Shock Nova
Shocking Elementalist Build

Updated for Patch 3.6

The Best Crafty Guides by Odealo

Estimated budget: mediocre

Shock Nova in patch 3.6 received probably one of the highest buffs to damage and damage effectiveness, which makes this skill one of the most powerful for spellcasters currently. Shock Nova has great clear speed and single target damage, thanks to rings of Lightning Damage overlapping on a single target with the right placement. If damage from Shock Nova will not be enough, we have also Lightning Spire setup, which can melt endgame bosses in a matter of seconds. The Mastermind of Discord will penetrate Lightning Resistances of the hardest bosses in the game and Beacon of Ruin will increase the damage they receive by a ton. If you want even more clear speed, then investing in Inpulsa's Broken Heart is your best bet. 

You can also check our other Path of Exile builds: Odealo's Crafty Guides - Full List

1. Gameplay

Insane Lightning Nova explosions all around you make this build very enjoyable to play. Running into huge packs of monsters and sending deadly Lightning ring around you, killing them with one hit is probably the most satisfying feeling our team had with any build we tested. When engaging into a boss fight, place all Lightning Spire Traps underneath the boss, so all their hits can overlap.

0:06 Tier 15 Defiled Cathedral 0:27 Tier 14 Racecourse 0:59 Tier 14 Sunken City 1:24 Tier 16 Lair of the Hydra 1:56 Tier 16 Forge of the Phoenix This video was recorded on a level 90 Elementalist on Standard mode

2. Build's PROS & CONS

3. Leveling tips

For leveling, we are going to use Arc, because Shock Nova starts dealing insane damage in the endgame, when we reach the maps and have most of the skill tree. Nothing to worry about, because all supported gems that will be linked to Arc are also being used in endgame version of the build. You should buy Shock Nova and Lightning Spire Trap and level it in the offhand, so it will be ready when you reach maps.

Suggested leveling Gem setups:

Arc setup
	Arc - great Lightning leveling spell
	Added Lightning Damage Support - adds a lot of Lightning Damage
	Increase Critical Strikes Support - increases your chance to Critical Strike with Arc

Lightning Spire Trap setup
	Lightning Spire Trap - it's your single target skill, that will be also used in endgame build with all linked gems. Get it as soon as you hit level 28
	Faster Casting Support - definitely the best gem for Trap. While it might not be noticeable in Path of Building or tooltip DPS, it is highest Damage boost, because it increases Lightning Strikes frequency
	Trap and Mine Damage Support - increases Trap Damage by a lot

Utility Gems
	Summon Ice Golem - the recommended Golem for this build which increases your Critical Strike Chance
	Conductivity - perfect Curse for our build because it lowers Lightning Resistance of cursed enemies
	Herald of Thunder - very good leveling Aura, that will grant additional Lightning Damage and strikes nearby enemies with Lightning Bolts

Flame Dash setup
	Flame Dash - recommended mobility skill
	Faster Casting - increased casting and movement speed of Flame Dash

Bandits:

We recommend helping Alira for increased Critical Strike Multiplier and Elemental Resistances or killing all Bandits if you prefer to get 2 additional Skill Points

Leveling Skill Trees:

34 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Heart and Soul 2) Lightning Walker 3) Cruel Preparation 4) Blast Radius 5) Throatseeker 6) Crackling Speed

64 Points Skill Tree
Priorities: 1) Doom Cast 2) Blood Drinker 3) Resourcefulness 4) Coordination 5) Elemental Focus

Recommended leveling items:

Malachai's Simula - great leveling Helmet for Lightning Builds. If you wear it then you should not use any Aura for leveling
(15-30)% increased Spell Damage +20 to Strength (20-30)% increased Lightning Damage +10% to Lightning Resistance Blood Magic

Wanderlust - great leveling boots that you can use since level 1, providing a lot of Movement Speed and immunity to Freeze
+5 to Dexterity (20-40)% increased Mana Regeneration Rate +(10-20) to maximum Energy Shield 20% increased Movement Speed Cannot be Frozen

Stone of Lazhwar - grants a lot of Chance to Block Spell Damage and Cast Speed, which increases both Arc and Lightning Spire Trap Damage
(12-15)% Chance to Block Spell Damage (10-15)% increased Cast Speed +(30-50) to maximum Mana

Le Heup of All - perfect choice for the whole leveling process, it's recommended to use it on both ring slots

(10-30)% increased Damage +(10-30) to all Attributes (10-30)% increased Rarity of Items found +(10-30)% to all Elemental Resistances

Axiom Perpetuum - best leveling weapon in the game for spellcasters. A lot of Additional Damage to Spells and an insane amount of Critical Strike Chance for them. It's recommended to dual-wield them
(4-6)% increased Cast Speed (100-140)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Fire Damage to Spells Adds (2-3) to (5-6) Cold Damage to Spells Adds 1 to (10-12) Lightning Damage to Spells

