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Lightning Conduit Elementalist Starter Build

Lightning Conduit Elementalist Starter Build

Simple League Starter build based on the new Lightning Conduit spell that deals additional damage against Shocked enemies

Lightning Conduit
Elementalist Build

Updated for Patch 3.26

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Guide notes
June 30, 2025
- Adapted the Build for the new Golem Notables, gaining a significant amount of Damage and survivability
Build overview
Tags: [CASTER] [ELEMENTAL] [ES] [CRIT]

Budget: 

Defenses: 

Boss DPS:

AoE:

The Lightning Conduit is a very powerful combo Spell that consumes Shock on your Enemies to deal a massive amount of Damage. It can't Shock by itself, which means you will have to use a second Skill to apply it. It is nearly impossible to effectively automate it - the passive sources of Shock, such as Shocked Ground or Skitterbots, have a significant Cooldown on reapplying that effect. The best option for that is Orb of Storms. It creates a stationary Orb that periodically strikes nearby Enemies with Lightning Bolt, but it also triggers every time you cast a Lightning Spell in its proximity. It is slightly faster than Lightning Conduit, meaning it will always apply Shock just before the Conduit consumes it to deal Damage. The Cast Speed is always a useful modifier for Casters, but here it is especially important. It smoothens out the two-button rotation, and you can't use the Spell Echo Support, as the additional Repeat does not trigger Orb of Storm's extra Strike, and thus Lightning Conduit will have no Shock to Consume. 

The recently updated Elementalist Ascendency is a must-pick for this Skill. The Shaper of Storms now always applies at least 25% Shock with any Hit, which can very easily be scaled up to 65% with Effect of Lightning or Non-Damaging Ailments, which means over 300% More Damage for the Lightning Conduit. Of course, the Shock itself also increases the Damage taken by Enemies by 65%. The updated Liege of the Primordial also became a much more efficient route to scale your Damage. It now requires just 2 Ascendency Points instead of 4 to get the full benefits, making it much easier to approach. On top of that, the base Golem Effects are considerably stronger, and have additional bonuses such as Mana Regeneration or Global Defenses. 

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1. Gameplay

Use Orb of Storms to Shock nearby Enemies, and consume it with the Lightning Conduit. The Orb can strike over 30 times, so you don't have to refresh it very often against Bosses. To move around, use Shield Charge or Frostblink. They can also be used to Shock weaker Enemies, which saves you some time during Clearing Maps. To empower your Damage against Bosses, you should put down the Sigil of Power and apply Assassin's Mark. 


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2. Build's PROS & CONS

PROS
  • Very good Single-target Damage
  • Great Clear Speed thanks to explosions
  • Golems provide tons of early power 
  • High survivability
CONS
  • Two-button playstyle
  • Orb of Storms has a short range

 

3. Leveling tips

The leveling process is very easy and straightforward. The Lightning Conduit unlocks at level 28, but it also requires the Shaper of Storms Notable. We recommend leveling up to that point with Lightning Tendrils, which you will unlock at the very first visit in town. Even though the final Build uses Chaos Innoculation Keystone, during the Campaign, you should invest only in the maximum Life. The Energy Shield is heavily dependent on your Items and requires plenty of investments to be effective. 

Bandits:

Kill all three bandits to get one additional Passive Skill Point, or kill Alira to help with Gearing. 

Leveling Skill Trees:
31 Points Passive Tree
Pick up increases for the Lightning Spell Damage. You will also need maximum Life and a bit of Mana sustain. 

69 Points Passive Tree
Get extra Golems and start investing in Critical Strike Chance. A bit of extra maximum Life and Spell Suppression will greatly help with survivability. 


