Volatile Dead: What Does It Mean in Path of Exile 2?
Volatile Dead is a spell skill in Path of Exile 2 that offers unique mechanics and strategic advantages, making it a popular choice for many players looking to deal explosive damage to their enemies. This skill transforms the gameplay by creating volatile orbs that seek out and detonate on nearby enemies, dealing significant fire damage.
Mechanics of Volatile Dead
Volatile Dead operates on a unique mechanic where it consumes corpses to create volatile orbs that automatically seek out enemies and explode upon contact. Here’s how it works:
- Corpse Consumption: The spell requires corpses on the battlefield. Each cast of Volatile Dead consumes up to three corpses, converting each into an orb that targets enemies.
- Orb Creation: For every corpse consumed, an orb is created. These orbs have homing capabilities, making them effective at tracking and damaging moving targets.
- Damage Type: The explosions deal fire damage, which can be enhanced with various support gems and passive skills that increase fire damage or spell damage.
Strategies and Tips
To maximize the effectiveness of Volatile Dead in Path of Exile 2, consider the following strategies:
- Corpse Generation: Pair Volatile Dead with skills or items that generate corpses, such as Cremation or Desecrate. This ensures a steady supply of corpses for orb creation.
- Support Gems: Use support gems that enhance fire damage or increase the area of effect, such as Increased Area of Effect or Controlled Destruction, to boost the damage and coverage of your explosions.
- Defensive Mechanics: Since Volatile Dead requires you to be in the proximity of enemies, ensure you have sufficient defenses, such as energy shield or evasion, to withstand potential attacks.
Build Synergies
Volatile Dead can be part of several effective build strategies. Here are a few popular synergies:
- Necromancer Ascendancy: The Necromancer ascendancy offers bonuses to corpse generation and consumption, making it a natural fit for a Volatile Dead build.
- Elemental Overload: By incorporating critical strike chance increases, you can often trigger the Elemental Overload keystone, significantly boosting the damage output of your fire spells.
- Spell Echo Support: This support gem allows for rapid casting, ensuring more frequent orb generation and increased damage output over time.
Understanding and leveraging the mechanics of Volatile Dead can significantly enhance your gameplay experience in Path of Exile 2, offering both strategic depth and explosive power.