Intro & build description
Storm Brand is a lightning skill that was introduced in 3.5 Patch which was Betrayal League. It, together with the Armageddon Brand skill, is part of the new skill archetype and allows you to choose a little different playstyle than the traditional spellcaster. Once you cast the brands, you can reposition them by using Brand Recall skill and bouncing them from a pack to pack and quickly clearing maps. Storm Brand has quite a similar playstyle to the summoner, but it feels way better.
Build Pros
- Great as a starter build
- Scales well with currency invested - potential to reach millions of dps
- Pretty tanky - more than 7k effective life
- Fast clear with relaxing gameplay
Build Cons
- Ring setup can be quite expensive early on in the league
Passive tree(s) and Path of Building
[3.6] Skill TreeBandits
Bandits Quest Choice |
Kill all bandits |
Ascendancy skill points
Labyrinths | Skill point choice |
---|---|
Labyrinth 1 | Pendulum of Destruction |
Labyrinth 2 | Mastermind of Discord |
Labyrinth 3 | Shaper of Desolation |
Endgame Labyrinth | Beacon of Ruin |

Skill gem setup
Helm
Lightning Spire Trap
Concentrated Effect Support
Added Lightning Damage Support
Controlled Destruction Support
Body Armor
Storm Brand
Controlled Destruction Support
Lightning Penetration Support
Concentrated Effect Support
Hypothermia Support
Added Cold Damage Support
Gloves
Herald of Ice
Onslaught Support
Ice Bite Support
Innervate Support
Boots
Herald of Thunder
Curse on Hit Support
Elemental Weakness
Empower Support (Ideally LVL 4)
2h Weapon
None
1h Weapon
Summon Lightning Golem
Flame Dash
Arcane Surge Support (Level 6)
Offhand weapon / shield
Brand Recall
Empower Support (Ideally LVL 4)
Enhance Support (Ideally LVL 4)
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
Energy Shield HelmOn helm look for high life and resistances. Extra energy shield is a great boost to our survivability.
Ideal helm would be crafted with Essence of Horror and would have “Socketed Gems deal 30% more Elemental Damage” mod on top of life and resistances, but that can be an expensive craft.
Body Armour
Inpulsa's Broken HeartInpulsa’s is an excellent option for the build – not only it helps your clear speed a lot, it also gives extra damage and life.
Another great option would be Loreweave or Carcass Jack.
A more defense-oriented option could be Vaal Regalia with high energy shield and life.
Gloves
Fingerless Silk GlovesIdeally look for Fingerless Silk gloves with high life and resistances.
A great mod to craft on your gloves would be
“% increased Area of Effect
Left Ring
Mark of The ShaperAn excellent ring for the build, since it gives a lot of damage and decent defense as well.
Right Ring
Elder Warlord's Mark RingIdeally look for an elder ring with “curse enemies with level x Warlord’s Mark on Hit” and multimod it once you can afford it.
If you cannot afford it and already have Mark of The Shaper ring, just get a regular elder ring with life and resistances but without Warlord’s Mark mod.
Amulet
Rare AmuletLook for a rare amulet with “You can apply an additional Curse” mod. Some life or spell damage on top of that would be ideal, but not required.
Belt
Stygian ViseLook for rare Stygian Vise with life and resistances. You could also mastercraft increased damage on the belt.
A great unique alternative would be Bisco’s Leash, since it gives you Rampage and increases the clear speed of the build even more.
1Hand Weapon
Shaper's Rare SceptreLook for a rare Shaper Sceptre with lightning damage to spells and x% of elemental damage as extra chaos damage shaper mod.
Using crafting bench, craft spell damage + non-chaos damage as extra chaos damage mod if possible.
Offhand
ShieldThis build uses Magna Eclipsis as a shield of choice because it gives +2 to Level of Socketed gems.
To be comfortable with Storm Brand, we need Brand recall as high level as possible for lower cooldown.
If you have more currency, you could try corrupting the shield and hope for +1 to socketed gems corruption, or just buy shield like that.
Jewel
Jewel SetupLook for Abyss Jewels (Hypnotic eye) with following mods:
1.) +To Maximum life
2.) Lightning / Cold damage to spells
3.) Lightning / Cold damage to spells while holding a Shield
4.) +To maximum energy shield
5.) Increased damage if you have killed recently
6.) Resistances / Attributes if you need any
Flask
Flask Setup1.) Divine life flask with instant recovery and freeze removal
2.) Quicksilver flask of Adrenaline
3.) Diamond Flask with bleed removal
4.) Atziri’s Promise
5.) Basalt Flask / Cinderswallow Urn (best if you have decent energy shield pool).