It is a Support Gem.
Support
Attack, Melee, Slam
Tier: 1
Cost Multiplier: 140%
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Str
Supports Slams you use yourself, providing a powerful Ancestral Boost every few seconds.
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
The Fist of War Support Gem is a powerful support option for melee slam attacks in Path of Exile 2, offering an Ancestral Boost to enhance the damage of your slams. This support gem is designed to amplify the effectiveness of slam skills by providing a damage boost every few seconds. For players focusing on slams or melee-based builds, Fist of War offers a substantial increase to your damage output, especially during the Ancestral Boost window.
In this article, we’ll break down the mechanics of the Fist of War Support Gem, how to use it effectively, and the best synergies for maximizing its potential.
Category: Support
Type: Attack, Melee, Slam
Tier: 1
Cost Multiplier: 140%
Required Level: 1
Support Requirements: +5 Strength
Effect:
Place into a Skill’s Support Gem socket in the Skills menu to apply its effects to that Skill.
The Fist of War gem grants a significant boost to slam skills by Ancestrally Boosting your attacks. Here’s a breakdown of how the gem functions:
Ancestral Boost:
Every few seconds, your slam skill receives an Ancestral Boost. When activated, this boost significantly enhances the damage of your attack. This is a timed boost that applies to your slam attack, ensuring that your slams hit harder during these moments.
However, you can only receive the Ancestral Boost once every 6 seconds, which means you need to time your slams strategically to maximize the damage output from this gem.
Cost Multiplier:
Like many powerful support gems, Fist of War has a cost multiplier of 140%, meaning it requires more mana to use the supported skill. This increased cost is offset by the tremendous damage boost provided during the Ancestral Boost window.
Works with Slam Skills:
Fist of War can only support slam skills, such as Earthquake, Ground Slam, Leap Slam, and other similar abilities. These skills often already have high base damage, and the Ancestral Boost from Fist of War makes them even more dangerous.
Cooldown:
The Ancestral Boost can only activate once every 6 seconds. This means the gem is best used with slams that have a moderate cooldown or naturally fit into a rotation where you can take advantage of the boost without wasting any potential damage.
There are several key advantages to using the Fist of War Support Gem in your build:
Significant Damage Boost:
The Ancestral Boost provided by this gem is substantial, leading to significant increases in slam skill damage. During the window when the boost is active, your slam attacks will hit much harder, making them extremely effective for clearing packs of enemies and dealing with high-health bosses.
Synergy with Melee Slam Builds:
If you’re focusing on a melee slam or damage-over-time build, Fist of War is an excellent choice to augment your damage. Slams are naturally slow but heavy-hitting attacks, and the Ancestral Boost allows you to deliver crushing blows more frequently, greatly enhancing your ability to deal damage in boss fights or high-tier maps.
Versatility for High-Impact Attacks:
While Fist of War primarily supports slam skills, it can be used effectively with a variety of melee-based builds. Whether you’re using Earthquake, Ground Slam, or other high-damage slam abilities, the Fist of War gem adds a layer of raw damage that is perfect for taking down heavily armored enemies or high-health bosses.
Cooldown Balance:
With the Ancestral Boost activating every 6 seconds, you have a predictable damage window that can be strategically used in both bossing and map clearing scenarios. Timing your slams to match the cooldown of the boost adds an element of skillful decision-making to your gameplay.
While Fist of War offers powerful damage boosts, there are a few considerations and potential downsides:
Increased Mana Cost:
The 140% cost multiplier means that using Fist of War will increase the mana cost of the supported slam skill. This can put a strain on your mana pool, especially for builds that already rely on multiple abilities or a higher mana consumption. You’ll need to manage your mana efficiently to avoid running out during combat.
Cooldown Limitation:
Since the Ancestral Boost can only be applied once every 6 seconds, Fist of War does not offer a constant damage increase. You’ll need to time your attacks carefully to take full advantage of the boosted damage, which can make the gem feel less impactful in faster-paced or spam-heavy builds.
Requires Slam Skills:
This gem only supports slam skills, which means it won’t work with all types of attacks. If you’re using a non-slam melee build, such as one relying on dual-wielding or spells, Fist of War is not the right choice.
To get the most out of Fist of War, consider the following synergies with other support gems, items, and mechanics:
Increased Melee Damage:
Combine Fist of War with support gems that increase melee damage, such as Melee Damage or Brutality. This will further amplify the damage of your slam attacks when the Ancestral Boost is active.
Cooldown Reduction:
To optimize the effectiveness of the Ancestral Boost, consider using items or passive tree nodes that reduce cooldown recovery time. This can allow you to apply the boost more frequently, which can significantly increase your overall damage output.
Damage-over-Time Synergies:
Many slam skills, such as Earthquake, benefit from damage-over-time mechanics. Pair Fist of War with damage-over-time support gems like Ruthless or Concentrated Effect to ensure your slam skills deal heavy damage when boosted.
Melee Critical Strikes:
If you are using a critical strike build, adding Fist of War to your slam skills can help further amplify the damage potential. Critical hits from Ancestrally Boosted slams can deal devastating damage, particularly when combined with Crit Multiplier and Crit Chance increases.
Charge Mechanics:
For players who utilize Endurance Charges or Frenzy Charges, the boosted slam attacks from Fist of War can synergize well, as these charges increase your damage output. The boosted slams will hit even harder when you have these charges active, making it ideal for high-end content and bosses.
The Fist of War Support Gem is a potent tool for slam-based melee builds in Path of Exile 2, providing powerful Ancestral Boosts to amplify your damage every 6 seconds. With its ability to significantly increase the damage of slam skills, Fist of War is an essential gem for players focusing on melee and slam attacks, offering a combination of power and timing that can lead to devastating results.
However, its increased mana cost and cooldown limitations mean that it’s best suited for builds where you can manage both your mana pool and attack speed effectively. When paired with other melee damage boosts or cooldown reduction mechanics, Fist of War can push your slam skills to the next level, making it a key gem for players looking to enhance their melee playstyle in Path of Exile 2.