It is a Support Gem.
Support
Minion
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Recover 50 Mana when a Minion from Supported Skills dies
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 Essence Harvest Support Gem in Path of Exile 2 provides a unique and powerful utility for minion-based builds. This gem allows you to recover 50 Mana whenever a minion from your supported skills dies. If you’re using minions as a central part of your build, this gem can significantly improve your mana sustain, allowing you to cast more skills and keep up with the demands of battle.
In this article, we’ll dive into how Essence Harvest works, the best builds to use it with, and how it can complement your minion-based gameplay.
The Essence Harvest Support Gem provides a mana regeneration mechanic based on minion deaths. Here’s how it functions:
Minion Death Mana Recovery:
When a minion from a skill linked with Essence Harvest dies, you will recover 50 Mana. This can be especially beneficial for builds that summon large numbers of minions or rely on minion sacrifices, allowing you to sustain your mana while maintaining offensive pressure.
Mana Sustain for Minion Builds:
Essence Harvest is primarily useful for minion-focused builds that demand a lot of mana for skills like summoning minions, spells, or auras. The 50 Mana recovery can be a game-changer, providing a consistent source of mana regeneration without needing to rely on mana flasks or mana potions.
No Impact on Minion Lifespan:
The Essence Harvest gem does not affect the lifespan of your minions. It simply offers mana regeneration whenever one of your minions dies, regardless of whether it’s a summoned minion, a sacrifice, or a minion killed by enemies.
Minion Summoner Builds:
Builds focused on summoning large numbers of minions, such as Necromancer or Elementalist (for totems or elemental minions), can greatly benefit from Essence Harvest. Since these builds often rely on summoning multiple minions in a short time, the 50 Mana recovery from minion deaths can help keep your mana pool topped up, allowing you to continue summoning without running dry.
Sacrifice-Based Minion Builds:
Essence Harvest is also a strong choice for sacrifice-focused minion builds. For example, builds using Summon Raging Spirit or Sacrifice totems (such as Infernal Legion or Culling Strike setups) can use Essence Harvest to counteract the loss of minions by recovering mana with each death, creating a feedback loop that sustains your mana while still dealing damage.
Summon and Empower Minions Builds:
If you’re running a build that emphasizes Empowered Minions, such as Summon Skeletons with Culling Strike or Animate Weapon with Spectres, Essence Harvest will make it easier to sustain your abilities even when your minions are expended in battle. It will allow you to recast skills quickly without worrying about mana management.
Support Minion Builds:
For players using supportive minions like Generosity Auras, Essence Harvest offers a way to recover mana passively as the supporting minions die. You won’t need to worry about running out of mana while controlling your minions and their buffs.
Improved Mana Sustain:
Essence Harvest offers a simple yet effective way to recover mana in minion builds. Each time a minion dies, you get 50 Mana, which is especially helpful for builds with high mana usage or those who summon a lot of minions.
Constant Mana Regeneration:
Unlike mana potions or flasks, the mana regeneration from Essence Harvest is automatic and tied directly to minion deaths. As long as you have a steady flow of minions in combat, you’ll continue to get mana recovery, allowing you to focus on your offensive skills without worrying about running out of mana.
No Need for Flask Spam:
In minion-based builds, where you can have many summons or totems, the constant need for mana flasks can become cumbersome. Essence Harvest alleviates this issue, offering a steady source of mana recovery without having to repeatedly use flasks or mana potions.
Ideal for High Minion Turnover:
If you’re using minions that have a high turnover rate, such as Summon Raging Spirit or Skeletons, this gem will benefit you the most. The faster your minions die (whether through enemies or sacrifices), the more mana you’ll recover, creating a positive feedback loop.
Requires Minion Deaths:
The key downside of Essence Harvest is that you must rely on minions dying to trigger the mana recovery. If your minions are immortal or rarely die, such as with Minion Life passives or high defensive scaling, the effectiveness of Essence Harvest will be significantly diminished.
Limited to Minion Builds:
This gem only works for minion-based builds. If you’re not using minions as your main source of damage or support, this gem won’t be useful. It’s important to ensure that you have a viable minion playstyle before considering this gem.
Mana Recovery is Relatively Small:
While 50 Mana recovery per minion death can add up over time, it’s not a massive amount of mana for high mana costs. For builds with very high mana usage, Essence Harvest alone may not be enough to sustain your mana pool, and you may need to combine it with other mana regeneration strategies.
Use in High Minion Turnover Builds:
To get the most out of Essence Harvest, use it in high-turnover minion builds. The more minions you summon and the quicker they die, the more mana you’ll generate. This makes it ideal for fast-paced, offensive minion builds where you constantly sacrifice or expend minions.
Pair with Other Mana Regeneration Sources:
If you’re using Essence Harvest as your primary source of mana regeneration, consider pairing it with other mana recovery strategies, such as Mana Leech, mana flask management, or mana regeneration passives, to ensure you have a steady flow of mana during longer fights.
Optimize Minion Durability:
If your minions are dying too quickly, consider increasing their defense with minion life or resistances. This will ensure that the Essence Harvest gem continues to trigger and that you’re not losing mana recovery by keeping your minions alive longer.
The Essence Harvest Support Gem is an excellent option for minion builds looking to improve mana sustain through minion deaths. By recovering 50 Mana each time a minion dies, this gem offers a way to offset the high mana costs associated with minion summoning and casting spells. It’s particularly effective in builds that summon or sacrifice large numbers of minions, as they will provide a constant flow of mana recovery. However, it may not be as useful for builds where minion deaths are less frequent, so it’s important to consider your overall playstyle before incorporating this gem. For minion-heavy builds or sacrifice-based playstyles, Essence Harvest is a valuable tool for keeping your mana pool full and your skills flowing.