Archmage Spark
Stormweaver Build

Updated for Path of Exile 2 Early Access

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It's a quintessential Archmage build. Archmage is a persistent Buff that increases the Mana cost of Skills by a percentage of your Maximum Mana and grants extra Damage as Lightning Damage per Maximum Mana. Mana will serve as a defensive layer, be it with Mind Over Matter or by gathering modifiers that shift incoming damage to be taken from Mana until reaching 100%, the latter being a preferred option. This way, all (or almost all) damage has to go through Mana first, and since you have around 5k of it (maybe even more), you may as well allocate Chaos Inoculation and ignore Maximum Life stats (only in a case in which you shift 100% damage to be taken from Mana first). Eldritch Battey should also be allocated: it converts your ES to Mana, making Mana your sole resource. To manage it, you'll need to search for Mana Cost Efficiency, Mana Regeneration, Mana on Kill, and implement the Mana Remnants Skill. You will also find it easy to accommodate the Mana Tempest Skill to add even more Lightning Damage, once your Mana recovery is more than sufficient.

Spark is a Projectile Spell that deals Lightning Damage. You will need to invest in Projectile Speed, Skill Duration, and Pierce for it to be any good. A single Spark can hit the same enemy every 0.66 seconds, and it always bounces around walls, making it great at tight spaces. Spark can be improved with Cold Infusion, which we generate with Frost Bomb. For even more Infusion Remnants, we allocate Stormweaver's Storm Recollection and Refracted Infusion, combined with other Remnant-related passives from the Skill Tree, and the Siphon Elements Skill. The additional Infusion Remnants can be spent on the Arc triggered with Spellslinger and Flame Wall. We can also weaponize the Infusions themselves with the Explosive Transmutation Skill, which drains a lot of Ward, and Remnants of Kalguur buff to recover this Ward back. Exploding Fire Infusion Remnants will ignite enemies, so link it with Arbiter's Ignition to get Elemental Archon for various buffs. The last Stormweaver's points can be spent on Constant Gale and Force of Will for a powerful Arcane Surge.

You can also check our other Path of Exile 2 builds right over here Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

The build is easy to run: use Spark and occasionally Frost Bombs to generate Remnants. Spellslinged Arc with Flame Wall are to be used if you need some additional damage. Against bosses, be sure to cast Mana Tempest and Elemental Weakness first. Your passive skills are Archmage, Mana Tempest, Siphon Elements, Explosive Transmutation, and Remnants of Kalguur (210 Spirit in total).

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Spark is not meant to be used by itself in the early game, so we recommend starting with Arc and Lightning Infusions from Orb of Storms first. We recommend grabbing Powered by Verisum as soon as possible to generate Infusion Remnants instantly, and later on, start using Firestorm, which can be empowered by all Infusion types, and it's easier to scale its Gem Level. Don't worry about Mana-stacking and Critical Hits early on; it becomes good only around level 80. For items, consider Midnight Braid, Painter's Servant, and The Everlasting Gaze.
 

[DPS] Arc setup
	Arc - A Lightning Projectile Spell that requires less tending than Spark, but its damage falls off in the late end-game compared to Spark. You can replace it later with Firestorm.
	Deliberation
	Considered Casting
	Controlled Destruction

[UTILITY] other skills
	Orb of Storms - Creates Lightning Infusion Remnants and damages enemies nearby when you cast a Spell.
	Powered by Verisium - Grants Infusion Remnants by spending Ward.
	Leylines - Standing in revealed runic areas drains Ward, but grants more Spell Damage.
	Elemental Weakness - A curse that lowers Elemental Resistances.
	Flame Wall - Enhance your Projectiles with additional Fire Damage.

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

Click on the image to open the Passive Tree preview in a new window Or import the build into PoB: Path of Building 2 code

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in this order:

1. Storm's Recollection
2. Refracted Infusion
3. Constant Gale
4. Force of Will

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Spark setup
	Spark - Spark is the main damaging ability. It fires Projectiles, which need to be fast and to pierce for the skill to be any good. It can be infused with Cold to fire more, faster, and empowered with Cold Damage Projectiles.
	Zenith
	Efficiency
	Pinpoint Critical
	Pierce
	Projectile Acceleration

[UTILITY] Frost Bomb setup
	Frost Bomb - Frost Bomb creates Cold Infusions for Spark and inflicts Exposure to lower Elemental Resistances.
	Overabundance
	Spell Cascade
	Efficiency
	Magnified Area
	Potent Exposure

