Ball Lightning Archmage Ascendant - Path of Exile 3.13 League Start Testing - BETTER Than Before?

PLEASE CHECK THE VIDEO GUIDE FOR MORE INFO <https://youtube.com/c/bigducks> THIS BUILD IS INSANELY POWERFUL AND CAN CLEAR ALL ENDGAME CONTENT FOR VERY LITTLE INVESTMENT THERE ARE MULTIPLE LEVELING TREES AS WELL AS MULTIPLE GEAR SETS PLEASE LOOK THROUGH THEM THOUROUGHLY. THE RARE ITEMS IN THE BUILD ARE ONLY SUGGESTIONS. GATHER WHAT STATS YOU NEED. DO NOT IGNORE CHAOS RESISTANCE. THE ITEMS IN EXPENSIVE ITEMS ARE ONLY MEANT TO BE LOFTY GOALS WITH IDEAL STATS, YOU DO NOT NEED THEM BY ANY MEANS. ======================F A Q====================== Q: I don't like leveling with Stormblast mines, can I do literally anything else? A: SURE YOU CAN LEVEL WITH WHATEVER YOU LIKE, BUT MOST OTHER THINGS DONT FEEL GREAT. DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK. LOOK AT LEVELING INFO BELOW. --- Q: Didn't they nerf Ball Lightning? The nerf killed it right? A: NO, THE NERF DID ALMOST NOTHING TO THIS BUILD. ARCHMAGE DOESNT CARE ABOUT BASE DAMAGE. AND OUR AOE IS TOO MASSIVE TO CARE. --- Q: Pledge of Hands is too Expensive! I can't play the build cause I can't afford it! A: YOU DONT NEED PLEDGE OF HANDS, AND IF YOU DO HAVE IT A 5 LINK IS PLENTY. CHECK ITEM SETS. --- Q: Why Ascendant? Isn't Heirophant better? A: NO HEIROPHANT DOESNT WORK FOR THIS BUILD, IT IS A FLASK BUILD. IT ONLY WORKS AS SHOWN HERE. --- Q: Cant I go Ascendant Heirophant instead of Inquisitor? A: NO, ASCENDANT HEIROPHANT IS TERRIBLE. WE DONT BENEFIT FROM ALMOST ANY OF THE MODS. --- Q: Can this build be done without the Foreboding mana flask? What about enduring? A: NO ENDURING! FOREBODING MANA FLASK IS MANDATORY. YES 100% MANDATORY. --- Q: Is the Large Cluster Jewel needed? A: YOU ONLY NEED THUNDERSTRUCK WHICH IS EASY TO OBTAIN EVEN IN SSF (AVERAGE OF 40 ALTS) --- Q: What Bandit? A: KILL ALL. --- Q: What Pantheon? A: YOU DONT ALWAYS NEED THE SAME ONES, I USE BRINE KING AND TUKOHAMA --- Q: Can I clear T16s without a 6 link or without the Staff? A: YES I TESTED UNLEASH OR SPELL ECHO WITH NO STAFF AND IT WORKED FINE WITH A TABULA I ALSO TESTED A 5 LINK PLEDGE OF HANDS AND IT WORKED EVEN BETTER THAN 6 LINK IN TABULA. --- Q: Why do you always type in all caps in here? A: BECAUSE I WANT YOU TO KNOW IT IS IMPORTANT! also because its easier to read on certain screens, the font for lower case in PoB kinda sucks IMO. ======================ACTUAL DAMAGE====================== THE DPS LISTED ON THE LEFT IS ***NOT*** ACCURATE. BALL LIGHTNING DPS IS NOT ACCURATELY TRACKED IN POB THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT EXACT BUT WHEN FULLY CALCULATED THE ESTIMATED DPS OF EACH GEAR SET AT LVL 95 IS AS FOLLOWS ALL WITH SLOWER PROJECTILES INSTEAD OF GMP ALL SET TO AWAKENER LEVEL 8 (NOTE THAT THE CALCULATIONS ARE NOT UP TO DATE BUT SHOULD THEORETICALLY STILL BE ACCURATE) BUDGET SETS - 2 to 3 MILLION DPS MY GEAR - 15 MILLION DPS EXPENSIVE GEAR + EXPENSIVE CLUSTERS + EXPENSIVE JEWELS - 40 MILLION DPS (At this point the game is literally broken and barely a challenge!) ======================THE MOST IMPORTANT PART ABOUT THIS BUILD====================== THE FOREBODING MANA FLASK IS ABSOLUTELY NOT SWAPPABLE FOR ANY OTHER MANA FLASK. IT IS THE ONLY REASON THIS BUILD WORKS. THE MANA FLASK HAS A BUILT IN 7 SECOND TIMER THAT CAN STACK INFINITELY. WE SCALE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF MANA FLASK RECOVERY AND FLASK CHARGE GENERATION. DUE TO THIS A SINGLE USE OF THE FLASK RECOVERS WELL OVER OUR MANA CAP AND WE HAVE "INFINITE" FLASK CHARGES. IT TAKES 7 SECONDS TO BEGIN RECOVERING MANA BUT FOLLOW THE RULE BELOW - AFTER 7 SECONDS HOWEVER MANY TIMES YOU PRESS THE FLASK PER SECOND IS HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET FULL MANA BACK PER SECOND - TLDR; HIT THE FLASK LIKE 3 TIMES A SECOND FOREVER