Storm Brand

Quick Summary: A lightning spell that creates a brand on the ground which attaches to nearby enemies and chains lightning beams between them. Excellent for mapping and league-start builds.

Overview

• Skill Name: Storm Brand

• Skill Type: Active Spell

• Gem Color: Blue (Intelligence)

• Gem Tags: Spell, AoE, Lightning, Brand, Chaining, Duration

• Release: Betrayal League (3.5.0)

• Last Changed:

Skill Identity

Primary Use

Storm Brand is an automated lightning spell that creates brands on the ground. When an enemy comes near a brand, it attaches to that enemy and begins firing chains of lightning to nearby targets. Brands remain active for a duration and automatically retarget when enemies die, making them excellent for clearing maps with minimal button pressing.

The skill is particularly popular for league-start builds because it requires minimal gear investment to feel good, has excellent clear speed, and can be scaled effectively with basic spell damage and cast speed. Brands provide a "fire and forget" playstyle - you cast them once and they continue damaging enemies while you focus on movement and positioning.

Storm Brand excels at mapping due to its automatic targeting and chaining mechanics, but can also handle single-target boss content when properly supported and scaled. The brand mechanic allows for safe gameplay since you can cast brands and retreat while they continue dealing damage.

Playstyle

Gameplay Pattern:

• Cast brands near enemy packs
• Brands automatically attach and chain between enemies
• Move to next pack while brands continue damaging
• Recast when brands expire (duration-based)
• Stack multiple brands on bosses for single-target

Best Content For:

• ✅ Map clearing - excellent automated damage
• ✅ League mechanics - safe positioning
• ✅ League starting - low gear requirements
• ✅ Bossing - decent single-target when stacked
• ❌ Deep Delve - limited range can be challenging

Gem Stats

Base Stats (Level 1)

Attribute	Value
Level Requirement	12
Cost & Reservation	8 Mana
Cast Time	0.75 seconds
Activation Frequency	0.5 seconds
Critical Strike Chance	5%
Damage Effectiveness	50%
Brand Duration	5 seconds (base)

Required Attributes

Attribute	Level 1	Level 20
Strength	0	0
Dexterity	0	0
Intelligence	33	111

Stat Progression (Level 1 → 20)

Level 21 (Corrupted): Approximately 5-10% more damage than level 20

Awakened Version: Not applicable - no Awakened Storm Brand exists

Mechanics

How It Works

Storm Brand is a lightning spell that creates a brand on the ground. When an enemy comes near a brand, it attaches to that enemy and begins firing chains of lightning to nearby targets. Brands remain active for a duration and automatically retarget when enemies die, making them excellent for clearing maps with minimal button pressing.

1. Brand Placement: You cast Storm Brand at a target location, creating a brand entity
2. Attachment: When an enemy enters the attachment range, the brand attaches to that enemy
3. Activation: Every 0.5 seconds (default), the brand fires a beam of lightning
4. Chaining: The lightning beam chains to nearby enemies
5. Duration: The brand lasts for its duration, then expires
6. Re-attachment: If the attached enemy dies, the brand automatically seeks a new target

Key Mechanics:

• Maximum Active Brands: 3 brands can be active at once (base)
• Maximum Brand Attachment: 1 brand per enemy (2 with Runebinder keystone)
• Spell Echo Interaction: Cast speed affects placement, but NOT activation frequency

Damage Calculation

Base Damage: Fixed lightning damage range per gem level

Scaling Factors:

• Spell Damage: 100% effectiveness
• Lightning Damage: 100% effectiveness
• Elemental Damage: 100% effectiveness
• Brand Damage: 100% effectiveness
• Cast Speed: Only affects placement, NOT damage frequency

Conversion: No damage conversion

Formula:

Final Damage per Hit = (Base Lightning Damage + Added Lightning Damage)
                       × (1 + Increased Spell/Lightning/Elemental/Brand Damage)
                       × More Damage Multipliers
                       × (1 + Critical Strike Multiplier if crit)

DPS per Brand = Final Damage per Hit × Activation Frequency (2 per second base)
Total DPS = DPS per Brand × Number of Active Brands × Chain Multiplier

Radius / Area of Effect

Attachment Range:Chain Range:AoE Scaling: Increased AoE increases attachment and chain range Maximum Targets: Limited by chain count

Duration

Base Duration: 5 seconds Duration Scaling: Benefits from increased skill effect duration Activation Frequency: 0.5 seconds (fixed, scales with cast speed modifiers)

Quality Bonuses

Standard Quality (GCP)

Quality %	Bonus
1%	+1% increased Damage
10%	+10% increased Damage
20%	+20% increased Damage

