Path of Exile Skill Revamps, Part Five

The Grinding Gear Games developers are back with another update that brings us up to speed with the skill revamps they have planned for Path of Exile’s upcoming 3.3.0 content update that should go live in early June. This time around they get into the specifics of the planned changes to a series of currently underperforming skills. Check it out:

This week we’re going over a broad selection of experimental skill reworks that we’re currently trying out. This Skill Revamp post includes of a varied mix of skills, from an all-new Incinerate to a reworked Vaal Righteous Fire.

Incinerate

We’ve given Incinerate a complete overhaul, replacing projectiles with a repeating damage cone. The old projectile setup of Incinerate couldn’t compete with the kind of area of effect players expect from other skills without creating enough projectiles to seriously impact performance. Because of this, we decided to scrap that version and create something much more in-line with what a skill needs to be for both leveling and end-game encounters.

While channelled, the front of the cone gets longer, and the sides of the cone get wider, creating a curved T shape of damage. This happens quite quickly, so you can reach full area of effect before the skill’s damage is fully charged. Much like the old Incinerate, it builds up in damage while channelling. We wanted the area spread to reach a powerful level quite rapidly, with a damage shape that gives players control over where they aim without completely filling an area.

When you release, it unleashes a single powerful wave of damage that has the combined length and width of the channelled effects, dealing six times the damage of the channeled cone. This always ignites and deals significantly modified Ignite damage. This is a very powerful final burst that should be timed and positioned for the greatest effect. You can choose to build around burning damage to create a very potent Ignite effect, or pulse it more frequently to keep lots of enemies burning to get the most from the Immolate Support’s damage against burning enemies..

Infernal Blow

Infernal Blow will keep its existing mechanic, putting a debuff on enemies that causes them to explode when killed. We want to keep the skill’s interaction with the Melee Splash Support, to make large pack of monsters explode as their cascading death explosions spread to those around them.

The main target (and any targets hit by your Ancestral Call Support) now get an extra debuff when hit that can stack up to 6 times. When either a target with this debuff dies, the debuff’s short duration expires, or 6 stacks are reached, the debuff explodes, dealing a large portion of weapon damage in an area.

This makes the skill deal significantly more damage on a single target, gives it strong area damage when used with Ancestral Call when multiple targets build up stacks, or lets you rapidly build up stacks with the Multistrike support. You can hit one enemy while splashing the explode effect and walking away, letting it explode itself and then those around it, or focus your damage on a single foe for maximum impact.

The skill also has new debuff effects to show the infernal fires building up inside enemies, a new fiery explosion for when the damage effect is released and an improved corpse explosion.

Freezing Pulse

Freezing Pulse now has a less-extreme damage falloff. Freezing Pulse used to go from full damage at close range to no damage at the edge of the projectile. Now the projectile only drops to half damage at the end of its flight. We’ve also increased the damage to bring it up to the level of Frostbolt and Glacial Cascade. The skill still falls off in freeze chance, and it’s worth using close up, but no longer does very little against the farthest targets hit, making it more reliable without needing to increase its projectile speed as much.

The skill also has improved visual effects that much better show the damage area of the skill.

Ground Slam

Ground Slam now has a larger area, a wider angle, and improved damage. The skill has fallen behind significantly in power, with very few adjustments in the past few years. We’ve tried to bring it closer to the power of other low level attacks like Molten Strike and Cleave by boosting its area.

The skill now deals more damage to closer targets. This should make it more reliable on tougher foes, and reward you for getting up close.

The Threshold Jewel now is limited to 2, but with the same combined effect.

We’ve also changed its effects to modernise its appearance.

Vaal Ground Slam will be receiving additional effects and will deal more damage closer to the impact point, but we’re still making changes and we’re not ready to show it off just yet.

The skill will now also be usable with Axes, making it consistent with Sunder and Earthquake. This is to make it easier to find good weapons while leveling, as previously the skill had a more strict weapon restriction than any other melee skill.

Vaal Righteous Fire

We’ve made a significant rework to this skill to have it fit a Righteous Fire character and the support gems they’d be most likely to use. The skill now only consumes a portion of Life and Energy Shield, and does damage based on this. After the loss of instant leech, this skill became far too dangerous to use in most encounters, so it now consumes a much less risky portion of life and Energy Shield.

Instead of doing a large damage hit, it now applies a short duration burning effect to enemies in its range based on the life and energy shield lost, modified by the same modifiers that affect Righteous Fire’s burning damage. This change brings it closer to being a hybrid of Dark Pact and Righteous Fire. It’ll be something many Righteous Fire characters could use to deal additional burning damage around them when they think they’re not at risk of taking a large burst of damage.