In Depth Arc/BL Mines Leaguestart Leveling Guide [Videos Included]

1. Links and gems:


Early links you should prioritize are B-B-G, B-B-B and B-G-G. Start with checking nessa for 3 linked wands with these colors (R-G-B is also acceptable because early on you can simply use it as a B-G and sell it for a chromatic later) then check the other vendor for appropriate colors. At minimum you should to leave the town with B-G.

Stormblast Mine + Lesser Poison is your initial setup.

After lvl 4 you will want to use:

Frostblink + Arcane Surge(keep it low lvl to procc it with a single use of the movement skill) in a B-B

Stormblast Mine + Swift Assembly + Lesser Poison if you have G-G-B, otherwise cut the Lesser Poison and just use B-G

Frost Bomb + Onslaught + Orb Of Storms in B-B-G. This should give you the highest Onslaught uptime.

You can also put OOS in B-B-B with Arcane Surge if you don't have a B-B-G. None of these setups are set in stone, these are just the most optimal configurations but it always depends on the actual linked sockets you are able to find.

At lvl 8 you can use Added Lightning with wither Frost Bomb, OOS or the Mine, depending on where you have an extra Blue socket. Putting it in Mine or OOS will give you better single target DPS while putting it with FBomb will ensure one-shotting tougher monsters for onslaught proccs.

At lvl 10 you're going to swap Frostblink for Flame Dash and add Smoke Mine (you need a transmutation orb to purchase it, you should have a transmute from selling unidentified items that drop from Brutus. And you'll naturally need an extra G socket for the smoke mine.

2. Movement speed boots:

You can copy and paste "runners" or simply "nn" and then ctrl+f, ctrl+v in the vendor to search for the runners prefix which is the 10% movement speed on boots. The vendors reset every time you level up so make sure to regularly check the vendors for the links and boots until you're happy with what you have. Do not make extra trips to town when you level up, just do it whenever you happen to be in town picking up your quest rewards.

If you find an early alchemy orb or essence it is worth using it on a pair of boots, especially if it's a 3-link with good colors. Otherwise save 3 augmentation orbs for MS benchcraft in act 2.

3. Wand recipe:

The wand craft will be your main source of damage and you can not skip it. You should always aim to get at least one lvl 8 craft and two lvl 20 crafts.

You need:

1 magic wand (look for as good base as you possibly can with as good linked sockets as you possible can. The best base for lvl 8 craft is Goat's Horn). You'll likely need 1 transmutation to turn a normal wand with good links into a magic one.

1 alteration orb (identify rare items, especially the weapons and sell them identified for alteration shards)

1 sapphire/topaz/ruby ring (you can sell an iron ring + a skill gem to get a sapphire ring if the gem is blue, topaz if it's green and ruby if it's red). Sapphire ring will give you added cold damage, topaz will give you lightning and ruby will give you cold. You will naturally have a viper strike gem from lvl 1 which you should save to craft a topaz ring for the lvl 8 recipe.

[A note about the lightning vs cold: added cold damage early on is slightly more beneficial due to the cold exposure applied by the FBomb, however you will not have a spare blue skill gem until you kill Brutus and swap frostblink for flame dash, so it is easier to get the added lightning first as a shadow. Additionally the sapphire rings are more valuable in act 1 because of the Merveil fight. Having 2 sapphire rings equipped or that fight makes it much easier and faster which is why I prefer to do the topaz craft at lvl 8]

Magic wand + Alteration orb + Normal Resistance ring = T8 added damage which requires lvl 8

Magic wand + Alteration orb + Magic Resistance ring = T7 added damage which requires lvl 14

Magic wand + Alteration orb + Rare Resistance ring = T6 added damage which requires lvl 20

I usually end up crafting the lvl 8 wand right after reaching the prison waypoint and dealing with Dweller of the Deep quest, then I collect all rewards, sell enough items to get 1 transmute and 1 alteration and do the craft. If you're extremely unlucky with drops and skipped all unique monsters on the way then you will always be able to do the craft after Brutus anyway. On the other hand if you're getting extra Transmutation and Alteration drops + a lot of wisdom scrolls then go ahead and get 2 crafted wands.

4. Play Pattern

In the beginning you just stack stormblast mines and detonate them in as long of a chain as you can. You want to aim your mines slightly behind your target to avoid losing them to AoE untill you get Clever Construction node from the passive tree.

From lvl 4 you want to use fBomb on packs that are far away from you which you can 1 shot and OOS on packs that you run through, followed by frostblink that will get them low enough for OOS to finish them off. For tougher packs and monster use OOS + stormblast mine while standing in OOS to continously procc the OOS.

MS bots,
BBB(frostblink/flame dash, arcane surge, OOS),
BBG(fBomb, onslaught, added lighting),
BGG(stormblast, swift assembly, lesser poison),
G(smoke mine),
2 transmutes,
1 alteration,
lvl8 wand craft.

Pick up iron rings and any essences you see until you have at least 2 essences saved.

1. Links and gems:

As soon as you finish the chamber of sins you want to use Skitterbots and Herald of Thunder. This will require 2 extra blue sockets and an alteration orb to purchase one of those skills. Use them right away at lvl 16.

