It is a Skill Gem.
Spell
Projectile, Cold
Tier: 13 (Sorceress)
Level: 13
Cost: 76 Mana
Cast Time: 1.10 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 12.00%
Requires: Level 52, 119 Int
Fires a single Eye Projectile which does not hit enemies. The Eye constantly releases damaging shard Projectiles in a spiral as it flies, plus an extra burst of shards at the end of its flight. If the Eye passes over an Elemental Ground Effect, it will take on that effect, applying it to nearby enemies and causing shards to deal more damage of the corresponding type.
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
Eye of Winter is an exciting Spell-based skill gem in Path of Exile 2, designed for Sorceress players who are looking to harness the devastating power of Cold damage, Projectile mechanics, and Elemental synergies. This cold-based projectile spell allows players to fire a single Eye that releases a barrage of shard projectiles in a spiral pattern, applying powerful Elemental effects and causing significant Cold damage over time.
The mechanics of Eye of Winter are complex and dynamic, offering players a range of strategic choices. Here’s a breakdown of its core mechanics:
When activated, Eye of Winter fires a single projectile, referred to as the Eye. Unlike most projectiles, the Eye does not hit enemies directly. Instead, it serves as the catalyst for the shard projectiles that follow its flight.
This unique mechanic means that the Eye travels through the battlefield, and its effectiveness depends largely on its path and timing.
As the Eye flies, it releases 8 shard projectiles in a spiral pattern. These shard projectiles damage all enemies they come into contact with, creating a wide area of impact that can hit multiple targets in quick succession.
The spiral nature of the projectiles adds a layer of unpredictability and versatility to Eye of Winter, allowing it to affect enemies across a wide radius, especially in dense combat scenarios.
Eye of Winter has a unique interaction with Elemental Ground Effects. If the Eye passes over any Elemental Ground Effect, it absorbs that effect and applies it to nearby enemies. This can significantly enhance the damage output of the shard projectiles.
For example, if the Eye passes over Fire, Lightning, or other Elemental Grounds, the projectiles will deal increased damage of the corresponding type, allowing you to tailor your attacks based on the environment. This makes the skill extremely versatile, as it adapts to various Elemental effects in the battlefield.
At the end of its flight, Eye of Winter releases an extra burst of shards, which significantly increases the damage dealt in the area where the Eye finishes its flight. This burst can be devastating, particularly when combined with Elemental Ground effects and Cold damage modifiers.
This burst of shards provides a high-damage conclusion to the Eye’s trajectory, dealing additional Cold damage to all enemies in its radius.
Eye of Winter deals Cold damage and scales with Cold damage modifiers, making it an excellent choice for Cold-based builds.
The skill also inflicts Critical Weakness on hit, making enemies more vulnerable to Critical Strikes. This is particularly useful if you have a Crit-focused build, as it enhances the effectiveness of Critical Strikes and boosts your overall damage output.
The Eye’s duration lasts for 4 seconds, during which it will continue to release shard projectiles in a spiral. The number of shard projectiles released is fixed, and any modifiers to the number of projectiles will only apply to the final spiral.
This means that increasing projectile count via passive tree nodes or gear will amplify the final burst of projectiles but will not impact the earlier spirals, keeping a degree of balance to its power scaling.
Eye of Winter works excellently with various Cold-based builds and can be combined with several other skills and modifiers for enhanced effects. Below are some potential synergies:
Since Eye of Winter is a Cold damage skill, it synergizes well with Cold-focused builds. You can augment the skill’s effectiveness with Cold Damage multipliers, Cold Penetration, and Elemental Overload for higher damage output.
Elemental Ground Effects become a crucial aspect of this skill. If you are using Elemental Ground effects in your build (e.g., Fire Ground or Lightning Ground), Eye of Winter can capitalize on those effects to deal additional Elemental damage and increase the overall burst damage.
Critical Weakness is a key mechanic for Critical Strike builds, as it makes enemies more vulnerable to Critical Hits. If you are focusing on Cold Crits or Elemental Crits, Eye of Winter synergizes beautifully by lowering the Critical Resistance of enemies.
Crit-based Scaling: Combine Eye of Winter with Critical Strike Chance and Critical Damage nodes to maximize the burst damage when you land critical hits on enemies affected by the skill.
Since Eye of Winter releases multiple projectiles, it can be enhanced by Projectile-based modifiers. Projectile Speed and Projectile Damage scaling can increase the reach and potency of the projectiles, improving your ability to hit enemies over a wider range.
Greater Multiple Projectiles (GMP) or Lesser Multiple Projectiles (LMP) can further increase the number of projectiles in the final burst, enhancing the skill’s effectiveness against larger groups of enemies.