Double Your Poison Damage with Two Buttons (Path of Exile 2)

Summary

In this video, Cass explores the differences between **Despair** and **Wither** in *Path of Exile 2* compared to *PoE1*, focusing on their impact in poison builds. Despair now has an increased Intelligence requirement and a delayed application time, but remains crucial for damage output. Wither continues to stack up to 10 times, boosting Chaos damage, with the addition of supports like **Toxic Growth** for consistent stacking. Cass demonstrates that using both skills can dramatically boost damage, providing a powerful synergy in poison-based gameplay with minimal extra effort.

Takeaways

• 😀 **Despair** in PoE2 has a higher intelligence cost (71 at level 9), but using a low-level Despair gem (level 9) still provides a strong benefit with minimal impact on damage.
• 😀 **Despair** now has a 1-second delay before the curse takes effect, which may require predicting fast-moving mobs to ensure the curse lands.
• 😀 **Persistence** support gem adds 40% more skill effect duration to Despair, extending its base duration from 7.2 to 10 seconds.
• 😀 **Heightened Curse** increases Despair's curse effect by 25%, improving chaos resistance penetration from -33% to -41%.
• 😀 **Magnified Effect** increases the AOE of Despair but is less impactful than other support gems, and can be dropped if you experience mana issues.
• 😀 With **Despair** alone, damage increases significantly (example shows a jump from 35,000 to 46,000 damage).
• 😀 **Wither** in PoE2 works the same as in PoE1, stacking up to 10 times to increase chaos damage by 50%, making it a key damage amplifier.
• 😀 To apply **Wither** consistently in PoE2, your build must deal chaos damage (via nodes or the Chaos Infusion support gem).
• 😀 **Toxic Growth** is a better option than **Rain of Arrows** for applying **Wither** stacks more consistently, as the effect lasts longer and provides more reliable uptime.
• 😀 Using **Concentrated Effect** with **Toxic Growth** improves the consistency of **Wither** stacks, making it easier to hit max stacks and boost your poison damage.
• 😀 The combination of **Despair** and **Wither** can massively increase your damage (from 35,000 to 83,000 in the example), making them essential in any poison build.

Q & A

What are the main differences between Despair in PoE1 and PoE2?

In PoE2, Despair has a higher intelligence requirement (71 intelligence at level 9), and the curse applies 1 second after casting, requiring players to predict mob movement. In PoE1, the curse applies instantly when cast.

Why is using a low-level Despair gem recommended in PoE2?

Using a low-level Despair gem is sufficient in PoE2 because the difference in chaos resistance between level 9 and level 15 is minimal (only 1%), while the intelligence requirement increases drastically for level 15. Therefore, a level 9 Despair is an efficient choice.

How does the curse application mechanic work differently in PoE2 compared to PoE1?

In PoE1, the curse applies instantly when cast. In PoE2, there is a 1-second delay before the curse applies, which can be problematic for fast-moving enemies. However, there is some auto-targeting that helps apply the curse more reliably, especially when hovering over fast-moving mobs.

What support gems are recommended for Despair, and what do they do?

The recommended support gems for Despair are Persistence (40% more skill effect duration), Heighten Curse (25% increased curse effect), and Magnified Effect (larger area of effect). Persistence increases the duration of the curse, Heighten Curse boosts its effect, and Magnified Effect increases the radius of the curse, though it's not as impactful.

What is the role of Wither in increasing chaos damage?

Wither applies a stacking debuff up to 10 stacks, where each stack increases chaos damage by 1%. At 10 stacks, it provides a 50% increase in chaos damage, making it a critical mechanic for maximizing poison damage in both PoE1 and PoE2.

How does Withering Touch work differently in PoE2 compared to PoE1?

In PoE1, Withering Touch works with any type of damage, while in PoE2, it only works with chaos damage. To use Withering Touch in PoE2 for non-chaos builds, players need to use specific nodes or supports, such as Chaos Infusion, to convert other damage types into chaos damage.

Why is Toxic Growth suggested over Rain of Arrows for applying Wither stacks?

Toxic Growth is more reliable than Rain of Arrows because it applies Wither stacks consistently and maintains them for a longer duration. In contrast, Rain of Arrows can be inconsistent in stacking Wither quickly, leading to lower uptime for the maximum damage increase.

What are the benefits of using Concentrated Effect with Toxic Growth?

Concentrated Effect makes the puddles from Toxic Growth more consistent, ensuring a higher chance of hitting all enemies with the maximum Wither stacks. This increases the overall effectiveness of Wither in boosting chaos damage.

How much damage increase can players expect from using Despair and Wither together?

By using Despair and Wither together, players can see a significant damage increase. For example, in the video, the player's damage goes from around 35,000 to 83,000, which is more than double the damage, demonstrating the potency of these two modifiers.

What is the significance of the 'Wither Away' Keystone in PoE2?

The 'Wither Away' Keystone in PoE2 increases the effect of Wither by 40%, enhancing the chaos damage amplification from Wither. This makes it an important node for players focusing on chaos damage and using Wither in their builds.