Overview
Spell Totem plus Arc is a deceptively simple pairing that the Gemling Legionnaire turns into something far larger. Gemling gains bonuses from gem quality, and both halves of the core link scale off it: Spell Totem’s quality grants cast speed per summoned totem — roughly 132% once six totems are out with stacked quality — while Arc’s quality grants more damage per remaining chain, which compounds to well over 200% more damage at around thirty chains. The result is a build the creator calls the strongest they have made in Path of Exile 2, ending at roughly 100 million single-target DPS.
Around the totems sit Archmage as the main aura, Mana Tempest for a large short-term buff worth about 100% of mana as extra lightning, and Frost Bomb with Elemental Weakness for exposure against bosses. Defence runs through mana: Mind Over Matter, Eldritch Battery and a deep mana pool carry the survivability, which is why the transition threshold is explicit rather than gradual.
That threshold is the honest caveat. The build does not come online until roughly level 70, when Mind Over Matter, Eldritch Battery and Ancestral Bond are all reachable, and the creator recommends waiting for at least 3,500 mana with good mana regeneration on both rings before swapping — closer to 4,500 before it feels tanky. A separate leveling guide covers everything before that point.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Extremely cheap to assemble — the showcase character uses day-one rares, no split personality, no lineage gems and no gem-quality gear
- Totem playstyle is one button while mapping, with strong quality-of-life
- Gemling’s quality scaling multiplies both cast speed and Arc’s chain damage at once
- Midnight Braid costs almost nothing and recoups 50% of damage taken as mana, solving early sustain
- Scales to roughly 100 million DPS with full gear
Cons
- Hard level-70 gate; the build is unplayable as an early-campaign setup
- Requires a specific mana floor (3,500 minimum, 4,500 to feel safe) before it stops being squishy
- Totems can be fragile at low gem levels, forcing early investment into totem-defence nodes
- Weapon-set assignment is strict — Archmage and Mana Tempest must be set one only, or the build breaks
Key Skills
- Spell Totem + Arc — the entire damage engine, scaling on Gemling gem quality
- Archmage — the main aura, converting the mana pool into damage
- Mana Tempest — a large as-extra-lightning buff; never cast while standing inside it
- Frost Bomb + Elemental Weakness — exposure and resistance reduction for bosses
- Mana Remnants — sustain for the whole mana-centric setup
Gear & Anointments
The wand only needs increases to spell and lightning damage, with cast speed or spell crit chance as a bonus — the creator’s version is a cheap three-stat wand finished with a perfect Essence of Sorcery. The sceptre should be a Shrine Sceptre base specifically, because spirit support gems slotted into purities from that base are free, and it wants spirit increase plus mana. Everything else is a mana-and-energy-shield hunt: helmet, robe, gloves and boots all want energy shield, mana, mana regeneration and resistances, with life explicitly deprioritised. On the amulet, an extra totem from spirit beats gem levels, which keeps early amulets very cheap. Belt is a Midnight Braid; boots want movement speed above all else.
Endgame Notes
Ascendancy path is Essence of Virtue, Advanced Thaumaturgy, Neurological Implants, then Gem Studded. Weapon set one takes the totem and lightning notables — Supported Ancestors, Ancestral Reach, Electrifying Nature, Sigil of Lightning, Ancestral Conduits, All Natural and Pure Power — while set two travels to exposure effect and picks up Lingering Whispers and Decrepifying Curse for curse effect. The boss rotation is curse, Frost Bomb, totems, then Mana Tempest.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Ky - Path of Exile. See the source video for the full build’s gameplay footage + voice commentary: Arc Totem Gemling Legionnaire Build Guide 0.5.5 - Path of Exile 2.