Understanding Charges in Path of Exile 2

Time: 2024-12-26 by mmojugg Game: Path of Exile 2 Guide

Welcome back, Exiles! With the official release of Path of Exile 2, it's time to revisit and clarify one of the game's core mechanics - the charge system. This system, which includes Power Charges, Frenzy Charges, and Endurance Charges, is a universal aspect of gameplay that is not tied to a specific class or weapon, making it accessible to every player. Let's break down how these charges work, how to generate them, and why they're so important to your build strategy.

What are Charges?

In Path of Exile 2, Charges act as a global build mechanic. This means that you'll need to take certain actions to build up these charges, which you can then spend to improve your abilities or gain certain benefits. Here's a quick overview:

Power Charges (blue): Paired with Intelligence, these increase your concentration and arcane energies, often resulting in a higher critical strike chance.

Frenzy Charges (green): Linked to Agility, these increase your speed and attack rate, making you more agile in combat.

Endurance Charges (red): Linked to Strength, these provide defensive bonuses, particularly physical damage reduction.

Each type of charge has its own unique colour and effect, visible as glowing orbs around your character when active.

Generating Charges

There are several ways to generate charges in Path of Exile 2:

Class-specific abilities: Each profession has its own way of generating charges. For example, Monks can use abilities such as Killing Palm to generate Power Charges by killing low health enemies.

Skill Tree Passives: The massive skill tree has nodes that can help generate or convert charges. For example, the Resonance Keystone can convert Frenzy Charges into Power Charges, which is useful for builds that rely on critical hits.

Support gems: Gems such as Combat Frenzy provide persistent buffs that generate Frenzy Charges when an enemy is completely frozen, electrocuted, or pinned, making it a preferred choice for certain builds due to its straightforward nature.

Other Methods: Abilities such as Sniper's Mark for Frenzy Charges or Shatter Armour for Endurance Charges provide additional ways to gain charges, though these are more situational.

Spending Charges

Once you've generated charges, spending them can make a big difference to your gameplay:

Falling Thunder for Monks is an excellent example of a pay-off ability. As this ability consumes Power Charges, it transforms into a massive AoE attack that deals significant damage.

Sunder for Warriors uses Endurance Charges to guarantee critical hits when enemies have completely broken armour, showing how charges can turn the tide of battle.

Barrage can consume Frenzy Charges to increase its effect, demonstrating the versatility of using Charges across abilities.

Why Charges Matter

Charges aren't just a neat trick; they're an integral part of many builds, providing a way to scale damage, defence, or speed depending on your strategy. However, as many players, including myself, have noted, there's a desire for more diverse ways to generate and use charges, which could add depth to build creation in future updates.

Customization and Aesthetics

Path of Exile 2 embraces the importance of charges by allowing customisation through cosmetics. You can change the appearance of charges to add a personal touch to your gameplay, reflecting their fundamental role in the game.

Thanks for reading

Understanding and using the charge system can add strategic depth and personalisation to your Path of Exile 2 experience. Whether you're building for critical hits with Power Charges, speed with Frenzy Charges, or resilience with Endurance Charges, this system adds a layer of complexity that rewards creativity and planning.

Follow MMOJUGG for more insights into the mechanics of Path of Exile 2. Happy gaming, Exiles!