Today we're taking a deep dive into one of the strangest, most experimental, and absolutely most Path of Exile builds to come out of 3.27: a Cast on Crit Archmage Hierophant centered around the new Golden Charlatan Sword and enabled by one very unexpected item-Kisa's Grace.

At first glance, the combination feels impossible. Archmage requires massive unreserved mana to scale damage, Cast on Crit requires extremely high attack rates to keep proccing, and the new sword encourages nonstop shrine-infused spinning. Those mechanics don't naturally work together�� at least not without help POE currency.

But with 3.27's new Foulborn items, one of them quietly solves the entire problem.

Today, we break down how the build works, what it does well, why the damage ultimately falls short at high investment, and what you should know before you attempt to replicate it.

How the Build Is Even Possible: Kisa's Grace and 100% Mana Cost Reduction

The core issue with Cast on Crit Archmage is obvious:

You cannot sustain 10+ casts per second with 600�C900 mana cost per trigger.

Archmage no longer cares about skill cost-it only cares about unreserved mana. But Cast on Crit still respects the mana cost of the triggered skill.

The solution? Reduce the mana cost to zero. Literally zero.

And that's where Kisa's Grace enters the picture.

The Key Components for Zero Cost Skills

To reduce all mana costs to 0%, you stack:

50% reduced mana cost from Kisa's Grace
10% from the Mana Mastery
15% from the Dreamer wheel
~18% from Militant Faith (based on ~180 Devotion)
9% from Righteous Decree

Altogether, these stack multiplicatively and push the total reduction to 100%, but with an important catch:

The reduction from the Foulborn item refreshes every 2 seconds. When it expires, the next cast instantly consumes your entire 800+ mana pool, then resets to zero cost again.

This mechanic is the glue that holds the build together. Without Kisa's Grace, the build simply does not function.

With it, you can:

Maintain 10+ attacks per second
Trigger spells constantly with Cast on Crit
Keep Archmage scaling because your unreserved mana pool remains huge

The result is an extremely smooth playstyle�� at least on paper.

Golden Charlatan Sword: The Spin-to-Win Centerpiece

The new Golden Charlatan Sword adds a flashy new mapping flavor: automatically grabbing and carrying shrines as you move through maps.

It creates a very satisfying feedback loop:

Move fast
Grab shrines
Become stronger
Move even faster
Clear even harder

For spin-to-win enjoyers, this sword feels amazing. It adds a layer of fun few weapons in POE can replicate.

However, it does not directly solve any damage or scaling issues, which becomes important later.

30,000 Mana, 10 APS, Mageblood, and a Mirror-Tier Gear Setup�� and the Damage Is Still Mid

Let's address the elephant in the room.

With:
30,000 mana
10 attacks per second
Very high critical chance
Mageblood
Triple-mod Headhunter clone helmet
Mirror-tier body armor
Near-perfect boots
Golden Charlatan for shrine synergy

��you'd expect the build to absolutely delete screens and bosses alike.

But in practice, the DPS is simply mid.

The builder found several issues:

1. Accuracy Problems
Even with major gear investment, accuracy was only around 3,000, but high-tier endgame mobs effectively require closer to 4,000+ for reliable crit consistency.

2. Missing Critical Multiplier Scaling
Even with huge flat damage from Archmage, crit multi is still essential. The build simply doesn't get enough of it without sacrificing other key slots.

3. Spell Setup Not Ideal for Scaling
The initial spell pairing was:
Bladefall of Ch'Arrus
Cast on Crit Blade Blast

With 30k mana, Bladefall's frequency skyrockets-over 600% increased frequency-creating a huge "Christmas tree" effect with MTX. But visually impressive does not equal competitively strong.

In testing, it performed similarly to:

Ball Lightning of Orbiting

��which is a red flag when you're giving up six sockets for Bladefall of Ch'Arrus.

4. Clear Speed Good, Single Target Dependent on Arcane Cloak
Bladefall of Ch'Arrus only kills well when Arcane Cloak is up.

