Level 97 Summon Raging Spirit Champion^3.23

Notes

3.23 SRS Lightning Champion

Lightning SRS Video Guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu0XeeBt6Ys
SRS Deep Dive: Lightning vs Guardian vs Poison: https://youtu.be/Tl8z5UPazeU 

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/phazeplays
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PhazePlays_
Discord: https://discord.gg/DkUz2Ke6V4

Changes in 3.23:
	1. SRS quality changed from "20% increased minion movement speed" to "30% chance to summon an extra Minion" (this works with Unleash, it's a slight upgrade overall)
	2. Divergent SRS possibly gone, which will be a DPS loss for ultra-lategame bossing with Ashes and Divergent SRS (if it's not a Transfigured gem)
	3. Divergent Melee Splash may be gone with the removal of Alternate Quality gems. Not a big deal, use Awakened Melee Splash instead for mapping
	4. Tattoos are gone. There's likely more borrowed power in 3.23 to make up for this

Lightning SRS should be just as strong in 3.23 in most cases

== AFFLICTION ==
Take the "Warden of the Maji" Ascendancy while leveling
Spec "Oath of the Maji" for "30% increased Movement Speed if you have Equipped Boots with no Socketed Gems"
Keep boot sockets empty for as long as you can
Grab "Barkskin" next (depending on reservation)
Once you have a few decent Charms, respec the Ascendancy to "Wildwood Primalist" (only takes 1 regret per point)

================================
======= Leveling / Boneshatter ======
================================

This guide is for Boneshatter leveling. Explosive Arrow, Lightning Arrow, Corrupting Fever, Splitting Steel are also potential leveling options but they're out of the scope of this guide
If you'd prefer Explosive Arrow or Lightning Arrow, find a leveling guide for one of them and follow that until swapping to SRS later

Since Duelist is very far away from Minion nodes on the tree, leveling this as Minions is not recommended even with twink gear (unless you know exactly what you're doing)

== Bandits ==
Softcore: Kill all
Hardcore with currency and twink gear: Kill all
Hardcore fresh start: Help Alira

== Leveling notes ==
Level as Spectral Throw into Helix at level 12 into Boneshatter in Act 6
You can stay Spectral Throw longer if you want
VERY IMPORTANT: Use the Rustic Sash recipe to keep your weapon up to date: vendor a weapon, rare (or magic) rustic sash, and a whetstone
The 30% mana cost as life mastery helps mana immensely early on

== Boneshatter Swap Act 6 ==
Must have Call to Arms and "Non-Vaal Strike Skills target 1 additional nearby enemy" mastery on Tribal Fury before swapping
Boneshatter - Fortify - Ruthless - Close Combat
Buy Ancestral Cry
Put ancestral cry on left click

== Boneshatter mapping ==
Auras entering maps: Determination, Arctic Armour, and Pride. Run without Dread Banner until you get Inspirational from Uber Lab
It's important you have Divine Shield and around 100-200 energy shield to mitigate Boneshatter self-hit damage
Wear a crystal belt if possible and/or an ES/Armour chest piece for extra ES
You may need to path to Entrench early so you can grab the single life/mana leech node on the way
Any Eldritch Embers (red implicit currency) you get, use on decent gloves to try for +1 strike
Totems, berserk, and dropping dread banner are all important for single target

Here's my level 90 boneshatter snapshot if it's helpful at all: https://poe.ninja/builds/ancestorhc/character/phazeplays/PhazeBecomeAChampion?i=0&search=name%3Dphaze&time-machine=day-4

== Adrenaline Weapon Swapping ==
This is entirely optional and kind of degenerate gameplay but if you want to zoom or are an experienced player feel free
Be careful doing this in HC it can be dangerous

Offhand links: Corrupting Fever - Lifetap ---- May need a 3rd link to trigger HP threshold: Swift Affliction / Efficacy / Increased Duration or something
Weapon Swap -> Press Corrupting Fever to drop health below 50% and trigger Adrenaline -> Weapon swap back -> Zoom

If Corrupting Fever starts chunking too much health, stop leveling it temporarily
If you want, you can start doing this after your first Lab

== Pantheon / Ailments ==
Brine King / Ralakesh
Early on, ring craft shock reduction and run a flask suffix until you solve shock immunity via darkness enthroned ghastly or stormshroud / ancestral vision
If you get complete ailment immunity, run Solaris instead of Brine King
Ralakesh never comes off on a Champion unless you're bossing

=================================
============= S.R.S. ==============
=================================

== When can I swap to SRS? ==
If you have Diadem, March of the Legion, and Blessed Rebirth (medium cluster jewel), you can probably swap entering maps. If not, swap once you have them

== Gem Swapping Melee Splash / Multistrike ==
I'd recommend always keeping Multistrike in your inventory or offhand to gem swap for tanky bosses or Sanctum
Gem swapping is unnecessary during general mapping, however

