Spark

Spark is a lightning spell that launches unpredictable sparks that move randomly until they hit an enemy.

Skill functions and interactions

 * Duration: Spark duration determines how long spark projectiles will persist, and is increased by both skill duration passives and support.


 * Ricochets: Spark projectiles will bounce off of terrain obstructions and edges for as long as they persist. If a spark projectile strikes a mob, it will be absorbed unless it can pierce.
 * A single cast of Spark can hit an enemy once every 0.66 second (after patch 2.3). Keep in mind this is per cast, not per projectile. So without any increase in duration, a single cast can hit an enemy thrice with the base duration of 2 seconds. That is why projectile speed and increased duration can result in significant increases in real DPS.
 * When an enemy is hit with a Spark projectile, projectiles from the same cast will go through that enemy without damaging it, as if it wasn't there (until the enemy can be hit again with the same cast which happens after 0.66 second).
 * There is no guaranteed distance or time the projectiles will go straight, but they are guaranteed to go forward if there are no obstacles.
 * After patch 2.3 Spark projectiles now destroy themselves after travelling 150 units from the character. It should be noted that it's entirely possible for infinite-duration sparks to bounce/circle around within that radius, and never leave it. In general, sparks will be more likely to stay within the radius in an enclosed space with walls to bounce off, and more likely to leave it in open areas.

Immunity to Spark
Spark projectiles travel on the ground and as such all flying enemies are immune to spark. Currently, flying monsters (which not only appear to be flying, such as Ribbons, are: It is therefore advised you have a secondary skill that can hit these monsters.
 * Raging Spirits
 * Animate Weapons (Note that this includes The Steel Soul, the boss of the Arsenal Map.)

Spark Duration and Cast Speed
Given the current cast speed of 0.65 seconds, and the lifetime of the Spark is 2 seconds, you can get about 18 sparks into play before the initial sparks expire. 2 seconds / 0.65 seconds = 3.07 casts or 18 sparks.

To figure out the required cast speed to get more sparks into play, divide 2 by the number of casts.

4 casts ( 24 sparks ): 2 / 4  = 0.5 seconds per cast.

5 casts ( 30 sparks ): 2 / 5 = 0.4 seconds per cast.

Note, you may have to decrease these cast times, as this the minimum time; the initial sparks will expire just as the new ones are leaving your position.

To calculate the new desired increase in casting speed, consider that if you increase your speed by 100%, you'll cut the time in half.

NewCastSpeed = OldCastSpeed / ( 1 + IncreasedSpeed )

IncreasedSpeed = OldCastSpeed / NewCastSpeed - 1

As an example, if we wanted to get to 0.5 seconds, this is an % increase of (0.65/.5 - 1)*100% = 30%

Version history

 * Mana Cost at gem level 20 is now 21 (was 23)
 * Now deals 1 to 20 Lightning damage at gem level 1 (unchanged) and 63 to 1198 Lightning damage at gem level 20 (from 52 to 997).
 * Now clears its hit list every 0.66 seconds (from 1 second). This means the same projectile can hit the same monster more frequently.


 * Now deals 1-20 lightning damage at gem level 1 (same as previously), up to 52-997 damage at gem level 20 (up from 44-832).
 * Now gains 1% increased projectile speed per gem level, up to 19% increased projectile speed at gem level 20.
 * Projectiles now have a base duration of 2 seconds (up from 1.5).
 * Now has an added damage effectiveness of 100% (up from 70%).


 * and projectiles (including those from monster Sparks) are now 20% slower. Quality on Spark and Vaal Spark is now worth 1% projectile speed per point of quality (rather than 2%). The time that Sparks must travel before they re-arm has been increased from 500ms to 1000ms. Spark projectiles now destroy themselves after travelling 150 units, which is in-line with other projectiles.


 * Lowered Spark's damage in PvP by 1% per gem level up to level 10, then 2% per gem level (damage reduced by 10% at level 10, and by 30% at level 20). Spark's tendency to completely coat the battlefield in unavoidable damage was making PvP matches extremely unfun, especially at high levels. While this doesn't solve the core issue of spark's unavoidable damage, it should give players a chance to close the gap.


 * Damage has been increased in damage by 10%, and starts at 4 projectiles, increasing by an additional one at levels 9, 17 and 25.


 * Damage increased by 76%.
 * Now grants 2% increased projectile speed per 1% quality (was 3% per 1% quality).
 * Critical Strike Chance has been increased from 5% to 6%.


 * Spark does 20% more damage at all levels. It now bounces off Frost Walls, regardless of whether they are cast by players or monsters. The critical strike chance has been increased from 4% to 5% (this change was not listed in the official patch notes).


 * Increased the damage of the following skills at low levels:, , and to a lesser extent,  and.


 * Damage is increased at lower levels. Spark duration has been heavily reduced.


 * Spells with Damage Effectiveness no longer have their own damage affected by Damage Effectiveness. Damage values on these skills have been updated to reflect this.


 * Fixed a bug where Projectile Speed bonuses did not apply to when used with a.


 * The base critical strike chance has been reduced from 6% to 4%.


 * Once a Spark has bounced, it'll only be able to pierce the same target again if it has been more than one second since the last time.


 * Fixed the randomness when used with Traps.


 * Improved the effects.
 * Spark now fires three sparks by default.


 * Changed Spark to cast four sparks by default, but it is affected less by additional damage from support gems.


 * Fixed Spark not being affected by Increased Duration.


 * Set the default critical strike chance of Spark (5.5%),


 * Reduced damage by 10%.


 * Spark now defaults to casting two sparks (with reduced damage). This makes it have less variance in outdoors areas.


 * Increased damage.


 * Added "Spark" skill
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