1. Templar Spells Crit Ball Lightning build Introduction

POE3.0 Build | Templar Spells Crit Ball Lightning build to easy farm endgame bosses, like the guardians and Shaper, it got some serious clearspeed aswell tho. It is life based (with a lower ES pool) and reaches 5-6k life & 1-2k ES with ordinary gear. The concept is to crit enemys as often as possible, with extremely slow Ball Lightning projectiles and Orb of Storms. In combination with the Choir of the Storms amulet, this results in huge DPS.

1.1 Dmg Calculation:
The damage output of this build is not that easy to calculate. Some informations are required first:
The shown DPS of Ball Lightning is, according to the wiki, calculated as BL would hit 1x.
Due to several reductions of our projectile speed, a single ball will hit bossmonsters atleast 5x, even more often vs big hitboxes.
The second factor to consider is Choir of the Storm. It says "Trigger level 20 Lightning Bolt when you deal a critical strike". While you weare it, you can check its DPS. Press C and scroll all the way to the right. The shown damage is "per use", so that is not the DPS yet. To calculate that, you have to figure out the amount of crit you deal per second:
BL = Ball Lightning (your main skill)
LB = Lightning Bolt (from Choir)
OOS = Orb of Storms
BL casts per second * BL critchance/100 = crits per second
and multiply this with LB damage per use:
crits per second * LB damage = LB DPS
If u want to get exact numbers, calculate your crits per second for Orb of Storms aswell with the exact same formular and add both outcoming LB DPS.
To get your final DPS just do:
LB DPS + BL DPS + OOS DPS
Resulting numbers are huge and can easy go above 1mio in your lategame.

1.2 Pros:
-insane single target DPS
-high clearspeed
-can do any content in the game
-terrific bosskiller

1.3 Cons:
-slow movement until full ascended
-weak mid game
-less powerful against quick, agile bosses (can kill everything anyways)
-no braindead playstyle

2. Ball Lightning Mechanics

ZiggyD made a great video about the Ball Lit mechanics, check it out here, or read the short version:
Every single BL ball can hit every 200ms, this occurs per cast, wich basically means that 2 balls casted with LMP/GMP cant hit the same target more than once!
To increase BL's damage, Slower Projectiles is a great choice, as it increases the amount of time a single enemy gets hit by the same ball. Same counts for Increased AOE.
Ball Lightning wont apply shock to enemys with big lifepools as easy, because the single hits are rather low. A Vaal Lighning Trap is recomended against guardians. As the skill wont shock against endbosses, we can use Elemental Focus for additional 49% more dmg.

3. Mandatory Items

As your slow traveling BL's hit very often, the LV20 Lightning Bolt from Choir of the Storms is a great way to enhance your DPS. Lit res will be used as critical strike chance up to 75%!

Not really mandatory, but Vessel of Vinktar makes you basically immortal during flask effect!

4. Gearing

4.1 General:
We use mostly rare items with high base ES (not through mods necessary, life is more important), just to get that little extra shield and because we need a lot of blue gems. ES as mod on your gear isnt that effective but can be picked for minmax if everything below is considered.Cap your resistance first, then watch out for as much life as possible!

4.2 Weapon:
Use a dagger, for the crit and to use Whirling Blades. Divinarius is cheap and works fine till you get a better, rare one. Look out for spellcrit/crit multi/#-# lit dmg to spells/attack speed.
A Heartbreaker is a nice and cheap option for the phase between lv50 and maps.
Dual Voidbattery means a huge improvement for damage! You loose your Whirling Blades on the other hand. Only use it against bosses, that can't kill you onehit.

4.3 Shield:
Any high life (125+) shield should do, if possible try to get spell dmg/spell crit aswell.

4.4 Belt:
Doryani's lit leech & dmg are nice little adds, alternativly use a rare belt with life & flask modifiers of your choice.

