[1.0.3b] The Light of Divinity - CI Storm Call 3x Totem Build [SC]

Pros:
- Just like Dominus's "The Light of Divinity" Smash, smash magic and rare mobs "in one hit"
- Extremely fun to play: Try mimicking Dominus's "The Light of Divinity" shout each time you enter a level...
- Melt map bosses within seconds
- Not really gear-dependent: Only requires 1-2 uniques: Soul Mantle (4L is sufficient, although more links are always better) and Eye of Chayula (optional, for survivability)
- Can specialize in IIR/IIQ MF Culling and still do enough damage.
- You constantly shock mobs: Rare Mobs / Map bosses in a group of 6 are killed much faster due to your shock stacks!

Cons:
- You cannot do certain maps: Blood Magic (impossible due to CI), No regen (no mana due to no leech)
- Ele Reflect + Slower regen maps can be frustrating (totems kill themselves in 1-2 hits, not enough mana regeneration to recast totems fast enough). However, these maps are doable with 1-2 Mana flasks.
- Curses of Soul Mantle stack (use Flasks with Curse Immunity!)
- It takes up to 1.5 seconds until you start doing damage.
- No leech
- You only do lightning damage

Note: Both builds are merely suggestions with a focus on damage. You could always spec out of some crit/damage nodes and get some defensive nodes instead (e.g. the armor/es nodes on the Templar side!)

Why Crit?
Storm Call has a very low Critical Strike Chance of 4%. Still, I wanted to experiment with a quality Storm Call gem (4% Increased Critical Strike Chance per 1% Quality!). With the right equipment, you can still reach 40% Critical Strike Chance easily, as well as a multiplier of 300%+. Each totem casts around 5-7 Storm Calls before it goes off. The damage for each Storm Call is calculated separately, i.e. I assume the Critical Strike Chance is determined for each Storm Call individually as well. This way, some on the 5-7 hits will crit, making the Critical Strike route viable in my opinion.

If you decide to not spec into crit, the skill points can be spent to increase Spell Damage (offense) or Energy Shield (Defense).

Basically, you can level up casting Storm Call yourself. You will encounter Mana issues, however. Alternatively, use Ethereal Knives or Freezing Pulse+LMP. I suggest you skill a few life nodes until you make the transition to CI.
20 skill points
35 skill points
50 skill points
As soon as you reach lvl 49, you can use Soul Mantle. That's when I started using totems.
63 skill points (around lvl 50)
At this point, you start taking ES nodes (and crit nodes, if you wish).
75 skill points

Now, if you opt in for crit:
90 skill points, crit
Otherwise:
90 skill points, no crit

Normal: Kill all.
Cruel: Help Alira (4% Cast speed)
Merciless: Kill all (non-crit version) or help Alira (crit version)

Main skill in Soul Mantle (5L):
Storm Call + Faster Casting + Concentrated Effect + Lightning penetration + Increased Area of Effect
Note:
- You don't need Spell Totem as Soul Mantle already provides that for you.
- If you have a 6 socket Soul Mantle with 5 links, try putting Summon Skeletons in the last unlinked spot. That way, you gain a Skelleton Totem, which may come in handy in some situations.

Skill to build up Power Charges:
3L/4L: Ice Spear (lvl 1) + Greater Multiple Projectiles (lvl 1) + Power Charge on Critical Strike (+ Faster Casting)
Note:
- This is particularly important for the crit build, as it grants you 300% additional Critical Strike Chance with 6 Power Charges. Non-crit builds only benefit from the 15% Spell Damage (5 Power Charges).
- Do not use this if you encounter Lightning Thorns! Even if your Ice Spear does no damage whatsoever, Lightning Thorns can kill you!

Culling:
3L/4L: Arc (lvl 1) + IIR (+ IIQ) + Faster Casting/Chain

Auras (3L):
3L: Discipline + Clarity + Reduced Mana

Escape skill:
3L: Lightning Warp + Reduced Duration + Faster Casting

Curses, Misc:
Elemental Weakness, Conductivity, Arctic Armour (+ Faster Casting)
Note: You have enough time cursing since after placing the first totem, it takes 1.5 seconds until you deal damage. Elemental Weakness or Conductivity can easily tripple your damage in Merciless! Use at least one of these!