[DPS] Spellslinger setup
	Spellslinger - A Meta Skill that comes with Dueling Wand. It accumulates Energy on Spell Casts and Triggers linked spells multiple times when used.
	Arc - Arc fires Chaining Lightning Projectiles. It can be infused with Lightning to deal much more damage and chain more times.
	Flame Wall - Projectiles passing through the Flame Wall deal additional Fire Damage. It can consume Lightning Infusion to also add Lightning Damage to them, so use it only if you have a reliable source of these Infusions.
	Boundless Energy
	Efficiency
	Zenith

[UTILITY] Elemental Weakness setup
	Elemental Weakness - Lowers Elemental Resistances. Use against bosses, or omit this setup entirely if you have Rakiata's Flow.
	Heightened Curse
	Magnified Area
	Ritualistic Curse
	Efficiency
	Cursed Ground

[UTILITY] Mana Tempest setup
	Mana Tempest - Skills cost much more while in the Tempest, which also drains your Mana, but you gain tons of extra Lightning Damage and all Projectiles empowered by it Split to 4 targets.
	Efficiency
	Rapid Casting
	Lightning Mastery
	Morgana's Tempest

[UTILITY] Archmage setup
	Archmage - Spells gain extra Lightning Damage based on your Maximum Mana, but also cost more. It costs 100 Spirit.
	Lightning Mastery
	Clarity

[UTILITY] Mana Remnants setup
	Mana Remnants - Killing or Critically Hitting an enemy with Elemental Ailment on them spawns Remnants, which restore Mana. Mana gained this way can Overflow.
	Harmonic Remnants
	Remnant Potency
	Khatal's Rejuvenation

[UTILITY] Siphon Elements setup
	Siphon Elements - Inflicting Elemental Ailment can create an Infusion Remnant corresponding to its type. You will create a lot of Lightning and some Cold Remnants with this Skill.
	Harmonic Remnants
	Remnant Potency
	Fire Mastery

[UTILITY] Explosive Transmutation setup
	Explosive Transmutation - Collecting Infusion Remnants deals damage corresponding to their type. This skill consumes Runic Ward to Trigger these explosions. If you don't have Arbiter's Ignition, allocate Archon of the Storm notable.
	Arbiter's Ignition
	Efficiency
	Zenith
	Vorana's Siege
	Spell Cascade

[UTILITY] Remnants of Kalguur setup
	Remnants of Kalguur - Stunning and Killing can generate Remnants that restore Ward.
	Harmonic Remnants
	Remnant Potency

[UTILITY] Powered by Verisium setup
	Powered by Verisium - An optional Skill to instantly gain Verisium Remnants, which work just like regular Elemental Remnants of any type.
	Efficiency
	Rapid Casting
	Cooldown Recovery

6. Gear Setup

The build varies slightly depending on whether you have Chaos Inoculation or not, and the same goes for Mind Over Matter. With CI, you obviously don't want any Life, but now you rely entirely on Mana and ES for defences (ES protects Mana with Eldritch Battery, which is an obligatory Keystone). It's not a big loss, since it would be extremely hard to get any noticeable Maximum Life when compared to the Maximum Mana, which you should never run out of anyway. Do not allocate CI if you don't shift 100% damage to be taken from Mana before Life. With Mind Over Matter, you don't need to look for any "damage is taken from Mana before Life" mods, since it's already 100%. These are valuable otherwise. Maximum Mana and flat Energy Shield on items are your top priority - your damage is directly tied to Mana. Mana Recovery is gained by various means, but the basic Regeneration also helps. Besides that, it's a mixed Lightning and Cold Damage spellcaster, so seek Gem Levels, Cast Speed, Elemental Penetration, and Critical Hit Chance with Critical Damage. Defensively, it's Mana again, especially with MoM. Intelligence also grants Mana. Spirit is another important thing; you'll need over 200 of it in total.

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - On a Helmet, go for Maximum Energy Shield, to then socket the Jiquani's Thesis in it, and get 1 Maximum Mana per 2 ES. It synergizes with Eldritch Battery. Then, shift focus to Intelligence, Resistances, Crit Chance, and regular Mana.

Min. requirements: +400 to Energy Shield +40% total Resistance  Optional affixes: Intelligence Maximum Mana increased Critical Hit Chance increased effect of Arcane Surge on you (Desecrated Suffix)

(Weapon) Rare Wand - We are aiming for a Dueling Wand (for the Spellslinger Skill) with Gem Levels, increases to Spell Damage or Lightning Damage, Cast Speed, and Critical Hit mods.