4. Final Skill tree, Ascendancy Points, and Pantheon

Final Skill Tree:

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

Ascendancy points:

Preferably in that order:

1. Pendulum of Destruction
2. Mastermind of Discord
3. Shaper of Desolation
4. Beacon of Ruin

Pantheon:

Major God: Soul of Bring King You cannot be Stunned if you've been Stunned or Blocked a Stunning Hit in the past 2 seconds 

Minor God: Soul of Gruthkul 1% additional Physical Damage Reduction for each Hit you've taken Recently up to a maximum of 5%

5. Final Gems links

[DPS] Shock Nova setup
	Shock Nova - your main skill for clearing Maps and dealing AoE Damage. It's perfect to use it on Bosses as well
	Increased Critical Strikes Support
	Spell Echo - this support gem repeat each cast of Shock Nova for an additional time
	Concentrated Effect Support - increase Area Damage of your Shock Nova by a huge amount, at the expense of slightly decreased AoE
	Lightning Penetration Support - your enemies have lower Resistances versus Shock Nova
	Controlled Destruction Support - huge DPS increase that comes at the cost of slightly reduced Critical Strike Chance

[DPS] Lightning Spire Trap setup (Gloves Only)
	Lightning Spire Trap - it's your primary single-target DPS skill. Use it against Bosses and tough Rare Enemies. Try to cast all the Traps directly on the enemy for highest DPS
	Added Lightning Damage Support
	Faster Casting - increases frequency of which your Lightning Spire Trap cast projectilas
	Trap and Mine Damage Support - replace it with Increased Area of Effect if you have required Support affix on Gloves
Optional gem options (these are only used if you are wearing recommended Shaper's Gloves):
	Increased Area of Effect Support - increases Lightning Beams AoE, making them overlap each other, striking Bosses with all 3 of them at the same time
	Controlled Destruction Support

[CURSE/DEFENSE] Conductivity and Immortal Call setup
	Conductivity - main Curse, which reduces enemies' Lightning Resistance. Will be cast automatically thanks to Cast when Damage Taken Gem. Keep it at level 5
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will automatically cast Immortal Call and Conductivity after receiving enough damage
	Immortal Call - grants Physical Damage immunity for a short period of time
	Increased Duration Support - increases the duration of Immortal Call buff and your Curse

[AURA] Wrath (Socketed in Essence Worm only)
	Wrath - increases Lightning Damage. Socket it only in Essence Worm if you have it

[UTILITY] Herald of Thunder
	Herald of Thunder - since we are Elementalist, it would be a sin to not use best Herald for Lightning damage build

[UTILITY] Ball Lightning Power Charge Generation setup
	Baal Lightning - it will be cast automatically thanks to Cast when Damage Taken. Keep it at level 4
	Cast when Damage Taken Support - will auto-cast supported spells after a certain amount of damage is taken by your character. Do not upgrade it above level 1
	Power Charge on Critical Support - it will generate Power Charges when you Critically Strike with Ball Lightning
	Greater Multiple Projectiles Support - will increase the number of Ball Lightning projectiles

[MOVEMENT/UTILITY] Flame Dash setup
	Flame Dash - recommended mobility skill
	Faster Casting - increased casting and movement speed of Flame Dash
	Arcane Surge - after casting Flame Dash it will grant Arcane Surge buff, which increases Spell Damage

5. Gear Setup

This Shock Nova is one of the cheaper builds, with no required uniques. If you are using Choir of the Storm or The Wise Oak invest the most into Lightning Resistance for higher DPS. Below you will find all the recommended gear. If you would like to have the end-game items also added here please let us know in the comments below. 

If you are looking for cheap PoE Currency, we would love to invite you to visit our PoE Market section that can be accessed via the menu bar on top of the page.

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

(Helmet) Rare Helmet - this is our best choice for fixing both Elemental Resistances and Dexterity requirements

Min. requirements: 30 to Dexterity 70 to maximum Life 30% to Fire Resistance 35% to Lightning Resistance

Helmet enchantments: Lightning Spire Trap strikes an additional area Increased Shock Nova Area of Effect Increased Shock Nova Damage

(Weapon) Rare Wand - definitely the best in the slot for this build. If you want maximum DPS, feel free to dual-wield them. Otherwise, use it in your main hand only

Min. requirements: 80% increased Spell Damage Adds 6 to 90 Lightning Damage to Spells 80% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed Global Critical Strike Multiplier increased Lightning Damage

(Shield) Rare Shield - shield will provide a lot of Life and additional Cast Speed and Spell Damage

Min. requirements: 50% increased Spell Damage 80 to maximum Life 12% to all Elemental Resistances Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells

(Body Armour) Inpulsa's Broken Heart - all-around best Armour for this build. Increases clear speed thanks to explosions, Damage for all our Spells and effect of Shock which scales your damage up

+(60-80) to maximum Life (20-50)% increased Damage if you have Shocked an Enemy Recently (25-40)% increased Effect of Shock Shocked Enemies you Kill Explode, dealing 5% of their Maximum Life as Lightning Damage which cannot Shock Unaffected by Shock

(Body Armour) Rare Body Armour - basically any armour will do, just try to get with the highest Life and Elemental Resistances

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 29% Fire Resistance 29% Lightning Resistance 40% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Dexterity

(Amulet) Rare Amulet - with the stats listed, it will be a great boost for your DPS

Min. requirements: 60 maximum Life 20% increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier 15% increased Spell Damage 20 All Attributes Optional affixes: Increased Global Critical Strike Chance Attributes

(Amulet) Choir of the Storm - insane amulet for this build. It will immensely increase your DPS and with very high Critical Strike Chance it will shot Lightning Bolts all the time

(10-20)% increased maximum Mana Critical Strike Chance is increased by Lightning Resistance 50% increased Lightning Damage Trigger Level 20 Lightning Bolt when you deal a Critical Strike

(Ring) Essence Worm - perfect Ring to socket Warth Aura

Has 1 Socket +2 to Level of Socketed Aura Gems Socketed Gems Reserve No Mana 40% increased Mana Reserved

(Ring) Rare Opal Rings - it will fix your Elemental Resistances and increase maximum Life

Min. requirements: 40 to maximum Life 15% to all Elemental Resistances 40% to Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: increased Lightning Damage maximum Mana

(Boots) Rare Boots - get the highest maximum Life and Movement Speed bonuses you can afford

Min. requirements: 70 to maximum Life 25% to Fire Resistance 25% to Cold Resistance 40% to Lightning Resistance 20% increased Movement Speed

Boot enchantment: 16% increased Attack and Cast Speed if you've Killed Recently Damage Penetrated 10% of Enemy Elemental Resistances if you haven't Killed Recently

(Belt) Rare Belt

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 29% Fire Resistance 29% Lightning Resistance 29% Cold Resistance Optional affixes: Strength

(Belt) Rare Stygian Vise - with the same stat as the regular belt. Will grant Abyss socket and allow you to use one more Abyss Jewel

Min. requirements: 80 maximum Life 29% Fire Resistance 29% Cold Resistance 29% Lightning Resistance Optional affixes: Strength or Dexterity for meeting attributes requirements

(Gloves) Rare Shaper Gloves - this is your highest single target Damage boost. Socket Lightning Spire Trap setup into them

Min. requirements: Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 16 Trap And Mine Damage Socketed Gems are Supported by Level 16 Faster Casting 20% increased Trap Damage 10% increased Cast Speed 30 Dexterity Optional affixes: Maximum Life Elemental Resistances

(Gloves) Voidbringer - a cheaper alternative for Shaper Gloves, that will increase your Critical Strike Chance by a lot

+1 to Level of Socketed Elemental Gems (125-150)% increased Critical Strike Chance for Spells (180-250)% increased Energy Shield (80-40)% increased Mana Cost of Skills +(15-20) Energy Shield gained on Kill

(Jewels) Rare Jewels - if you prefer to change Skill Tree for Jewel sockets these affixes are recommended

Recommended affixes: increased Maximum Life increased Spell Damage/Lightning Damage increased Global Critical Strike Multiplier Optional affixes: increased Cast Speed increased Global Critical Strike Chance

(Jewels) Abyss Jewels - main priority is maximum Life and flat damage to Spells

Recommended affixes: maximum Life added Elemental Damage to Spells Optional affixes: increased Spell Damage increased Cast Speed

(Flask) The Wise Oak - a great boost for your Lightning Penetration and additional Elemental Resistances

During Flask Effect, 10% reduced Damage taken of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is lowest During Flask Effect, Damage Penetrates (10-15)% Resistance of each Element for which your Uncapped Elemental Resistance is highest

(Flask) Vessel of Vinktar - insane Flask. It provides Life Leech, Lightning Penetration and increased Shock Effect on enemies

(80-100)% increased Charges used Shocks nearby Enemies during Flask effect, causing 10% increased Damage taken You are Shocked during Flask effect, causing 50% increased Damage taken Damage Penetrates 10% Lightning Resistance during Flask effect 20% of Lightning Damage Leeched as Life during Flask effect

Suggested Flasks: Bubbling Hallowed Hybrid Flask of Staunching (immunity to Bleeding) Experimenter's Diamond Flask of Heat (immunity to Freeze and Chill) Ample Quicksilver Flask of Adrenaline (increased Movement Speed)

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.