Hey there, fellow Path of Exile enthusiasts! Ever wanted to dominate the seas – or, well, the maps – with a build that's both powerful and visually stunning? Then surfcasting PoE Lightning Strike might just be the build for you. This guide dives deep into everything you need to know to make your Lightning Strike build shine, from the initial gear choices to the advanced strategies that will have you clearing content with ease. Get ready to electrify your gameplay!

Understanding the Basics of Surfcasting and Lightning Strike

Alright, before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let's break down what makes this build so special. Surfcasting in Path of Exile, in the context of our build, is a term we're using to capture the essence of the playstyle. Think of it as casting your line into the Path of Exile content and reeling in the rewards. We are using Lightning Strike, and this skill is our primary way of dealing damage. It's a skill that hits a single target with a melee attack and then creates projectiles that can hit surrounding enemies. This makes it an ideal skill for both single-target and multi-target scenarios, which makes it perfect for dealing damage to bosses and clearing maps. To make this build function, we need to focus on aspects like attack speed, critical strike chance, and lightning damage.

So, what about Lightning Strike itself? This skill is all about delivering rapid, electric blows. Every time you attack, you'll hit a nearby enemy and also create lightning projectiles that fan out and hit other monsters in the area. This unique mechanic allows the build to quickly clear packs of enemies while still delivering solid single-target damage. To really make Lightning Strike pop, we'll want to focus on a few key stats. We're talking attack speed (to get those strikes in fast!), critical strike chance (to make them hurt even more!), and lightning damage (to ensure your enemies get a shock). We also need some ways of increasing the number of projectiles, as this greatly improves the clear speed and the ability to kill bosses. Think of it like this: the more projectiles, the more enemies you zap, and the faster you win! Furthermore, because Lightning Strike is a melee skill, you will need to think about how to stay alive and mitigate damage. This can be done through a variety of defenses, such as armor, evasion, energy shield, and life. You can also make sure you have ways of regenerating your life and mana. A good defensive setup is essential for any successful build. Now, let's break down the core components of the build.

The Core Principles of the Build

• Lightning Damage Focus: We're going all-in on lightning damage, increasing the potency of our strikes. This means stacking lightning damage modifiers from gear, gems, and the passive skill tree.
• Attack Speed Obsession: The faster we attack, the more Lightning Strikes we dish out, leading to more damage. Attack speed is a priority, and we will try to make sure we're stacking it. We will be using many methods to achieve a high attack speed, such as using specific items, skills, and gems.
• Critical Strike Reliance: We want our strikes to crit consistently. This necessitates focusing on critical strike chance and multiplier to maximize our damage potential.
• Projectile Optimization: Increasing the number and behavior of our lightning projectiles will directly impact our clear speed and single-target damage. We will be using items and passive skills to achieve the best results.

Building Your Surfcasting Character: Gear and Gems

Alright, let's get into the fun stuff: what you'll need to gear up your character. Remember, this is a general guideline; the specifics can change based on the current league and your budget. This is a game with a lot of customization, so you will need to decide what you want to do. We will start with a general guide and then make sure we make any adjustments as we level up.

Weapons

Your weapon is arguably the most important piece of gear for a Lightning Strike build. You'll want a fast weapon base with high physical damage (which we'll convert to lightning). Look for weapons with high attack speed and a good critical strike chance.

• One-Handed Weapons (Swords, Claws, etc.):
  • Base: Look for a high-attack-speed base with a decent critical strike chance.
  • Mods: Prioritize increased physical damage, attack speed, critical strike chance/multiplier, and lightning damage.
• Recommended Unique Weapons:
  • Starforge: A classic option for a high-damage build. It's a good choice if you're willing to build around it.
  • Calamitous Vision: This will give us a huge damage boost, which will boost clear speed. This is a great choice for the build.

Armor

• Body Armour: Look for a chest piece that will provide you with the stats that you need.
  • Base: Usually a high life roll, as well as elemental resistances.
  • Mods: Life, elemental resistances, and potentially some unique mods that will help your build. Items such as a Kaom's Heart will give you a ton of life.

Helmets, Gloves, Boots, and Amulets

These pieces are where you can round out your defenses and boost your offensive stats.

• Helmet:
  • Base: Look for a helmet that will have enchantments that will boost your Lightning Strike damage, such as additional projectiles.
  • Mods: Life, resistances, and specific mods that fit your build.
• Gloves:
  • Mods: Attack speed, critical strike chance, and resistances.
• Boots:
  • Mods: Movement speed, life, and resistances.
• Amulet:
  • Mods: Critical strike multiplier, lightning damage, life, and potentially dexterity or strength to meet stat requirements.

Rings and Belts

• Rings:
  • Mods: Life, resistances, and possibly some stats.
• Belt:
  • Mods: Life, resistances, and possibly flasks.

Flasks

Flasks are crucial for survivability and damage.

• Life Flask: Always have a good life flask for quick healing.
• Mana Flask: This will help you cast your spells if you have mana problems. Use it to sustain mana, especially when leveling.
• Atziri's Promise (Unique): This flask is amazing for damage as it adds chaos damage to your attacks.
• Flasks with specific mods: Make sure you have flasks that can remove ailments, such as freeze and shock.