Min. requirements: +4 to Level of all Cold Spell Skills 20% increased Cast Speed +100 to Maximum Mana increased Critical Hit Chance for Spells Optional affixes: Gain #% of Damage as Extra Lightning, Cold, or Fire Damage increased Spell Damage increased Lightning or Elemental Damage

(Off-hand) Rare Focus - Foci are very much like Wands: Maximum Mana, increased Damage, Gem Levels, Crit mods, and, in addition to that, Energy Shield with Mana Cost Efficiency. It leaves no space for Resistances.

Min. requirements: increased Spell or Lightning Damage +120 to Maximum Mana +2 Level of all Spell Skills Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed Maximum Energy Shield increased Mana Regeneration Rate increased Critical Hit Chance for Spells increased Mana Cost Efficiency (Perfect Essence of Alacrity Suffix)

(Gloves) Maligaro's Virtuosity - Fixes your Critical Strike Bonus at 250%, allowing you to completely ignore Critical Bonus Damage mods, but we would rather go with Rare Gloves, which, as of 0.5, can be very strong.

(60–80)% increased Evasion Rating (20–30)% increased Critical Hit Chance 5% increased Attack Speed +(10–20) to Dexterity Your Critical Damage Bonus is 250%

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - Socket Kolr's Hunt here to roll Gem Level for Projectiles, Projectile Speed, and possibly Projectile Damage. You may use Alloy for the remnant collection distance. Add Maximum Mana or ES.

Min. requirements: increased Projectile Speed (Kolr's Hunt Suffix) +2 to Level of all Projectile Skills (Kolr's Hunt Prefix)) Maximum Mana Optional affixes: Remnants can be collected from further away (Expansive Alloy Prefix) Resistance Intelligence

(Boots) Rare Boots - Boots need Movement Speed, Mana, ES, Intelligence, and Resistances. Socket Kurgal's Gaze in it for Mana Cost Efficiency, or go with the default Perfect Mind Runes.

Min. requirements: +30% increased Movement Speed +80% total Resistance +100 to Maximum Mana Optional affixes: Maximum Energy Shield 100% increased effect of Socketed Items (Essence Suffix) Intelligence

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - On an Amulet, there are three main objectives: Spirit, Mana, and Gem Levels. It can make for a very pricey piece, so everything else is extra.

Min. requirements: +50 to Spirit +2 to Level of all Spell Skills Maximum Mana Optional affixes: Resistances Maximum Energy Shield increased Critical Hit Chance increased Cast Speed Anointment: Dominion Mental Perseverance

(Ring) Rare Ring - Rings need to bear the burden of fixing your Resistances, and for the Prefix, have Maximum Mana. Boost their Quality.

Min. requirements: +80% total Resistance +120 to Maximum Mana Optional affixes: increased Mana Regeneration Rate increased Cast Speed Intelligence

(Belt) Rare Belt - Belts are much like Rings: Resistances with Maximum Mana. Ingenuity or Mageblood with Silver and Diamond legacies would be better.

Min. requirements: +80% total Elemental Resistance +120 to Maximum Mana Optional affixes: Strength increased Mana Regeneration Rate (Desecrated Suffix)

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - On Body Armour, get high Energy Shield for the Eldritch Battery and Spirit. Medved's Rune also offers increased Maximum Mana or Spirit with the new Prefixes. Pick Feathered Raiment base with the Greatwolf's Rune of Willpower to shift incoming damage to Mana, if needed.

Min. requirements: 500 Energy Shield +40% total Resistance +50 to Spirit Optional affixes: Maximum Mana increased maximum Mana (Medved's Tending Prefix) #% of Damage taken Recouped as Mana (Desecrated Suffix)

(Body Armour) Cloak of Defiance - Cloak of Defiance is good if you don't have Mind over Matter allocated. You can shift 100% of the damage to be taken from Mana with it pretty easily, and suffer no downside of the Keystone.

(50-100)% increased Energy Shield +(100-150) to maximum Mana (50-100)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 50% of Damage is taken from Mana before Life

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - Jewels are for increased Damage, Critical Hit modifiers, Mana on Kill, and Cast Speed. Crit mods are the most influential.

Optional affixes: Damage Penetrates Lightning Resistance increased Spell Damage increased Cast Speed increased Elemental Damage Recover #% of Mana on Kill increased Critical Hit Chance for Spells increased Critical Spell Damage Bonus

(Jewel) Controlled Metamorphosis - Large Ring Controlled Metamorphosis socketed near the Monk's starting location lets you allocate Chakra of Thought, Kite Runner, Harmonic Generator, Conservative Casting, and For the Jugular.

Only affects Passives in (Very Small-Massive) Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-5)% to all Elemental Resistances

If you have any other build requests please leave that in the comments below. We are always open to suggestions and constructive feedback.

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