Spark Build, Support Gems

You need to get the Pierce passives (right side) + use Pierce gem for 100% Pierce chance. You must get all 6 skill duration nodes. GMP is far better than Fork, yes, it's very much needed.

You should stack projectile speed on your wands (don't use quill rain its simply bad).

Karu Ward Amulet (not sure on spelling, it has 30% projectile speed). Victarios Acuity amulet is better but expensive.

You'll need Vaal Pact and leech gem or offscreen reflect will not be manageable.

20/20 is important and you'll want to run the Vaal gem or you're not having any fun, nor would you be leveraging the power of the passive spec.

If you wanna have some fun, run Vaal Spark 6L with Vaal Spark/echo/gmp/lifeleech/projspeed/pierce. If you're doing it right you can clear a Dried Lake map in about 20 seconds after you get 96 souls. Perma Vaal Spark runs are the best.

Cheapo wands that work fine:


Oh yeah, and even more fun:
Have a friend use a 1h mace and Vaal Glacial hammer. It creates a circle of ice that traps sparks. If you get a boss inside this and let loose Vaal Spark, you get trolololo dps. Instant boss melting fun.

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CantripN wrote:

Spark / Light Pen / Spell Echo / Pierce = core.

If you have a Drillneck and use a Voltaxic Rift, remove Light Pen.
5L+ = Empower (3/4), PCoC, Crit Damage, Added Lightning/Chaos, Faster Casting.

Pierce is not required, and I question it's value with Spark. It only gives a chance of a projectile to pierce and that projectile may not hit another target again, depending on certain circumstances.

I'd rather add in Chain on top of Fork than add Pierce. It'll guarantee two more projectiles from each projectile already out.

Pierce also stops Fork and Chain from taking place early on, and they're meant to increase coverage. So it works against the point of Spark.

So not only is it not part of the "core" of the spell, it's value is minimal.

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Vipermagi wrote:

Both Fork and Chain come with the same 'may not hit another target' issue as Pierce, but also come with a Damage penalty. Pierce helps with clearing packs all the same, and has zero impact on your single-target capacity. That's what makes it good.

(stacking both Fork and Chain is stupid why would you ever do that)

Let's assume each individual case, then. And let's assume that mob pack.

If you use only Pierce, your Sparks will hit their initial targets and roughly 50%-75% of the time. Assuming your RNG is "mathematical", you'll get one to two more hits out of each Spark. Let's assume two projectiles will pierce and one won't, with one additional pierce after that. You've hit six targets at full damage. Total of 200% damage.

If you use only Fork, you get two more projectiles from each initial one, but at 70% effectiveness. You'll end up getting 210% of your initial damage. All of your projectiles hit because the Forked projectiles come out immediately.

If you use only Chain, you get the same amount of projectiles as you would from Fork but with less effective damage. You get a total of 150% of your original damage, but your projectiles spread more evenly inside the pack.

Regardless of which one you use, if there aren't targets behind your initial target you lose effectiveness very, very quickly. So it comes down to how many projectiles can you put out to cover the area more evenly, and that's what makes Pierce almost worthless. It gives no additional damage (Either directly or in the form of another projectile) while the other two options do. I'd sooner use Fork and Chain together before I ever consider Pierce.

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Natharias wrote:

Let's assume two projectiles will pierce and one won't, with one additional pierce after that.

I'd assume that every projectile will pierce, it's easy with pierce support and that pierce cluster. And if you get a lot of projectile speed and both duration clusters you will see them hit again and again (and for full damage at that), the only limit being their lifespan.

Each of the piercing projectiles actually needs only one more hit to top chain and come within an inch of Fork (assuming both forked projectiles hit something after splitting).

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raics wrote:

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Natharias wrote:

Let's assume two projectiles will pierce and one won't, with one additional pierce after that.

I'd assume that every projectile will pierce, it's easy with pierce support and that pierce cluster. And if you get a lot of projectile speed and both duration clusters you will see them hit again and again (and for full damage at that), the only limit being their lifespan.

Each of the piercing projectiles actually needs only one more hit to top chain and come within an inch of Fork (assuming both forked projectiles hit something after splitting).

And how often are enemies going to have life that require multiple hits?

Never. Yes, I know it uses crit but it shows he only has 31% crit chance, so ignore it.

He did it without pierce, fork, or chain, and was completely destroying everything. He didn't need those things because he had projectile speed, and in place of that he'd take Fork or Chain. Pierce wouldn't help as much. Two projectiles moving at 100% speed is better than one; double the chance to hit.

A better setup is a better setup, if monsters in that Crypt lack life to take a single spark it doesn't mean others do too.

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raics wrote:

A better setup is a better setup, if monsters in that Crypt lack life to take a single spark it doesn't mean others do too.

If he's insta-shattering almost all of them then it won't take too many shots for monsters in higher level maps.

Yeah, you know what they say about ifs and buts.

Well, I could just make one in a monthly combo league, I guess, if I go self-found again it should really put it through the paces.

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Natharias wrote:

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raics wrote:

A better setup is a better setup, if monsters in that Crypt lack life to take a single spark it doesn't mean others do too.

If he's insta-shattering almost all of them then it won't take too many shots for monsters in higher level maps.

First of all, Blues with Resist, Rares and Bosses are all that matters. The rest is trash.
Second, you're forgetting the party bonus to monster HP and various map mods.

Point is, Pierce is simply better.