Septic Spells in Path of Exile 2: What Does It Mean?
Septic Spells is a concept in Path of Exile 2 that refers to a specific type of spell build focusing on the application of poison damage over time. This build leverages the game's mechanics to inflict continuous damage on enemies, often using a combination of skills, support gems, and unique items.
Mechanics of Septic Spells
In Path of Exile 2, poison is a powerful ailment that deals chaos damage over time. The effectiveness of a Septic Spells build relies on several critical mechanics:
- Chaos Damage: Poison deals chaos damage over time, bypassing energy shields and directly affecting life.
- Damage Over Time Multiplier: Increases the overall damage output of poison effects, making it essential for maximizing damage in a Septic Spells build.
- Duration and Stacking: Poison can stack multiple times on an enemy, with each stack dealing its own damage over time. Increasing the duration of poison allows for more stacks to be applied.
Key Skills and Support Gems
To optimize a Septic Spells build, players often utilize a combination of offensive and supportive skills. Some key skills and support gems include:
- Contagion: A spell that spreads poison effects to nearby enemies, enhancing the area of effect of your poison damage.
- Viper Strike: A melee skill that applies poison with each hit, often used in hybrid builds that incorporate melee attacks.
- Deadly Ailments Support: Increases the damage of ailments, such as poison, while reducing the initial hit damage.
Strategic Considerations
Building an effective Septic Spells character requires careful consideration of various strategies:
- Balancing Offense and Defense: While maximizing poison damage is crucial, maintaining adequate defenses is equally important to survive the game's challenges.
- Synergies with Other Ailments: Combining poison with other ailments like bleed or ignite can diversify damage sources and improve overall effectiveness.
- Gear and Passives: Choosing the right gear and passive skills is vital. Look for items and passives that enhance chaos damage, damage over time, and poison duration.
For an in-depth guide on building Septic Spells characters, visit the Path of Exile forums to explore community builds and strategies.