4. Final Skill Tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

110 Points Final Passive Tree (doesn't include Cluster or Unique Jewels)
120 Points Path of Building (PoB) link

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

  1. Shaper of Storms 
  2. Liege of Primordial
  3. Mastermind of Discord
  4. Heart of Destruction

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

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] Lightning Conduit Setup 
Lightning Conduit Lightning Conduit - consumes the Shock effect on all Enemies within radius to deal a massive amount of Damage based on the Shock Effect. It deals no Damage if there are no Shocks at all. 
Elemental Focus Elemental Focus Support - This spell can't inflict Shock by default, so the downside of Elemental Focus is not that impactful. However, it will hinder your Clear Speed as you won't be able to Freeze and Shatter Enemies, so it can be replaced by Innervate Support for easier content. 
Arcane Surge support Arcane Surge Support
Inspiration support Inspiration Support
Increased Critical Damage Support Increased Critical Damage Support
Added Lightning Damage support Added Lightning Damage Support
[Utility] Orb of Storms Setup 
Orb of Storms Orb of Storms - strikes nearby Enemies with Chaining Bolts that inflict heavy Shock. It triggers additional Bolts when you use Lightning Conduit within its proximity.  
Increased Critical Strikes support Increased Critical Strikes Support - your Critical Strikes inflict stronger Ailments thanks to the Critical Strike Mastery. 
Chain  support Chain Support
Unbound Ailments support Unbound Ailments Support
[UTILITY] Aura Setup
grace Grace - a very useful defensive Aura that grants you tons of Evasion Rating. 
Discipline  Discipline - another important defensive Aura, this one grants you extra Energy Shield. Keep in mind the Vaal Discipline can't be used due to the Ghost Reaver Keystone. 
Tempest Shield Tempest Shield - improves your Spell Block Chance and makes you immune to Shock.  
Herald of Ice Herald of Ice - Shattering an Enemy creates a Cold explosion that can finish the rest of the monster pack, or inflict Shock for the Lightning Conduit. You can also use the Arctic Armour for extra defense.
Enlighten Support Enlighten Support
[UTILITY] Golem Setup
Summon Flame Golem Summon Flame Golem - improves your Damage and Area of Effect. 
Stone Golem Summon Stone Golem - grants you a lot of Life Regeneration, which will be converted into Energy Shield Regeneration. 
Lightning Golem Summon Lightning Golem - massively improves your Cast Speed and Mana Regeneration. 
Ice Golem Summon Ice Golem - improves your Critical Strike Chance. At later stages, it becomes redundant and should be replaced with a defensive option. 
Stone Golem of Safeguarding Summon Stone Golem of Safeguarding - absorbs a large amount of incoming Melee Damage. 
[UTILITY] Movement Setup
Frostblink Frostblink - an instant teleport that also creates Chilling Ground that slows down nearby Enemies. 
Shield Charge Shield Charge - a fast Charge towards the targeted location. You can also use Frostblink of Wintry Blast if you have high enough Cast Speed. 
Faster Attacks Faster Attacks Support - improves the Attack Speed of your Shield Charge. Use Faster Casting Support if you use the Frostblink variant instead. 
[UTILITY] Optional Utility Setups
Assassin's Mark Assassin's Mark - a Mark that improves your Critical Strikes against the target and allows you to generate Power Charges. 
Sigil of Power Sigil of Power -  creates a Sigil on the ground that improves as you keep spending Mana while inside it. It will improve your Damage and weaken the Enemies. 


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6. Gear Setup

The Spell Caster setups are quite typical and full of Rare Items. You will need bonuses for Gem Levels, increases to your Spell Damage and Critical Strikes, as well as Cast Speed and flat Lightning Damage. There are no mandatory Unique Items here, although the extra Quality from the Ashes of the Stars provides both Damage for the Lightning Conduit, as well as the extra Utility for your Golems, Shield Charge, and Orb of Storms. For defense, you will use a mix of pure Energy Shield items and hybrid Energy Shield and Evasion bases. Doing so will allow you to retain a high amount of Energy Shield and Evade Chance while also nearly capping the Spell Suppression Chance. 

 

Stat priorities on items:

  1. Cap Elemental Resistances
  2. Attribute Requirements
  3. Energy Shield
  4. Spell Suppression
  5. Lightning Gem Levels
  6. Cast Speed
  7. Spell Damage
  8. Critical Strikes
Ancient Skull(Helmet) Rare ES Helmet - your Helmet should be a pure ES base to maximize the benefits of the Energy Shield Mastery. It can still provide a bit of Spell Suppression via the Crafting Bench.
Min. requirements:
+350 to Energy Shield
40% total Elemental Resistance
Optional affixes:
#% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Chaos Damage (Eater)
8% increased Cast Speed (Exarch)
#% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Rare Bow(Weapon) Rare Wand -  you will want increases to Lightning or Spell Damage, added Flat Lightning Damage for Spells, extra Gem Levels, Cast Speed, and Critical Strike Chance and Multiplier. 

Min. requirements:
80% increased Spell Damage
25% increased Cast Speed
80% increased Spell Critical Strike Chance
Optional affixes:
Adds # to # Lightning Damage to Spells
+1 to Level of all Lightning Spell Skill Gems
% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier
% chance to deal Double Damage

