Lightning Strike Raider Guide Part 3 - Gearing up in maps - POE 3.16 Scourge

ACT 1 We are going to use Splitting Steel for most the act before switching to Spectral Helix and claw/shield at level 12 Look for GGG or GGR for our main skill. - Kill Hillock and then vendor everything other than Pierce - Buy Splitting Steel from Nessa and a corroded blade from Tarkleigh. If he does not have one any melee weapon will do for now - Take Onslaught from Medicine Quest and Dash from Tarkleigh. Link onslaught to Splitting Steel - Before Brutus look for Iron Rings, Rustic Sash, Two Handed Sword...anything that will help our DPS - Look out for or buy a large Life Flask and Large Mana Flask. Now Act 1 is buffed a lot of enemies can ignite you which a small life flask will not heal through - After Killing Dweller and reaching prison you should be level 8 and have equipped enough Str to equip both War Banner and Decoy Totem. If you have a 3 link add either Added Cold or Chance to Bleed to our Splitting Steel - For Brutus use Decoy totem to distract him. If you did not find iron rings or a better sword this can take a while but decoy should keep you safe - Take Whirling Blades as Brutus Reward - Progress To Merviel's Caverns and look out for an Awl Claw. These are also sold from the vendor for 1 Transmute. Buy Spectral Helix from Nessa and equip a Claw and a Shield. Swap/Drop Splitting Steel for Spectral Helix with Added Cold & Onslaught - If you have the currency use physical recipe for your claw (Blacksmith's Whetstone + Magic/Rare Rustic Sash + Your Weapon). It is not needed as perfectly fine with just the white claw - Equip 2 Sapphire Ring. You can buy these from vendors or trade in Iron Rings + Blue Skill Gem for a Sapphire Ring. 1 Sapphire Ring is fine 2 is better - Merviel should be a cakewalk with life on hit, Decoy and cold resistance. Wipe the floor with her and move on to Act 2 ACT 2 This act is much more straight forward and should be very quick - Complete Lab trials in Chamber of sins Level 2 & Crypt - Take Herald of Ice from reward after killing Feliditus - If you can buy Blood Rage and Herald of Thunder - If you feel comfortable use blood rage at all times - Kill Weaver and take Faster Attacks and Link it to Whirling Blades - Kill all bandits for more aggressive option or Help Alira if you want the resists. We respec to all bandits later so up to you. - Rush to Boss and kill before moving onto Act 3 ACT 3 This act can take people a while to get through as there is a lot to do, but if you stick to what you need to do it can be done in 25-30 mins - Start looking for 4 links. We can use the following links: GGGG - Spectral Helix - Onslaught - Added Cold - Faster Attacks GGGR - Spectral Helix - Onslaught - Added Cold - Inspiration (Library) GGGB - Spectral Helix - Onslaught - Added Cold - Added Lightning (Library) - First up head out and find the crematorium, complete the lab trial and kill Piety - Buy Anger and Purity of Elements (You can run Grace here instead if you like) from Clarissa and use these instead of the 2 Heralds. Mana should be ok with the reservation nodes we have taken, but feel free to swap Anger for Herald of Ice if Mana is an issue. This should be resolved once we pick up some leach nodes - Complete Lab Trial in Catacombs - Pick up waypoint at Battlefront picking up the quest item and heading straight to docks. Try to be level 25 when leaving docks as a minimum. Pick up quest item then go to Solaris temple. When you get the amulet and quest reward go into the side area and pick up cold damage craft (we may need this later) - Go back through sewers and to Ebony Barracks. Ignore Gravicious we do not need his reward - Head through Solaris temple, Kill Piety and get skill book from Gregor - Go to imperial Gardens picking up waypoint and completing last lab trial - go to Library and Complete Siosa's quest. - Take Fortify as a reward and buy Added Lightning and Inspiration - Go through Sceptre of god and kill Dominus. This fight is easy on a 4 link but still perfectly fine on a 3 link ACT 4 Complete Lab when you get to Crystal Veins - Get Banner from Dried Lake and head through the mines. - Free Desheret's Spirit in Level 2 for the skill point - When you get to Crystal Veins complete lab and take Rapid Assault - Change Onslaught Gem as no longer needed. Faster Attacks is a good substitute - You can now consider added Trinity into your 4 link depending on your links but make sure it PROCS ALL 3 ELEMENTS. This can be hard to balance early on so I do not normally bother - Belly of the beast is probably the toughest part in levelling for this build as we lack life and survivability. - We do not need any gems from this Act but take a golem if you like as life regen for them is meant to be improved in 3.16 If you do not like running Spectral Helix for clear you can run a second 4 link of: Frost Blades - Ancestral Call - Fortify - Added Cold Damage You can buy all the missing gems from Act 1 Vendor ACT 5 and Beyond - Levelling is straight forward from here. There is a mini respec we do in act 5/6 at around level 45 to get rid of the projectile damage nodes and path out of shorter nodes instead. - When you get here you want to refund the proj nodes and Balistic Mastery and the small mana nodes leading from it and then end up with this tree Early Map - When you get to maps stick with Spectral Helix until you get a 5 Link. Start Levelling up some Lightning Strike in off hand and Vaal these every time you find a Vaal Orb. - When you have a Vaal Lightning Strike and a 5 Link run: - Lightning Strike - Ancestral Call - Added Cold - Trinity - Inspiration/Nightblade Support - This 5 link is pretty flexible so can work with most base types. You will also need to take Piercing Shots on the tree or Annoint as without pierce Lightning Strike feels awful. This is until you get an enchanted helm and can them dump these nodes