Gems

• Lightning Strike (Skill Gem): Link this gem to your main weapon.
• Support Gems:
  • Added Lightning Damage: Boosts lightning damage.
  • Elemental Damage with Attacks: A great support gem that gives you a damage boost.
  • Increased Critical Strikes: Increases critical strike chance.
  • Faster Attacks: Increases attack speed.
  • Multistrike: This will allow you to attack more times per second, which will lead to more damage.
• Auras:
  • Wrath: Adds lightning damage to attacks.
  • Grace: This gives you a dodge chance.

The Passive Skill Tree: A Lightning Rod for Success

Ah, the passive skill tree – the heart and soul of your build. This is where you'll make key decisions that will define how your character plays. Remember, the tree is vast, and there are many ways to build, so the following are suggested guidelines.

Key Clusters

• Attack Speed Nodes: Prioritize nodes that give you increased attack speed, allowing for more Lightning Strikes per second.
• Critical Strike Chance/Multiplier Nodes: Grab nodes that boost your critical strike chance and multiplier to maximize damage output.
• Lightning Damage Nodes: Search for nodes that will give you lightning damage.
• Projectile Speed/Quantity Nodes: We need more projectiles to hit more enemies. Grab nodes that increase projectile speed and quantity.
• Life and Defensive Nodes: Do not neglect life and defensive stats. Prioritize life, armor, and resistances. Without a good defense, your character will be useless.

Ascendancy

• Raider: Provides excellent attack speed, movement speed, and frenzy charge generation. It's a great choice for general mapping and bossing.
• Assassin: The assassin is a good choice if you like critical strikes. It gives you a great chance of critical strike chance and multiplier.
• Berserker: The berserker is great for damage output. This is a very powerful ascendancy.

Leveling Your Surfcasting Lightning Strike Character

Leveling a Lightning Strike character can be a fun experience. You will be able to start doing damage right away, so you will be able to clear maps quickly. Here's a quick guide to leveling your character smoothly:

Early Game (Levels 1-28)

• Skill: Use Lightning Strike as soon as you get it. You can start getting items as you go.
• Gems: Focus on supporting Lightning Strike with Added Lightning Damage and Elemental Damage with Attacks as early as you can.
• Tree: Focus on grabbing life and damage nodes in the tree.
• Gear: Get the best gear that you can for your level.

Mid-Game (Levels 28-68)

• Gear: Upgrade your gear as you find new and better items.
• Gems: Experiment with gems to see which ones will best support your skills.
• Tree: Continue to improve your tree so that you have high damage and survivability.
• Flasks: Start using flasks to improve damage and survivability.

End-Game (Levels 68+)

• Gear: Focus on finding items with good stats.
• Gems: Make sure you have the right gems equipped for your skills.
• Tree: Your tree should be complete, and you should be focused on getting items.
• Flasks: Upgrade your flasks and get the flasks that can remove ailments.

Gameplay and Strategy: Electrifying the Battlefield

Alright, let's get into the nitty-gritty of playing the build. How do you actually use Lightning Strike to dominate maps and bosses?

Clear Speed Strategy

• Movement: Utilize movement skills like Shield Charge, Leap Slam or others to quickly traverse maps.
• Positioning: Position yourself in a way that allows your Lightning Strike projectiles to hit as many enemies as possible.
• Prioritize: Focus on clearing small monsters and then attacking the bosses.

Single-Target Bossing Strategy

• Positioning: Position yourself as close as possible to the boss to maximize your projectiles.
• Flasks: Activate your flasks before the boss encounter to improve your damage and survivability.
• Attack: Keep attacking the boss. Try to evade the boss's attacks.

Advanced Tips and Tricks for the Electrified Surfcaster

Ready to take your build to the next level? Here are some advanced tips to help you crush content.

Optimizing Your Gear

• Crafting: Learn the basics of crafting to fine-tune your gear.
• Trading: Get familiar with the Path of Exile trading system to acquire specific items.
• Enchantments: Get enchantments to boost the power of your helmet. This can provide a huge increase in clear speed.

Maximizing Your Damage

• Experiment: Try different gem setups and see which ones will provide the best results.
• Attack Speed: Keep attack speed as high as possible. This will increase your damage.
• Critical Strikes: Make sure that you have high critical strike chance and multiplier.

Surviving in Hardcore

• Defense: Don't neglect defense. Defense is the most important part of the build.
• Map Mods: Be careful of map mods. Make sure you avoid mods that will hinder your build.
• Practice: Practice the game to learn the attacks and skills.

Conclusion: Zap Your Way to Victory

So, there you have it, a comprehensive guide to building a surfcasting PoE Lightning Strike character! It's a build that's as thrilling as it is effective. With the right gear, gems, and a dash of strategy, you'll be zapping your way to victory in no time. Now go forth, unleash the power of lightning, and conquer the maps! Good luck, and have fun electrifying the battlefield! I hope you have a lot of fun, and good luck in Path of Exile! Remember to adapt and optimize as you progress, and most importantly, enjoy the electrifying journey!