Quality Gems?
This build profits from the following Quality Gems, in that order:
- Faster Casting (even more Cast speed!)
- Storm Call (only for the crit version!)
- Lightning Penetration (even more damage!)
- Increased Area of Effect (more area damage!)
- Lightning Warp (faster escaping)
- Concentrated Effect (reduced mana costs, minor thing)

Below, you will find suggestions. Besides Soul Mantle, nothing is mandatory. My gear is only decent, I have around 4K ES and have little to no problems in maps (yet, we'll see about high level maps).

Armour: Soul Mantle, Unique Spidersilk Robe - mandatory.

Amulet:
- Eye of Chaluya for more survivability "Cannot be stunned"
- Rare Amulet with Spell Damage, Critical Mult, Critical Strike and possibly resists (maybe IIR, if you want)

Wand: Rare Wand with Spell Damage/Lightning Damage, Faster Cast Speed, Mana/Mana Regeneration and possibly resists

Shield: Rare high ES shield with resists and - for the crit version - increased critical strike for spells

Gloves:
- Voidbringer: Perfect for the crit build, if you can sustain the mana costs!
- Aurseize: IIR and Resists
- Rare Gloves with high ES and resists

Boots:
- Windscream: 1 additional curse, i.e. Elemental Weakness + Conductivity! It boosts your damage, but it's not required.
- Rare Boots with high ES, Movement speed and resists

Helm:
- Rare Helm with high ES, resists (maybe IIR, if you want)

Belt:
- Rare Belt with high ES, resists

Rings:
- Rare Ring(s) with high ES, resists, Mana, Mana Regeneration (maybe IIR, if you want)
- Doedre's Damning: 1 additional curse, i.e. Elemental Weakness + Conductivity! It boosts your damage, but it's not required. If you already use Windscream, you're good. However, if you decide to go tripple curse, then I suggest Critical Weakness/Temporal Chains.

Flasks:
A matter of preference. I recommend using 2 Granites (with additional armour), 1 Jade (with curse immunity), 1 Movement (with curse immunity!) and 1 Mana Flask (a "saturated" Sanctified Mana Flask does a good job)

I see a lot of talk about how with a 4% base crit chance it's not worth going crit with Storm Call. In the end crit is the very best way to scale your damage. At lower damage levels and lower crit chances, straight up % damage beats crit. However once you start getting your crit chance up it starts to overtake the % damage from the tree.

Math:

I took the End Game tree, removed all the crit nodes, and replaced them with spell damage and cast speed nodes. I realize this is probably not 100% efficient but it is close enough for an example.

Storm call has an average base damage of 301 + 4% crit at level 19 0 quality.
Crit Tree:
175% Inc Damage
10% Inc Cast Speed
585% crit chance (w/ max power charges(6))
240% crit multi

% Damage Tree:
254% Inc Damage
24% Inc Cast speed
180% Crit Chance (w/ max power charges(3))
150% Crit Multi

Storm Call(19)
Base: 301 * (1+1.75) * (1+0.1) = 910.5
Crit: 910 * (1+(((0.04*5.85)+0.04)*2.4)) = 910 * 1.6576 = 1508.4

Base: 301 * (1+2.54) * (1+0.24) = 1321.3
Crit: 1321.3 * (1+(((0.04*1.8)+0.04)*1.5)) = 1321.3 * 1.168 = 1543.3

Storm Call(19) + Conc Effect(20) + Faster Casting(20)
Base: 301 * (1+1.75) * (1+0.1+0.39) = 1233.3 * (1+0.69) = 2084.3
Crit: 2084.3 * (1+(((0.04*5.85)+0.04)*2.4)) = 2084.3 * 1.6576 = 3454.9

Base: 301 * (1+2.54) * (1+0.24+0.39) = 1736.8 * (1+0.69) = 2935.2
Crit: 2935.2 * (1+(((0.04*1.8)+0.04)*1.5)) = 2935.2 * 1.168 = 3428.3

As you can see the more damage you do, the harder crit scales whereas % increased damage and cast speed scale linearly. If I were to add more stats from gear/quality gems/links the crit build would start taking off even more. Add on the fact that the crit build will generate more shock stacks and you have a clear winner late game.