Alternate Quality (Transfigured Gems)

Anomalous Storm Brand

Divergent Storm Brand

Phantasmal Storm Brand

Support Gem Compatibility

Best Support Gems

Must-Have Supports

Support	Priority	Benefit	More Multiplier	Cost
Concentrated Effect	Must Have	Best raw DPS increase	~50% more	1-5c
Lightning Penetration	Must Have	Consistent damage vs all targets	~35% more effective	1c
Swiftbrand	Must Have	Faster activation = more hits	~40% more	5-10c
Added Lightning Damage	High	Scales well with flat damage	~30% more	1c

Situational Supports

Support	Use Case	Benefit
Chain Support	Mapping/Clear	Increased chain range and count
Inspiration	Cost reduction	Reduced mana cost + damage boost
Increased Critical Strikes	Crit builds	Higher crit chance

Optimal 6-Link Setups

Maximum DPS (Bossing):

1. Storm Brand
2. Concentrated Effect
3. Lightning Penetration
4. Swiftbrand
5. Added Lightning Damage
6. Increased Critical Damage / Controlled Destruction

Best Clear Speed (Mapping):

1. Storm Brand
2. Lightning Penetration
3. Swiftbrand
4. Added Lightning Damage
5. Chain Support / Increased Area of Effect
6. Inspiration / Elemental Focus

Budget League Start:

1. Storm Brand
2. Added Lightning Damage
3. Controlled Destruction
4. Elemental Focus
5. Lightning Penetration
6. Swiftbrand (when you can afford it)

Scaling & Optimization

Primary Scaling Factors

1. Lightning/Spell Damage

   • Sources: Passive tree, gear, jewels
   • Effectiveness: Primary scaling method

2. Cast Speed (for brand activation)

   • Sources: Passive tree, gear (affects activation frequency)
   • Effectiveness: Increases hits per second

3. Brand Limit

   • Sources: Passive tree (Brand Mastery, Holy Conquest)
   • Effectiveness: Each brand = multiplicative damage increase

4. Critical Strike

   • Sources: Passive tree, power charges, gear
   • Effectiveness: High investment required, but strong when capped

Stat Priority

For Mapping:

1. Brand Limit - 5-6 brands active
2. Cast Speed - 4+ brands/second placement
3. Lightning/Spell Damage - 300%+ increased
4. Lightning Penetration - 30%+

For Bossing:

1. Lightning/Spell Damage - 400%+ increased
2. Critical Strike (if crit) - 50%+ chance, 300%+ multi
3. Brand Limit - 5-6 brands to stack on boss
4. Lightning Penetration - 40%+

Breakpoints

Activation Speed:

• 0.5s base = 2 activations/second
• With increased cast speed, activation frequency increases

Brand Limit Breakpoints:

• 3 brands (base)
• 4-5 brands (comfortable for most content)
• 6+ brands (maximum optimization)

Other Notable Breakpoints:

• 50% crit chance - worth investing in crit multi
• 100% hit chance - ensure accuracy is capped
• Duration: 5+ seconds ensures brands persist between packs

Synergies

Passive Tree Nodes

Essential Keystones:

• Runebinder: Allows 2 brands per enemy (essential for single-target)

Key Notables:

• Brand Mastery: +1 brand limit
• Holy Conquest: Brands move to target location
• Breath of Lightning: Lightning damage and penetration
• Righteous Providence: Intelligence scaling

Unique Items

Best-in-Slot Uniques:

Item	Slot	Benefit	Budget
Call of the Brotherhood	Ring	40% lightning → cold conversion	10-50c
Inpulsa's Broken Heart	Body	Explosion chains for clear	50c-2div
Badge of the Brotherhood	Amulet	Double frenzy = power charges	5-20div

Budget Options:

• Storm Secret: Ring that adds damage per brand (cheap, 1-5c)
• Essence Worm: Allows extra aura without reservation (10c)

Other Skills (Combos)

Synergistic Active Skills:

• Orb of Storms: Generate power charges on hit
• Wave of Conviction: Apply lightning exposure

Essential Auras:

• Wrath: Massive lightning damage boost
• Zealotry: Spell damage and crit
• Herald of Thunder: Extra lightning damage

Utility Skills:

• Flame Dash / Lightning Warp: Mobility
• Immortal Call / Steelskin: Defense

Ascendancy Compatibility

Best Ascendancies

Rating Scale: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐=BiS, ⭐⭐⭐⭐=Strong, ⭐⭐⭐=Viable, ⭐⭐=Works, ⭐=Poor fit

1. Elementalist (Witch)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Best in Slot)

Why It's Best:

