Path of Exile 2:Charge Infusion Gem-Maximizing Player Power
Path of Exile 2 (POE 2) continues to evolve as one of the most complex and dynamic action role-playing games (ARPGs) on the market. As players delve deeper into its new systems, they constantly encounter fresh mechanics and strategies to enhance their builds. One such mechanic that has caught the eye of many is the Charge Infusion spirit gem-a potent tool that offers significant bonuses and cheap POE 2 Currency Orbs to player power.
In this article, we'll take a deep dive into what Charge Infusion is, how to make the most out of it, and whether or not it's worth adding to your build.
What is Charge Infusion?
Charge Infusion is a unique spirit gem in Path of Exile 2 that grants substantial buffs based on the charges you accumulate during combat. These buffs revolve around power charges, endurance charges, and frenzy charges. The gem enhances these charges by providing multiplicative stat bonuses while each specific charge is active, making it an incredibly valuable gem for those who can integrate it into their builds.
Charge Infusion Stats
The potential buffs from Charge Infusion are substantial, particularly when the gem is fully leveled and utilized to its maximum potential. At level 21 (the highest level achievable), Charge Infusion provides the following buffs:
1.21% More Critical Hit Chance while you have a Power Charge
2.18% More Defenses (both Energy Shield and Evasion) while you have an Endurance Charge
3.13% More Skill Speed (casting and attack speed) while you have a Frenzy Charge
These three bonuses-more crit chance, more defenses, and more skill speed-are some of the most powerful modifiers in the game, each being a more multiplier. For those unfamiliar with the game mechanics, more multipliers are some of the strongest bonuses, meaning they increase the effectiveness of stats in a highly potent way.
The Drawbacks
While the upsides of Charge Infusion are undeniably powerful, there are several key drawbacks that need to be considered before committing to this gem in your build. Here are the four primary challenges that come with using Charge Infusion:
1.High Spirit Cost: Charge Infusion has a 30 Spirit cost. Spirit is a resource in POE 2, and 30 is a hefty cost for any spirit gem, especially if your build doesn't already prioritize Spirit regeneration or investment.
2.Spirit Gem Slot: Like all gems, Charge Infusion takes up a skill slot, and you will need to sacrifice one of your skill gems to accommodate it. This may limit your build's flexibility or the variety of skills available to you.
3.Temporary Buff Duration: The buff granted by Charge Infusion only lasts for 5.8 seconds. This is not an indefinite buff, so you need to ensure you're generating charges consistently to maintain the benefits. If the charges drop off during combat, you could lose out on valuable power, particularly in long fights or boss encounters.
4.Charge Requirements: To fully utilize Charge Infusion, you need to have the ability to generate and maintain power charges, endurance charges, and frenzy charges. This may require some adjustment to your build, and some players may find it challenging to consistently generate all three types of charges simultaneously.
How to Maximize Charge Infusion in Your Build
Maximizing the potential of Charge Infusion requires both the right build and the right gear. Fortunately, with careful planning, players can overcome the drawbacks and fully leverage the power of this gem. Let's break down how to make Charge Infusion work in your build.
Generating Charges
To make Charge Infusion effective, you need to ensure that you can generate all three types of charges reliably. This includes:
1.Power Charges: The most straightforward charge type, often generated by crit-based builds. Power charges provide a substantial boost to critical hit chance and are integral to scaling damage. For optimal use of Charge Infusion, a crit-based build will need to maintain three power charges at all times.
2.Endurance Charges: These charges enhance your global defenses, making your character more tanky. Endurance charges can be tricky to maintain because they often require physical damage-focused setups or warcry builds. However, it's possible to use profane ritual or other defensive options to gain endurance charges in some cases.
3.Frenzy Charges: Frenzy charges boost your attack and cast speed. These charges can be more difficult to maintain, but there are several ways to generate them in combat. Frenzy charges are useful for builds focused on attack speed or movement speed.Key Synergies and Support Gems
To make Charge Infusion work in your build, it's important to synergize it with other support gems and mechanics that generate or consume charges. Here are some specific synergies that you can implement:
1.Perpetual Charge: This support gem ensures that even if you consume your frenzy charges, they will be replenished quickly. This is especially useful in builds that require fast charge generation, such as Twister Builds or Barrage Builds.
2.Combat Frenzy: In the 0.2 patch, Combat Frenzy saw a nerf, reducing the time it takes to generate a frenzy charge. However, if you're using skills like Electrocute, Freeze, or Pinning, you can still generate frenzy charges reliably, especially in high-speed or frequent combat scenarios.
3.Cast on Crit (CoC): For crit-based builds, Cast on Crit setups can generate power charges rapidly. If you're using Sniper's Mark or similar crit-based skills, you can combine them with Charge Infusion for a high-impact synergy that generates power charges without much effort.
4.Splinter and Break Endurance: These two support gems are useful in physical damage builds where you're actively breaking enemies' armor. With splinter, breaking armor leads to the gain of endurance charges, which can trigger the defensive bonuses provided by Charge Infusion.
Example Build-CI Twister Barrage
One of the key builds that showcases the potential of Charge Infusion is a CI (Chaos Inoculation) Twister Barrage Build. This build revolves around generating and utilizing frenzy and power charges quickly, which perfectly synergizes with Charge Infusion's bonuses.
Here's a simplified example of how you can integrate Charge Infusion into this build:
1.Use Perpetual Charge to quickly replenish frenzy charges after they're consumed.
2.Stack Combat Frenzy and Splinter and Break Endurance to generate frenzy charges and endurance charges reliably during combat.
3.Use Sniper's Mark or Profane Ritual to generate power charges passively.
4.Ensure that your build has the necessary Spirit regeneration or gear to support the 30 Spirit cost of Charge Infusion.
5.Enjoy the benefits of more critical hit chance, more defenses, and more skill speed as you attack with greater speed and efficiency.
Is Charge Infusion Worth It?
Whether or not Charge Infusion is worth using in your build depends on several factors:
Are you playing a crit-based build? If your build relies on crit chance and critical hit multipliers, Charge Infusion will significantly enhance your damage potential.
Does your build focus on maintaining charges? If you're already generating frenzy, power, and endurance charges, adding Charge Infusion can give you a serious power boost.
Are you utilizing physical or elemental damage? Physical damage-based builds benefit the most from Charge Infusion, especially when combining it with armor breaking or frenzy charge generation.
In most cases, Charge Infusion is worth considering if you're running a build that can support the charge generation needed. The gem has one of the highest potential rewards in terms of multiplicative bonuses, but it also requires careful planning and charge management.
Conclusion
Charge Infusion is a gem that, when fully utilized, can significantly boost your power and get more POE 2 Currency Orbs, whether you're looking to improve critical hit chance, defenses, or skill speed. However, its high Spirit cost, reliance on charge generation, and short duration make it a more specialized gem that requires a bit more finesse to incorporate into your build. If you're running a crit-based build and can manage the charges, Charge Infusion could be one of the best ways to unlock new levels of power in Path of Exile 2.