Ball Lightning of Static Poet's Pen
Saboteur Build

Created for Patch 3.24

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The Ball Lightning of Static creates a stationary Orb that deals Lightning Damage in a large area around it. It has a fixed Duration of 2 seconds, which can't be modified. It is limited by a Cooldown of 1,5 seconds but can store up to 3 Charges. On top of that it cannot interact with popular Support Gems such as Spell Totem, Spell Echo, or Archmage. In return, it deals very good Damage and doesn't require any investments in Cast Speed.

When combined with the Sabouteur's Triggerbot you will Trigger 2 Ball Lightnings at once, while consuming only one Charge. You can also greatly benefit from the Cooldown Recovery Rate and various bonuses against Enemies affected by Elemental Ailments. The usual CoC setup is not very feasible here, as the Cooldown is still too long, but you can use the Poet's Pen and Squire to Trigger Ball Lightning with your Attacks. Since you will deal Lightning Damage, the Inpulsa Body Armour is an excellent choice to greatly improve your Clear Speed, although it is not required. 

Your main defense comes from powerful Blind Aura, high Evasion and Spell Suppression chance, and the Petrified Blood that delays the Damage you take from Hits, which makes your Life Leech much more powerful. Your fast Movement Speed and convenient playstyle of static Ball Lightning are also very safe. 

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1. Gameplay

Use Frenzy to Trigger your Ball Lightning of Static. You will automatically apply Assassin's Mark with your Attacks, but you can also cast the Conductivity against stronger Enemies. You should also use the Divine Blessing with an Aura for a temporary boost. For Movement, you will have a very fast Shield Charge and instant Frostblink at your disposal. 

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

You can start using this setup at the level 28 onwards. To complete the first steps of the campaign we recommend using any Lightning Spell combination to your liking. You can check out our Templar Leveling Guide for PoE using Lightning Spells which shares a lot of similarities with the Shadow leveling. 

Bandits:

Killing all Bandits for 2 bonus Skill Points is the best option, although you can help Alira to get Resistance, Mana Regeneration, and Critical Strike Multiplier boost in the early game. 

Leveling Skill Trees:
35 Points Passive Tree

Pick up nearby Life, Critical Strike, and Elemental Spell Damage Notables. One Mana Notable will also greatly help with your sustain.

78 Points Passive Tree
Aim towards the Crit and Lightning Damage Notables. Pick Pain Attunement once you acquire the Petrified Blood Aura. 

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

119 Points Final Skill Tree (doesn't include Unique or Cluster Jewels)
121 Points Path of Building(PoB) link 

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in the order:

1. Like Clockwork
2. Born in the Shadows
3. Perfect Crime 
4. Explosive Expert

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of the Brine King: You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds; 100% chance to Avoid being Frozen

Minor God: Soul of Ralakesh: 25% reduced Physical Damage over Time taken while moving; Moving while Bleeding doesn't cause you to take extra Damage

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Ball Lightning of Static setup Socket in the Poet's Pen + The Squire
	Ball Lightning of Static - creates a stationary Ball of Lightning that Hits 13 times over the duration of 2 seconds. Additional Quality lowers the Cooldown.
	Added Lightning Damage Support - improves the Lightning Damage to your Spells. The Awakened version also improves the Gem Level of your Lightning Spells.
	Lightning Penetration Support - causes linked Skills to Penetrate Lightning Resistance. The Awakened version grants you a chance to inflict Lightning Exposure on Hit.
	Hypothermia Support - improves your Damage against Chilled Enemies.
	Increased Critical Damage Support - greatly boosts your Critical Strike Multiplier.
	Increased Critical Strikes Support - it greatly improves your chance to deal a Critical Strike.

[UTILITY] Frenzy setup
	Frenzy - a Wand Attack that generates a Frenzy Charge on Hit. It is used to Trigger your Ball Lightning of Static socketed in the Poet's Pen.
	Shield Charge - it is your Movement Skill. It Attacks with the Shield, so it doesn't Trigger the Poet's Pen.
	Faster Attacks Support - improves your Attack Speed with Frenzy and Shield Charge.
	Culling Strike Support - Hitting enemies under 10% of their maximum Life will instantly kill them.

[UTILITY] Auras setup
	Petrified Blood - delays a big portion of the incoming Damage to be taken over 4 seconds, and locks your Recovery up to a threshold. It also enables the Pain Attunement Keystone.
	Grace - your main defensive Aura, it grants you a lot of Evasion Rating and helps scale it further.
	Zealotry - it greatly improves your Spell Damage and Critical Strike Chance. You can also use the Purity of Elements for an easier gearing process.
	Enlighten Support - you will need this Support to use all Auras listed here.
	Precision - it slightly improves your Critical Stike Chance and enables the Watcher's Eye modifiers. Keep it at a low level to lower the Mana Reservation Cost.

