It is a Support Gem.
Support
Tier: 3
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Supports any skill that Hits enemies, causing it to deal more Elemental Damage but be unable to inflict Elemental Ailments.
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 Elemental Focus Support Gem is a powerful addition to elemental spellcasting builds in Path of Exile 2. This gem is designed for players who want to maximize their elemental damage without worrying about elemental ailments like Freeze, Shock, or Ignite. By enhancing the elemental damage of your supported skills, the Elemental Focus Support Gem offers a potent damage boost at the cost of forgoing ailment application.
The Elemental Focus Support Gem fundamentally alters how your elemental skills interact with enemies. Here’s how it operates:
Increased Elemental Damage:
The primary benefit of Elemental Focus is the 25% increased elemental damage it grants to supported skills. This bonus applies to all forms of elemental damage—whether it’s Fire, Cold, or Lightning. This makes it a perfect gem for maximizing raw elemental damage output.
No Elemental Ailments:
A key restriction when using Elemental Focus is that supported skills cannot inflict elemental ailments. This means Freeze, Shock, and Ignite effects are completely disabled while the gem is active. As a result, this support gem is ideal for players who want straightforward, high-damage elemental spells that focus purely on damage without worrying about status effects.
Focus on Damage:
The trade-off for no elemental ailments is that you can focus purely on high damage numbers. If you’re building a character that prioritizes huge elemental bursts over status ailments, then Elemental Focus can be a significant damage booster. You won’t have to worry about shock stacking or ignition mechanics, freeing you up to concentrate entirely on maximizing elemental spell damage.
Pure Elemental Spellcasters:
The Elemental Focus gem is perfect for pure elemental builds where the primary focus is on increased damage rather than applying status effects. If you’re building a fireball, storm call, or arc spellcasting character, Elemental Focus can significantly increase your burst damage output.
Minionless Elemental Damage Builds:
Since the gem works only with player skills (and not minion skills), it’s ideal for non-minion builds that use elemental spells. If you prefer direct damage with no interference from summoned creatures or minions, Elemental Focus allows you to concentrate on boosting your elemental damage without worrying about your minions applying elemental ailments.
High DPS, Non-Ailment Builds:
If you’re playing a build where elemental ailments are either not desired or not viable, Elemental Focus is an excellent gem for pushing your DPS to the next level. This could include fast-paced, high-damage builds such as those based on fire or lightning skills that focus purely on damage numbers without the need for additional status effects.
Huge Damage Boost:
The 25% increased elemental damage from Elemental Focus makes it one of the best pure elemental damage support gems. This is particularly useful for builds that rely on spells or skills that deal fire, cold, or lightning damage.
Maximizes Elemental Output:
With Elemental Focus, you can optimize your character’s ability to deal high elemental damage without needing to worry about additional mechanics like status effects or debuffs. This makes it a great choice for players who prefer a simplified approach to damage dealing.
Great for High-Speed Spells:
Elemental Focus excels in high-speed, fast-casting builds where spells are cast frequently and are meant to deal quick bursts of damage. Skills like Arc, Fireball, or Flameblast benefit greatly from the damage boost provided by this gem.
Simplicity:
For players who do not want to deal with the complexity of stacking ailments like Shock, Ignite, or Freeze, Elemental Focus removes this element and focuses entirely on damage output. This makes it appealing for those who want straightforward damage scaling.
No Elemental Ailments:
The most significant drawback of Elemental Focus is the inability to inflict elemental ailments. For builds that rely on Freeze, Shock, or Ignite to increase overall damage or control enemies, this gem may not be ideal. It disables ailment interactions entirely, which could hinder certain builds that depend on status effect synergy.
Limited to Elemental Builds:
As the gem is focused solely on elemental damage, it is only viable for elemental spellcasting builds. This means it won’t work with builds that focus on physical damage, chaos damage, or attack-based skills, limiting its usage in terms of flexibility.
Leverage High-Damage Elemental Skills:
The Elemental Focus Support Gem is best used with high elemental damage skills. Consider using Fireball, Flameblast, Arc, or Storm Call to maximize the benefits of the damage boost.
Combine with Damage Multiplying Mechanics:
Elemental Focus can work extremely well with other damage-multiplying mechanics. Combining it with skills or passives that increase spell damage, elemental damage, or spell casting speed will ensure that your elemental skills hit hard and fast.
Use Buffs and Debuffs to Enhance Damage:
To offset the loss of ailments from Elemental Focus, consider using other debuffs or buffs such as Elemental Weakness curses, power charges, or spell damage boosters to enhance your overall damage output.
Pair with High-Cast Speed Builds:
Elemental Focus works great in high-cast speed builds. With fast-casting skills and the increased elemental damage it provides, you’ll be able to deal enormous amounts of damage quickly.
The Elemental Focus Support Gem is a valuable asset for elemental spellcasters who wish to maximize their elemental damage without worrying about elemental ailments like Shock, Freeze, or Ignite. By offering a 25% damage boost to elemental spells, it is particularly useful for high-damage builds focused on pure elemental output. However, it does come with the trade-off of not being able to inflict elemental ailments, which limits its usefulness for certain playstyles.
For players who prefer pure elemental damage and are not concerned with the mechanics of elemental ailments, Elemental Focus is a fantastic choice for maximizing DPS and ensuring that your spells hit hard.