[PoE 3.24] LEVELING GUIDE | Mana Stacking Lightning Conduit Elementalist | Archmage | Early Campaign

=====General Tips:===== Pick up sapphire rings for Merveil Keep your flasks updated, swapping out lower level ones for higher level ones as you find them. (You are much less likely to die if your life flask heals for around 100% of your health than if it heals 10%) Sell Armourer Scraps and Blacksmith's Whetstones for Wisdom Scrolls Sell magic items unidentified for transmutation shards Sell rare items identified for alteration shards Use Essences to upgrade well linked items to rares. =====Act 1:===== Keep an eye out for three links: B-B-B , B-B-R. Kill Hillock in the Twilight Strand. (Pick everything up) Enter Town - Choose Rolling Magma for Quest Reward from Tarkleigh. Link Rolling Magma and Arcane Surge. (Keep Arcane Surge at level 1) Check Tarkleigh for boots with movement speed. (Type "move" into the search bar to filter out/highlight items) Check Nessa for a 3 Link B-B-B or B-B-R wand. Buy a second Arcane Surge. (Keep both at level 1) Unlock the Submerged Passage waypoint Kill Hailrake in the Tidal Island Enter Town - Choose Quick Silver Flask for Quest Reward from Nessa Choose Summon Phantasm for the Medicine Chest Quest Reward from Nessa. Choose Flame Wall for the First Glyph Quest Reward from Tarkleigh. Choose Frost Blink for the second Glyph Quest Reward from Tarkleigh and start using it. Buy Holy Flame Totem, link with Summon Phantasm. Link Flame Wall and Arcane Surge, optionally buy Spell Cascade and link with them as well. Unlock the Prison waypoint Enter Town - Choose Added Lightning Damage for Prison Quest Reward from Nessa. Link Rolling Magma, Arcane Surge, and Added Lightning Damage. Buy a second Added Lightning Damage and link with Holy Flame Totem and Summon Phantasm. Kill Brutus in The Prison Unlock the Prisoner's Gate waypoint Enter Town - Choose Clarity for the Brutus Reward from Tarkleigh. Optionally buy Flame Dash to replace Frost Blink, link with Flame Wall & Arcane Surge Optionally buy Vitality. Unlock the Cavern of Wrath waypoint Enter Town - The Merveil Reward from Nessa does not matter Buy a leveled Arcane Surge and start leveling on the backbar. (If you don't have sapphire rings you can vendor 1 blue gem + 1 iron ring to obtain a sapphire ring) Kill Merveil in Merveil's Caverns =====Act 2:===== Pick up topaz rings for the Vaal Overseer. Kill all Bandits Kill the Great White Beast Unlock the Crossroads waypoint. Enter Town - Choose Quick Silver Flask for Quest Reward from Yeena. Kill Fidelitas in the Chambers of Sins Enter Town - Choose Herald of Thunder for the Blackguard Quest Reward from Gruest. Buy Wave of Conviction if you can afford it, use it to debuff bosses. Buy Arcane Cloak if you can afford it and start leveling it on the backbar. Kill The Weaver in The Weaver's Chambers Enter Town - Choose Cruelty for the Maligaro's Spike Reward from Silk, start leveling on the backbar. Buy Elemental Focus if you can afford it start leveling on the back bar. Kill the Vaal Oversoul in the Ancient Pyramids (The Caverns) (If you don't have topaz rings you can vendor 1 green gem + 1 iron ring to obtain a sapphire ring) =====Act 3:===== Keep an eye out for: B-B-B-R, B-B-B-G, and B-B-B-B. But Save all 4-links in your stash, you never know when you might need one. Do your 1st lab right before Dominus, see below. Fight Piety in the Crematorium Enter Town - Choose Conductivity for the Clarissa Quest Reward from Maramoa and start leveling it. Buy Wrath and replace Herald of Thunder with it. (Depending on mana situation you might need to drop Vitality for this, but you shouldn't need to. Also, keep leveling Herald of Thunder in case you need it.) Optionally buy Elemental Weakness and start using it. (Low priority, as we'll be swapping to Lightning Conduit + Conductivity soon.) Kill Gravicius Fight Piety in the Lunaris Temple Enter Town - Choose Lightning Conduit for the Gravicius Quest Reward from Maramoa, start leveling in an open socket or on the backbar. Help Siosa in the Library Choose Lightning Penetration for the Golden Pages Reward from Siosa. Helping Siosa also unlocks a lot of useful gems like Archmage that you'll want to start leveling. (Also available semi-leveled from Clarissa after helping him.) You can also buy gems outside of our class like Inspiration, Grace, Haste, and Determination from him if you'd like. ==1st Labyrinth== Complete this before killing Dominus. Shaper of Storms is our first Elementalist Ascendancy and allows us to start running Lightning Conduit. Return to Nessa in Act 1: Buy Orb of Storms (or Storm Brand) and Elemental Proliferation. A note about these two skills. Storm Brand is nice because it allows you to play the build at a farther range. Orb of Storms is nice because it syncs with our cast speed. So it will be your highest DPS option. After our 1st ascendancy your gem and links should look like this (links are left to right in order of priority): Lightning Conduit, Added Lightning Damage, Elemental Focus, and Inspiration (Or Lightning Penetration depending on sockets.) Orb of Storms (or Storm Brand) and Elemental Proliferation Flame Dash (or Frost Blink), Arcane Surge (level 1), and Wave of Conviction Conductivity Clarity One of the following defensive auras: Grace, Determination, or Purity of Elements. (Grace or Determination are better picks if you can round out elemental resistances. But Purity of Elements can be very helpful early on) One of the following offensive auras: Haste alone, Wrath alone, or Herald of Thunder with Vitality. (Haste is the best pick if you want to go fast. Wrath is the most damage. Herald of Thunder + Vitality makes health sustain easier.) After you've got this all setup; continue through Act 3 and finish off Dominus. =====Act 4:===== Continue to keep an eye out for 4-links. Upgrade to better base types when possible. Complete both Kaom and Daresso's Dreams. Enter Town - Choose Sigil of Power for the Seal Reward from Oyun, start leveling on the backbar or in an empty socket. Choose Increased Area of Effect for the Rapture Reward from Dialla. Buy Chain from Petarus and Vanja. Buy Arcanist Brand from Petarus and Vanja. Link Chain and Increased Area of Effect with Orb of Storms (or Storm Brand if you decided to use that) and Elemental Proliferation. Link Arcanist Brand, Wave of Conviction, and Conductivity. Move Flame Dash and Arcane Surge (level 1) out of the Wave of Conviction setup and into their own links together. =====Remaining Acts:===== At this point you are pretty much good to go and won't be changing much in terms of your skills set up. You'll need to wait to swap into an Archmage version of the build until you've got some mana gear and are able to spec into mana nodes on the tree. If you can get a decent shield, consider running Shield Charge and Faster Attacks. And keep upgrading to better base types and stronger rares when possible. =====End:=====