PoE Glacial Shield Swipe Skill Gem – Path of Exile

PoE Glacial Shield Swipe level 20 with 20% quality

• Added a new Dexterity/Strength Skill Gem, Glacial Shield Swipe: Retaliate against a blocked hit with a sweep of your Shield, unleashing a wave of ice in a cone in front of you.

Existing Riposte Skill Gems are now Glacial Shield Swipe Gems.

How to get it?

• Glacial Shield Swipe is now offered to the Duelist for completing Intruders in Black, and can be purchased from Yeena by the Marauder, Ranger, and Scion.

PoE Glacial Shield Swipe 3.25 Build Guide

Introduction: Glacial Shield Swipe is an active skill gem in Path of Exile that allows players to retaliate against blocked hits with a powerful, icy sweep of their shield. This guide will cover the mechanics, pros, cons, and build suggestions for this skill.

Skill Mechanics:

• Tags: Attack, AoE, Cold, Physical, Retaliation, Melee
• Level Requirement: (16–70)
• Strength Requirement: (18–68)
• Dexterity Requirement: (26–98)
• Mana Cost: (7–11)
• Cooldown Time: 3.50 seconds
• Attack Time: 0.70 seconds
• Critical Strike Chance: 5.00%
• Base Off Hand Physical Damage: (78–607) to (117–911)
• Added Physical Damage per 15 Armour or Evasion Rating on Shield: (17–29) to (25–43)
• Physical to Cold Damage Conversion: 100%
• Base Radius: 8 metres
• Quality Effects: (0–20)% increased Cooldown Recovery Rate

Pros:

1. High Damage Potential: Converts all physical damage to cold, allowing for high burst damage.
2. Crowd Control: Always freezes enemies, providing excellent crowd control.
3. Defense Mechanism: Triggers only upon blocking a hit, adding a defensive layer to the build.

Cons:

1. Cooldown: The 3.50-second cooldown can limit its usability in fast-paced encounters.
2. Activation Requirement: Only usable after blocking a hit, which may require specific gear or passive skills to ensure reliability.
3. Reduced Ailment Damage: Deals 50% less damage with ailments, which can affect certain build strategies.

Build Guide:

• Skill Setup: Link Glacial Shield Swipe with support gems such as Increased Area of Effect, Hypothermia, and Cold Penetration to maximize its damage and crowd control.
• Gear: Prioritize shields with high armour or evasion to boost the skill’s added damage. Look for gear that enhances block chance and cold damage.
• Passive Tree: Focus on nodes that increase block chance, cold damage, and critical strike chance. Consider nodes that enhance retaliation mechanics.
• Playstyle Tips:
• Positioning: Stay close to enemies to ensure the skill’s cone hits multiple targets.
• Cooldown Management: Use other skills or defensive mechanisms while waiting for the cooldown.
• Synergy: Combine with skills and items that enhance cold damage and block efficiency.

Conclusion: Glacial Shield Swipe is a versatile and powerful skill for players looking to incorporate a defensive retaliation mechanic into their build. With the right setup, it can provide significant damage and crowd control, making it a valuable addition to any cold-based melee build.

AI Build Guides

Glacial Shield Swipe is a powerful melee skill in Path of Exile, ideal for high-level players looking to add a cold, retaliatory attack to their arsenal. This skill combines physical and cold damage, leveraging the defensive mechanics of blocking to unleash devastating counterattacks. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to maximize the potential of Glacial Shield Swipe.

Key Features:

• Attack, AoE, Cold, Physical, Retaliation, Melee: Glacial Shield Swipe is a multifaceted skill that fits seamlessly into various melee builds. It delivers significant area-of-effect (AoE) damage with a blend of physical and cold damage.
• Mana Cost and Cooldown: The skill costs 11 mana and has a cooldown time of 3.5 seconds, balancing its powerful effects with manageable resource and time requirements.
• Critical Strike Chance: With a 5% critical strike chance, the skill has the potential to deal critical damage, adding an extra layer of lethality.

Retaliation and Activation:

Glacial Shield Swipe cannot be used by default. It becomes usable for a 2-second window once you block a hit, making it a reactive skill that rewards players for maintaining high block rates.

• Wave of Ice: When activated, Glacial Shield Swipe unleashes a wave of ice in a cone in front of you, dealing significant damage and always freezing enemies within its range.
• Damage Conversion: The skill converts 100% of physical damage to cold damage, ensuring that all hits apply the freezing effect.

Damage Mechanics:

• Base Damage: At level 20, the skill deals 607 to 911 base off-hand physical damage, with an added 29 to 43 physical damage per 15 armor or evasion rating on the shield.
• Ailment Damage Reduction: The skill deals 50% less damage with ailments, balancing its high direct damage output.

Area of Effect and Cooldown Recovery:

• Base Radius: The skill has a base radius of 8 meters, providing substantial coverage in front of the player.
• Cooldown Recovery: A 20% increased cooldown recovery rate ensures that Glacial Shield Swipe is ready for use more frequently, making it a reliable part of your combat strategy.

Usage and Placement:

To utilize Glacial Shield Swipe, players must place the skill gem into an item socket of the correct color. The process is straightforward:

1. Socket Placement: Ensure your gear has the appropriate colored socket to accommodate the Glacial Shield Swipe skill gem.
2. Activation: Right-click on the gem to place it into the socket.
3. Removal: To remove the gem, simply right-click on it again.

Strategic Implementation:

Glacial Shield Swipe is best used in builds that focus on high block rates, physical damage, and cold damage conversion. Its powerful retaliation mechanic allows you to turn defense into offense effectively. Consider pairing it with other defensive skills and equipment that enhance block chance and damage conversion.

• Synergy with Block-Focused Builds: Integrate Glacial Shield Swipe into builds that prioritize shields and block-enhancing items. This ensures frequent triggering of the skill’s powerful effects.
• Crowd Control: Use Glacial Shield Swipe to manage groups of enemies. Its substantial AoE damage and freezing effect can quickly immobilize and eliminate multiple foes, making it invaluable in both PvE and PvP scenarios.

Conclusion:

Glacial Shield Swipe is a game-changing skill for melee-focused, block-reliant characters in Path of Exile. Its high damage output, coupled with the retaliation mechanic and freezing effect, makes it a unique and powerful addition to your build. By carefully managing your block rate and positioning, you can unleash devastating counterattacks that freeze and shatter your enemies. Equip this skill gem in the right socket, and you’ll be ready to unleash a glacial storm with every blocked hit.