[2.2] Spierk's Low Life Crit Sparker tri-curser (HC Viable, mid-high budget)

Mandatory Items

Shavronne's Wrappings


Shav's is very important since it lets you go Low-Life letting you use 4 extra auras with the help of Prism Guardian. Without Shav's, you would die to any chaos damage that you take.

Prism Guardian


Prism Guardian helps give you 3 auras on your life, depending on how far along you are on the tree (aura nodes), you will need an additional aura somewhere on your gear to get you back to low-life to gain the other benefits from low-life.

Strongly Recommended Items

Heretic's Veil


By using Heretic's Veil you'll be able to run 3 or even 4 curses on blasphemy. I did get lucky and got assassin's mark enchantment, but it isn't required. Having curses on blasphemy helps your speed through maps quite a bit.

Doedre's Damning


Doedre's Damning lets you use a 3rd curse on blasphemy, if you dont use Heretic's, then you could go without this.

Auxium


Auxium belt greatly helps with preventing constant freeze that you'd encounter from any cold damage at low life. If you choose not to use this belt, try avoiding getting sub 100 health while low life or you might get perma-frozen whenever you don't have a freeze immune flask up.

Optional Items

Voltaxic


Voltaxic converts all your lightning damage to chaos damage. This removes the Elemental Reflect issue that you can encounter as non Voltaxic. For some map mods you'll want to swap to this to safely run them, such as Ele Reflect/-max res/80% light res/No leech

Drillneck


When using Voltaxic, Drillneck is a good quiver to use since you are already at 100% pierce. The Extra damage from the quiver will apply to your spark.

Skyforth


Another option is Skyforth, it has 3 upsides, but of course it does come with a hefty price tag. Using Skyforth, you can use a 35% aura on blood magic instead of a 25% one (or clarity). It also helps with boss fights as you don't generate power charges any other way than killing cursed mobs. The best part of the boots is the combination of Auxium and them, it makes stuns/freezes not an issue anymore for low life.

Normal = Kill All
Cruel = Help Alira
Merciless = Help Alira

Current Tree DEA-BER - With Pierce gem (lvl 92)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAAAALfW21l7bgDBLaiXIYRTsZC-gMF87_2DCYcHEGJGcW-etAzKSpyk6rrK01-whxMNfDQKvoqbtXcHN2aTJ6EvwzqExSymf8bviFM1e9cZiio4kNaio8HF-TdQQpcG-wnB8w_E7BjXz4w2xKL22lyKlSA7fI_6cLtJsYnTc7Majy0fuMrw1dDQ6_XZE3BS8GsdT0yzSVFfasMJL28qCxXnNbmus9AfIG65k13yEVCnK0GW7-tQMPIdKwptGdD1214RLwMe2VsRDx9BGyWsmEuu99fpAoRIm6Fcaxhqj0bDbXgvHRR85frSjmRYBxcv96Zk57b6VdaApAAA

Current Tree DEA-OCC - With Pierce gem (lvl 92)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAAAALfW21nirXtuLagJ2ZchsZC-gMpGwXyDCTE1hwdGcW-etAzKSpyk6rrK01-whxMNfL6Km7V3B5MnoS_DOoTFf8bviFM1e9cZiio4oqMnqcHF-TdQQpcG-wnB8-wY18-MNsSi9tpcipUgj_pwu0mxidNzsxqPLR_w1dDQ6_XZE3BS8GsdT0yzSVFfasMJL28qCzW5rrMgbrmTXfIRUKcrQZZQMPIdKwptGdD1214RLwMe2VsRDx9BGyWsmEuu99fpAoRIm6Fcaxhqj0bDbXgvHRR85frSjmRYBxcv96Zk57b6VdaApKcIFVAFQiycD8Q7fLjKFed-WQAA

Current Tree DEA-BER - No pierce gem (lvl 92)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAABAADBAx4FtQ18EGIRDxEvEVAV5xcvGGoZihqPGyUdFB1PH0EgbiLqKgsqOCpbKwotHy2oL281uUGWQzZGcUlRSbFLrkyzUDBQQlLsUzVV1lgHXGtcil3yX2pfsGTnbRlvnnBScLtzs3cHeC959ntue9d85X_GgKSDCYRIhFOExYcHhxOJ04w2jmSPRo_6kyeVIJcGlyGXl5uhm7WcpKEvoqOnK6yYrrOxkLQMtvq31rmTvoC-isF8wcXB88LswwnDOsNtxKLKSsrT0NDQ9dfP2RPZW9tZ217o1ukC6rrr9ewY74jv_fBr8NXyHfba96b31_k3-tL7CQ==