Rare Quiver(Off-hand) Rare ES Shield - you should balance the offensive and defensive modifiers to your preferences here. It can provide you tons of Energy Shield, Block Chance, and Spell Suppression, but it can also grant a lot of Damage via Gem Levels, Spell Damage, and Critical Strike Chance for Spells. 
Min. requirements:
+350 to Energy Shield
Optional affixes:
% increased Spell Damage
% increased Spell Critical Strike Chance
+1 to Level of all Lightning Spell Skill Gems
% chance to deal Double Damage
% increased Chance to Block
% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Doppelgänger Guise(Body Armour) Rare ES/Evasion Body Armour - here you will need a high amount of Energy Shield and Evasion Rating, but the Spell Suppression is also important. It can also grant you Frenzy Charges, improve your Block Chance, and shift Physical Damage to be taken as Chaos Damage, for which you are immune. 
Min. requirements:
+500 to Energy Shield
+1800 to Evasion Rating
20% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Optional affixes:
% increased Chance to Block
Elemental Resistance
% of Physical Damage from Hits taken as Chaos Damage (Eater)
Gain a Frenzy Charge every 15 seconds (Exarch)
Darkness Enthroned(Belt) Rare Belt - there are plenty of options here. You can use the Stygian Vise to get an additional Abyss Jewel or Crystal Belt for a solid amount of flat Energy Shield. For its modifiers, it can provide even more Energy Shield, Strength, cover lacking Resistance, and improve your Flasks, depending on what your Build needs the most at the given moment. 
Optional affixes:
Regenerate 150 Energy Shield per second while a Rare or Unique Enemy is Nearby
+# to maximum Energy Shield
#% increased maximum Energy Shield (Crusader Influence)
#% Elemental Resistance
+# to Strength
#% increased Flask Charges gained
#% increased Flask Effect Duration
rare gloves(Gloves) Rare ES/Eva Gloves - another defensive piece, look for high Energy Shield, Spell Suppression, and Elemental Resistance. Use Eldritch Influence to get Unnerve and Lightning Exposure. The Exposure will be overwritten by your Mercenary, but it is still useful for Clearing and Mana Sustain. 
Min. requirements:
+100 to Energy Shield
+70% to Elemental Resistances
+10% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Optional affixes:
15% chance to Unnerve Enemies for 4 seconds on Hit (Exarch)
Inflict Lightning Exposure on Hit, applying -11% to Lightning Resistance (Eater)
+# to Dexterity
rare boots(Boots) Rare Boots - those are quite similar to your Gloves, but provide even less Energy Shield, as you will have to sacrifice one Prefix to get Movement Speed. 
Min. requirements:
+100 to Energy Shield
+70% to Elemental Resistances
+25% increased Movement Speed
+10% chance to Suppress Spell Damage
Optional affixes:
#% increased Action Speed (Exarch)
#% chance to Avoid Bleeding (Eater)
+# to Dexterity
Ashes of the Stars(Amulet) Ashes of the Stars - the Quality bonus on the Lightning Conduit significantly improves your Damage based on the Shock you inflict. It will also improve the effect of your Golems and speed up your Shield Charge. 
+(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
Rare Amulet(Amulet) Rare Amulet - at first, getting Gear with Suppression while capping Resistance and fulfilling Attribute Requirements will be hard. Use a Rare Amulet to help solve those problems. 
Min. requirements:
+70% to Elemental Resistances
+1 to Level of all Lightning Skill Gems
Optional affixes:
+# to Dexterity
+# to Strength
Rare Ring(Ring) Rare Ring - the Energy Shield modifiers on your Rings are not impressive unless you add the Crusader Influence. We recommend buying a Ring with Fractured Cast Speed and using Essence of Scorn until you get one high Resistance or Attribute, and craft the Mana Cost Reduction. 
Min. requirements:
+60% to Elemental Resistances
15% increased Cast Speed
Optional affixes:
Attributes
#% increased Mana Regeneration Rate
% increased maximum Energy Shield (Crusader Influence)
Non-Channelling Skills have -(7-6) to Total Mana Cost
% to Global Critical Strike Multiplier
large cluster jewel(Jewel) Large Cluster Jewels - you can opt for the pure Damage Notables, but if you can't reliably inflict 65% Shock, you should get Notables that boost the effects of your Non-Damaging Ailments. 
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Disorienting Display
1 Added Passive Skill is Inspired Oppression
1 Added Passive Skill is Overshock
1 Added Passive Skill is Prismatic Heart
1 Added Passive Skill is Stormrider
medium cluster jewel(Jewel) Medium Cluster Jewels - here you should significantly improve your Critical Strikes and get a chance to deal Double Damage. You could also improve your Shocks here, but it is better done elsewhere.
Recommended affixes:
1 Added Passive Skill is Basics of Pain
1 Added Passive Skill is Pressure Points
watcher's eye(Jewel) Watcher's Eye - look for offensive modifiers for Wrath and Zealotry, but do not neglect the powerful defensive bonuses of the Grace Aura. Elemental Penetration is weak for this Setup. 
Recommended affixes:
(70-100)% increased Critical Strike Chance while affected by Wrath
(40-60)% increased Lightning Damage while affected by Wrath
(10-15)% increased Cast Speed while affected by Zealotry
Consecrated Ground you create while affected by Zealotry causes enemies to take (8-10)% increased Damage
(100-120)% increased Critical Strike Chance against Enemies on Consecrated Ground while affected by Zealotry
+(5-8)% chance to Evade Attack Hits while affected by Grace
+(12-15)% chance to Suppress Spell Damage while affected by Grace
Brutal Restraint(Jewel) Brutal Restraint - this Jewel adds certain modifiers to nearby Notables. The bonuses are random, but they always grant tons of Dexterity, which is useful to fulfill the requirements. 
Denoted service of (500-8000) dekhara in the akhara of (Asenath-Balbala-Nasima)
Passives in radius are Conquered by the Maraketh
Historic
Oriath's End(Flask) Oriath's End - This flask massively improves your Clear Speed by creating explosions. It should be one of your first purchases to make the Build more enjoyable, but it is not necessary for functionality. 
(20-40)% increased Charge Recovery
Enemies you Kill during Effect have a (20-30)% chance to Explode, dealing a tenth of their maximum Life as Damage of a Random Element
Bottled Faith(Flask) Bottled Faith - a very powerful offensive Flask that massively increases your Critical Strike Chance and Damage against Enemies standing on the Consecrated Ground. 
(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

