Galvanic/Lightning Arrow
Chaos Conversion
Trickster build

Updated for Patch 3.12

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Estimated budget: high

Galvanic Arrow is one of the most visually appealing Bow Attacks in the game, which combined with Barrage Support and high Attack Speed makes it deal very high AoE damage in a cone shape in front of you. This is your primary single-target DPS ability which feels like you would be firing a powerful shotgun with a massive spread. Galvanic Arrow can be played in many ways, like most of the standard Bow Attacks, but this wouldn't differ much from our Tornado Shot or Ice Shot Ranger builds, so we have decided to make it a little bit different. We have picked Trickster Ascendancy and Eternity Shroud to provide high Elemental to Chaos Conversion, which you benefit from twice, by converting Galvanic/Lightning Arrow's base Lightning Damage to Cold by using two Call of the Brotherhood Rings. If you can manage to obtain all the gear pieces which are influenced by the Shaper, you will get tons of extra added Damage and Ignore enemies' Chaos Resistance entirely. At the same time, Trickster offers second to none mobility and speed, which combined with Lightning Arrow's chain and radius, makes this one of the fastest and most efficient farming builds for a Bow character.

The only downside here is that it's quite expensive. This build requires specific Uniques, which in the best case scenario should be influenced by the Shaper. Only with full Shaper gear, you will deal enough damage against end-game Bosses to farm them efficiently, otherwise, it's just a solid Tier 15-16 Map Farming build.

You can find our other Path of Exile builds right here The Best PoE Builds by Odealo

1. Gameplay

In terms of playstyle, this is a typical ranged/bow build that utilizes two different Attacks for general clearing and single-target damage. You are going to use Galvanic Arrow which deals area damage in front of your character, which has a small radius but deals very high damage, and for general clearing/farming, you will be using Lightning Arrow which has an increased number of Projectiles, deals damage to additional targets after the first one, and Chains to additional enemies multiplying its effect. It will also create a Mirage Archer (if you are going to use the corresponding Support Gem that we strongly recommend using) allowing you to quickly progress through areas while it continuously uses the skill for a few seconds duration. For the defenses, this build offers a decent Life pool with high Dodge and Ghost Shrouds from Trickster's Ascendancy which reduces your damage taken, and grants Stun immunity (among other less significant bonuses). 

0:08 Tier 16 Chateau 0:25 Tier 16 Lair of the Hydra 0:58 Tier 16 Forge of the Phoenix 1:42 Tier 16 Siege 2:03 Tier 16 Volcano This video was recorded on a level 94 Trickster with approximately 4,500 Maximum Life and 2.33kk Shaper DPS with Galvanic Arrow. We only had 6 Shaper Items so the damage against Bosses was a bit low, but it was still possible to take down most of the content

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

Leveling with Bows is very easy as it offers great clear speed and solid damage. When you combine it with Trickster's fantastic mobility, you should be able to complete the campaign in a jiffy. Lightning Arrow offers amazing clear speed and it's pretty much all you need for this phase of the game. You can still use Galvanic Arrow as extra damage against Bosses while your Mirage Archer keeps the Lightning Arrow up. Below you will find the recommended leveling setups and several powerful Unique Items that will help you rush through the campaign. On all the other equipment you are looking to get Added Elemental Damage to Attacks, Maximum Life, Resistances, and possibly Movement Speed.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Lightning Arrow setup
	Lightning Arrow - your primary skill in this build for general clearing and killing trash enemies. It will also deal extra damage even when you are busy firing Galvanic Arrow thanks to the use of Mirage Archer Support
	Mirage Archer Support - creates a Mirage Archer on your back that will use linked Skill (Lightning Arrow in this case) with reduced damage and Attack Speed
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds high bonus Lightning Damage to linked skills
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support - greatly increases Elementa Damage dealt by linked attacks

