It is a Support Gem.
Support
Fire
Cost Multiplier: 120%
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Str
Supports any skill that Hits enemies, causing its Ignites to be inflicted less often but last longer.
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 Eternal Flame Support Gem in Path of Exile 2 offers a unique twist on the Ignite mechanic for Fire-based builds. This gem allows you to increase the duration of Ignites applied by your skills while simultaneously reducing the chance of Inflicting Ignite. If you’re focused on fire damage over time and want to create prolonged, powerful burning effects, Eternal Flame is the perfect choice.
In this article, we’ll explore how Eternal Flame works, the best builds to use it with, and how it can enhance your Fire damage strategies.
The Eternal Flame Support Gem is designed to enhance the duration of Ignites while reducing the likelihood that your skills will inflict Ignite. Here’s a closer look at what this means:
Increased Ignite Duration:
Eternal Flame causes Ignites from your supported skill to last 100% longer. This means that even though the Ignite may be inflicted less frequently, it will deal Fire damage over a much longer time. This makes it highly effective for damage over time builds, where the goal is to maximize the value of Fire damage over extended periods.
Reduced Chance to Ignite:
In exchange for the longer duration, the gem causes supported skills to have 25% less chance to inflict Ignite. While this may seem like a downside, it allows you to focus more on sustained damage rather than relying on frequent Ignites. For builds that use Fire damage over time, the increased Ignite duration often outweighs the reduced chance of inflicting the status.
Strategic Use of Ignite:
The combination of longer-lasting Ignites and a reduced chance to Ignite creates a unique playstyle. You’ll want to rely on high base damage skills that have the potential to inflict Ignite reliably without needing to do so constantly. The longer Ignite duration means that your Fire damage will persist longer, dealing damage while you focus on other targets or mechanics in combat.
Fire Damage Over Time Builds:
Eternal Flame is a great choice for any Fire damage over time build that focuses on Ignite. Skills like Fireball, Flameblast, or Scorching Ray are excellent candidates, as these skills benefit from both the increased Ignite duration and the ability to apply sustained Fire damage.
Ignite and Burn Builds:
If you’re focusing on burning enemies for extended periods, Eternal Flame will fit seamlessly into your build. Skills that apply multiple Ignites on a single target, like Scorching Ray or Combustion in combination with Fire-based spells, will benefit from the enhanced Ignite duration provided by the gem.
Elementalist (Elemental Status Effects):
Elementalist is a perfect Ascendancy for Eternal Flame, especially in Fire damage builds. Elemental status effects like Ignite will last much longer with the increased duration, and the Elementalist’s passive bonuses to fire damage and status ailments will synergize perfectly with this gem.
Burning Damage Builds:
Builds focused on maximizing Burning damage will see a significant benefit from Eternal Flame. The longer Ignites can be stacked, ensuring enemies take prolonged Fire damage while also reducing the need to repeatedly inflict the Ignite status. This works well with skills that already have high base damage or increased Fire damage scaling.
Longer Ignite Duration:
The primary benefit of Eternal Flame is its ability to increase Ignite duration by 100%, allowing you to stack more damage over time. This is perfect for builds focused on damage over time, ensuring that your enemies suffer longer burns, even if you don’t inflict Ignite as frequently.
Synergizes with Fire DOT Builds:
For builds that revolve around Fire damage over time, the Ignite duration boost allows your Fire-based skills to deal damage over time for an extended period. This is perfect for flame-based or burning builds, where sustained damage is key.
Versatile Fire Support:
Eternal Flame can be used with a wide range of Fire-based skills, whether they are spells, attacks, or area damage skills. This allows for creative builds focused on Fire damage to incorporate Eternal Flame into their setup and enhance their Ignite potential.
Improved Damage Output Over Time:
While the chance to Ignite is reduced by 25%, the longer duration compensates for this by ensuring that any Ignite that does occur will cause greater total damage. This is particularly effective when paired with Fire damage amplifiers that further boost your Fire DPS over time.
Reduced Chance to Ignite:
The 25% reduced chance to Ignite is the primary downside of the gem. This means that you’ll need to rely more on high base damage or increased chances to Ignite from other sources (such as Fire penetration or Fire damage passives) to make up for the lost opportunity to inflict Ignite.
Requires Strong Fire Damage Base:
If you’re using Eternal Flame, you’ll need to ensure that your skills have a strong Fire damage base to offset the reduced Ignite chance. This makes it less effective for low-damage or inconsistent Fire attacks that don’t have reliable Ignite chances.
Not Ideal for Non-Fire Builds:
As a Fire-specific gem, Eternal Flame is only useful for builds that focus on Fire damage and Ignite effects. It won’t work well with other types of damage over time or non-Fire skills.
Maximize Base Fire Damage:
To get the most out of Eternal Flame, focus on Fire damage scaling through passives, gear, and support gems. This will ensure that even with a reduced chance to Ignite, the Ignite duration boost from Eternal Flame deals significant sustained damage.
Use with High Base Damage Skills:
It works best when paired with high base damage skills that ignite consistently but don’t rely on constant Ignite triggers. Skills like Flameblast, Fireball, or Scorching Ray can make excellent use of the extended Ignite duration.
Combining with Fire Penetration or Status Effects:
Combining Eternal Flame with other Fire penetration or elemental status effect enhancing gems, such as Combustion, can make your Ignites more effective, even with the reduced chance to Ignite.
The Eternal Flame Support Gem is a fantastic choice for Fire damage builds that want to enhance their Ignite duration without needing to rely on inflicting Ignite frequently. By offering 100% increased Ignite duration while reducing the chance to Ignite, Eternal Flame rewards damage over time strategies where Ignite can burn for longer, dealing sustained Fire damage to enemies. For Fire-based builds, especially those using Fireball, Flameblast, or Scorching Ray, this gem is a valuable tool in maximizing Fire damage over time. However, it does require you to balance other aspects of your build, such as Fire penetration or Ignite chances, to overcome the reduced chance to inflict Ignite.