Bone Cage in Path of Exile 2: What Does It Mean?

Bone Cage is a physical spell skill gem in Path of Exile 2. It raises a ring of bone spikes around you, and when enemies touch the spikes they break, dealing physical damage and Pinning the enemies. It is a control and damage tool, not a shield: it does not absorb damage for you.

How It Works

When you cast Bone Cage, a ring of spikes appears around your character. Any enemy that walks into a spike destroys it, takes a small physical explosion and is pinned. You can only have one ring at a time, so casting again replaces the old one.

• Gem details. It is a tier 3 Intelligence gem with Spell, AoE, Physical, Duration, Nova and Repeatable tags.
• Size and duration. The base cage has a 1.8 metre radius, each spike explodes in a 1 metre radius, and the cage lasts 1.6 seconds.
• Pinning. Every hit from Bone Cage builds pin, and the skill pins as though it dealt 50% more damage. Quality raises that further and also increases the magnitude of Bleeding you inflict.
• Critical hits. It has a 15% base critical hit chance, raised from 13% in patch 0.1.0e, which also improved its damage growth per level.
• Casting. It has a 1 second base cast time, and you can cast it while moving, at reduced movement speed.

What Pinned Does

Pin builds up as you deal damage. When it passes the enemy's threshold, the enemy is Pinned for 3 seconds: it cannot move, cannot be moved and cannot evade, and it is briefly Light Stunned when the pin lands. Pinned enemies count as Immobilised, which matters for effects that care about immobilised targets. Normal monsters become "primed" for pin at 40% buildup, magic at 50%, rare at 60% and unique at 70%.

Where It Fits

• Melee-range casters. Bone Cage punishes monsters that rush you, holding them in place while your main skills land.
• Bone and physical spell builds. It works alongside other physical spells such as Bone Blast, Bonestorm and Unearth.
• Bleed builds. Because its quality also raises the magnitude of Bleeding you inflict, it fits well with Bleed supports.
• Totem setups. Since patch 0.4.0c, Bone Cage can be socketed into Spell Totem, so a totem can keep raising cages for you.

Common Mistakes

• Casting too late. If enemies are already hitting you, the cage has little time to work before its short duration ends.
• Casting twice in a row. A new cast removes the previous ring, so spamming it can delete spikes that have not been triggered yet.
• Ignoring pin thresholds. Rare and unique monsters need more buildup before they are primed and pinned, so expect less control on bosses than on packs.

Tips

• Cast it before enemies reach you. The spikes only trigger when touched, so timing matters more than raw damage.
• Support gems such as Bleed, Brutality, Spell Cascade and Spell Echo appear in the game's recommended list, with Considered Casting, Rapid Casting and Armour Break options for later tiers.
• Pin stops movement and evasion, so follow up with slow but heavy spells while enemies are stuck.
• Do not treat it as a defensive wall. It controls enemies, but it does not block projectiles or absorb hits.

FAQ

Does Bone Cage protect you like a barrier?

No. Older descriptions that call it a damage-absorbing shield are wrong. It is a ring of spikes that damages and pins enemies who touch it.

How long does Bone Cage last?

The base cage lasts 1.6 seconds, and pinned enemies stay pinned for 3 seconds.

Can Bone Cage be used with totems?

Yes. Patch 0.4.0c allowed it in Spell Totem. Current gem stats are on the Path of Exile 2 community wiki.