Archmage Spark
Stormweaver Build

Updated for Path of Exile 2 Early Access

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The Archmage is a Skill that reserves a large amount of Spirit to empower your Spells with an extra 6% Lightning Damage per 100 maximum Mana you have. The goal here is to obtain as much Mana as possible. At merely 2000 maximum Mana you will gain 120% Extra Lightning Damage which doubles your Damage output, but with better Items, you can quite easily reach over 4000 Mana. The Extra Damage scales from your base Damage, so you will also want the regular bonuses like Spell Damage or additional Gem Levels. 

The Spark is the best Skill to use as it can cover large areas everywhere with fast Projectiles. Those Projectiles can bounce off of walls, which makes them extremely potent in small arenas or corridors, as after bouncing they can Hit the same Enemy again. 

On top of that, you can use the Mana Tempest and Sigil of Power to massively empower your Spells as long as you remain inside their effects. They add a great amount of Damage to your Spells and depend on your maximum Mana just as well. 

The Build uses Eldritch Battery Keystone to convert all your base Energy Shield into Mana, yet its main form of defense is also Energy Shield. This is possible as the modifiers that grant you Extra Energy Shield from your Mana and Life granted by Atziri's Disdain Helmet and The Everlasting Gaze bypass the Eldritch Battery conversion. Without those Uniques, you should avoid that Keystone. You will have slightly less Damage, but a lot more defense. You will also need the Mind over Matter Keystone which causes your Mana to protect your Life if any Damage goes through the Energy Shield.

The Stormweaver Ascendency grants you a permanent Arcane Surge Buff and greatly increases its Effect. It grants you a lot of Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration. The other Notables of this Ascendency enhance your Lightning Exposure, which allows you to lower the Resistance of your Enemies by 80%. 

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1. Gameplay

You will be mainly using Spark as your primary ability. Against Bosses, you should use Mana Tempest and Sigil of Power to enhance your Damage, and Orb of Storms and Conductivity to greatly reduce the defenses of your Enemies. Your primary defense is Energy Shield.

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

The main gameplay style doesn't change much during leveling. You can start using Spark very early on and successfully use it during the entire campaign. The main difference is Passive Tree - the Archmage requires level 58 to use, so you will have no benefit from Mana at first. You should focus on generic bonuses to Lightning and Elemental Spell Damage bonuses instead. 

[DPS] Spark setup
	Spark - you can start using your main Skill very early into the campaign. It releases Lightning Projectiles that Damage Enemies on their way.
	Arcane Tempo - increases your Cast Speed.
	Acceleration - makes your Projectiles faster, increasing their area coverage and a chance to Hit Enemies after chaining from terrain.
	Persistence - makes your Projectiles last longer.

[DPS] Orb of Storms setup
	Orb of Storms - creates an Orb that fires Lightning beams at nearby Enemies when you use a Lightning Spell.
	Overabundance - allows you to summon two Orbs at the same time.
	Controlled Destruction - increases the Damage of your Orb but disables Critical Strikes.

[Utility] Mana Tempest setup
	Mana Tempest - creates a storm that empowers your Spells with Extra Damage.
	Premeditation - increases the Damage of Spells affected by Mana Tempest.

[Utility] Conductivity setup
	Conductivity - a Curse that lowers the Lightning Resistance of your Enemies.
	Focused Curse - increases the effect of your Curse.

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

118 Points Final Passive Tree 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in this order:

1. Constant Gale
2. Force of Will
3. Scouring Winds
4. Strike Twice

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Spark setup
	Spark - fires multiple Lightning Projectiles that travel in random directions, Damaging Enemies upon contact.
	Arcane Tempo - increases your Cast Speed.
	Acceleration - makes your Projectiles faster, increasing their area coverage and a chance to Hit Enemies after chaining from terrain.
	Persistence - makes your Projectiles last longer.
	Rising Tempest - improves your Elemental Damage. You can wave in Cold or Fire Spells to increase the effectiveness of this Skill, but it is not necessary.
	Inspiration - lowers the Mana Cost of your Skills.

[DPS] Orb of Storms setup
	Orb of Storms - in the later stages of the game the Damage dealt by this Skill becomes insignificant, but it works great as a Utility Skill.
	Lightning Exposure - lowers the Damage of linked Skill but allows you to apply Lightning Exposure.
	Strip Away - further enhances the effect of your Exposure.
	Font of Mana - standing near the Orb will improve your Mana Regeneration Rate.

[UTILITY] Mana Tempest setup
	Mana Tempest - creates a storm that empowers your Spells with Extra Damage but drains your Mana at accelerating tempo.
	Premeditation - increases the Damage of Spells affected by Mana Tempest.
	Murderous Intent - Spells empowered by Mana Tempest will also Cull Enemies.