Suggested Flasks:

  1. Quartz Flask with Curse Effect Reduction modifier
  2. Jade Flask with an increased Evasion Rating modifier
  3. Diamond Flask with an increased Critical Strike modifier
  4. Quicksilver Flask with an increased Movement Speed modifier
jade flaskquartz flaskOriath's EndLife FlaskQuicksilver  flask


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6. Mercenary Setup

In the Mercenaries of Trarthus League, the Mercenaries became an essential part of every Build. They require a bit of investment to stay alive in the hardest content, but it is definitely worth the effort. The Lightning Builds benefit the most out of all Archetypes, as you can trivialise the Doryani's Prototype to get massive bonuses without dealing with the downsides of this Armour. You also get the Lucky Hit Chance, which is very valuable for the wide range of Lightning Damage. 

The Mercenary of choice is the Fallen Reverend, as it can give you both offensive Auras. 

[UTILITY] Mercenary Setup
Fallen Reverend
Assassin's Mark Wrath - an offensive Aura that improves your Lightning Damage with Spells. 
Sigil of Power Zealotry -  another offensive Aura, it grants you Damage and Critical Strike Chance. If you can't find both of them at once, choose the one with matching Watcher's Eye modifiers. 

Stat priorities on Rare Items:

  1. Negative Lightning Resistance
  2. Cap Fire, Cold, and Chaos Resistance
  3. Life Regeneration Rate
  4. Maximum Life

 

Voll's Vision(Helmet) Volls Devotion - provides a massive amount of Life Regeneration, but you have to avoid using Corrupted Items. 
+(260-300) to Armour
+(26-32)% to Fire Resistance
+(8-16)% to Chaos Resistance
20% increased Light Radius
(8-12)% increased Maximum Life if no Equipped Items are Corrupted
Regenerate 400 Life per second if no Equipped Items are Corrupted
Doryani's Prototype(Body Armour) Doryani's Prototype - with this Armour your Mercenary will overwrite Enemy Lightning Resistances with his own, which you can bring down up to -200%. Thanks to the hidden Damage Reduction of the Mercenaries, it doesn't put them at risk of dying to Lightning Damage at all. 
(150-200)% increased Armour and Energy Shield
+(60-90) to maximum Life
Deal no Non-Lightning Damage
Armour also applies to Lightning Damage taken from Hits
Lightning Resistance does not affect Lightning Damage taken
Nearby Enemies have Lightning Resistance equal to yours
Perquil's Toe(Amulet) Perquil's Toe - this Amulet makes your Hits Lucky, which is very powerful for the Lightning Archetypes.
(12-20)% increased Rarity of Items found
+(40-50) to Dexterity
(5-8)% increased Movement Speed
Lightning Damage of Enemies Hitting you is Lucky
Nearby Allies' Damage with Hits is Lucky
Immortal Flesh(Belt) Immortal Flesh - another powerful source of Life Regeneration. It also lowers all Elemental Resistances, which in this case is a benefit as it will contribute towards the Doryani's Prototype.
+(25-40) to maximum Life
+(75-100) to maximum Life
Regenerate (200-350) Life per second
Regenerate (8-10) Mana per second
-(25-15)% to all Elemental Resistances
-(50-40) Physical Damage taken from Attack Hits
40% increased Armour while not Ignited, Frozen or Shocked
Immortal Flesh(Rings) Rare Rings - with the special Mirrored Jewellery, you can lower the Mercenary's Resistance down to -200%. Achieving that amount will be expensive; you should start with lower rolls to ensure your Mercenary can stay alive. 
Min. requirements:
-30% to Lightning Resistance
Optional affixes:
Fire, Cold, and Chaos Resistance
Maximum Life

 

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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