Contagion in Path of Exile 2: What Does It Mean?
In Path of Exile 2, Contagion is a skill that plays a crucial role in certain character builds, particularly those focused on damage over time effects. It is a chaos spell that spreads a debuff to enemies, causing them to take chaos damage over time. This mechanic is essential for players looking to efficiently clear large groups of enemies.
Mechanics of Contagion
Contagion is designed to work synergistically with other chaos damage skills. When an enemy affected by Contagion dies, the debuff spreads to nearby enemies. This creates a chain reaction that can wipe out entire packs of monsters.
- Chaos Damage: Contagion deals chaos damage over time, making it effective against enemies resistant to elemental damage.
- Area of Effect: The skill affects an area, and its effectiveness can be increased through area of effect modifiers.
- Duration: The skill has a set duration, which can be extended through skill tree nodes and item modifiers.
Build Strategies
Players utilizing Contagion often combine it with other skills to maximize their damage potential. Some popular strategies include:
- Essence Drain: Often paired with Contagion, Essence Drain provides additional chaos damage over time and synergizes perfectly thanks to its ability to increase the spread of Contagion upon enemy death.
- Increased Area of Effect: Investing in area of effect nodes and supports can help ensure that Contagion spreads to as many enemies as possible, enhancing clear speed.
- Support Gems: Utilizing support gems such as Void Manipulation and Controlled Destruction can significantly boost the damage output of Contagion.
Tips for Effective Use
To maximize the effectiveness of Contagion, consider the following tips:
- Position yourself to catch as many enemies as possible in the skill's area of effect.
- Cast Contagion before using other damage over time skills to ensure maximum spread.
- Continuously move and reposition to maintain optimal coverage and avoid getting surrounded.
For more detailed strategies and insights, players can refer to community resources and guides on Path of Exile's official website.