Intro & build description
Arc Totem has always been a great starter build and with 3.5 and new crafting bench mods, it has gotten even better. This particular build doesn’t use Soul Mantle, therefore, it can afford to get more offensive stats on the rings/shield and more freedom of choice for other items as well.
Build Pros
- Pretty large effective life pool - more than 7k if we include MoM and mana
- Perfect as a starter build because it doesn't use expensive build-defining uniques
- Scales really well with an investment
- Fast clear
Build Cons
- Totems might not be for everyone
Passive tree(s) and Path of Building
[3.6] Skill Tree [3.7] Skill TreeBandits
Bandits Quest Choice |
Kill all bandits |
Ascendancy skill points
Labyrinths | Skill point choice |
---|---|
Labyrinth 1 | Pursuit of Faith |
Labyrinth 2 | Conviction of Power |
Labyrinth 3 | Ritual of Awakening |
Endgame Labyrinth | Divine Guidance |

Skill gem setup
Helm
Phase Run
Increased Duration Support
Enhance Support
Portal
Body Armor
Arc
Spell Totem Support
Controlled Destruction Support
Faster Casting Support
Lightning Penetration Support
Added Lightning Damage Support
Gloves
Orb of Storms
Curse on Hit Support
Conductivity
Arcane Surge Support
Boots
Cast When Damage Taken (LVL 3)
Immortal Call (LVL 5)
Increased Duration Support (LVL 20)
Vaal Haste (Only use the Vaal version)
2h Weapon
None
1h Weapon
Summon Lightning Golem (LVL 20)
Cast When Damage Taken (LVL 20)
Minion and Totem Elemental Resistance Support
Offhand weapon / shield
Flame Dash
Faster Casting Support
Less Duration Support
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
Fossil crafted Hubris CircletOn ideal helmet you should have high life and -x% lightning resistance of nearby enemies. Any resistances or energy shield on top of that would be great.
Helm like that is not really hard to craft, just use 2 Socket resonator with Pristine and Metallic fossils on the helm until you hit both mods.
Body Armour
Shaper Energy shield bodyLook for Shaped energy shield chest, ideally with itemlevel 84+ and craft “Spells haveĀ +#% to Critical Strike Chance” mod on it. Life, energy shield and resistances on top of that would be ideal.
Gloves
Rare energy shield glovesLook for rare energy shield base gloves with high life and resistances. Extra energy shield or mana would be great bonuses.
Boots
Rare Two-Toned bootsLook for rare Two-Toned boots with high life, 30% movement speed and some resistances.
Left Ring
Rare Diamond RingLook for rare Diamond Ring with high life and mana.
Resistances or attributes that you need are good bonuses.
Right Ring
Essence WormThis is one of the 2 uniques (Other being Lavianga’s Spirit) that I’d recommend getting as fast as possible.
When you get Essence worm, socket Wrath in it.
Amulet
Rare Elder amuletLook for rare Elder amulet with “gain x% of Non-Chaos damage as extra chaos damage” mod. Craft life, critical multiplier or critical strike chance on top of that.
High-end option would be Aul’s Uprising with “Wrath reserves no mana” mod, but that’s a really expensive amulet.
Belt
Stygian ViseLook for generic Rare Stygian Vise that has high life and resistances.
It’s a good idea to craft %increased damage mod on the belt by using crafting bench as well.
1Hand Weapon
Rare Void SceptreLook for Rare Void Sceptre with lightning damage to spells, at least 80% to critical strike chance for spells, cast speed. It’s a good idea to look for a sceptre with an open prefix so you can craft “GainĀ #% of Non-Chaos Damage as extra Chaos Damage” mod on the crafting bench.
Offhand
Rare Fossilised Spirit ShieldLook for Rare Fossilised Spirit shield with life, increased spell damage and critical strike chance for spells. Cast speed is a good bonus but can be expensive.
Jewel
Clear MindSince this build reserves no mana, we should definitely take advantage of that by using Clear Mind jewel.
It’s not a priority item, so you can wait until its price drops a bit.
Jewel
Rare JewelsI’d suggest using both abyss and regular jewels for this build.
Mods on abyss jewels:
1.) Lightning damage to spells
2.) Lightning damage to spells while holding a shield
3.) +to maximum life
4.) +to maximum energy shield
5.) Mana / Attributes / Resistances
Mods on regular jewels:
1.) Global critical strike multiplier
2.) Critical strike multiplier with lightning skills
3.) Critical strike multiplier with elemental skills
4.) Increased maximum life
5.) Increased cast speed
6.) Increased maximum energy shield / mana
Flask
Flask Setup1.) Instant Recovery Divine Life flask with bleed removal
2.) Silver Flask with Freeze removal
3.) Quicksilver Flask of adrenaline
4.) The Wise Oak
5.) Lavianga’s Spirit – Get it as soon as you can