• Mastermind of Discord: 25% lightning penetration
• Shaper of Storms: Guaranteed shock = 15-50% more damage
• Heart of Destruction: 40% more elemental damage

Key Nodes:

• Mastermind of Discord: Lightning exposure and penetration
• Shaper of Storms: Consistent shock application
• Bastion of Elements: Immunity to elemental ailments

DPS Gain: +200-300% more damage compared to generic ascendancy

2. Assassin (Shadow)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Strong Alternative - Crit Version)

Why It's Good:

• Massive crit chance and multi from ascendancy
• Power charge generation
• Better single-target burst

DPS Trade-off: Similar DPS but requires more investment

3. Hierophant (Templar)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Brand Specialist)

Alternative Option:

• +2 brand limit from Conviction of Power
• Brand attachment range
• Mana sustain

Leveling with This Skill

Availability

First Available: Act 1, level 12

How to Obtain:

• Quest reward from Nessa after completing "Breaking Some Eggs" (Templar, Witch, Shadow)
• Vendor purchase from Nessa (all classes after quest completion)

Leveling Viability

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent leveling choice)

Pros for Leveling:

• ✅ Available from Act 1, immediate power
• ✅ Good damage with no gear investment
• ✅ Safe playstyle - brands do damage while you move
• ✅ Automated targeting and chaining

Cons for Leveling:

• ❌ Mana intensive until you get mana flask/nodes
• ❌ Activation frequency feels slow until supports

Leveling Links

2-Link (Early Game - Level 12+):

• Storm Brand + Added Lightning Damage

3-Link (Act 2-3):

• Storm Brand + Added Lightning Damage + Controlled Destruction

4-Link (Act 4+):

• Storm Brand + Added Lightning Damage + Controlled Destruction + Elemental Focus

5-Link (Early Maps):

• Storm Brand + Added Lightning Damage + Lightning Penetration + Swiftbrand + Controlled Destruction

Common Builds Using This Skill

Build Name	Class	Ascendancy	Budget	Rating
Storm Brand Elementalist	Witch	Elementalist	Low	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Crit Storm Brand Assassin	Shadow	Assassin	Medium	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brand Hierophant	Templar	Hierophant	Low-Medium	⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros & Cons

Strengths ✅

• ✅ Excellent League Starter: Works with minimal investment
• ✅ Safe Playstyle: Brands damage enemies from a distance
• ✅ Great Clear Speed: Automated targeting and chaining
• ✅ Beginner Friendly: Simple mechanics and forgiving gameplay
• ✅ Flexible Scaling: Multiple build paths (crit, non-crit, conversion)

Weaknesses ❌

• ❌ Brand Limit Cap: DPS capped by active brand limit
• ❌ Positioning Dependent: Must place brands near enemies
• ❌ Duration Management: Brands expire and must be recast
• ❌ Single-Target Ceiling: Lower DPS ceiling than some other spells
• ❌ Mana Intensive: High mana cost at higher levels

Tips & Tricks

Mechanical Tips

1. Brand Recall: Use Brand Recall to reposition brands and refresh duration
2. Pre-cast Brands: Place brands before engaging boss for instant DPS
3. Runebinder Keystone: Essential for single-target - allows 2 brands per enemy

Positioning & Gameplay

• Spread brands across the map: Don't stack them in one location for best clear
• Stack brands on bosses: Use all brands on single target for maximum DPS
• Kite while brands work: Let brands do damage while you focus on dodging

Version History & Changes

Patch History

Impact: Storm Brand has remained relatively stable with minor numerical adjustments over time

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this good for league starting? A: Yes! Storm Brand is one of the best league-start skills due to low gear requirements and great clear speed.

Q: Do I need Runebinder keystone? A: Yes for single-target. It allows you to stack 2 brands on bosses for double damage.

Q: What's the DPS ceiling? A: 5-10 million Shaper DPS with high investment (50+ div). 1-2 million is easily achievable on budget.

Q: How does this compare to Armageddon Brand? A: Storm Brand has better clear due to chaining. Armageddon Brand has slightly better single-target. Both are viable.

Resources

Official Resources

• Gem Wiki Page: PoE Wiki - Storm Brand
• Official Forums:

Video Guides

Build Guides

Related Content

Similar Skills

• Armageddon Brand: Fire-based brand with different targeting
• Penance Brand: High burst damage brand

Support Gems

Builds

Changelog

Version	Date	Changes
1.0.0	2025-11-04	Initial documentation from wiki import

Path of Exile Wiki: Storm BrandLast Updated: 2025-11-04 for Patch 3.25