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PoE 2 Build

Spark Archmage Leveling Guide by Asmodeus

presentationSorceress
presentationStormweaver
Creator
Starter
Updated on Jan 7, 2025
Jan 7, 2025

Build Overview

Spark is mechanically an amazing skill. It has great coverage for clearing maps as well as comfortably damaging bosses from a distance. The base amount of projectiles and projectile speed allows us to focus on scaling our damage, which is best done with the use of the Archmage buff. This meta build took over the Early Access ladder of Path of Exile 2, and if you want to join in on the fun that everyone is having with it, I'm going to make it easy for you with this leveling guide.

While leveling my own Spark Stormweaver, I've tested a lot of possible gem and passive setups and this guide will present you with the best choices I have found.

Build Variants

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This guide shows you the progression of skill gems and passives that you will be adding to your build with levels. Select the variants above to jump between different progressions and see what gems and passives you should aim for as you advance through the game.

Leveling Stage 1 Variant

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Equipment

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Gearing

While leveling, your main priority is getting as much damage as you can on your weapons and defensive stats on the rest of your gear. You can use a staff, wand + focus or wand + shield. The vendors restock their items every time you level up so check them every time you're in town. Always look for upgrades and try to buy and craft as much gear as you can. It is not worth saving your currency. Crafting better gear will speed you up and allow you to earn more currency at a faster rate. When looking for upgrades prioritize these stats:

Wand/Staff/Focus

  • bonus levels to spells and lightning spells
  • increased spell damage
  • increased lightning damage
  • cast speed
  • mana
  • mana regeneration rate
  • intelligence

Shield

  • increased block chance
  • life
  • mana
  • resistances

Body Armour/Helmet/Gloves

  • life
  • mana
  • resistances
  • energy shield
  • mana regeneration rate
  • intelligence

Rings

  • life
  • mana
  • resistances
  • cast speed
  • mana regeneration rate
  • intelligence

Amulet

  • bonus levels to spells and projectile skills
  • life
  • mana
  • resistances
  • cast speed
  • mana regeneration rate
  • intelligence

Boots

Prioritize crafting boots, until you have movement speed on them. Nothing else matters on boots during leveling. Of course life and resistances are always good to have, but I you should highly prioritize MS.

Here are the item level requirements for different movement speed modifiers on boots:

  • 10% movement speed (ilvl 1)
  • 15% movement speed (ilvl 15)
  • 20% movement speed (ilvl 30)
  • 25% movement speed (ilvl 50)
  • 30% movement speed (ilvl 70)
  • 35% movement speed (ilvl 82)

Twink Gear

If this is not your first character, and you have spare currency to buy leveling uniques, you can pick items from this list to make your leveling journey easier.

When Searching for these items, pay attention to level requirements and make sure that you can equip these items at early levels. You can filter search results on the trade website by level requirement and put a low maximum level requirement in order to find the right leveling items.

  • Lifesprig
  • Wanderlust
  • Midnight Braid
  • Idol of Uldurn
  • Foxshade
  • Levinstone
  • Goldrim
  • Kitoko's Current
  • Oaksworn


You can also add Quality and Sockets to your gems (especially to Spark which will gain additional projectiles from quality). This will not increase their level requirements.

Leveling Stage 1 Variant

Select another Variant

Skill Gems

Support Gem Requirements:

Str 5

Dex 5

Int 15

Spark

Spark
supportfastercastplayer
supportpierceplayer

Flame Wall

Flame Wall
supportarcanesurgeplayer

Orb of Storms

Orb of Storms
supportcontrolleddestructionplayer
supportexecuteplayer

Raging Spirits

Raging Spirits

Initial Setup [Leveling Stage 1 Variant]

Your initial setup will use Spark with Arcane Tempo and Pierce. You should be using Pierce until you spec into Branching Bolts, at which point it can me replaced with another support.

Flame Wall can be supported with Arcane Surge, until you complete your first trial, which will grant you permanent Arcane Surge from Constant Gale. You can try adding Fortress to Flame Wall , but I've found it to be detrimental on bosses due to the position and spawning sequence of the Flame Wall which delays your damage buff and makes it awkward to place properly between you and the boss.

Once you get Raging Spirits, every cast of Flame Wall will summon them for extra damage. This is only good in the early game.

Orb of Storms can be supported with Controlled Destruction and Execute early, for additional single target damage. You can also support it with Overabundance if you're not using Idol of Uldurn.

Mid Acts Setup [Leveling Stage 2 Variant]

Once you get a Jeweller's Orb, add Rising Tempest to your Spark. As long as you're regularly using your Flame Wall, this will give you a good amount of extra damage, without any downsides.

