Raises a ring of bone spikes around you. The spikes explode when an enemy touches them, damaging and Pinning bearby enemies.
Causes 15 to 22 Physical Damage
Hits are Pinning
Pins enemies as though dealing 50% more Damage
Cage radius is 1.8 metres
Explosion radius is 1 meter
Cage duration is 1.6 seconds
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
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Bone Cage is a Skill Gem in Path of Exile 2 designed to offer both defensive and offensive capabilities. This Physical spell summons a ring of bone spikes around the caster that explodes upon contact with enemies, dealing damage and pinning nearby foes. This unique skill combines the concept of a defensive barrier with crowd control mechanics, making it ideal for players looking to both protect themselves and damage enemies.
Key Details of Bone Cage
Gem Type: Skill Gem
Skill Type: Spell, AoE, Physical, Nova
Level Requirement: Level 3
Mana Cost: 12 Mana
Cast Time: 1.00 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 13%
Cage Radius: 1.8 meters
Explosion Radius: 1 meter
Cage Duration: 1.6 seconds
Damage: 15 to 22 Physical Damage
Pin Effect: Pins enemies as though dealing 50% more Damage
How Bone Cage Works
Bone Spikes Formation:
When activated, Bone Cage raises a ring of bone spikes around you. These spikes create a barrier of sorts, with an explosion triggered when any enemy comes into contact with the spikes. The explosion deals Physical damage to the enemy while also causing Pinning, an effect that immobilizes enemies, making them more vulnerable to further damage.
Pinning Effect:
One of the unique mechanics of Bone Cage is its ability to Pin enemies. When an enemy is hit by one of the spikes, they are pinned as though the damage dealt is 50% more than it actually is. This increases the vulnerability of the enemy, ensuring they take more damage from subsequent hits or skills. The Pin effect adds significant crowd control to the skill, allowing you to deal with multiple enemies more effectively.
Explosion Radius:
The explosion radius of Bone Cage is 1 meter, meaning it affects all enemies within that distance. The Cage radius is slightly larger, at 1.8 meters, meaning the spikes will trigger when enemies come within this range. The short duration of 1.6 seconds ensures that the spikes don’t last too long but are effective enough to deter enemies from crowding you or entering your area.
Physical Damage:
Bone Cage deals 15 to 22 Physical Damage on explosion, making it a solid option for characters focusing on Physical damage. While the damage isn’t the highest in the game, the Pin effect combined with crowd control makes it useful for boss fights or tighter situations where you need to prevent enemies from escaping or acting freely.
Critical Strike Chance:
With a 13% critical strike chance, Bone Cage has a modest chance to deal critical damage. This can be enhanced with critical strike modifiers from your gear or skill tree. While critical hits are not the primary focus of the skill, they do add an extra layer of damage, making it more efficient when combined with critical strike chance enhancements.
Maximizing Bone Cage’s Effectiveness
Increasing Physical Damage:
Since Bone Cage deals Physical damage, any increase to your Physical damage will improve its overall effectiveness. Physical damage support gems, passive skill tree nodes, and gear that increases Physical damage will significantly boost the damage output of this skill.
Boosting Duration:
Bone Cage has a duration of 1.6 seconds, which is relatively short. Increasing the duration of the skill will allow the spikes to remain active for longer, giving you more time to pin and damage enemies. Support gems such as Increased Duration or items that enhance skill duration will make Bone Cage more reliable in longer encounters.
Improving Critical Strikes:
Although Bone Cage has a modest critical strike chance of 13%, it can still benefit from critical strike bonuses. Look for gear that increases your crit chance or crit multiplier, as this will allow the explosions to deal more damage when they crit. Additionally, using support gems like Increased Critical Damage will help increase the impact of critical strikes.
Crowd Control Synergy:
The Pinning effect synergizes well with crowd control builds. If you’re using skills or passives that increase your ability to freeze, shock, or slow enemies, you can make it harder for enemies to escape your Bone Cage and maximize the effectiveness of the Pin effect. Combining Bone Cage with frost, shock, or slow effects will immobilize enemies for even longer, keeping them in range of your spikes.
Scaling AoE:
Bone Cage has a modest explosion radius of 1 meter, which is ideal for dealing with nearby enemies. For builds focused on area of effect, scaling this radius will allow you to hit more enemies with each explosion. Support gems such as Lesser Multiple Projectiles or Greater Multiple Projectiles can spread the damage across multiple targets, increasing the overall effectiveness of the Pinning mechanic.
Pros and Cons of Bone Cage
Pros:
Pinning effect makes enemies take more damage and prevents them from moving freely.
Physical damage combined with AoE explosions makes it an excellent choice for crowd control.
Useful for defensive builds, as it can deal damage while also controlling enemy movement.
The modest mana cost of 12 Mana makes it a low-cost option for builds that focus on spells.
Short duration with a high impact creates a bursty effect that can clear enemies quickly.
Cons:
Low damage output compared to other high-damage skills, especially if you’re not focusing on Physical damage.
The short duration of 1.6 seconds limits the window of opportunity for enemies to be pinned and hit.
The radius is relatively small compared to other AoE spells, meaning it may not be effective against large groups unless enemies are clustered.
The critical strike chance is relatively low, meaning critical hits are not guaranteed to occur.
Conclusion
Bone Cage is a unique Physical spell in Path of Exile 2 that offers an interesting blend of damage and crowd control. By raising a ring of bone spikes around you, it deals explosive Physical damage to enemies that come too close while also pinning them, making it harder for them to escape or retaliate. This skill is perfect for Witch-based builds that focus on defensive tactics, crowd control, and Physical damage.
While the damage output may not be the highest, the Pinning effect combined with the AoE explosion offers significant utility in both boss fights and mob clearing. With its relatively low mana cost and modest critical strike chance, Bone Cage offers a versatile tool for any defensive build looking to bolster their survivability while dealing substantial physical damage to enemies.