Galvanic Arrow setup
	Galvanic Arrow - whether you use Galvanic Arrow for the leveling as well, is entirely up to you. Though it will surely offer more Boss damage and since it's one of the core abilities used here, it's recommended to level it up at least while completing the storyline
	Barrage Support - greatly increases the single-target damage of Galvanic Arrow
	Added Lightning Damage Support
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support

Utility Gems
	Summon Ice Golem - you won't be using a Golem on higher levels, but during leveling the extra Accuracy and Crit. Chance will make a difference
	Sniper's Mark - a Mark (old Curse) type of Spell which increases your Projectile Damage significantly against targeted enemy
	Herald of Thunder - adds extra Lightning Damage to your Attacks
	Herald of Ice - another Herald Spell which adds Cold Damage and causes AoE explosions when you slay frozen enemies
	Dash - the recommended Movement Skill for this build

Bandits:

We recommend killing all bandits for the additional 2 Passive Points but if your effective chance to Critically Hit is close to 100% the extra Multiplier from helping Alira may be a better option

Leveling Skill Trees:

32 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Assassination 2) Revenge of the Hunted 3) Forces of Nature 4) Herbalism

63 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) King of the Hill/Master Fletcher 2) Primeval Force 3) Lethality 4) Thick Skin 5) Far Sight

Recommended leveling items:

Storm Cloud - alongside its Fated version, this is one of the best Bows for the leveling phase when playing Lightning Arrow Trickster
No Physical Damage Adds 1 to 85 Lightning Damage (36-50)% increased Attack Speed

Prismweave - an excellent Belt that adds a ton of extra Elemental Damage to your Attacks
(12-24)% increased Global Physical Damage Adds (7-8) to (15-16) Fire Damage to Attacks Adds (5-6) to (12-14) Cold Damage to Attacks Adds 1 to (30-34) Lightning Damage to Attacks +(6-8)% to all Elemental Resistances 30% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills during any Flask Effect 10% increased Elemental Damage with Attack Skills

Karui Ward - the best Amulet for leveling with Bows
+(20-30) to Dexterity +(20-30) to Strength +100 to Accuracy Rating 30% increased Projectile Speed 10% increased Movement Speed 30% increased Projectile Damage

Goldrim - the best Helmet for leveling which grants a lot of extra Resistances
+(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)

4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

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

Notes:
Using Point Blank is optional, if you are comfortable staying in Melee range versus Bosses, it's best to use it for the extra damage, but if you are playing it safe from a distance, it's better to skip it entirely

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Swift Killer
2. Harness the Void
3. Ghost Dance
4. Escape Artist

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Solaris 6% Physical Damage Reduction if there is only one nearby Enemy; 20% chance to take 50% less Area Damage from Hits

Minor God: Soul of Garukhan +5% chance to Evade Attack Hits if you've taken a Savage Hit Recently

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Lightning Arrow (general usage and AoE DPS)
	Lightning Arrow - one of the core skills used in this build. It will fire multiple piercing projectiles, which also hit additional targets next to the initial one. This skill is used for general clearing, as it damages enemies all over your screen
	Mirage Archer Support - creates a spectral archer on your back who will use Lightning Arrow for you, however, with reduced speed and damage
	Physical to Lightning Support - allows you to convert 100% of your Physical Damage to Lightning, which is then converted to Cold by your Rings
	Chain Support - projectiles from linked skills will Chain to additional enemies greatly increasing your clear speed
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - increases the number of your Lightning Arrow's projectiles
	Inspiration Support - reduces the Mana Cost of linked Skills and grants high Elemental Damage and Crit. Chance bonus

[DPS] Galvanic Arrow (single-target)
	Galvanic Arrow - this skill offers the highest Bleeding Damage out of all skills that can be used with Bows. It's used solely for taking down Bosses so you will be fine with it firing just one projectile
	Barrage Support - supported skill fires additional projectiles in very quick succession and in a linear pattern, greatly increasing the skill's single-target damage
	Inspiration Support
	Elemental Damage with Attacks Support
	Hypothermia Support - increases your damage significantly against chilled enemies
	Physical to Lightning Support