AND IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WATCH THE VIDEO ======================LEVELING SECTION====================== PLEASE CHECK THE LEAGUE START GUIDE FOR MORE INFO ON LEVELING! THIS BUILD IS DIFFICULT TO LEVEL AS A LEAGUE START UNLESS YOU VERY CAREFULLY FOLLOW MY INSTRUCTIONS MAKE SURE YOU OBTAIN A CARVED WAND IN ACT 1 AND HOLD ONTO IT FOR WHEN YOU SWAP TO SPELLSLINGER. MAKE SURE YOU OBTAIN ALL OF THE SKILLS IN THE LEVELING SECTION AS YOU COMPLETE THE GAME AND LEVEL THEM UP IN YOUR OFFHANDS OR EXTRA SLOTS. LOOK AT THE SKILLS TO SEE THE SUGGESTED LINKS AND ABILITIES LEVELS 1 - 37 STORMBLAST MINE IS KING, PUT DETONATE MINE ON YOUR LEFT CLICK AND ZIP ZOOM THROUGH THE GAME. MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET A SOLID SET OF ADDED DAMAGE TO SPELLS WANDS USING THE RECIPE BLUE OR YELLOW RESIST RING OF ANY KIND + BLUE WAND + ALTERATION ORB = ADDED DAMAGE TO SPELLS WAND THE TYPE OF DAMAGE IS BASED ON THE RESIST OF THE RING. LEVELS 38 - END OF CAMPAIGN BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A 5 LINK STAFF AND TRY TO ROLL MANA OR LIGHTNING DAMAGE % AND CRAFT THE OTHER ONE OBTAIN UNLEASH ONCE YOU FINISH UP ACT 4 AND SWAP OVER TO USING BALL LIGHTNING ARCHMAGE PUT ARCANE CLOAK ON YOUR LEFT CLICK AND LINK IT TO A HIGH LEVEL ARCANE SURGE. GRAB A SPELL ECHO AND A FASTER CASTING AND START LEVELING THEM UP FOR WHEN YOU OBTAIN A 5 LINK. REPLACE UNLEASH WITH SPELL ECHO AND ADD IN FASTER CASTING AS THE 5 LINK. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP YOUR MANA FLASK UPDATED AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN, BUY THEM FROM VENDORS PICK THEM UP OFF THE GROUND AND KEEP IT UPDATED! ======================PLAYING THE BUILD====================== THE BUILD IS COMPLETELY CENTERED AROUND ARCHMAGE AND BEING ABLE TO CONSTANTLY REFILL OUR MANA THROUGH A FOREBODING MANA FLASK. ARCHMAGE ALLOWS US TO SPEND A LARGE PORTION OF OUR MANA PER CAST TO SUPPLEMENT THE DAMAGE OF OUR ABILITY WHICH IS BALL LIGHTNING. THE GENERAL PLAYSTYLE IS AS FOLLOWS: START HITTING YOUR MANA FLASK A FEW SECONDS BEFORE YOU MOVE ANYWHERE IN THE MAP. CONTINUE TO HIT THAT MANA FLASK FOR THE DURATION OF THE MAP, 2-3X A SECOND. USING GMP FOR CLEAR CAST BALL LIGHTNING IN ANY DIRECTION AND WATCH EVERYTHING IN THE GAME THROUGH ALL CONTENT MELT. ON BOSSES AND DIFFICULT ENEMIES SWAP GMP FOR SLOWER PROJECTILES TO DO MANY TIMES MORE DAMAGE. ALSO MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR ARCANIST BRAND ON DIFFICULT ENEMIES TO APPLY BOTH EXPOSURE AND YOUR CURSE. PUT ARCANE CLOAK ON LEFT CLICK AND UTILIZE YOUR VAAL AURAS FOR DIFFICULT ENEMIES OR FOR MOVING QUICKER THROUGH MAPS. ======================FINAL THOUGHTS====================== THIS BUILD IS RIDICULOUSLY POWERFUL AND WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT NERFS TO MAJOR MECHANICS SHOULD MAINTAIN ITS POWER. IT LEGITIMATELY FEELS LIKE IT IS BREAKING THE GAME WITH HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT CAN DISH OUT FOR SO LITTLE GEAR AND INVESTMENT. IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THIS BUILD PLEASE CONTACT ME ON MY DISCORD -> https://discord.gg/aDtqeDC ======================LIST OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH "MY GEAR"====================== ALL CONQUERORS ON T16 SIRUS AWAKENER 8 ELDER SHAPER UBER ELDER HALL OF THE GRANDMASTERS T16 BLIGHTED MAPS T15 FULLY BUFFED 100% DELIRIOUS, BEYOND, 4 SEXTANT, 4 GILDED SCARAB BURIAL CHAMBERS (We killed Kosis and Omni but ended up dying too much in the middle, That corner was rough...) CORTEX WE ONE SHOT OURSELVES TO 1% ATZIRI REFLECT (DPS CHECK COMPLETE) Thanks for reading all the way down to here! Enjoy the build and let your friends know about my YouTube Channel / Twitch Stream and Discord server! Thanks, have fun, and stay safe out there in Wraeclast! Hope to see you next time!!