Spark Inquisitor Build Guide (PoE The Forbidden Sanctum 3.20)
Introduction
Due to the latest balancing changes, we do not recommend playing this build anymore, as it does not meet the high standards we apply to our guides in terms of fun and performance. We are leaving it up as a reference and it might be revived in a later patch.
Spark is now one of the oldest skills in Path of Exile, and has weaved its way in and out of many metas through the years, from totem builds designed for clear speed and safety to self-cast variants that shred the entire screen. This build is one of the latter, a self-casting terror that has an excellent combination of damage, defense, and economy.
This build is an excellent league starter, and requires very little investment to start rolling over maps and bosses. Due to range and nature of Spark, even content that outstrips your current character or power level can be easily approached at a distance and eliminated. By combining the natural Lightning damage of Spark with Cold damage converted from 
Call of the Brotherhood, we also ensure that most enemies are frozen and shattered long before they even have a chance to approach.
Even for less than the sum of 15 
Chaos Orbs our Spark Inquisitor has the damage and the survivability to leap right into the end-game and get farming. The high amount of Life Regeneration and Leech gives the build an extremely comfortable and forgiving feeling, making it relaxing to play and a great choice for players of all levels of experience. Spark is available right after defeating Hillock in Act I, and is a viable and effective leveling choice. This gives newer players a chance to get comfortable with the skill while leveling up and negates any need for build swapping and juggling of gems later on.
Many of the gems and items can be swapped out for alternative options to further empower your damage, or to bolster your defensive capabilities. This level of flexibility is perfect for both challenge leagues and shorter events — such as Flashbacks — as the build can be easily adapted to suit your needs and budget. By the same token, this also makes this build a great choice for Solo Self-Found Leagues and Hardcore, should that be your preference.
Overall, Spark is no longer the dominant force of years passed, but it is a solid league starter that is very straightforward to play and enjoy.
Build Assessment
Pros
+ League starter
+ New player friendly
+ Well rounded defenses and very safe clear (long distance, freezes and shatters foes)
+ Excellent clear and movement speed
Cons
– Certain Map affixes are not possible or annoying to deal with (Elemental Reflect, No Regeneration, 90% to Avoid Elemental Ailments)
– Not designed to facetank single large hits (Elder/Guardian Map Syndicate, Shaper Slam, etc.)
– Mediocre single target damage before end-game gear (or requires 
Ball Lightning swap)
Path of Building
Path of Building for a Level 95 Spark Inquisitor build can be found here
Included are the skill trees, gem links, and an example set of low/mid level gear with room for upgrades. Resistances have been excluded as they can be filled in on any piece as needed and available.
We use the Path of Building Community Fork for all of our builds, which is highly recommended. If you are encountering errors importing the build, please ensure you are using the Community Fork.
Playstyle and Build Mechanics
This build clears very quickly and has a lot of natural screen coverage due to the nature of Spark‘s mechanics and performance as a skill. Using 
Vaal Spark only furthers your ability to clear without slowing down at all, which makes this build adept at ripping apart maps and generating fat rates of experience per hour.
Even without any special gear or investment we can easily obtain upwards of 10% Life regenerated per second, giving the build a very stable and solid feeling in any situation. Underscoring that is a large amount of Energy Shield Leech, Life Leech, and Life gained on-hit, which feels incredible when paired with the large number of Sparks flying around the screen. In most situations, any incoming damage is immediately healed away, or it fails to penetrate the Energy Shield at all.
Despite the fabulous Energy Shield and Life sustain, it is rare that these defenses need to be relied on at all. Most enemies are immediately frozen and subsequently shattered from the Cold conversion provided by Call of the Brotherhood. Enemies that survive long enough to inflict damage are usually limited to bosses once this excellent ring has been obtained. A healthy combination of Avoidance and Block Chance serves as further smoothing for any damage. Mind Over Matter can also be easily incorporated if you choose, adding a final layer of defense that is perfect for Hardcore players in particular.
A variety of gear options allow this build to perform at all levels of budget — for example, players that do not have Call of the Brotherhood can still use 
The Three Dragons to gain the massive defensive benefit of freezing the entire screen. While we will discuss the options in detail in the Gear section, this build can be tailor made to suit your preference and your purse.
Passive Skill Tree
This is our recommended Level 95 Passive Skill Tree.
For more details on the Passive Tree, skill acquisition order, and more, be sure to check out the Passive Skill Tree page for in-depth information.
Passive Skill Tree and Gem Links
Gems
We go over all of the gem links this build uses in the end-game on our Gem Link page.
Passive Skill Tree and Gem Links
Ascendancy, Bandits, and Pantheon
Our Ascendancy, Bandit, and Pantheon Powers page goes into detail about all the choices you need to make in these regards.
Ascendancy, Bandits, and Pantheon Powers
Gear Summary / TL;DR
These items strike a balance between power and cost-effectiveness. If you want to explore more options for Gear (both budget and high-end), Flasks, or get more information on alternatives and specialty items, please ensure you read the Gear, Jewels, and Flasks page thoroughly.
Our recommendation:
| Item Slot | Item Name |
| Head | Rare  Hubris Circlet |
| Amulet |  Choir of the Storm |
| Chest |  The Covenant |
| Gloves | Rare  Fingerless Silk Gloves OR  Shadows and Dust |
| Boots |  Voidwalker |
| Belt | Rare  Crystal Belt |
| Ring 1 | Call of the Brotherhood |
| Ring 2 | Rare  Opal Ring |
| Weapon | Shaped  Void Sceptre |
| Shield* | Rare  Fossilised Spirit Shield |
For in-depth recommendations for gear, flasks, jewels, and crafting advice be sure to read our Gear, Jewels, and Flasks page.
Gear, Jewels, and Flasks Breakdown
Leveling
As a reminder, we have several guides to help you level up a character.
- Our step-by-step leveling walkthrough, which allows even more experienced players to save time and speed through the leveling process.
- Our guide to Unique Items for leveling, which helps you gear up your characters for the leveling process.
- Our beginner leveling guide, which answers many of the questions new players might have and will set you on the right path.
You can acquire Spark immediately in Act I after killing Hillock. Link it with 
Pierce Support, 
Arcane Surge Support and ###item:onslaught-support### for now (in order of priority), and add in 
Added Lightning Damage Support and 
Added Cold Damage Support as soon as possible.
In order of priority, your links for leveling should be:
- Spark / Vaal Spark
- Pierce Support
Controlled Destruction Support
Spell Echo Support- Added Lightning Damage Support
Energy Leech Support
Make sure to acquire 
Herald of Ice and 
Herald of Thunder in Act II, and then 
Zealotry in Act III. Elemental Overload is a great keystone for the first half of the leveling process until you have enough Critical Strike to matter.
FAQ
What Annointment is Best for my Amulet?
- Heartseeker offers superb damage in the end-game.
Why Don’t You Have -% Elemental Resistances or Penetration on any Gear?
The Ascendancy node Inevitable Judgement causes Critical Strikes to ignore enemy Elemental Resistances, and non-criticals to penetrate 10% of Elemental Resistances. This is an amazing keystone but seriously devalues penetration as a stat for us, allowing us to budget a lot more affixes elsewhere and freeing up a flask slot that would otherwise need to be used for 
The Wise Oak.
