62 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Counterweight 2) Serpent Stance 3) Arcane Potency

Recommended leveling items:

Perandus Signet - amazing leveling ring. Increases experience gained, mana regeneration rate, and also your maximum Intelligence, which is amazing while leveling with Whispering Ice staff
+(20-25) to maximum Mana +(25-30) to maximum Mana (45-65)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 2% increased Experience gain 2% increased Intelligence for each Equipped Unique Item 3% additional chance for Slain monsters to drop Scrolls of Wisdom

Fencoil - decent leveling staff, that provides the Trap Support Gem
18% Chance to Block Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 8 Trap (40-50)% increased Damage (10-20)% increased maximum Life (10-20)% increased maximum Mana

Goldrim - the best leveling helmet in terms of defenses. Its' Elemental Resistances are more than enough for over 40 levels
+(30-50) to Evasion Rating 10% increased Rarity of Items found +(30-40)% to all Elemental Resistances Reflects 4 Physical Damage to Melee Attackers Level Requirement reduced by 100 (Hidden)

Astramentis - great leveling amulet, providing insane additional attributes. It is not cheap but used in combination with Whispering Ice it will grant insane damage
+(10-16) to all Attributes +(80-100) to all Attributes -4 Physical Damage taken from Attacks

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

115 Points Final Skill Tree
115 Points Path of Building(PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Righteous Providence
2. Inevitable Judgement
3. Instruments of Virtue
4. Augury of Penitence

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Lunaris 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%; 1% increased Movement Speed for each nearby Enemy, up to 8%

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Arc/Vaal Arc setup (Vaal Arc gives you the extra Vaal skill for nice burst damage, but the best option would be to pick a corrupted level 21 Arc)
	Arc - your main DPS spell. Provides good damage and has amazing radius thanks to the chain effect. Can be replaced with Vaal Arc
	Spell Echo Support - makes supported spells (Arc) cast additional time with greatly increased Cast Speed at the cost of slightly reduced damage. May be provided by the Pledge of Hands staff which is one of the best weapons for this build
	Added Lightning Damage Support - grants additional lightning damage to your spells
	Controlled Destruction Support - grants more Spell Damage which is the most powerful type of damage amplification mod
	Arcane Surge Support - grants very high bonus DPS after you spend a certain amount of Mana on Arc Spell
	Innervate Support - this Gem will grant the highest DPS bonuses if you socket it in Agnerod Staff which increases the level of Lightning Gems

[DPS] Ball Lightning single-target DPS setup
	Ball Lightning - a slowly moving lighting ball that periodically hit enemies it passes through. Because it does not hit once over its' duration, lowering further this spells projectile speed greatly increases the damage dealt to enemies with each cast
	Slower Projectiles Support - this is an extremely important Gem for this setup. It not only slows the Ball Lightning projectile but also increases its' damage
	Spell Echo Support
	Controlled Destruction Support
	Elemental Focus Support - you should apply Shock with your Arc allowing to increase Ball Lightning's damage even more with Elemental Focus Support Gem
	Added Lightning Damage Support

[MOBILITY] Flame Dash setup (Kalisa's Grace)
	Flame Dash -  your main mobility skill. It will grant Arcane Surge buff with each cast if you linked as suggested in this setup. If your Gems are not on max. level keep track what is your total mana cost of FD and upgrade Arcane Surge Support Gem accordingly (preferably that it procs with every cast)
	Faster Casting Support - level 18 of this Gem is granted by the unique gloves Kalisa's Grace. It increases Flame Dash's mana cost and allows faster movement
	Increased Duration Support - increases the duration of Arcane Surge buff
	Arcane Surge Support - this Gem increases your spell damage and Mana Regeneration rate after a certain amount of Mana is spent on a supported spell. This setup should allow you to upgrade AS to level 9, and make it proc with every Flame Dash cast
	Efficacy Support - used in this setup to increase the AS duration even further

[CURSE] Orb of Storms CoH setup
	Orb of Storms - an area/duration spell that is used to apply your curse and generate additional Power Charges
	Power Charge on Critical Support – will make Orb of Storms also generate extra Power Charges
	Assassin's Mark - cursed enemies have increased chance to be Critically Hit, and take extra damage from Critical Strikes
	Curse on Hit Support - will make Orb of Storms apply supported Curse

[UTILITY] Utility Gems
	[1L]Lightning Golem - grants increased Attack and Cast Speed making it the best choice for this build
	[1L]Clarity - provides increased mana regeneration, which is essential for MoM builds
	[2L]Cast when Damage Taken Support - casts supported spells after a certain amount of damage is dealt with your character. Keep this Gem at level 1, which will allow it to automatically cast Gems with the level requirement of 38 and below
	[2L]Immortal Call - one of the best Guard Spells we can use in this build. It grants high Physical and Elemental Damage reduction for a short duration

[AURA] Wrath (in Essence Worm)
	Wrath - grants added lightning damage to spells. If socketed in Essence Worm will reserve no Mana, allowing you to maintain high Mana for your MoM defensive mechanics

5. Gear Setup

Crit. Arc Inquisitor is extremely powerful and budget-friendly build. It provides amazing area damage, which with high Critical Strike Chance completely ignores monsters elemental resistances. At the same time, it requires only 4 links to reach its' full mapping potential, with Empower and Life Leech being an optional addition for end-game variation of the build. This build at the same time provides amazing defensive mechanics, which include high Life pool and Mind over Matter Passive.