[UTILITY] Mark setup
	Assassin's Mark - a Curse that increases your Critical Strike Chance and Damage against Marked Enemies.
	Mark on Hit Support - with this Support you will automatically apply linked Mark with any of your Attacks.

[UTILITY] Blessing setup
	Wrath - an offensive Aura that improves your Lightning Damage with Spells.
	Divine Blessing Support - converts your permanent Aura into a temporary Blessing which you can Cast using your Energy Shield.
	Inspiration Support - lowers the Mana Cost of your Blessing.

[UTILITY] Various Utility Skills
	Frostblink - an instant Blink Skill that can be used without interrupting your other actions to quickly dodge incoming thread or move around faster.
	Steelskin - creates a protective Buff that absorbs part of the incoming Damage and disables the Bleeding effect. You can link it with the Cast When Damage Taken Support or Automation.
	Conductivity - your second Curse that lowers the Lightning Resistance of affected Enemies.

5. Gear Setup

The Build uses Poet's Pen to Trigger your main Skill. The Squire is not needed for functionality, but it is a massive Damage bonus as it allows you to use 3 more Support Gems. The Ashes of the Stars is also very powerful, as it lowers your main Cooldown quite substantially, but again, it is not required right from the start. On your Rare Items, you will need a lot of maximum Life, Elemental Resistance, and Strength for the Gem Requirements. You will also need Spell Suppression, Mana Reservation Efficiency, and a bit of Energy Shield. To scale your Damage you should aim for Critical Strike Multiplier, Lightning Spell Damage, and Cooldown Recovery Rate. As opposed to CoC setups, you don't need Accuracy or optimal Attack Speed. 

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - aim for a Helmet with high maximum Life, Spell Suppression, Mana Reservation Efficiency, and possibly an empty Prefix to craft the Physical Damage mitigation via Crafting Bench. You can also get those modifiers via Eldritch Implicits.

Min. requirements: +10% chance to Suppress Spell Damage +70 to maximum Life 10% increased Mana Reservation Efficiency of Skills 6% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Elemental Damage Optional affixes: Elemental Resistance Attribute

(Weapon) Poet's Pen - with this Wand, you will Trigger socketed Spell every time you perform an Attack. Thanks to the Perfect Crime Notable you will Trigger two Ball Lightnings instead of one.

(11-15)% increased Spell Damage +1 to Level of Socketed Skill Gems per 25 Player Levels Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Attack with this Weapon, with a 0.25 second Cooldown Adds 3 to 5 Physical Damage to Attacks with this Weapon per 3 Player Levels (8-12)% increased Attack Speed

(Weapon) The Squire - the Support Gems socketed here will apply to your Main Setup socketed in the Poet's Pen. It is very useful, but not necessary for Build functionality right from the start.

Has 3 Sockets All Sockets are White +(5-8)% to Quality of Socketed Support Gems Socketed Support Gems can also Support Skills from your Main Hand (100-150)% increased Armour and Evasion +(3-5)% Chance to Block

(Body Armour) Inpulsa's Broken Heart - it greatly improves your Clear Speed by exploding all Shocked Enemies, but the explosion itself cannot Shock. It also grants you plenty of Life, Damage, and immunity to Shock.

+(60-80) to maximum Life (20-50)% increased Damage if you have Shocked an Enemy Recently (15-25)% increased Effect of Shock Shocked Enemies you Kill Explode, dealing 5% of their Life as Lightning Damage which cannot Shock Unaffected by Shock

(Amulet) Ashes of the Stars - it is the best Amulet to choose as it greatly improves your Cooldown Recovery Rate, and increases all Gem Levels by 1. It can be quite expensive at first.

(+(10-16) to all Attributes (5-10)% increased Experience Gain of Gems +1 to Level of all Skill Gems +(20-30)% to Quality of all Skill Gems

(Amulet) Replica Dragonfang's Flight - alternatively you can use this Amulet to boost the Gem Level of your Ball Lightning by 3. It also improves your Reservation Efficiency and grants plenty of Attributes.

+(10-16) to all Attributes +3 to Level of all <Random Skill> Gems +(5-10)% to all Elemental Resistances (5-10)% increased Reservation Efficiency of Skills Items and Gems have (10-5)% reduced Attribute Requirements

(Boots) Rare Boots - on your Rare Boots you should aim for defensive bonuses, but it can also boost your offense indirectly. Look for high maximum Life, Spell Suppression, and Movement Speed. To boost your Damage try to get a Cooldown Recovery Rate and increase the Effect of non-damaging Ailments.