4.5 Armor:
We want life here, as much as possible (125+)!

4.6 Helmet:
Buy a Hubris Circlet with ilv 84+ and the 45% Reduced Ball Lightning Projectile Speed enchantment and roll some life on it. Or run some Laby's yourself ;)

4.7 Boots:
Get high res boots with life. Movespeed is luxus, as we travel 95% with Whirling Blades.
For mapping the best enchant is "80% chance to avoid stuns" - for Shaper/Guardian farming it is "adds 1-120 Lit damage".

4.8 Gloves
The same as for boots. Attackspeed is recomended if u can get it (again, Whirling Blades).
Recomended enchantment is "Commandment of Blades", because it got some scaling with our build.

4.9 Amulette:
Is mandatory! Read the introduction!

4.10 Rings:
First use Diamond or Topaz Rings for the crit, watch out for % lit dmg, cast speed, and life as always.
An essence crafted Opal Ring can yield insane power!
CotB can improve your clearspeed with Herald of Ice.

4.11 Flasks:
Thoose are offensive Flask options, Dying Sun is great for clearspeed, Atziri's Promise slightly better in single target situations.
This flask helps on Hexproof/no leech maps!
Anti bleed/freeze on utility flasks of your choice is mandatory! In 3.0 a Diamond Flask might be a good idea!

4.12 Jewels:
The Blue Nightmare is expensive, but provides free Powercharges, 5% Spellblock when in the Witch socket and extra chaos damage. Only buy that when you have everything else in this build already.

4.13 Good jewel mods :
-crit multi (with lightning/elemental skills/spells)
-cast speed (while holding a shield/with lightning skills/cast & attack speed)
-% life
-elemental damage
-spell damage
-crit chance (with lightning/elemental skills/spells)

5. Gems

5.1 Ball Lightning Setup (map clear):
BL - Spell Echo - Inc Crit Strikes - Inc Crit Damage - Arcane Surge - Faster Proj.
Faster Proj is only recomended when u already have the "45% reduced BL speed" enchantment. Use Faster Casting till that point.

5.2 Ball-Lightning-Setup(bosskill beam):
BL - Spell Echo - Inc Crit Strikes - Inc Crit Damage - Slower Proj. - Elemental Focus

5.3 Movement(3L):
Whirling Blades - Faster Attacks - Fortify

5.4 Extra damage(3L):
Vaal Storm Call - Inc Crit Strikes - Inc Duration
This will (on crit) trigger lots of Lightning Bolts from Choir. Make sure to use a Diamond Flask before casting it on bigger enemys.

5.5 Aura(4L):
Many many options here. Some people prefer to run Warlords Mark with Blasphemy & Herald of Ice.
For early-mid game i used:
Enlighten - Herald of Thunder - Herald of Ice
For pure clearspeed in endgame i`d recomend:
Enlighten - Haste - Inc AoE - Herald of Ice
Full single target would be:
Enlighten - Wrath - Herald of Ice - Herald of Thunder

5.6 Curse Powercharges(4L):
Orb of Storms - Power Charge on Critical - Curse on Hit - Warlord's Mark
If u prefer to run Blasphemy + Warlords Mark, switch CoH & Warlords for Inc Crit & Crit damage.

5.7 Utility(4L)
Lightning Golem - Increased Duration - Vaal Haste - VLT
Untill you have 75%+ crit on full Power Charges you can use an Ice Golem aswell.

6. Skilltree/Ascendany/Bandits

6.1 Skilltree :
Thoose trees are very similar to my actual one, but not identical. I will update some nodes over the whole season. A skilltree in PoE is a living thing :

Lv20 Tree



Lv40 Tree



Lv60 Tree



Lv80 Tree


Lv100 Tree




6.2 Ascendany:
Has to be the Inquisitor, as his critical hits ignore elemental resistance!
Get Righteous Providence first, followed by Inevitable Judgement. Instruments of Virtue gives some attack speed for movement, and a lot cast speed. Finaly spec into Augury of Penitence.

6.3 Pantheon
As greater soul use Lunaris or Solaris. The lesser soul should be Yugul (25% less reflect damage).

6.4 Bandits:
Kill all, you may also help Alira if u like.