Without Arcane Cloak active:

It cannot kill normal mobs reliably
It feels extremely weak for the investment

With Arcane Cloak active:

You get a short burst of surprisingly good single-target damage
But that uptime window is small

This creates a "feast or famine" damage pattern.

Testing Bladefall of Ch'Arrus as a Standalone Skill

To evaluate the viability of the skill itself, the creator tested Bladefall of Ch'Arrus with no Cast on Crit support.
The results:

Without Arcane Cloak:
The damage barely kills normal enemies.With Arcane Cloak:

The damage becomes impressive, even shredding mini-bosses quickly.

This led to an important conclusion:

Bladefall of Ch'Arrus only becomes strong when given massive added base damage from Arcane Cloak.

On an Archmage character without gem level scaling, the skill underperforms unless supported by strong active buffs.

Mapping Performance: Fun but Not Efficient

Here's where the build shines:

Speed shrines
Gloom shrines
Acceleration shrines
Permanent spin-to-win movement
A pseudo-Headhunter effect through Inspired Learning

The mapper used two Inspired Learning sockets (with no notables in range), creating a poor man's Headhunter while still keeping Mageblood equipped.

The result is a mapping experience that is:

Fun
Fast
Chaotic
Shrine-powered
Extremely satisfying

If your goal is purely zooming around maps enjoying yourself, the build delivers.

But if your goal is:

Endgame bossing
High-investment min-maxing
Ubers
Wave 30 Simulacrum
T17 juiced mapping

��the build falls short.

Defenses: 30,000 ES That Still Isn't Enough

With this level of investment, you'd expect to feel nearly immortal.

But several issues emerged:

Lack of Additional Layers

30k Energy Shield is impressive, but without:

90% all res
Melding of the Flesh
Spell suppression
Additional reduction or avoidance layers

��it breaks down extremely quickly in rippier content.

High-Investment Builds Need High-Investment Defenses

At this level of gear:

Mageblood
Mirror-tier armor
Foulborn items
Golden Charlatan
Archmage stacking
30k mana

��the expectation is clear: the build should feel tanky and strong.
Instead, it felt tanky only on paper.

Ball Lightning of Orbiting: The "Why Didn't I Just��" Moment

The builder discovered that switching to Ball Lightning of Orbiting resulted in:

Similar or better single-target damage
Far less socket pressure
Easier gearing
Less need to over-optimize accuracy
A smoother, more consistent setup

This raises the uncomfortable question:

If a simple six-link outperforms a massive experimental setup, what's the point of the experiment?

And the answer is: fun.
Because Golden Charlatan is fun.
Shrine stacking is fun.
Spin-to-win Cast on Crit is fun.
Just don't expect meta-breaking damage.

Final Verdict: Fun, Unique, and Playable�� But Not Worth High Investment

After extensive testing, the conclusion is clear:

Pros
Extremely fun mapping
Shrine gameplay is addictive
Zero mana cost Cast on Crit feels smooth
High-speed spin-to-win experience
Good use of quirky new Foulborn items
Very high mana scaling potential
Strong burst windows with Arcane Cloak

Cons
Damage is mediocre even at absurd investment
Requires expensive gear to function
Single target relies too heavily on Arcane Cloak
Defenses fall apart in endgame content
Accuracy and crit scaling are hard to perfect
Simpler setups outperform it

Recommended For:

Players who want fun, stylish, off-meta setups
Mappers who love shrines and spin-to-win gameplay
Archmage enthusiasts who want to experiment with Foulborn items

Not Recommended For: POE orbs for sale

Uber farmers
Top-end bossers
Players expecting massive DPS for their investment
Anyone chasing meta efficiency

Conclusion

The Cast on Crit Archmage Hierophant with Golden Charlatan is one of the most creative builds in 3.27-an experimental fusion of old Archmage mechanics, new Foulborn tech, and shrine-powered zoom gameplay.