In Path of Exile 2, players will encounter the mechanic of "Empowered Attacks," which can significantly enhance their combat effectiveness. Empowered Attacks are often associated with Warcries and can be further boosted by specific support gems and passive tree nodes. This article will explore how to empower attacks, the bonuses they provide, and related mechanics in Path of Exile 2.

How to Empower Attacks

Empowering attacks in Path of Exile 2 can be achieved through various means:

• Warcries: Many Warcries have "Empowered" in their description, indicating that attacks receive an Empowered Attack bonus. For example, the Enraged Warcry support gem can cause Warcries to consume Rage to further boost Empowered Attacks.
• Support Gems: Certain support gems, like Enraged Warcry, directly enhance Empowered Attacks by consuming Rage.
• Passive Tree Nodes: The passive tree contains nodes that grant bonuses to Empowered Attacks, such as increased damage.

Bonuses from Empowered Attacks

Empowered Attacks can provide substantial damage bonuses, with the specific benefits determined by the source of the empowerment:

• Increased Damage: Empowered Attacks can deal significantly more damage. For instance, the Enraged Warcry support gem can cause attacks Empowered by Warcries to deal 30% more damage.
• Fire Damage: Certain Warcries, like Infernal Cry, grant additional fire damage to Empowered Attacks based on the power of enemies in range.

The damage bonuses from Empowered Skill bonuses are additive or multiplicative:

• A 25% Empowered Skill bonus adding another 10% (from the node) for a total of 35%.
• Or taking the 1.25 (25%) and multiplying by 1.1 for a total of 1.25 * 1.1 = 1.375, or 37.5% damage.
• Or, alternately, taking 10 % of the 25% (2.5%) and then adding the 2.5% to 25% for a total of 27.5%.

In Path of Exile 2, players will discover a revamped combat system where Empowered Attacks take center stage, demanding strategic resource management and skillful execution. Unlike the original game, these enhanced abilities require a dedicated resource separate from mana or energy shield, influencing build choices and equipment priorities. Acquiring the necessary gear and consumables to optimize Empowered Attacks will likely drive a significant portion of the in-game economy, making the efficient accumulation and expenditure of PoE 2 Currency crucial for character progression and end-game viability.

Support Gems Enhancing Empowered Attacks

Several support gems in Path of Exile 2 can be used to enhance skills, including those related to Empowered Attacks:

Tier II Support Gems:

• Enraged Warcry: Supports Warcries, causing them to consume Rage to further boost Empowered Attacks.
• Murderous Intent: Supports skills that can Empower skills other than themselves, causing skills they Empower to Cull enemies.

Additional Mechanics in Path of Exile 2

Several other mechanics in Path of Exile 2 interact with combat and character defenses:

• Spirit: Spirit is a new resource used to maintain permanent minions and trigger-based meta gems.
• Energy Shield: Energy shield recovers via recharge at 33.3% per second only after 4 seconds of no damage, with natural recovery requiring additional investment. Chaos damage removes double energy shield but won't cause bleeding unless it breaks through to life.
• Attack and Defense: Players manage resources like mana and stamina to attack and defend effectively.
• Combat Fluidity: Ability costs are spread across the animation, reducing penalties for mid-animation cancels and enhancing combat fluidity. Dodge rolling cancels active animations freely and is vital in boss fights.
• Defense Mechanics: Monster damage is no longer categorized as attacks or spells for player defenses. Mechanics like Spell Suppression are removed, and blocking and evading work differently.