If you have an extra alteration, buy Wave of Conviction (otherwise buy it as soon as you can) and put it in a BBB setup with Arcane Surge and Flame Dash.

After finishing weaver you should grab Elemental Focus or Trap and Mine Damage, depending on your links and if you have enough Transmutations (2) buy Arc + Blastchain Mine from Nessa in act 1. You should replace your stormblast mine setup with Arc + Blastchain Mine support + Elemental Focus (if you don't have another BBB, but instead have BBG then use Trap and Mine Damage) Elemental focus is out best damage link because we're already getting shock from the skitterbots.

You can also drop your frost bomb and use OOS + Onslaught + Added Lightning in a BBG setup. Try to keep your Onslaught up as much as you can by letting the OOS kill monsters.

2. Wand recipe:

In act 2 you want to craft 2x lvl 20 added lightning damage wands. The best base to craft on is a Quartz wand which goes up to 22% increased spell damage so if you can find a BBB or BBG one that would be ideal, but prioritize the links over the base.

You will also need two rare topaz rings. You should save your essences (only use them on boots with good links if you have no MS) to turn 2 topaz rings rare. We craft lightning damage here because we are might be scalling some of it from the passive tree and we want the wave of conviction to deal majority lightning damage for the guaranteed lightning exposure.

Magic wand + Alteration orb + Rare Resistance ring = T6 added damage which requires lvl 20

Craft 2 of those before fighting Vaal and they will be good enough until Blood Aqueducts.

DO NOT AUGMENT YOUR WANDS. First of all you want the suffixes empty for resistance crafts which are available from lvl 16 and cost 1 transmute, and secondly you might need the augmentation orbs for movement speed craft on boots.

3. Movement speed boots

If you've had no luck finding them anywhere, grab a pair of boots with good links and use an alteration or an essence on them for a high chance at an empty prefix then, using the recipe before the entrance to vaal pyramid craft MS on them - it costs 3 augmentation orbs.

4. Play Pattern

After switching to Arc mines you still want to prioritize killing packs with OOS, so always drop it wherever you think it has the highest chance of finishing off monsters, other than that your arc mines should be very strong against everything in this act. Since arc is a lightning skill you still want to spam mines while standing inside the OOS.

Once you get Wave of Conviction you should always open with it against bosses. First stack the ~15 or so, mines, then once the boss becomes targettable it will have a short damage resistance buff, this is why you want to first use your WoC, to lower their lightning res and after that you detonate your mines, massively amplifying your damage. You can also flame dash before doing all of that, to procc Arcane Surge.

5. Bandits

Help Alira, you're eventually going crit, you need the mana regen and resists make it easier to get. It's the faster and better way with this build.

MS bots craft,
BBB(Arc, Blastchain Mine, Elemental Focus) or BBG(Trap and Mine Damage instead of Ele focus),
BBB(Arcane Surge, Wave of Conviction, Flame Dash)
BBG(OOS, Onslaught, Added Lightning)
B, B, G (skitterbots, herald of thunder, smoke mine)
2x lvl 20 added lightning wand craft,
Help Alira

1. Links and gems:

Item level 25 is the item level at which 4 links begin. Since vendors sell items of a level 1 higher than your character level, you want to start checking for 4 links at lvl 24. You are looking for BBBB or BBBG in which you'll use Arc + Blastchain Mine + Ele Focus + Added Lightning Damage/Controlled Destruction/Trap and Mine Damage depending on the currency you have and your exact colors of the 4th socket.

You still want to use BBG with OOS + Onslaught + Added Lightning to kill monsters and procc onslaught and you will keep this setup until act 5.

Since we've dropped fBomb you might have enough links for an extra Ball Lightning setup, especially if you have a second 4 link. Even as a 3 link, Ball lightning with Blastchain Mine and Elemental focus or Added lightning can outperform Arc's single target damage. It all depends on the boss you're fighting. If it's a stationary boss (like Kitava) then Ball lightning offers superior single target, particularly on a 4 link. If the boss moves and jumps around like a flea on meth on a dog who's on fire (like Malachai) then Arc's guaranteed connection will be much better. I find myself mostly using Arc, except for very specific bosses so that secondary setup is not necessary.

An extra gem you'll pick up in this act is Conductivity, you should level it in the off hand weapon until the end of act 5 where you'll add it to your curse on hit setup. Due to the 33% reduced curse effectiveness on unique act bosses (which is the only time we really care about our single target damage) Conductivity becomes better than Wave of Conviction at lvl 15, therefore it is better to use WoC throughout leveling.

2. Resistances

In act 3, I recommend picking up a couple of well rolled (15%-16%) two-stone rings if you don't find any. you can use essences and alchemy orbs on those to look for extra suffixes which you can craft extra resistances on.

