PoE 2 Lightning Penetration
It is a Support Gem.
Support
Lightning
Tier: 2
Cost Multiplier: 110%
Requires: Level 1
Support Reqirements: +5 Dex
Supports any skill that Hits enemies, making those Hits Penetrate enemy lightning resistance.
- Supported Skills Penetrate 30% Lightning Resistance
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 Lightning Penetration Support Gem is a core component for lightning-focused builds in Path of Exile 2, enhancing damage potential by allowing supported skills to penetrate enemy lightning resistance. By reducing the effectiveness of enemy resistances against your lightning hits, this gem ensures your attacks and spells deal more consistent and higher damage, particularly against high-resistance foes and bosses.
Gem Details
- Category: Support
- Type: Lightning
- Tier: 2
- Cost Multiplier: 110%
- Required Level: 1
- Support Requirements: +5 Dexterity
- Effect:
- Supported Skills Penetrate 30% Lightning Resistance.
- 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 Lightning Penetration Works
Lightning Penetration modifies supported skills so that their lightning damage ignores a portion of the target’s lightning resistance. This mechanic increases the effectiveness of your lightning damage, allowing it to deal closer to its maximum potential, regardless of the enemy’s resistance level.
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Penetrating Lightning Resistance:
- The gem enables supported skills to bypass 30% of an enemy’s lightning resistance, effectively reducing their ability to mitigate your lightning damage.
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Flat Penetration Mechanic:
- Unlike reducing resistance (e.g., through curses), penetration directly ignores a portion of the resistance, making it especially effective against enemies with high or capped resistances.
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Scaling Lightning Damage:
- As your build’s lightning damage output increases, the effectiveness of Lightning Penetration scales proportionally. Higher damage amplifies the value of penetration, as more of your damage reaches its full potential.
Advantages of Lightning Penetration
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Consistent Damage Output:
- Against high-resistance enemies, such as bosses or rare monsters, Lightning Penetration ensures that your damage remains effective, even when other resistance-reducing methods are insufficient.
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Synergy with High Lightning Damage:
- Builds that deal significant lightning damage, whether through spells or attacks, benefit immensely from penetration. It allows your damage to bypass a fixed portion of the target’s resistance, increasing your overall DPS.
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Enhances Party Synergy:
- In group play, Lightning Penetration benefits not just your damage but also synergizes with other lightning builds in your party. By reducing the target’s effective resistance, you amplify overall party DPS.
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Effective Against Bosses:
- Bosses in Path of Exile often have higher elemental resistances compared to regular mobs. Lightning Penetration is especially valuable in these scenarios, ensuring your skills deal substantial damage even in prolonged encounters.
Challenges and Considerations
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Socket and Mana Cost:
- The 110% cost multiplier slightly increases the mana or life cost of supported skills. Ensure your build has adequate resources to sustain this increase.
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Single Resistance Penetration:
- Lightning Penetration only applies to lightning resistance, making it highly specialized. It is best suited for builds that rely exclusively or primarily on lightning damage.
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Not Applicable to Pure Chaos or Physical Builds:
- Builds that do not use lightning damage, or heavily convert their damage into other elements, will not benefit from this gem.
Best Builds for Lightning Penetration
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Lightning Spellcasters:
- Spells like Arc, Ball Lightning, and Storm Call gain tremendous benefits from penetration, as their primary damage type is lightning. Lightning Penetration helps these spells shred through enemy resistances for maximum impact.
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Elemental Attack Builds:
- Builds using lightning-based attacks, such as Lightning Arrow, Storm Rain, or Elemental Hit, see significant DPS improvements when paired with Lightning Penetration.
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Crit-Based Builds:
- High-critical strike builds, especially those focusing on lightning spells or attacks, can maximize their shock potential and damage output by ensuring more lightning damage bypasses enemy resistances.
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Shock-Oriented Builds:
- Builds centered around Shock mechanics benefit from Lightning Penetration as it amplifies the damage bonus provided by Shock itself, creating a powerful synergy.
Synergies and Combinations
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Conductivity Curse:
- Pairing Lightning Penetration with the Conductivity curse further reduces enemy lightning resistance, stacking resistance-reducing mechanics for maximum damage.
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Shock Effect:
- Increasing Shock Effectiveness through passives or items pairs well with Lightning Penetration, as Shock further amplifies damage dealt to enemies.
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Elemental Focus:
- Though Elemental Focus prevents ailments like Shock, its raw damage boost synergizes well with Lightning Penetration for a pure DPS-maximizing build.
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High-Damage Skills:
- Skills that deal high single-target or AoE lightning damage, such as Lightning Tendrils or Electrostatic Field, see exponential scaling with Lightning Penetration.
Conclusion
The Lightning Penetration Support Gem is an indispensable tool for lightning-focused builds, ensuring that supported skills bypass a portion of enemy resistances to deal consistent, powerful damage. Whether you’re zapping enemies with Arc, raining destruction with Lightning Arrow, or using a hybrid elemental build, Lightning Penetration elevates your DPS and makes your lightning abilities truly shocking.
With its ability to shine in both single-target and crowd-control situations, Lightning Penetration is a versatile gem that fits seamlessly into many lightning builds. For players dedicated to unleashing the power of lightning damage, this support gem is a must-have for maximizing potential in Path of Exile 2.