You can also add Considered Casting to Orb of Storms, since it doesn't affect the trigger rate, and only slows the initial cast.

As soon as you can, add Mana Tempest with Premeditation and Inspiration to your setup. Standing in it while casting, gives you a massive damage boost, and if your gear is good enough, you can melt any campaign boss before it causes you to run out of mana.

In Act 3, after getting 60 spirit, I recommend swapping your Raging Spirits for a Blasphemy + Conductivity setup. It has less effectiveness than self casting the curse, but curses have a long cast time, which means that the Blasphemy setup can free you to simply do more damage. It also lowers the amount of buttons you have to press in each boss fight.

Late Acts Setup [Leveling Stage 3 Variant]

You can drop Pierce from your Spark (or keep it if you find that the chain from Branching Bolts is not enough for you) and add damage supports listed above + Acceleration if you need faster damage delivery and longer range while mapping.

When you get access to tier 3 support gems, support your Orb of Storms with Lightning Exposure + Strip Away to apply exposure during boss fights.

In act 6, after getting 100 spirit, you can remove your Blasphemy setup (cast the Conductivity manually on bosses from now on) and use the Archmage buff. This will give you a huge amount of damage if you've been working on your gear and making sure to have a decent amount of mana. Select the Leveling Stage 3 Variant to see the full gem setup above.

Leveling Stage 1 Variant

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Passive Tree

main:
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set 1:
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set 2:
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Leveling Stage 1 and 2

At the start, you want to path through as much Increased damage as you can, but as you progress and start picking up passives such as Pure Power and Arcane Intensity, other passives that increase damage will become completely inefficient. That's why, after reaching the last act of the campaign and enabling Archmage you should instead stack as much Intelligence and Mana as you can, which will boost your defense and offense at the same time

I recommend pathing to the left side for All Natural first. This will make gearing easier and give you a good chunk of damage along the way.

After that path toward Branching Bolts and pick up the passives from the area above it.

Leveling Stage 3

Around the last act of the campaign, you should respec to the tree shown in the Leveling Stage 3 Variant of this guide. After picking Adverse Growth and acquiring the Midnight Braid belt, you can take Mind Over Matter and Eldritch Battery keystones. If you find that you take too much damage to your mana and are unable to cast, you can invest in more mana regeneration and damage taken recouped as mana. I also recommend getting The Everlasting Gaze whenever you take these two keystones. This will give you an extra buffer of ES that will protect your Mana.

I personally took Chaos Inoculation as soon as I got to maps, because I've had 3k mana and 1k energy shield. If you have significantly less than that, you will probably have to get some gear with chaos resistance first and farm up for a good amount of mana before the swap, but the earlier you can swap to Chaos Inoculation, the better.

Attribute Priorities

Take only as much Dexterity and Strength as you need to equip your gems and items. Everything else should be invested in Intelligence.

How it Plays

While leveling in the early acts, you should always try to place Flame Wall in a way that will allow all of your projectiles to pass through it, before hitting the enemies and then cast Spark. Drop Orb of Storms and Mana Tempest whenever you need more damage against tougher packs, rares and Bosses.

Try to kite the monsters and constantly move forward while casting your spells and killing the monsters over time. In tight corridors this might not be possible, but if you manage to cast while running and kiting the monsters, you will save a lot of time.

Against bosses, try to pre-place Flame Wall, Orb of Storms and Mana Tempest in front of the boss, then make sure they're cursed with Conductivity and spam your Spark while pressing your Mana flask until you run out of mana or the boss dies. This playstyle will work for a lot of encounters and you should learn the limits of your character, to know which attacks you can tank and which you should dodge. You will die doing this, but you will learn how to maximize your damage and speed, which is worth it, as long as you adjust your actions based on what you learn.

Good luck with your leveling journey!

How it Works

FAQ for resolving possible issues:

Survivability

If you want to be more tanky and prefer a safer playstyle, make sure to use a shield with as much block as you can and possibly take the left side passive nodes (path through Wide Barrier to Offensive Stance. You can also invest in Energy Shield increaseing passives and utilize The Everlasting Gaze and Atziri's Disdain for a base of Energy Shield that will scale from your mana and life.

Act 2-3 Damage

If you want to maximize your damage in these acts, which can sometimes be an issue depending on your gear, you can choose to skip rushing for Branching Bolts and instead path straight for Pure Power after taking All Natural, Breaking Point and Touch the Arcane

Every Item Costs a Divine?

Make sure to check the bottom left Trade Filters on the trade website and select and change the "Relative" buyout price to "Exalted Orb". This will sort by Exalt price in available trades if such prices exist. The Trade website currently doesn't calculate the Divine and Exalt ratio correctly and you have to do this manually for now.

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