Overview
This build turns the Infernalist into a ward-stacking caster that pushes Spark to an extraordinary gem level (40) while raining Comet through Cast on Elemental Ailment. The core trick is Pyromantic Pact: skills are paid for with Infernal Flame instead of mana, so the character runs on one life, a sliver of energy shield, and zero mana — and can therefore spam Comet endlessly without the usual self-immolation that punishes energy-shield casters.
Defence comes almost entirely from Ward rather than the traditional layers. Sitting around 3,700 Ward that overflows to roughly 6,000, plus block, the character has no armour and no evasion — the creator likens it to a life-based Warrior with zero mitigation, held up by the Ward pool refreshing between hits. The pay-off is a screen-clearing lightning-and-cold caster that comfortably runs 200% giga-juiced Abyss, Breach and even heavily-juiced Expedition, which the creator singles out as the toughest content in the game right now.
Spark provides the constant hit density that procs elemental ailments, which in turn triggers Comet for the heavy damage. Push Spark tooltip damage past ~120,000 and Comets start raining continuously; below that threshold the trigger chain sputters, which is the single most common reason imitators can’t get it working.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Enormous effective gem levels on Spark (level 40) for very high base damage
- Spam-castable Comet via Pyromantic Pact — no mana management, no ward/ES death spiral
- Clears the hardest juiced content: 200% Abyss, Breach and juiced Expedition
- Ward + block gives a surprisingly sturdy body despite one life and no armour/evasion
- Strong mapping throughput (~600,000–650,000 DPS with the Elemental Archon setup)
Cons
- Very gear- and jewel-gated — the enabling cluster jewel alone runs 300+ Divine
- Requires precise crafting (100% pierce gloves, T1 resist/cast-speed rings) that is expensive and swingy
- Zero armour/evasion means it leans entirely on Ward sustaining between hits
- Needs high Spark tooltip (120k+) before the Comet trigger chain feels good — weak until then
Key Skills
- Spark — primary hit skill, pushed to level 40 to fuel elemental ailments and clear
- Comet — triggered nuke, spammed freely because Pyromantic Pact removes mana cost
- Cast on Elemental Ailment — the trigger that converts Spark’s ailments into Comet casts
- Pyromantic Pact (Infernalist) — pays skill costs with Infernal Flame instead of mana
- Elemental Archon — damage buff on ignite that lifts mapping DPS to ~650k
Gear & Anointments
The build stacks +levels to Spark from every slot (Dialla’s Desire, Prism of Belief, Legacy of Light, +level gloves and amulet with caster modifier, plus corruption) to reach level 40. Gloves are crafted to 100% chance to pierce so a support slot is freed for damage. A Runic Ward secretcall-style chest supplies the large maximum-Ward pool. Rings target spell/crit/cast-speed with capped elemental resistances, and a Headhunter belt is recommended for juiced mapping. The build-enabling piece is an expensive conduit cluster jewel that nearly doubles damage. Confirm exact unique and jewel names against the source video.
Endgame Notes
The creator positions Expedition — correctly juiced with Vicissium — as the hardest content this patch, and this build clears it along with 200% Delirium Abyss and Breach. An extra +10 Spirit is available as a permanent buff from Expedition rune combinations (Aldur’s Saga grand remnants), letting you fit an additional aura.
Credits & Source
Build credited to Phalanx. See the source video for the full gameplay footage and voice commentary: How I Reach Level 40 Spark — Infernalist Ward Stacking.