[UTILITY] Sigil of Power setup
	Sigil of Power - places a Rune on the ground that grants you extra Damage when you spend enough Mana. This Skill can only be obtained from Staffs which you can use on your second Weapon Set.
	Magnified Effect - increases the AoE of the Skill.

[UTILITY] Archmage setup
	Archmage - the main focus of this Build, it adds Extra Lightning Damage to your Spells depending on your maximum Mana.
	Lightning Mastery - increases the level of your Achmage Skill. It may grant you an additional 1% Extra Damage per 100 Mana.

6. Gear Setup

The Gearing process is very easy and straightforward. You will want to stack as much Mana and Energy Shield as possible to power up the Archmage. To improve the Damage you should aim for bonuses to Lightning Gem Levels, Spell Damage, and Cast Speed. Mana Regeneration Rate is also very important, as your Mana Cost will ramp up very quickly. The Intelligence grants Mana, but getting more than 205 for Attribute Requirements is not worth it. For defense, you only need Elemental Resistance and as much Energy Shield as possible. At first, it will be your main form of defense, but later on, you will convert ES into Mana to gain more Damage. 

(Weapon) Rare Wand - the Archmage grants a lot of Extra Damage, which is based on the initial base Damage of your Spells. Look for bonuses to Lightning Gem Levels, Cast Speed, and Spell Damage. You won't need the Sigil of Power Skill on your main Wand - you can use a Weapon Swap for that.

Min. requirements: +3 to level of all Lightning Spell Skills 70% increased Spell Damage 25% increased Cast Speed Optional affixes: +# to maximum Mana #% increased Mana Regeneration Rate

(Shield) Rare Shield - use a Shield with a high Block Chance and a huge amount of Elemental Resistance. It allows you to get more valuable modifiers on your other Gear pieces.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life +15% increased Attack Speed Optional affixes: Adds # to # Damage to Attacks  Elemental Resistance +# to Critical Strike Chance +#% increased Critical Strike Bonus

(Amulet) The Everlasting Gaze - This Amulet is very important to increase your maximum Mana, as it allows you to pick up the Eldritch Battery Keystone. It will be your only source of Energy Shield, as the Extra Energy Shield bypasses the Keystone.

(20–30)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +50 to maximum Mana 50% increased Mana Regeneration Rate Gain (20–30)% of Maximum Mana as Extra Maximum Energy Shield

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - you can start by using a Rare Amulet with bonuses to Lighting Gem Levels, Cast Speed, maximum Mana, and Resistance. Don't spend too much Currency on it, as you will want to use a Unique Amulet anyway.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Mana +15% increased Cast Speed +50% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: #% increased Mana Regeneration Rate

(Belt) Midnight Braid - it is not mandatory, but greatly helps with the Mana Recovery after getting Hit. It will recover 50% of the incoming Damage as Mana, over 8 seconds.

(20–30)% increased Life Recovery from Flasks +(30–50) to maximum Mana +(5–10)% to all Elemental Resistances 50% of Damage taken Recouped as Mana

(Helmet) Atziri's Disdain - another great source of Extra Energy Shield. With the Mind over Matter Keystone the Damage will be taken by Mana instead of Life, so bypassing Energy Shield is not a problem. Later on, you should use a Rare Helmet instead.

+(40–60) to maximum Mana (10–20)% increased Rarity of Items found (20–25)% of Damage taken bypasses Energy Shield Gain (25–30)% of Maximum Life as Extra Maximum Energy Shield

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - with better equipment you will have enough Energy Shield to use a Rare Helmet that grants you more Mana and Elemental Resistance.

Min. requirements: +150 to Energy Shield +100 to maximum Mana +50% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: +# to Intelligence

(Body Armour) Rare Armour - the Body Armour is the biggest source of flat Mana and Energy Shield. It should also provide some Elemental Resistance and Attributes if possible.

Min. requirements: +500 to Energy Shield +100 to maximum Mana Optional affixes: +50% total Elemental Resistance

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - here you can get a bit of Energy Shield and tons of Mana, Elemental Resistances, or Attributes.

Min. requirements: +100 to Energy Shield +150 to maximum Mana +50% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: +# to Intelligence

(Boots) Rare Boots - you should never use Boots that provide less than 30% Movement Speed. Other than that, look for Energy Shield, Mana, and Resistance.

Min. requirements: +50 to Energy Shield 30% Movement Speed +100 to maximum Mana +50% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: +# to Intelligence

(Ring) Rare Rings - on your Rings, you should get a bit of Cast Speed, Mana, and Energy Shield. You can also get the Mana Regeneration Rate.

Min. requirements: +20% increased Cast Speed +100 to maximum Mana +50% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: #% increased Mana Regeneration Rate

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