Min. requirements: 20% Movement Speed +70 to maximum Life +50% total Resistance 5% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate (Eater of Worlds) Optional affixes: % chance to gain Onslaught for 4 seconds on Kill Attributes % increased Effect of non-damaging Ailments % increased Cooldown Recovery Rate (Shaper/Crusader)

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - here try to get the usual Life, Suppression, and Elemental Resistances. At a higher budget, you can also include bonuses to your Damage. Use Eldritch Influence to apply Unnerve and get Life Leech.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life 60% total Elemental Resistance Optional affixes: % increased Damage against Chilled Enemies % chance to Unnerve Enemies on Hit % of Lightning Damage Leeched as Life % increased Damage while Leeching

(Belt) Rare Belt - use Stygian Vise to get additional Abyss Jewel. On the Belt itself, you should aim for maximum Life, Strength, Flask modifiers, and lacking Resistances. You can add a lot of Cooldown Recovery Rate via Crafting Bench.

Min. requirements: +70 to maximum Life 60% total Resistance 10% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate Optional affixes: % increased Flask Charges gained % reduced Flask Charged used % increased Damage against Chilled Enemies % increased Life

(Ring) Mark of the Shaper - this Ring will greatly improve your Spell Damage, but your other Ring has to have relevant Influence. You can boost it further with Imbued Catalysts.

(15-25)% increased Elemental Damage 20% chance to Trigger Level 20 Summon Volatile Anomaly on Kill Adds (13-18) to (50-56) Lightning Damage to Spells (6-10)% increased maximum Energy Shield (6-10)% increased maximum Life (60-80)% increased Spell Damage if your other Ring is an Elder Item Cannot be Stunned by Spells if your other Ring is a Shaper Item

(Ring) Call of the Void - it is a great defensive choice, you will greatly slow and reduce the Damage of all Enemies you Hit. It also has the Shaper and Elder Influence types, so you will get both bonuses from the Mark of the Shaper.

+(20-30)% to Cold Resistance +(20-30)% to Cold Resistance All Damage with Hits can Chill All Damage Taken from Hits can Chill you Enemies Chilled by your Hits can be Shattered as though Frozen Enemies Chilled by your Hits lessen their Damage dealt by half of Chill Effect

(Ring) Rare Ring - you can also use a Rare Ring with Elder Influence. You should look for bonuses to your Life, Resistances, Attributes, and Critical Strike Multiplier or Lightning Damage, which you can get via Essences.

Min. requirements: +50 to Maximum Life 70% total Resistance Has Elder Influence Optional affixes: Attributes % increased Lightning Damage Critical Strike Multiplier

(Jewel) Brutal Restraint - this Jewel adds extra bonuses to nearby Notables you will pick anyway. You should look for one that grants bonuses to Critical Strikes, Elemental Damage, and Flask Sustain. The Keystone it provides is irrelevant here.

Denoted service of (500-8000) dekhara in the akhara of (Asenath-Balbala-Nasima) Passives in radius are Conquered by the Maraketh Historic

(Jewel) Abyss Jewel - use the Abyss Jewel to add flat Cold and Fire Damage to your Spells, so you can easily benefit from the Explosive Expert Notable. It should also improve your maximum Life, or cover lacking Resistances and Attributes.

Min. requirements: +30 to maximum Life Optional affixes: % chance to gain Phasing for 4 seconds on Kill Global Critical Strike Multiplier Cooldown Recovery Rate Adds Cold/Fire Damage to Spells Elemental and Chaos Resistance Attributes

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - on the regular Rare Jewels you should focus on the Critical Strike Multiplier, maximum Life, or get lacking Resistances and Attributes.

Recommended affixes: Global Critical Strike Multiplier Critical Strike Multiplier with Spells Critical Strike Multiplier with Lightning/Elemental Skills % increased maximum Life Elemental Resistances Attributes

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - There are a lot of modifiers you could make use of in this setup. To boost your Damage you should look for bonuses for your Wrath and Zealotry.

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended modifiers:  Critical Strikes Penetrate (8-10)% of Enemy Elemental Resistances while affected by Zealotry +(30-50)% to Chaos Resistance while affected by Purity of Elements +(12-15)% chance to Suppress Spell Damage while affected by Grace Gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike while affected by Precision

(Flask) Bottled Faith - a very good offensive Flask that creates a Consecrated Ground upon use, and greatly improves your Damage and Critical Strike Chance against Enemies standing on it.

(30-15)% reduced Duration Consecrated Ground created by this Flask has Tripled Radius Consecrated Ground created during Effect applies (7-10)% increased Damage taken to Enemies (100-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground during Effect

(Flask) Taste of Hate  - you can improve your Cold and Physical Damage mitigation with this Flask. You should have good Flask sustain, but using it to cap Cold Resistances might be still risky.

(10-15)% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Cold Damage during Effect Gain (10-15)% of Physical Damage as Extra Cold Damage during effect 30% chance to Avoid being Chilled during Effect 30% chance to Avoid being Frozen during Effect

Other suggested Flasks: Life Flask with Bleeding Removal Quicksilver Flask with Critical Strike Chance bonus Jade Flask with Evasion Rating bonus

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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