Detonates Curses on enemies in an area, causing explosions of Chaos damage but removing the curse.
Deals 101 to 188 Chaos Damage
Maximum 9 Explosions
Base explosion radius is 1.6 metres
Base wave radius is 2.8 metres
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
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Hexblast is a powerful Chaos damage skill in Path of Exile 2, designed for Witch players who specialize in curses and area-of-effect (AoE) damage. This skill allows you to detonate curses placed on enemies, causing devastating Chaos explosions while simultaneously removing the curses. If you’re looking for a skill that combines curse synergy with explosive AoE damage, Hexblast is a formidable choice.
Key Details of Hexblast
Gem Type: Skill Gem
Skill Type: Spell, AoE, Chaos
Tier: 11 (Witch)
Level Requirement: 11
Mana Cost: 65 Mana
Cast Time: 1.00 sec
Critical Strike Chance: 7.00%
Requires: Level 41, 95 Int
Effect: Detonates curses on enemies within an area, causing explosions of Chaos damage, while removing the curses.
How Hexblast Works
Hexblast detonates the curses on enemies in a radius, dealing Chaos damage in explosions. Each explosion deals substantial damage, with a maximum of 9 explosions occurring in the AoE. However, one significant aspect of this skill is that Hexblast removes the curse from the affected enemies as it detonates, meaning you’ll have to carefully consider when to cast it and how to apply your curses for maximum efficiency.
1. Detonating Curses for Chaos Damage
Hexblast interacts directly with curses applied to enemies. When you cast Hexblast, it detonates any curses that are currently on enemies within range. These detonations cause Chaos explosions, making Hexblast a devastating tool for curse-focused builds. The more curses you can apply before triggering the explosions, the more damage you will deal.
For example, if you’ve cursed enemies with Flammability or Vulnerability, Hexblast will trigger a Chaos explosion that applies the curse’s effects while also dealing substantial damage. However, this comes with the downside that the curse is removed once detonated. Therefore, Hexblast is most effective when you can stack multiple curses and detonate them all at once for maximum damage.
2. Area-of-Effect Damage
Hexblast has a decent AoE radius that allows you to hit multiple enemies at once. The base explosion radius is 1.6 metres, while the wave radius (for detecting enemies) is 2.8 metres. This ensures that you’ll be able to target and detonate curses on enemies in a wide area, especially when dealing with large packs of enemies or high-density zones. It’s also a powerful skill for boss fights where multiple enemies are cursed at the same time.
3. Chaos Damage
Chaos damage is a highly versatile damage type in Path of Exile 2, as it bypasses Energy Shield and can ignore resistances, making it effective against many different enemy types. The damage range for Hexblast is 101 to 188 Chaos Damage, depending on your character’s build and modifiers. As the damage scales with your curse effects and Chaos damage multipliers, Hexblast can become a powerful tool in Chaos-based builds.
4. Critical Strike Chance
Hexblast has a 7% Critical Strike Chance, which is relatively low compared to some other skills in the game. However, this critical strike chance can be enhanced with critical strike modifiers from your gear or support gems, allowing for additional burst damage. A critical hit from Hexblast can deal significant damage, especially if you are stacking Chaos damage multipliers or curse-related modifiers.
5. Max Explosions
Hexblast has a maximum of 9 explosions, meaning it can trigger up to 9 curse detonations in a single use, potentially dealing massive damage if multiple curses are stacked on multiple enemies. To maximize the effectiveness of Hexblast, you should focus on applying curses to groups of enemies, ensuring that the skill detonates as many curses as possible in the radius.
Synergies with Other Skills and Builds
Hexblast works best when paired with curse-focused builds, but it can also be combined with other Chaos damage skills for a high-damage AoE playstyle. Here are some key synergies to consider:
1. Curse Synergy Builds
Hexblast is most effective in curse-heavy builds, where you are constantly applying multiple curses to enemies. Some useful curses include Flammability, Vulnerability, or Elemental Weakness, which can be applied to increase the damage of Hexblast explosions. Additionally, curses like Despair can boost the Chaos damage of your Hexblast detonations.
You can also combine Hexblast with curse-support gems such as Hex Touch or Bane, which allow you to apply curses to multiple enemies at once, setting up your detonations for large damage outputs.
2. Chaos Damage Builds
Hexblast is an excellent fit for Chaos damage builds, where you can scale Chaos damage multipliers through your passive skill tree and gear. For example, using Void Battery (for increased Chaos damage and Chaos resistance penetration) or Increased Chaos Damage support gems will boost the overall damage output of Hexblast.
Consider combining Hexblast with Chaos DoT skills like Contagion or Bane to apply Chaos damage over time and set up your Hexblast explosions on already cursed enemies.
3. AoE Damage Builds
Since Hexblast has AoE damage, it pairs well with AoE scaling builds. Support gems such as Increased AoE and Concentrated Effect can modify the skill’s effectiveness, allowing it to hit a larger number of enemies or focus on dealing more damage to fewer enemies. Combining Hexblast with AoE scaling provides strong clearing potential in high-density content.
4. Critical Strike Builds
Though Hexblast has a relatively low Critical Strike Chance, it can still benefit from critical strike scaling. Adding Critical Strike Chance and Critical Strike Multiplier modifiers to your gear and passive tree will allow you to increase the burst damage of Hexblast, especially when detonating multiple curses.
Pros and Cons of Hexblast
Pros:
Chaos Damage: Hexblast deals Chaos damage, which bypasses Energy Shield and resistances, making it effective against various enemies.
Curse Detonation: The ability to detonate curses on enemies makes it highly synergistic with curse builds.
High AoE Potential: The skill has a wide explosion radius and can hit multiple enemies at once.
Maximum 9 Explosions: The ability to trigger up to 9 explosions provides massive AoE damage potential when multiple curses are applied.
Cons:
Curse Removal: Hexblast removes the curse after detonating it, which may limit your ability to stack multiple debuffs on enemies.
Mana Cost: At 65 Mana per cast, Hexblast can be costly for high-speed casting builds, especially if you’re casting it repeatedly.
Critical Strike Chance: The 7% critical strike chance is relatively low, making it less reliable for critical strike-focused builds unless you scale crit chance extensively.
Tips for Using Hexblast
Stack Curses Effectively: Use curse applications (like Despair, Vulnerability, or Flammability) to maximize the detonation damage from Hexblast. Make sure to apply curses to multiple enemies to hit the maximum number of explosions.
Amplify AoE: Consider AoE scaling support gems or passive tree nodes to increase the explosion radius of Hexblast, allowing you to hit more enemies at once.
Use Chaos Damage Scaling: Amplify Chaos damage with gear and support gems that increase your Chaos damage or provide Chaos resistance penetration.
Manage Mana: Keep an eye on your mana pool, as Hexblast is mana-intensive. You may need to balance your mana regeneration or investment in Mana Efficiency.