We would also like to invite you to visit our marketplace where you can restock your PoE Currency. On Odealo you can buy Orbs and Unique items from regular players, which guarantees competitive prices and prompt delivery.

Our recommended items will:

1. Cap your resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS/Life to start mapping successfully

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - aim for the highest Life bonus and high resistances that will allow you to cap them without the jewels

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 27% Fire Resistance 27% Cold Resistance 27% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Mana

Helmet enchantments: 40% increased Arc Damage 45% reduced Ball Lightning Projectile Speed

(Weapon) Pledge of Hands - the best in slot weapon for this build. Provides insane damage bonus, as well as very high Mana bonus, which is extremely useful for our defenses

18% Chance to Block Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 30 Spell Echo (120-160)% increased Spell Damage 100% increased maximum Mana

(Weapon) Agnerod West - another very good option for this build. Provides amazing damage buffs, though the 20% lightning resistances penetration will work only on non-crit hits

18% Chance to Block +2 to Level of Socketed Lightning Gems +(80-120) to Intelligence (30-50)% increased Lightning Damage Adds (5-15) to (100-140) Lightning Damage to Spells 40% increased Strength Requirement Damage Penetrates 20% Lightning Resistance

(Armour) Inpulsa's Broken Heart - the best in slot armour for this build. Provides insane damage and bonuses that will greatly increase your clear speed (AoE explosions)

3% reduced Movement Speed (Hidden) +(60-80) to maximum Life (20-50)% increased Damage if you have Shocked an Enemy Recently (25-40)% increased Effect of Shock Unaffected by Shock Shocked Enemies you Kill Explode, dealing (5-10)% of their Maximum Life as Lightning Damage which cannot Shock

(Boots) Rainbowstride - this boots provide high all elemental resistances and movement speed bonuses, and also increase your chance to block spells. They are overall quite good and inexpensive, however, lack increased Life bonuses

(20-25)% of Block Chance applied to Spells +(40-60) to maximum Mana (140-180)% increased Energy Shield +20% to all Elemental Resistances 25% increased Movement Speed

(Boots) Rare Boots - if you can afford high Life pair, this will be the best in slot option

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 20% Fire Resistance 20% Cold Resistance 20% Lightning Resistance 25% increased Movement Speed

Boot enchantments: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 30% Fire Resistance 30% Cold Resistance 30% Lightning Resistance

(Gloves) Kalisa's Grace - very solid pair of Gloves for this build which is also very cheap

Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 18 Faster Casting +(20-30) to Intelligence +(50-80) to maximum Energy Shield +(60-80) to maximum Life Gain +2% to Critical Strike Chance for 2 seconds when you Spend a total of 800 Mana

(Ring) Essence Worm - will allow you to equip Wrath as an additional Aura with no mana reservation cost. The increased mana reservation for other Gems will have nearly no effect on our other Clarity aura

Has 1 Socket +2 to Level of Socketed Aura Gems Socketed Gems Reserve No Mana 40% increased Mana Reserved

(Ring) Rare Life/Res. Ring - you have to cap your resistances with this item

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Cold Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Lightning/Elemental/Spell Damage (Opal Ring) Attributes Mana

(Amulet) Stone of Lazhwar - provides amazing spell block chance for this build. It not only increases your defenses but also the rate at which you generate Power Charges. Try to get a corrupted one with increased block chance (preferably 4%)

+(20-30) to Intelligence 50% of Block Chance applied to Spells (10-15)% increased Cast Speed +(30-50) to maximum Mana

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - this should provide extra Life and damage bonuses

Recommended affixes: % increased maximum Life % increased Elemental/Lightning/Spell Damage Optional affixes: % increased Global Critical Strike Chance % to Global Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewels) Watcher's Eye - end-game jewel for this build. If you can get one with "(1-1.5)% of Lightning Damage is Leeched as Mana while affected by Wrath" it will be a great addition to this build. Keep in mind that this piece is very expensive

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two random aura modifiers>

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - very good Flask which provides extra damage, resistances and Life Leech

+35% to Chaos Resistance 2% of Chaos Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect Gain (15-20)% of Physical Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect Gain (10-15)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage during effect

(Flask) Vessel of Vinktar - grants /utility flask. It's not cheap, but totally worth its price. It requires you to carry any flask of Grounding to remove the self-shock effect

+50% to Lightning Resistance +6% to maximum Lightning Resistance (80-100)% increased Charges used Shocks nearby Enemies during Flask effect, causing 10% increased Damage taken You are Shocked during Flask effect, causing 50% increased Damage taken Adds (15-25) to (70-90) Lightning Damage to Spells during Flask effect 20% of Lightning Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect

Other suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (immunity to bleeding) Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Heat (immunity to freeze and chill effects) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Grounding (used to remove the self-shock applied by Vessel of Vinkatr, and also increase your chance to critically strike)

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below.

Pictures used in this article are the intellectual property of Grinding Gear Games.