Current Tree DEA-OCC - No Pierce gem (lvl 92)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAABAAMeBbUJ2Q18EQ8RLxFQFy8YahmKGo8bJR0UHU8fQSBuIuonqSoLKjgqWysKLR8tqC9vMTU1uUGWQzZGcUlRSbFLrkyzUDBQQlLsUzVV1lgHXGtcil3yX2pfsGTnbRlvnnBScLtzs3cHeC959ntue9d85X_GgKSDCYRIhMWHB4cTidOMNo5kj0aP-pMnlSCXBpchm6GbtZykoS-io6crrJius7GQtAy2-rfWuZO-gL6KwXzBxcHzwuzDCcM6w23EospGykrK083q0NDQ9dfP2RPZW9tZ217irejW6QLquuv17BjviPBr8NXyHfba96b31_k3-tL7CQ==

Before 4th aura on both life and mana - No Pierce gem (aprox 73)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAAAALfW21nirXtuLagJ2ZchsZC-gMpGwXyDCTE1hwdGcW-etAzKSuq6ytNfsA18voqbtZMnoS_DOoTFf8bviFM1e9cZiio4IuqioyepwcX5N1BC-wno1sHz7BjXz4w29trN6gW1XIqVII_6cLtJsYnTGo_C7C0f8NXQ0Ov1cFIqWx1PTLNJUV9qwwkqC3n2NbmusyBuuZNd8kM2EVCnK0GWUDDyHSsKUuxtGdD1214RLwMe2VsRDx9BGyWsmEuu99fpAoRIXGvDbZuhGGp4L3zlWAcAAA==

Before swapping to ES/Low Life (approx 73)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAAAALfW21nirXtuLagJ2ZchsZC-gMpGwXyDCTE1hwdvnspK8bNfsEtXm7XA48M6hMUZiiLq-wno1vbazeoFtRqPjb_C7FFHtMUqWzB8Yqx59o19bIxDNiP2napS7E2SNj3rYxEvAx4rCh9BXfIqC3BSidOMNlVLUEJh4lM1JpWTJ3_G74iioyepwcX5N8Hz7BjXz5Ugj_pwu0mxaxctH_DV6_W86kyzlS5JUcMJwFSuswQHBx65k2pDQZaD2_Id0PVVxjpYrJj315uhGGp4L3zlWAcAAA==

Example of levelling tree (approx 40s)
https://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAABAAAALfW21nirXtuLagJ2ZchsZC-gMpGwXyDCTE1hwdGcW-etAzxs8rTS1e-isDjkyd_xu-IUzURlvk3UEIHHtfPjDaVLkmxVUuJ0_DVYeJwUo_6SVEmlSoL6_Vd8sMJKwq5kxEvAx7yHetjH0E2PZ2qbIxirBa_c7PwaxXnl5dFfAAA

I chose Deadeye/Occultist for Hardcore at first, but I am currently experimenting with Deadeye/Berserker.

Deadeye is pretty mandatory for this since it lets you drop the pierce support gem, it also offers projectile speed, damage and an additional spark.

Occultist is nice for the extra ES / ES regen and 20% extra damage from killing cursed enemies. It also has the added benefit of lowering Chaos Res for when you swap to Voltaxic for certain situations.

Berserker is also an option instead of occultist. It offers strength which can free up a passive or 2 depending on the kind of gear you have and it offers leech which let's you drop the leech gem as well. The added damage is nice, but it does come at the cost of additional damage taken.

Using a calculator such as https://poe.mikelat.com/ you can see what auras you can run on your life/mana. You'll likely want to keep above 90% mana reserved, if possible 85%+ makes things a lot more enjoyable.

My aura setup for normal play (without Skyforth)

On Life: Grace(In Prism) / Wrath(In Prism) / Discipline(In Prism) / Clarity
On Mana: Warlord's Mark / Assassin's Mark / Temporal Chains / Purity of Lightning

Using Prism guardian and the aura nodes on the tree, you can cover 2 50% nodes + 35% discipline + a high level Clarity linked to a blood magic gem somewhere on your gear. You can also use another 25% aura instead of Clarity if you link it with at least a lvl 14 blood magic.

My aura setup with Skyforth

On Life: Grace(P) / Wrath(P) / Discipline(P) / Purity of Lightning
On Mana: Warlord's Mark / Assassin's Mark / Temporal Chains / Herald of Thunder / Clarity

Using Skyforth gives a free herald on boots, double herald instead of Clarity is also an option for no/60% reduced regen maps.

My aura setup with Voltaxic (No Skyforth)

On Life: Discipline / Arctic Armour
On Mana: Warlord's Mark / Assassin's Mark / Temporal Chains / Herald of Thunder

Since we're not using Prism Guardian, not much can be ran on blood magic.

