Support
Spell, Duration
Tier: 2
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Int
Supports Spells that deal non-Ailment damage over time, causing them to have a shorter duration but deal substantially more damage over time with Debuffs inflicted against enemies on full life.
Damage over time Debuffs inflicted on full-life enemies by Supported Skills deal 50% more damage
Supported Skills have 25% less Skill Effect Duration
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.
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The Intense Agony Support Gem in Path of Exile 2 is a powerful damage-over-time gem designed to increase the damage output of your spells, especially against full-life enemies. It provides a significant damage boost while reducing the duration of the damage-over-time debuffs inflicted by the supported skills. This gem is best suited for high-damage DOT builds that need to deal massive damage quickly, particularly when facing enemies with full life.
Gem Details
Category: Support
Type: Damage-over-Time, Duration
Tier: 2
Required Level: 1
Support Requirements: +5 Intelligence
Effect:
Damage over time Debuffs inflicted on full-life enemies by Supported Skills deal 50% more damage.
Supported Skills have 25% less Skill Effect Duration.
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.
How Intense Agony Works
The Intense Agony support gem excels at boosting the damage of damage-over-time (DOT) spells against enemies with full life. However, the increased damage comes at the cost of reduced duration, meaning your DOT effects will expire faster but hit harder. Here’s a breakdown of its effects:
Increased Damage against Full-Life Enemies:
Intense Agony increases the damage of damage-over-time debuffs by 50% when inflicted on enemies that are at full life. This makes it an excellent choice for dealing high amounts of burst damage early in combat or during encounters where the enemies are at maximum health.
Reduced Duration:
Supported skills will have 25% less Skill Effect Duration, meaning the damage over time debuffs will last for a shorter period. This trade-off is balanced by the significant damage boost, so it is particularly useful for quick burst damage in situations where long-term sustain isn’t as necessary.
Perfect for Burst Damage Builds:
If your build revolves around dealing large bursts of damage as quickly as possible (especially against bosses or high-health enemies), this gem will increase your damage output dramatically. The reduced duration is typically a trade-off that works well for burst-oriented spellcasting builds, where you aim to deal as much damage as possible in a short window of time.
Advantages of Intense Agony
Massive Damage Boost on Full-Life Enemies:
The 50% more damage to full-life enemies is incredibly strong, especially in boss fights or high-health enemies, making it perfect for builds that aim to burst down targets quickly.
Amplifies Damage Over Time:
Damage over time builds that rely on spells (like Ignite, Poison, Chill, or Chaos Damage over Time) will greatly benefit from the massive damage boost this gem provides. By ensuring your DOT effects are more potent, you can deal substantial damage within a short window of time.
Ideal for Boss Fights and Single-Target Encounters:
The reduced duration may not be as much of a drawback against bosses or strong single-target enemies, where the key focus is on dealing as much damage as possible while the enemy is still at full life. In these encounters, you’re often looking to maximize damage in a short time frame, making this gem ideal.
Synergy with High-Burst DOT Builds:
Intense Agony works exceptionally well with high-burst damage-over-time builds, where you apply your debuffs in short, intense bursts and want to maximize that burst damage against full-life enemies.
Disadvantages and Considerations
Reduced Duration:
The 25% reduced duration can be a significant drawback for sustained DOT builds or builds that rely on keeping damage-over-time effects active for as long as possible. If your strategy involves long-term damage, you may want to consider other support gems that don’t reduce duration.
Situational Damage Increase:
The 50% more damage is only effective against full-life enemies, which means it won’t provide a consistent damage boost across all fights. This makes it less effective against enemies that are already wounded or multiple small enemies where duration and consistent damage are more important.
Mana and Resource Management:
Depending on the skills you support with Intense Agony, the increased burst damage may come at a higher mana cost, especially if you’re casting large spells quickly to exploit the high damage. You’ll need to ensure your build has adequate mana regeneration or mana leech to make the most of this gem.
Ideal Skills and Builds for Intense Agony
Spells with Damage Over Time:
Spells like Flameblast, Contagion, Essence Drain, or Fireball (for Ignite-based builds) will see massive benefit from this gem, particularly against bosses or full-life enemies that you want to quickly burst down.
Poison or Chaos Damage Builds:
Builds that focus on Poison or Chaos damage over time can use this gem to increase their burst potential against enemies at full health. Poison and Chaos DOT builds often require the ability to stack multiple effects, and this gem helps ensure that initial damage ticks are amplified when enemies are at full health.
Ignite and Fire Builds:
Fire-based DOT builds (such as those utilizing Fire Trap, Fireball, or Flameblast) will enjoy the significant boost in damage when attacking full-life enemies. The reduced duration won’t be as much of an issue if you’re focused on a quick burst of damage.
Burst Damage Boss Builds:
Boss fights require the ability to deal maximum damage quickly. Intense Agony shines here, as it can help you deal massive damage before the enemy drops below full health. Spells that apply DOT debuffs (like Scorching Ray or Vortex) combined with Intense Agony can quickly shred through a boss’s health pool.
Synergies
Increased Damage Over Time:
Combining Intense Agony with other damage-over-time modifiers (like Increased Damage over Time from passive tree or other support gems) can help you maximize damage in a very short amount of time, capitalizing on the 50% more damage against full-life enemies.
Burst-Damage Enhancers:
Support gems that increase critical strike chance or damage, like Elemental Focus, Increased Critical Damage, or Hypothermia (for cold-based builds), will enhance the initial burst of damage before your skill’s duration runs out.
Skill Duration Enhancers:
If you find that Intense Agony’s reduced duration is problematic, combining it with other gems that enhance skill duration (like Increased Duration or Swift Affliction) can help balance the duration reduction, giving you the best of both worlds.
Conclusion
The Intense Agony Support Gem is an incredibly powerful tool for burst damage-over-time builds that focus on inflicting massive damage on full-life enemies. With a 50% increase in damage to enemies at full health, it is particularly effective for boss fights or encounters where you want to inflict quick, high damage before the enemy’s life drops. The trade-off of reduced duration means that it’s perfect for burst-oriented builds, but may not be ideal for sustained DOT damage strategies. If you’re looking to maximize your damage output in short bursts, especially against high-health targets, Intense Agony is an essential gem for your build.