Intro & build description
Lightning conduit literally took the last league by storm and was one of the rare skills that get nerfed as soon as they are revealed. Despite the nerf, the skill is still extremely strong with a relatively small investment. This particular version uses only 2 uniques – Annihilating Light and Berek’s Grip – both easily attainable in the first 2 weeks of the league.
Build also does not use unique jewels and is basically comprised of items that you can find just by playing the game.
The skill itself does not follow the usual pattern of use – you need another skill to shock enemies before using Lightning Conduit. So in this case, we use Storm Brand for shocking enemies and then popping them by using Lightning Conduit.
Build Pros
- Great damage on a tiny budget (5 Million Lightning Conduit DPS for this particular version)
- Not reliant on uniques - before getting to Annihilating Light, Agnerod West can be used, which is a few c item
- Perfect for the league start
- Can be scaled to much higher damage numbers with investment
Build Cons
- The build has non-standard interactions between skills, so playstyle might not be for everyone
Passive tree(s) and Path of Building
[3.20] Skill Tree PoB Community (Pastebin)Bandits
Bandits Quest Choice |
Kill all bandits |
Ascendancy skill points
Labyrinths | Skill point choice |
---|---|
Labyrinth 1 | Shaper of Storms |
Labyrinth 2 | Mastermind of Discord |
Labyrinth 3 | Heart of Destruction |
Endgame Labyrinth | Shaper of Winter |

Skill gem setup
Helm
Cast When Damage Taken Support (LVL 1)
Increased Duration Support (LVL 20)
Vaal Molten Shell (LVL 10)
Cold Snap (LVL 7)
Body Armor
Anomalous Storm Brand
Innervate Support
Onslaught Support
Chain Support
Unbound Ailments Support
Elemental Proliferation Support
Gloves
Defiance Banner
Determination
Vitality
Purity of Elements
Boots
Divine Blessing Support
Inspiration Support
Wrath
Flame Dash
2h Weapon
Lightning Conduit
Energy Leech Support
Lightning Penetration Support
Elemental Focus Support
Hypothermia Support
Added Lightning Damage Support
1h Weapon
None
Offhand weapon / shield
None
Build uniques / Example rare gear
Tip: Click on the item to view it on PoE Wiki or to view similar rare items in poe.tradeHelmet
Rare HelmetLook for generic rare helmet with at least 90 to maximum life and high resistances.
Body Armour
Rare Shaper Body ArmorThis build is very versatile in choice of body armor.
Early on, you can start with Tabula Rasa.
As an alternate mapping option, shaper-influenced body armor with +1 to active skill gems and increased item rarity would be amazing.
Another alternative that’s perfect for lightning builds is Inpulsa’s Broken Heart.
Gloves
Rare GlovesLook for rare gloves with high life and resistances.
It’s important that we get “Inflict Lightning Exposure on Hit, applying -13% to Lightning Resistance” searing exarch implicit.
Boots
Rare BootsLook for generic rare boots with at least 80 to maximum life, 30% increased movement speed and some resistances.
Left Ring
Berek's GripGreat cheap ring, that works really well in the build, giving us lightning damage, some life and most importantly, energy shield and life leech against enemies affected by elemental ailments.
Right Ring
Rare Ring with Conductivity on HitLook for rare ring with conductivity on hit.
It would be ideal if there was high life and resistances on the ring as well, but the conductivity is the most important mod to look for.
Amulet
Rare AmuletLook for rare amulet with either +1 to all skill gems or +1 to all lightning skill gems.
Ideally, your amulet would have both these mods, but amulets like that are very expensive, so 1 of them will do for the league start.
Other mods to look for – high life, resistances and minimum frenzy charges.
Belt
Rare Stygian ViseLook for rare stygian vise with at least 80 life and as much resistances as you can get.
Additional mod to look for would be x% increased damage with hits against chilled enemies, but that’s for late game.
2Hand Weapon
Annihilating LightAnnihilating Light is our endgame weapon of choice. Please be mindful of the fact that this weapon will reduce your elemental resistances a lot, so make sure your other gear can cap them.
Before obtaining Annihilating Light, Agnerod West is a perfect choice that can easily carry you into red maps and beyond.
Jewel
JewelsBuild does not use a lot of jewels, but for those that it uses, look for following mods:
1) To maximum life / increased maximum life
2) Strength & Dexterity
3) Elemental resistances
4) Chance to gain phasing on abyss jewel
5) New ailment mitigation mods
Flask
Flask SetupBuild uses following flasks:
1) Divine life flask with instant recovery and bleed removal
2) Quicksilver Flask
3) Vessel of Vinktar (Shock effect and proliferation version)
4) Granite Flask
5) Jade Flask