It is a Support Gem.
Support
Critical, Spell
Tier: 1
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Supports Spells that Hit enemies, boosting their damage but preventing them from dealing Critical Hits
Place into a Skill’s Support Gem socket in the Skills menu to apply its effects to that Skill. You cannot have multiple copies of the same Support Gem socketed at the same time.
The Controlled Destruction Support Gem is an excellent choice for spellcasting builds that prioritize spell damage over critical hits. This Tier 1 Support Gem increases the damage output of spells that hit enemies, providing a 40% increase to Spell Damage. However, the gem comes with a significant trade-off: supported skills cannot deal Critical Hits. This makes it ideal for builds that focus on consistent damage through high spell output rather than Critical Strike mechanics.
The Controlled Destruction Support Gem enhances the damage of spells that hit enemies by 40%, making them much more powerful. However, this increased damage comes at the cost of Critical Strikes, as supported skills cannot deal Critical Hits. This trade-off is a strategic choice for builds that rely on high, consistent spell damage rather than critical damage scaling.
The gem is particularly useful for players who want to maximize spell damage output through mechanics such as damage over time, Area of Effect scaling, or non-critical hits. Many elemental spellcasters, such as fire, cold, or lightning builds, can benefit from Controlled Destruction in situations where consistent damage is more reliable than Critical Strikes.
40% More Spell Damage: Supported skills receive a 40% increase to spell damage, boosting the overall damage output of your spells, making it a great option for high-damage or AoE spellcasting builds.
No Critical Hits: Supported skills will not deal Critical Hits, making this gem unsuitable for Critical Strike-based builds. This is a crucial trade-off, as critical hits and critical multipliers are a central feature of many spellcasting builds.
Versatility for Non-Critical Spell Builds: If you’re building a character that relies on consistent spell damage over crit-based scaling, Controlled Destruction can be a powerful addition to your arsenal.
Elemental Damage Spellcasters: Builds focused on fire, cold, or lightning damage can take full advantage of Controlled Destruction to boost the base damage of spells like Fireball, Ice Nova, or Arc. Since these builds often rely on spell damage scaling rather than Critical Strike mechanics, the loss of Critical Strikes is manageable in exchange for increased consistency and higher overall damage.
Damage Over Time Builds: Spells that deal damage over time, like Flameblast or Scorching Ray, can benefit from the spell damage boost without the need for critical hits. For these builds, consistent damage is key, and Controlled Destruction can significantly boost their effectiveness.
Area of Effect Builds: AoE builds such as those using Firestorm or Essence Drain can also benefit from Controlled Destruction to maximize damage across large areas. The 40% increased damage to spells makes AoE skills even more devastating, particularly when paired with other AoE damage scaling mechanics.
Low-Crit or Non-Crit Spellcasters: For builds that don’t prioritize critical hits, Controlled Destruction is an ideal choice. These builds can focus entirely on high consistent damage and damage-over-time effects rather than juggling critical mechanics. Whether you’re scaling Elemental Damage, Chaos Damage, or other modifiers, Controlled Destruction ensures high damage output with reliable results.
Synergy with Spell Damage Scaling: If your build focuses on increasing spell damage via gear, passive tree nodes, and support gems, Controlled Destruction can be a great way to further increase your spell’s effectiveness.
Avoiding Crit-Heavy Builds: If you’re building a Critical Strike-based spellcaster, Controlled Destruction may not be the right gem for you due to its restriction on Critical Hits. However, if you’re leaning into damage scaling through spell damage and AoE effects, Controlled Destruction is a solid choice.
Combining with Damage Buffs: Combine Controlled Destruction with buffs like Power Charges (if you’re not using Critical Hits), Increased Elemental Damage, or Damage Over Time multipliers to maximize your spell’s effectiveness. This gem can also work well in conjunction with Onslaught, Elemental Focus, and other damage-boosting support gems.
Pair with High Base Damage Spells: Since Controlled Destruction boosts spell damage, using it with spells that have high base damage will give you the biggest damage increase. Look for spells with strong base damage numbers that benefit from the flat damage boost.
Use with Elemental or Chaos Builds: Controlled Destruction synergizes particularly well with Elemental or Chaos-based spell builds, as you can leverage additional modifiers for increased spell damage to further maximize your damage output.
Manage Mana Sustain: The 120% cost multiplier means that the mana cost of supported skills will be higher, so ensure your build has a solid mana regeneration or mana leech strategy to avoid running out of resources during prolonged fights.
The Controlled Destruction Support Gem is a powerful option for spellcasting builds that prioritize consistent, high spell damage over critical hits. By providing a significant 40% boost to spell damage while disabling Critical Strikes, it’s perfect for builds that rely on damage over time, Area of Effect damage, or high base spell damage without the need for critical strike scaling.
If you’re creating a non-critical spellcasting build, Controlled Destruction can be an essential gem to enhance your damage potential and make your spells more impactful. However, if you’re aiming for a Critical Strike-focused build, this gem won’t be the right choice due to its restriction on critical hits.
Ultimately, Controlled Destruction is an excellent addition to your build if you value damage scaling and spellcasting consistency over critical strike mechanics, and can be a valuable gem for enhancing AoE or DoT-focused builds in Path of Exile 2.