It is a Support Gem.
Support
Spell, AoE, Trigger, Chaos
Tier: 1
Cost Multiplier: 130%
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Supports Curse skills you cast yourself, causing them to trigger Doom Blast on Cursed enemies when the Curse expires.
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 Impending Doom Support Gem in Path of Exile 2 is a unique gem designed for Curse-based builds, specifically enhancing Curse skills by adding a devastating Doom Blast when the curse expires on a target. This gem is designed for Spell and AoE Chaos builds that focus on triggering powerful effects when enemies are cursed, making it a potent choice for Chaos and Curse-focused characters looking to maximize their damage output and area control.
The Impending Doom gem is designed to work with Curse skills by providing an added Doom Blast effect when the Curse expires. Here’s how it works:
Curse Expiry Trigger:
When you curse an enemy using a Curse skill (such as Despair, Flammability, or Temporal Chains), the Impending Doom gem will cause the curse to trigger a Doom Blast when the curse expires from the enemy. This means that once the curse effect is over, it explodes, dealing damage to the cursed target and potentially other nearby enemies.
Doom Blast Mechanic:
The Doom Blast triggered by the Impending Doom gem deals AoE Chaos damage. The damage is based on the curse’s effect and the Impending Doom gem’s modifiers. The Doom Blast not only adds extra Chaos damage but also has a potential to hit multiple targets if they are within the blast radius, giving you additional AoE damage in crowded fights.
Curse and Trigger Synergy:
This gem is perfect for Curse-focused builds that want to add an extra layer of damage to their Curse skills. The synergy between Curses and Impending Doom is incredibly strong, as it combines the debuffs provided by curses with the explosive damage of the Doom Blast once the curse ends. The result is a potent combination that can deal massive AoE Chaos damage.
Doom Blast Area of Effect:
The Doom Blast deals damage to the primary target and potentially other enemies in the area of effect. This makes the gem useful for crowd control and group-based encounters where you want to maximize the damage to multiple enemies. The AoE radius of the Doom Blast will allow you to hit multiple enemies if they are clustered near the Cursed target when the curse expires.
Here are the main benefits of using the Impending Doom Support Gem:
AoE Chaos Damage:
The Doom Blast provides an AoE Chaos explosion when the curse expires. This adds a significant damage output to your build, particularly in crowd control situations, where multiple enemies can be hit by the explosion.
Synergy with Curse Builds:
The gem is designed specifically for builds that focus on Curse skills, and its triggering effect works well with a variety of Curse skills like Despair, Flammability, or Temporal Chains. This synergy allows you to amplify the power of your Curse-based abilities by adding bonus damage from the Doom Blast.
Triggering Damage:
The gem doesn’t require additional manual activation beyond casting the initial Curse skill. As long as the curse is active and eventually expires, the Doom Blast will trigger automatically, meaning you don’t have to worry about manually activating or timing additional effects for the damage.
Great for AoE and Clearing:
The Doom Blast‘s AoE damage makes it an excellent tool for clearing packs of enemies, particularly when paired with multiple curses. If you’re facing large mobs or groups of enemies, this gem can greatly increase your ability to handle such situations.
Despite its powerful effect, the Impending Doom gem does have a few drawbacks and considerations:
Curse Expiry Requirement:
The Doom Blast only triggers when the curse expires from an enemy. This can be a limitation in some cases, as Curse durations can vary and may not always line up with the ideal timing for triggering a Doom Blast. Some builds may struggle to ensure the curse expires efficiently, leading to inconsistent Doom Blast triggers.
Limited to Curse Skills:
The Impending Doom gem is specifically tied to Curse skills. If your build is not focused on Curses, or if you are using other types of spells (such as Fire, Cold, or Lightning skills), this gem won’t be useful. It requires you to focus on Curse-based mechanics, so it is not applicable for all types of builds.
No Control Over Doom Blast Timing:
Since the Doom Blast is triggered by the expiration of a curse, you have no direct control over when the blast occurs. This can be a problem in situations where you want to ensure the Doom Blast hits at a specific moment or target. It relies on the curse expiration mechanic, which could be a little unpredictable in some encounters.
Chaos Damage Scaling:
The Doom Blast deals Chaos damage, which means you will need to build around Chaos damage scaling to maximize the gem’s effectiveness. If your build is focused on other types of damage, you might not get the full benefit from the Doom Blast without adding specific Chaos damage modifiers.
The Impending Doom gem is best suited for Curse-based builds, especially those that focus on Chaos damage. Here are some specific builds and skills that work well with the Impending Doom gem:
Chaos Curse Builds:
If you’re building around Chaos damage and Curse skills, such as Despair, Temporal Chains, or Flammability, Impending Doom is a must-have. It enhances your Curse skills by adding an additional AoE Chaos damage effect when the curse expires, improving your overall damage potential.
Curse-Totem Builds:
Builds that use Totems to cast Curses (like Hexblast Totems) will also benefit from this gem. Since the gem triggers when a curse expires, and Totems constantly curse enemies, the Doom Blast will add a secondary burst of damage without requiring you to cast extra spells.
Chaos DoT Builds:
Chaos damage over time (DoT) builds can also benefit from this gem. When you apply Chaos DoT curses to enemies, you can trigger Impending Doom when the curses expire, further boosting your AoE Chaos damage potential.
The Impending Doom Support Gem is a strong choice for Curse-focused builds, especially for players who want to add AoE Chaos damage when their Curses expire. The Doom Blast triggered by the expiration of a curse deals significant damage to enemies in the area, making it ideal for crowd control and multi-target encounters.
Its synergy with Curse skills, combined with the AoE damage from the Doom Blast, makes it a valuable tool for builds that rely on Curses to debuff and damage enemies. However, it requires proper curse management and may not be as useful in non-curse or non-Chaos focused builds.
If you’re looking to enhance your Curse builds and maximize AoE damage when curses expire, Impending Doom offers a powerful and unique mechanic to increase your damage output in Path of Exile 2.