[UTILITY] Sniper's Mark
	Sniper's Mark - a Mark Spell which greatly increases your damage with projectiles against affected targets. It's used to boost your damage against Bosses mainly

[UTILITY] Dash
	Dash - the recommended Mobility Skill. It gives you a quick way to avoid Attacks and Spells and progress through areas faster
	Second Wind Support - increases the number of Dash's Charges and increases their cooldown recovery speed

[UTILITY] Auras
	Wrath - grants a high bonus to your Lightning Damage
	Herald of Thunder - grants flat added Lightning Damage to your Spells and Attacks
	Precision - use a low-level Precision (between 4 and 10 depending on your Mana pool) which grants increased Accuracy and Critical Strike Chance
	Enlighten Support - reduces Mana Reservation cost of Supported Spells. Has to be level 2 or higher to have any effect

[UTILITY] Ensnaring Arrow
	Ensnaring Arrow - a very useful Bow Attack that slows down enemies and increases Projectile Damage they take. This Skill will be used by your Ranged Attack Totem
	Ranged Attack Totem Support - allows you to place a Totem which will use Ensnaring Arrow for you

[UTILITY]  Immortal Call
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - auto-casts Supported Spells after you take a certain amount of damage. Use a level 11 Gem here for more frequent casts
	Immortal Call - the recommended Guard Spell for this build which will greatly reduce incoming Physical and Elemental Damage. Use a level 13 Gem so that it's triggered automatically
	Increased Duration Support

5. Gear Setup

Below you will find all the recommended gear for Galvanic/Lightning Arrow Chaos Conversion Trickster. This build requires a number of specific Uniques and is best played with a full set of Shaper Items, so it doesn't leave much space for creativity. It's not exactly a budget-friendly build either if you are looking to farm high Tier Bosses, but if you just want a non-meta Map farming build - it will do the job more than fine. 

Using this opportunity, we would like to invite you to visit our Path of Exile marketplace where you can buy PoE Currency with real cash from regular players, allowing you to easily get all the best equipment for this or any other build. 

The recommended items from our list will:

1. Help you cap your Elemental Resistances 
2. Give you enough DPS and Life to start mapping successfully
3. You will save at least a couple of hours since all the item requirements are listed

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - just try getting as much Life and Resistances here as possible. It should be easy to get a Shaper-base Helmet with such affixes

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 90% Total Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: Attributes

Helmet enchantments: 15% of Galvanic Arrow Physical Damage gained as extra Lightning Damage Lightning Arrow hits 2 additional Enemies

(Weapon) Rare Bow - the BiS option in the Weapon slot. You are looking for the highest possible Physical DPS, and possibly a Shaper one. Obviously, a Shaper base will be much more expensive, so if you want to ignore Monster's Chaos Resistance entirely, you are looking to lose at least 20% of your Bow's base DPS

Min. requirements: 400 Physical DPS Optional affixes: Shaper base Critical Strike Multiplier Gain % of Elemental Damage as Chaos Damage

(Quiver) Rare Quiver - another BiS option which should grant high Maximum Life and additional DPS bonuses (there are plenty of useful affixes it can carry for this build)

Min. requirements: 90 Maximum Life 30% Elemental Damage with Attacks Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Critical Strike Chance Elemental Resistances

(Body Armour) The Eternity Shroud - build defining Item which grants tons of extra Chaos Damage per Shaper Item equipped. It has increased effect thanks to Lightning -> Cold Conversion from two Call of the Brotherhood Rings

Trigger Level 20 Glimpse of Eternity when Hit (100-150)% increased Evasion and Energy Shield +(70-100) to maximum Life +(17-23)% to Chaos Resistance Gain (3-5)% of Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage per Shaper Item Equipped Hits ignore Enemy Monster Chaos Resistance if all Equipped Items are Shaper Items

(Boots) Rare Boots - get a pair with the highest maximum defensive stats and high Movement Speed. Again, preferably a Shaper pair