== How often should I press Smite / Vaal Smite? ==
Hitting an enemy with Smite gives your minions a lightning damage aura for roughly 5.8 to 7.8 seconds depending on your reservation mastery, along with applying Lightning exposure (as long as you have Avatar of Fire and Elemental Equilibrium)
Always hit tanky rares and bosses with Smite, but otherwise it's not incredibly important while mapping unless you're undergeared or underleveled gems
Press Vaal Smite whenever you want extra damage, but keep in mind the attack time is rather long
I'd recommend pressing Vaal Haste directly before Vaal Smite, as it mitigates Vaal Smite's unusually long attack time (especially important in Sanctum)
Wrath should always be active

== Smite accuracy ==
Spend 2 passive points to get "Resolute Technique" until you can craft a "Hits Can't Be Evaded" Stabilizing Sceptre
Additional Accuracy Support in March of the Legion is an option as well, though it usually only gives you ~80% chance to hit 
Only Smite can miss. Vaal smite cannot miss (it's simply too powerful)

== Minion Accuracy ==
Always check PoB for this. It mostly depends on the monster level, SRS gem level, and minion accuracy mods
As a general rule, just run the "+250 minion accuracy" mastery until you get 1 or 2 accuracy rolls on Ghastly jewels
"Minions have #% chance to Blind on Hit with Attacks" makes capping accuracy much easier, and provides a bit of defense as well
Check accuracy often in PoB when you swap gear around in the endgame

== March of the Legion Corruption Implicits ==
+1 to level of socketed gems
+2 to level of socketed aura gems
+2 to level of socketed aoe gems
	All of the above are very good

+2 to level of socketed duration gems only affects Smite and not Wrath so it's mediocre but better than nothing

== Budget Option ==
Fortress covenant inside of a cluster is an option on a budget and is similar damage to a good jewel. No life though

== SRS Targeting ==
Mouseover targets while casting SRS and they'll only attack your mouseover target.
Very useful on Uber Uber Elder, Searching Exarch, and Cortex

=================================
============= F.A.Q. ==============
=================================

== Why Avatar of Fire and Elemental Equilibrium?  ==
Avatar of Fire makes Smite do zero lightning damage which in turn gives our SRS minions lightning exposure via Elemental Equilibrium (minions don't inherit Avatar of Fire or Elemental Equilibrium)

== What's with the Stabilizing Sceptre? ==
Saves a passive point

== What about Poison? ==
Covered in the SRS Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/Tl8z5UPazeU 

== Why Champion? ==
Massive aura effect for Smite/Wrath/Determ, cheat death, perma Fortify, tons of Armour/Evasion, free Intimidate
0 reserve Defiance Banner, can skip Grace, extra attack speed for Shield Charge / Smite / Vaal Smite

== What about Guardian SRS? ==
Guardian is a very strong leaguestarter, but doesn't scale as well as Lightning lategame
Guardian mechanics and PoB is in the SRS Deep Dive: https://youtu.be/Tl8z5UPazeU 

== Why no Vaal Molten Shell? ==
You can definitely run it if you feel the need
Vaal Haste and Vaal Smite are already heavy on vaal soul usage, adding a 3rd vaal skill will make uptime worse
I don't think VMS is usually necessary at the moment as a non-melee champion with adrenaline cheat death

== Which Reservation Mastery? ==
"50% increased duration of non-curse auras" is best typically, as it gives a lot of Divine Blessing QoL and makes your Smite Aura last longer

== Can I play this build without Diadem? ==
It would probably not work out in your favor

== Which Harvest weapon enchant? ==
% attack speed is probably best to help with Vaal Smite's attack time
+weapon range is also an option for more reach with Smite
Both are fine

== How important is the Blessed Rebirth medium cluster? ==
DO NOT PLAY THIS BUILD WITHOUT IT UNLESS YOU LIKE PAIN

== Should I use the 30% minion AoE mastery while mapping? ==
Yes, it scales your minion splash damage AoE

== Should I drop defiance banner for a bit of extra tankiness/regen? ==
Banner dropping on a Champion is quite good when you need regen in a pinch and there's no possible line of sight issues. Just remember to turn it back on afterwards if you do
For example, dropping a 50-stack defiance banner in the middle of Maven's boss arena covers the entire circular arena and there are no possible line of sight obstacles causing you to lose the buff

== Best Watcher's Eye? ==
Determ % Additional Physical Damage Reduction in HC, whatever you want in SC

== Diadem: Stats or Resists+Chaos?  ==
I think stats have a slight edge especially early on for tattoos, get Dex / Int if you go this route

== Are Grand Spectrums good? ==
Yep, use 1x endurance 2x maximum life if you want

== Is Loreweave / Eternal Damnation required? ==
No, but it's very good to have in HC. Probably unnecessary in SC

== Is Fourth Vow + Xibaqua good? ==
Yep it's solid

=================================
=========== CRAFTING ============
=================================

== Ghastly Jewels ==
Craft these using Harvest Reforge Lightning or Alt/Aug/Regal