You should also craft resistances on your wands. I usually go for fire to make the Gravicious fight easier and Lightning to make the Piety fights easier. The amount of crafts you can do depends on the number of Transmutation orbs you will find and the amount of open suffixes on your gear

BBBB(Arc, Blastchain Mine, Elemental Focus, Controlled Destruction/Added Lightning) or BBBG(Trap and Mine Damage instead of Controlled Destrucion/Added Lightning),
BBB(Arcane Surge, Wave of Conviction, Flame Dash)
BBG(OOS, Onslaught, Added Lightning)
B, B, G (skitterbots, herald of thunder, smoke mine),
Pick up 2 two-stone rings and bench craft resists on your wands

1. Links and gems:

The only relevant gems we get in act 4 are right at the end of it. As your final reward after killing malachai you should pick up Minefield support and from Pegasus and Ganja... I mean Petarus and Vanja, you should get curse on hit, then set up Wave of Conviction + Curse on Hit + Conductivity. It's nuts.

[A note about Minefield Support: Due to the nature of added flat damage scalling with the number of hits, I believe that early on, Minefield Support will outperform many other support gems. Arc + Blastchain Mine + Ele Focus + Minefield Support is a very good setup which I use after act 5. It has excellent clear speed and can keep up in single target for a while, however in the later acts I switch out of it. This is largely a personal preference. I tend to avoid support gems which lower the mine throwing speed and lock you in place for too long. I prefer having more control, more mobility and more single target damage with this build while still matching or almost matching the clear speed. Test what works best for you and I'll give you my recommendations.]

2. Staunching Flask

This is optional in softcore but I would consider it mandatory in hardcore and recommended if you want to have a MUCH lower chance of dying. Once I have access to Sacred Life flask I try to either roll a Staunching suffix or get an empty suffix and beast craft the Staunching mod. Sacred Life flask requires lvl 36 and I usually end up hitting that level right after killing both Kaom and Daresso and I equip it before entering belly of the beast. Belly of the beast is the first zone where bleed removal matters but it makes a massive difference if you don't want to be forced to stop running because you can't afford to take the increased bleed damage. It's a massive QoL and it ends up saving enough time to justify getting it on a league start, especially if you save it in your stash for future characters.

3. Resistances

Before fighting Kaom you should try to cap your fire resistance or get as close to it as possible. Daresso is a joke and you should instantly phase him, so cold res is not as important, but I usually have my resistances capped in act 5 and you should aim to get as close to it as you can.

4. Ascendancy

Some time at the beginning of this act you should do your first lab and ascend to Sab. Your first node should be Born in the Shadows for the Blind, it is currently by far the best option.

Sacred Staunching Life Flask,
Minefield Support,
Curse on hit + WoC + Conductivity,
Saboteur Blind

1. Onslaught

After finishing The Key To Freedom Quest, immediately grab a Silver Flask as your reward and drop the OOS Onslaught Setup. From this point on, you can rely solely on Arc mines + Wave of Conviction or optionally Ball Lightning setup for single target.

2. Resistances

After killing Kitava you will lose 30% of your resistances, to counteract this, keep constantly improving them as you run through this act. Ideally you'll get 105% elemental resistances and that way end up back at 75% after killing Kitava.

Silver Flask,
Ditch OOS,
105% ele res goal,

1. Links and gems:

Start off by doing Lilly's quest on the beach. This will give you access to all of the gems we need. As soon as your currency allows, you should purchase High Impact Mine Support, Charged Mines Support, Slower Projectiles and Inspiration.

You should level Slower Proj and Inspiration in your offhand, or put them in your Ball Lightning Setup. The will require BBGR links. You're likely going to switch to tremor rod later on in trade league which has a red socket that is hard to get rid of, and you'll use inspiration there. Slower Proj boosts your BL damage by a lot.

For your Arc setup you can continue using Minefield support as long as you want, or do what I am doing and swap to Charged Mines. I use Arc, High-Impact Mine, Charged Mines, Ele Focus. Together with Wave of Conviction + Conductivity setup and Arcane surge active, your arc can instantly phase many of the story bosses when the sequence is executed correctly.

2. Resistances

Make sure to fix your resistances after receiving the -30 penalty. In Act 6 you should at least cap your cold res before the final crab boss.

BBBB(Arc, High-Impact Mine, Ele Focus, Charged Mines/Minefield),
75% ele res.

Blast through!

Blast!

1. Blood Aqueducts

In BA you can catch up on levels and start doing chaos recipe. If you find any humilities, sell them for 2c each. Together with chaos recipe and whatever chaos you have found during the story this will allow you to afford a Tremor Rod early on. You should also push for 105% elemental resistances again, so that you can progress straight to maps after killing A10 Kitava.

Also be on a lookout for rare wands. You can very easily find one with a good % inc spell damage roll and craft added flat lightning on it or vice versa. (you can check the wands in the PoB, that's what you're aiming for before you get tremor rod)

2. Ascendancy

At this point you should do your second lab and take the Pyromaniac or Bomb Specialist (I usually take the Pyromaniac).

Sell Humility,
Chaos Recipe,
Tremor Rod if you can, craft Wands if you can't,
Pyromaniac or Bomb Specialist from Cruel Lab

At this point your character should be already set up for maps and it's just a formality. Kill Kitava, make sure your resistances are capped and do your Merc Lab (pick up Pyromaniac or Bomb Specialist).

Kitava,
Merc Lab,
Cap Res