When you get a 20q spark (lvl 20 spark + 1gcp to vendor gives you a 20 quality lvl 1 of the gem), you have the option of swapping out Faster Projectiles with Pierce with some adjustment on the tree. You should gain 5-10k dps depending on your crit chance doing this so it is highly suggested to get a 20q spark.

Before 20q spark

Spark (OCC)(no Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen > Faster Projectiles
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen > Faster Projectiles > Critical strikes / Controlled Destruction

Spark (BER)(no Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Faster Projectiles
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Faster Projectiles > Critical Strikes / Controlled Destruction
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Faster Projectiles > Critical Strikes > Controlled Destruction / Crit Multi

Spark (Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Void Manipulation
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Void Manipulation > Faster Projectiles
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Void Manipulation > Faster Projectiles > Critical Strikes / Controlled Destruction

With a 20q spark

Spark (OCC)(no Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen > Pierce
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Leech > Lightning Pen > Pierce > Faster Projectiles / Critical Strikes

Spark (BER)(no Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Pierce
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Pierce > Faster Projectiles / Critical Strikes
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Lightning Pen > Pierce > Faster Projectiles > Critical Strikes

Spark (Voltaxic)

4 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Pierce
5 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Pierce > Void Manipulation
6 links - Spark > Spell Echo > Poison > Pierce > Void Manipulation > Faster Projectiles / Critical Strikes

Critical Strikes vs Faster Projectiles

With a 20q spark your proj speed will be a small amount less than prior with Faster Projectiles, but the damage increase of crit strikes only gets bigger with the additional multi from the tree. It is up to you if you want better coverage (more coverage is more chances at sparks hitting walls and hitting once more), or more damage in general.

I try to keep all my gear at red map Ele weakness Cap which is 169 in hideout.

Normal Setup (as OCC)



Skyforth Setup (as BER)



Voltaxic Setup


and a belt to swap Auxium for ele weakness cap while voltaxic.

As per requested here are the jewels I was using.

The Energy From Within is used in combo with the Melding wheel shown in this image:


The other jewels are not ideal, ideally you would want lightning/spell crit or Faster Casting with Max Energy shield on a jewel. The crit multi gems can be very hard to get a hold of since quite a few meta builds are also looking for them.

Specific Maps
The problem with this build is since you are low-life, without Auxium/Skyforth very small damage can freeze/stun you which can become rippy very quickly. Though I've not experienced many sub t8 map bosses as this build, these are the few that I can remember to be an issue.

Promenade - Keep in mind that the female boss can cast lightning thorns on a mob, if she chooses the other boss, you can perma stun yourself if you cast a lot of sparks into a corner where he is. It's a lot of star aligns situation, but the thorns can also hurt.

Graveyard/Necropolis/Maelstorm of Chaos - Merveil drops in first phase an ice storm that can perma stun you or make you good target practice for her barrage, though the 2nd phase is much worse (This excludes Graveyard). In her second phase she can drop a whirlwind which lasts a very long time where you can get stuck in from stuns.

Jungle Valley - Since the boss spawns a lot of flicker spiders. Each jump from the spiders can stun you which is dangerous esp considering the boss is fairly dangerous as well.

Other maps are kind of at your discretion if you believe they could be a problem. Things to watch out for: any fast hitting attacks and cold damage if you aren't using Auxium.

Map Mods

Ele Weakness - if you aren't Ele weakness capped of 169, elemental reflect rares can be pretty rippy.

- max res - This is one of the map mods I swap to Voltaxic for, you could probably run these fine fine on softcore, but some bad rare mob rolls with high life and ele reflect could rip you.

Lightning Res - In a red map, I swap to Voltaxic for this mod as well since it can take a lot longer to clear, another option is swapping temp chains blashpemy to conductivity.

No Regen - Not really an issue, but swapping out Clarity for Herald of thunder is a good idea. Mana Potion required.

No Leech - I avoid this map altogether, but if you're very careful you might be able to run this fine.

Immune to Curses - I avoid this map also, but a simple double herald change instead of curses would work. Also using Skyforth you can still generate power charges so this map mod won't be as big an issue with those.

Ele Reflect - This is the scariest mod if you don't use Voltaxic setup, expect to rip without it. Swap to Voltaxic for this one.

Blood Magic - This one isn't too bad to run, you lose some auras to run it. Run your 3 curses and Discipline + Purity of Lightning in Prism Guardian. Can swap Purity of Lightning for Grace/Wrath with Skyforth.

Extra Cold Damage - Without Auxium this map mod can be a problem since you'll be getting frozen or chilled each time you take any semi hard hit.


Other map mods aren't too bad, run at your discretion.