Best mods:
	Maximum Life
	Minions deal (15-20)% increased Damage if you've used a Minion Skill Recently (usually best damage mod, as we have a lot of flat lightning from our auras)
	Minions have (4-6)% increased Attack Speed, Minions have (4-6)% increased Cast Speed
	Minions deal # to # additional Lightning Damage

Having at least one of either 220+ minion accuracy or a "minions blind on hit" mod are good, it often lets you drop the minion accuracy mastery
Try to get one jewel with 46%+ Shock Avoidance which will make you Shock immune inside of a well-rolled Darkness Enthroned and Thick Skin on the passive tree
Minion Movement Speed is also a decent stat

== Medium Cluster (Endgame) ==
Get an i68-i83 Medium Minion Life Cluster Jewel base
We want Blessed Rebirth + Renewal. They aren't targetable mods so they have to be brute forced

Two different methods work (along with expected costs)
Alt/Aug/Regal = 624 alts, 325 augs, 57 regals, 56 scours, 56 transmutes
Alch/Scour = 510 alchemy, 509 scour

== Large Cluster (Endgame)  ==
Warning: The base is expensive and crafting it is expensive
Get a i84+ 12 Passive Minion Damage Cluster
Alteration/Augment until you hit both "3% increased attack/cast speed" and "35% increased effect of passives" ---- takes around 2131 Alterations on average
Imprint (Craicic Chimeral), Regal, Exalt, and cross your fingers
If you hit a 3rd or 4th good mod, using a Fracturing Orb is an option to finish crafting it

For early game clusters, use Harvest Reforge Caster until Call to the Slaughter and 2% increased minion attack cast speed or something equivalent

== Stabilizing Sceptre == (Covered in Lightning SRS video)
1. Get a Stabilizing Sceptre i83+ (for the possibility of T1 cast speed)
2. Spam Shrieking or Defeaning Essences of Fear on the sceptre until you hit any of: +1 all spell gems, +1 lightning, or +1 fire. This takes ~114 fear essences on average
3. Annul or prefix cannot be changed and scour to isolate ONLY the +1 mod and increased minion damage. Your sceptre should only have +1 and % minion damage on it, nothing else
4. Craft "Can have up to 3 crafted mods", Prefixes cannot be changed, and lastly a generic mana prefix to fill prefixes
5. Tier 4 Aisling, which gives us a veiled suffix
6. Remove crafts using bench, craft any one of the three "increased Damage per Endurance Charge" to block (all are in the same mod pool), then unveil
7. Try to unveil either cast speed or minion attack speed. Should be roughly 42% chance to unveil cast speed or minion attack speed. Could also maybe use the unveiled trigger mod but im not sure what the 4 second CD does to ES sustain
8. If the unveil fails, go back to step 3
9. Craft "Can have up to 3 crafted mods", "Hits Can't Be Evaded", and "Trigger a Socketed Spell when you Use a Skill"
10. Finished!

== Minion Shield (Endgame)  ==
- Prefixes -
1. Get a Fossilised Spirit Shield i84 or i85. If fractured, I'd generally recommend a Suffix fracture, since Prefixes are deterministic and it makes finishing Suffixes easier. If not fractured, you can Redeemer Orb a Suffix later
2. Spam Greed Essences (I'd recommend Shrieking usually) until T1, T2, or T3 "% increased Minion Damage" (depends on budget). T1 is extremely rare, 100% settle on T2 if you hit it
3. Get an open Prefix. The only Prefixes should be Life and % Minion Damage. Annul if needed
4. Craft "Prefixes Cannot Be Changed" to FILL UP SUFFIXES. Suffixes must be full for the next step. If you only have 1 natural suffix, you can craft a Prefix, Exalt, then craft Prefixes Cannot Be Changed
5. Harvest Augment Fire for guaranteed +1 Fire. Import your shield into CraftOfExile's Emulator before doing this step to confirm everything is correct. Prefixes are done!

Suffixes aren't rigid, there are many ways to finish it

== Endgame Gloves ==
1. Start with Suppression Fracture Gloves (10-14% suppression depending on Budget)
2. Spam Shrieking or Deafening Essences of Fear
3. Stop on either 2 acceptable suffixes (craft Life to finish) ------- OR a decent life roll + 1 decent suffix + 1 open suffix (Craft any Suffix to finish)

== Rings ==
1. Get an i84 Amethyst Ring
2. Scour it to normal
3. Quality it with 4x Prismatic Catalyst
4. Harvest "Reforge Chaos" until good Suffixes
5. Craft "Suffixes Cannot be Changed"
6. Use a Veiled Chaos Orb (1/12 chance to fill Prefixes, in which case you'd Annul)
7. Craft generic flat Mana to block
8. Unveil (75% chance to unveil Life)
9. Craft -mana
10. If there's an open Prefix: Redeemer Orb slam for a chance at "% increased Minion damage"