It is a Support Gem.
Support
Spell
Tier: 1
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Supports Spells, causing them to cast.
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
In Path of Exile 2, the Faster Casting Support Gem is a key gem for spellcasters seeking to increase their spellcasting efficiency. Whether you’re playing a fire, cold, or lightning spell-based build, this gem offers significant benefits by increasing the casting speed of your spells, allowing you to deal damage faster and more efficiently. In this article, we’ll explore the mechanics of the Faster Casting Support Gem and how it can elevate your gameplay.
The Faster Casting Support Gem is specifically designed for spellcasting builds to increase the cast speed of spells. When socketed into a compatible skill, this gem increases your cast speed by 25%, allowing your character to cast spells faster and, in turn, deal damage more quickly.
Increased Cast Speed:
The primary effect of the Faster Casting gem is to boost your cast speed by 25%. This means that the time between each cast is shortened, allowing you to unleash your spells more rapidly. This is especially useful for builds that rely on damage over time (like Fireball, Flameblast, or Lightning Tendrils) or high DPS burst spells, as it increases the frequency at which you can deal damage.
Faster Skill Activation:
Not only does the gem speed up your spellcasting animation, but it also improves your character’s ability to react in combat. Faster casting enables you to chain spells together more quickly, optimizing your damage output in hectic fights where speed is key.
Synergy with Spell-Specific Effects:
Certain spell effects benefit from faster casting, such as casting speed scaling for damage over time spells or area of effect (AoE) spells. Faster casting allows you to maintain consistent DPS and apply effects such as ignites, freezes, or poisons at a higher rate.
The Faster Casting Support Gem is ideal for any build that focuses on spells and benefits from rapid casting. Here are some of the most common build types that benefit from this gem:
Elemental Spellcasters:
Faster Casting is perfect for elemental spellcasting builds (fire, cold, lightning), where quick spell application is key to clearing enemies and maximizing damage output. Whether using Fireball, Ice Nova, or Arc, increasing the cast speed ensures that your elemental spells land faster, dealing damage quickly and efficiently.
Damage Over Time (DoT) Builds:
For damage over time builds, Faster Casting can be a crucial support gem. Many DoT spells, such as Flameblast, Poison Arrow, or Essence Drain, benefit from the ability to apply damage more quickly and stack DoTs faster. This gem allows you to trigger multiple damage instances in a short time, improving overall DPS and damage uptime.
Burst Damage Spellcasters:
If your build is designed to deal high burst damage with spells, increasing cast speed is essential for maximizing that burst. Spells like Arc, Discharge, and Wave of Conviction benefit greatly from faster casting, enabling quicker repetitions of damage and more efficient clearing.
Minion Summoners Using Spells:
Some minion summoner builds that rely on spells for either defense or damage (like Animate Weapon or Summon Skeletons for buffing and utility) will also benefit from Faster Casting. While minion skills themselves are not directly affected by this gem, Faster Casting will improve your ability to cast other useful support spells for minions more rapidly.
Hybrid Builds (Spell + Attack):
Hybrid builds that incorporate both spells and attacks can also make good use of the Faster Casting gem. Spellcasters who need to quickly apply buffs, debuffs, or support spells (like Flame Totem, Vaal Righteous Fire, or Flame Surge) will be able to deal damage more consistently while maintaining effective attacks at the same time.
Improved DPS:
Increasing your cast speed allows you to cast spells more frequently, directly improving your damage per second (DPS). Faster spellcasting means more spells are being cast in less time, resulting in higher damage output.
Better Combat Fluidity:
Faster casting makes combat feel more fluid, enabling your character to chain spells together rapidly. Whether you’re clearing mobs, applying status effects, or bursting down bosses, Faster Casting ensures you can keep up the pressure without delay.
Synergy with Critical Strikes:
Many spell builds rely on critical strikes for high damage. Faster Casting improves the chances of landing crits more often, especially when using spells with high crit multipliers, leading to massive burst damage.
Supports High-Energy Cost Spells:
For certain high-mana-cost spells that you want to spam, Faster Casting can help make casting them more efficient by reducing the time spent between each cast. This is particularly useful in high-tier boss fights or boss farming scenarios where uptime on key abilities is critical.
Great for Spells with Delays:
Certain spells have inherent delays or casting animations (such as Fireball, Flameblast, or Arc), and increasing cast speed allows you to smooth out these delays, making gameplay feel much smoother and more responsive.
Mana Management:
Faster Casting may result in higher mana costs, especially for skills that consume a lot of mana per cast. It’s crucial to ensure that your build has mana regeneration or mana leech to compensate for the increased frequency of spell casting.
Not Useful for Non-Spell Builds:
This support gem is exclusively for spell-based builds. If you’re running an attack-based or hybrid build, this gem will not provide any benefits. Be sure to use it only when casting spells is a primary part of your build.
Increased Action Speed Requirements:
If you’re using Faster Casting in combination with other speed-based effects (like Increased Attack Speed or Movement Speed), there can be a risk of action speed caps. This means that all actions (like spell casting, movement, etc.) may hit a maximum speed limit, making further increases ineffective.
Combine with Mana Regeneration:
To counter the higher mana usage, combine Faster Casting with mana regeneration or mana leech. This ensures that you can sustain your increased casting speed without running out of resources.
Stack with Cast Speed Gear:
Faster Casting works especially well when combined with cast speed modifiers found on gear (such as rings, amulets, or wands). Together, these can result in rapid spellcasting, increasing your overall damage output.
Optimize for Burst Spells:
Use Faster Casting with burst spells like Vaal Arc, Flame Surge, or Volcanic Fissure, where fast casting helps you unleash your damage quickly and efficiently.
Keep Track of Mana Costs:
Pay attention to how much mana your spells use with Faster Casting. If your mana pool can’t support the faster casting speed, consider increasing mana regeneration or adding mana leech to your gear.
The Faster Casting Support Gem is a powerful tool for spellcasting builds in Path of Exile 2. By providing 25% more cast speed, it enables spellcasters to cast spells more frequently, significantly boosting their DPS and improving combat fluidity. Whether you’re focusing on damage over time spells, burst damage, or hybrid builds, Faster Casting can enhance your gameplay, making it an essential gem for any spellcaster looking to increase their effectiveness in battle.