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 35 Strength 25% increased Movement Speed Optional affixes: Chance to gain Elusive on Critical Strike Elemental Resistances

Boot enchantments: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently Adds 1 to 160 Lightning Damage if you haven't Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt - Stygian Vise with appropriate stats will be your best choice

Min. requirements: 90 maximum Life 25% Fire Resistance 25% Lightning Resistance 25% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Elemental Damage with Attacks Increased Damage/Elemental Damage

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - primarily focus on getting Life, Attributes and Crit multiplier on a Shaper Ring. Then you can try getting some extra DPS mods

Min. requirements: 50 maximum Life 35 Strength 35 Intelligence 30% Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: Gain % of Physical Damage as Extra Lightning Damage Elemental Damage with Attacks

Recommended Anointments: Throatseeker Snowforged Divine Wrath

(Ring) Call of the Brotherhood - you need to equip to of those for nearly 100% Lightning to Cold Damage Conversion. You can also try getting Shaper's Call of the Brotherhood Rings, but they will be among the most expensive items in this build. Also, make sure to use Catalyst on them to increase the values of Elemental affixes

+(12-16)% to Cold and Lightning Resistances +(15-25) to Intelligence (15-25)% increased Lightning Damage (30-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate 40% of Lightning Damage Converted to Cold Damage Your spells have 100% chance to Shock against Frozen Enemies

(Gloves) Rare Gloves - primarily focus defensive Stats here and extra Accuracy

Min. requirements: 70 maximum Life 80% Total Elemental Resistances 400 Accuracy Rating Optional affixes: Projectile Attack Damage Added Physical/Lightning Damage to Attacks

(Jewel) Lioneye's Fall - it has to be socketed above Acrobatics to turn all the Claw/Dagger nodes above to apply to your Bows and grant very high DPS bonuses and Leech

Melee and Melee Weapon Type modifiers in Radius are Transformed to Bow Modifiers

(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - the Jewel which increases your DPS significantly. You can get one that boosts your damage while you are affected by Wrath and/or Precision and a bunch of bonuses will work for this build

(4-6)% increased maximum Energy Shield (4-6)% increased maximum Life (4-6)% increased maximum Mana <Two or Three random aura modifiers> Recommended Aura modifiers: Gain a Flask Charge when you deal a Critical Strike while affected by Precision (40-60)% increased Attack Damage while affected by Precision +(20-30)% to Critical Strike Multiplier while affected by Precision| Gain (15-25)% of Physical Damage as Extra Lightning Damage while affected by Wrath (40-60)% increased Lightning Damage while affected by Wrath

(Jewel) Thread of Hope - another must-have Jewel in this build. You need to get one with a "Medium Ring" modifier on it. It will allow you to pick up Passives that allow you to get Frenzy and Endurance Charges and increase your damage based on the number of active Charges you have

Only affects Passives in <size> Ring Passives in Radius can be Allocated without being connected to your tree -(20-10)% to all Elemental Resistances Allocates Passives: Disciple of the Unyielding Disciple of the Slaughter Bravery Fury Bolts

(Jewel) Rare Jewels - these should provide extra Life and Damage Bonuses

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Critical Strike Multiplier (Global/with Elemental Skills) Optional affixes: Damage with Bows

(Jewel) Abyss Jewel - you should get one Abyss Jewel with a chance to gain Onslaught buff and some extra Life

Recommended affixes: Maximum Life Chance to gain Onslaught buff on kill Optional affixes: Critical Strike Multiplier Added Physical/Lightning Damage to Attacks

(Flask) Atziri's Promise - a must-have Flask for this build. It adds extra damage based on your Physical Damage and converted Lightning and Cold Damage types

+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

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Divine Life Flask of Staunching (Immunity to Bleeding) Experimenter's Quartz Flask of Warding (Curse immunity) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Adrenaline (Increased Movement Speed) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Heat (Freeze immunity)

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.