Merciless Hardcore Lightning Strike Templar - Pros/Cons/Tips/Guide

http://www.pathofexile.com/passive-skill-tree/AAAAAgUAAnEEswVbFCAUTRZvGJEZLhnpGjgdFCNNJ-0yiTbpQDZBP0RyRtdN2E99UEdQUFFgUeZUSVXGVw1X4lhjWfNfP2aeZ71wfXKpd-V82YBWgW-ExIuMjHaMz49GkFWboZ48ns2iAKcwp4SplayqtC-0-bndwBrG2MmYz2XQ0NIh1I_ZYd7B4XPjauSt51LsOO0g7m_vDvAf8i_z3fTp9kj3vvrS_c8=

This is the core to most lightning strike templar builds. The rest of the points, put where you see fit. I can't stress enough the importance Static Blows and Trolls Blood. Regardless of where you want to go in your tree, if your using lightning strike, you'll need those 2 nodes.

Notice that Blood Magic is not taken, there is a good reason for that. To spam Lightning strike effectively you will need to run blood magic. I find using my skills with blood magic support gems works the best since it leaves me the ability to run 3 40% aura using my mana (with reduced mana you can run all 3 with mana left over)

Lightning Stike- This will be your main attack, your spamable attack, honestly, your only attack. Most of the time, you will be shift clicking to spam this ability from a distance to clear through the majority of the mobs which means your damage will be 100% elemental until you clear enough of a group to put your face right in the thick of it. That being said the skill takes 50% of your physical damage is converted into lightning then is shot into 3 projectiles. Only when you hit them point blank do you do any physical damage. That means any item or passive you get that gives you physical damage leeched as life will not leech any life unless you actually smash him in the face with your hammer. I highly suggest getting quality on your lightning strike. Every % gives you 3% chance to pierce. 20% gives your 60% chance to pierce which is huge.

Damage: Easy numbers, Complicated math. Say you do 100 physical damage. a Leveled lightning strike will make you do an additional 50% damage making your physical 150. 75 physcial only applies if you hit someone in the face. Then 3 projectiles are shot each doing 75 lightning damage. Whoever you hit in the face automatically gets hit with one of those projectiles unless you spam it from a distance. Say you have 300% increased physcial damage though gear and passives. Now you do 300 phys damage, 450 with lightning strike, 225 per lightning projectile. Say you also have 100% increased elemental damage, now your doing 450 damage per lightning projectile. If you have 100 damage worth of additional damage though +fire +ice + lightning in your gear this will also be applied into your projectiles and multiplied with your increased elemental damage. You can see how all this can add up to make this skill very powerful.

Recommended Support Gems
1. Melee Physical damage. Everything is calculated initially off of your physical damage and then multiplied from there. High Phys damage means high lightning damage. +50% additional phys damage maxed. 25% increased damage for projectiles maxed.
2. Weapon elemental damage. Will increase your projectile damage. +80% maxed.
3. Blood Magic. Will increase the cost of the mana(hp) to run this skill, but with the amount of life and life regen you have you can spam spam spam and not drop any health.

If and when (youll need it) you get a 5L chest piece here are some viable supports.
4. Life Leach. This will give you the most sustain. You will leach life through your projectiles and not just physical damage, very important and what I have found to be the best.
5. Added Fire damage. Gives you an additional 40% fire damage from your physical, so your projectiles will do an addional 20% damage, not something to be scoffed at.
6. Chain - Great for mobs.
7. LMP/GMP/Fork/Pierce- Not viable, will just reduce the damage you do. Only good if your farming say fellshire.
8. Lightning Penetration - Very useful if a boss resists curses.
9. Added Lightning Damage - Great! (but why is it so low) You need quality on this to make it work. Quality will increase your chance to add shock, shock will greatly increase your damage.

Glacial Hammer/Heavy Strike - Decent for single target, but to be honest you will out dps with lightning strike even on single target.

Shield Charge - Keep it with you. It has saved my life when I have been cornered. Just cast it past the mobs you will push though people to excape.

Curses - Conductivity or Temporal chains is great. I like to keep both on me so for fast mobs I can slow them, and slow mobs or resist mobs I can shred though them.

Auras - Keep this tip in mind. Once you cast an aura with reduced mana, or reduced mana and blood magic, you can move those support gems out of the socket. Once it is cast the mana / hp cost does not change, that is why I am able to run 5 auras off of 1 reduced mana gem, and not have to use a 4 link to run my two blood magic auras.
40% Auras (Mana)- You will need Vitality and Purity always running. Those are 2 40% auras. Purity will increase your max resist which is huge. Vitality is worth it alone to make up for not speccing into blood magic. The last aura is up to you. I run determination for mobs and discipline(even though its a flat cost) for bosses. Keep in mind, armor is basically useless against strong bosses. Haste is also viable.

Flat Cost auras - It is not worth it to run discipline off of blood magic. It will cost you double the mana and your health regen does not work on energy shield. I like to run Anger and Wrath off of bloodmagic/reduced mana. Costs about 500 hp reserved to run this so make sure you have enough hp. If you don't have the hp, use wrath as your third mana aura.

Cons
You will not clear as fast as some other builds with this build alone.
Gear Reliant
You will need to figure out what works best for you.
Pros
Tanky Caster.
Good solo or with party.
Very versatile build. Lightning strike and the 2 40% auras are the only things you will absolutely need to make this build work. You can spec into having 2 spork totems if you wanted. You could have a summon skeletons totem. Ice Spear/Nova Totem. Go more Auras. There is a lot you can play with to make your character much stronger. That part is up to you though.