Path of Exile 2 (POE 2) brings significant changes to its support gem system, making gem selection more crucial than ever for optimizing builds. While players have access to a wide variety of skill and support gems, choosing the right ones can significantly impact gameplay efficiency and strategy. With more than 80 support gems at Level 1 alone, understanding which ones offer the best benefits is essential for conserving in-game currency and maximizing performance.

To help players make informed choices, this article provides an in-depth look at the top ten Level 1 support gems in POE 2, detailing their effects and the types of builds that can benefit most from them.

1. Persistence

Persistence may not be the most powerful support gem outright, but it is incredibly versatile. This gem extends the duration of any skill with a limited effect by 40%. Since nearly every POE 2 class has skills that benefit from extended durations, Persistence is useful in a variety of builds.

For instance, skills such as temporary auras, buffs, or even defensive abilities like Molten Shell gain significant effectiveness with extended uptime. Persistence ensures that your active effects last longer, reducing downtime and increasing combat efficiency.

2. Window of Opportunity

This gem can boost skill damage by up to 50%, but its effectiveness is highly dependent on precise timing. While it provides an excellent damage boost, its usability is somewhat limited due to the need for exact execution.

Ranger builds, particularly those utilizing Snipe, can take advantage of this gem’s high-risk, high-reward nature. Players who can master skill timing will find Window of Opportunity invaluable for maximizing damage output.

3. Crescendo

Crescendo is a highly specialized support gem that allows the final hit of a chain attack to be performed twice in a row. This makes it ideal for builds that feature powerful final blows in their attack chains.

For example, Ice Strike and Tempest Flurry benefit significantly from this gem, as their final attacks deal the most damage. When used in conjunction with POE 2 Exalted Orbs to optimize gear, Crescendo can be a game-changer for chain attack builds.

4. Comorbidity

For poison-focused builds, Comorbidity is an essential support gem. It adds extra poison damage to supported skills and is particularly effective when paired with high base physical damage skills.

When combined with the Poison Chance skill gem, Comorbidity transforms nearly any physical skill into a poison-inflicting attack. Investing in passive nodes that enhance poison damage further amplifies this gem’s effectiveness, making it a staple for poison-based assassins and shadow builds.

5. Overabundance

Overabundance is perfect for skills with an inherent limit on the number of active effects, but it only supports those that explicitly state their limitations in the skill description.

A prime example is the elemental skill Solar Orb, which has a limit on the number of active orbs. With Overabundance, players can increase the maximum number of these effects, enhancing overall damage and battlefield control.

6. Elemental Army

Summoner builds often struggle with minion survivability, especially in the early game. Elemental Army mitigates this problem by granting minions a 30% resistance boost to all elements.

While it is limited to minion-focused builds, this gem significantly enhances minion durability, making it indispensable for necromancers and other summoner classes that rely on elemental-resistant minions to sustain combat effectiveness.

7. Heightened Curse

Curses are a vital part of many builds, and Heightened Curse enhances their effectiveness. This support gem amplifies curses while removing any potential drawbacks, improving combat efficiency significantly.

It works exceptionally well with skills like Vulnerability and Enfeeble for Occultists, as well as elemental curses such as Hypothermia and Temporal Chains. Any build that relies on debuffing enemies will benefit greatly from Heightened Curse.

8. Fire / Lightning / Cold Infusion

These three elemental support gems are grouped together because they cater to builds that focus on a single elemental damage type. Each infusion gem enhances damage of its respective element, making them crucial for mono-elemental builds.

However, these gems are not useful for hybrid elemental builds, as they do not support multiple damage types. Players should carefully assess their skill tree and build focus before committing to an infusion gem.

9. Martial / Arcane Tempo

Martial Tempo and Arcane Tempo function similarly but cater to different playstyles—Martial Tempo enhances attack speed for physical builds, while Arcane Tempo increases casting speed for spellcasters.

These gems are excellent for fast-paced, high DPS builds. Whether you favor physical melee combat or rapid spellcasting, one of these tempo gems can provide a significant boost to your offensive capabilities.

10. Envenom

Poison builds benefit immensely from Envenom, which increases damage over time from poison effects. Poison damage in POE 2 is determined by the base physical or chaos damage that caused the poison, and Envenom amplifies this effect.

Envenom works particularly well with high-damage attacks that apply poison, creating multiple layers of poison stacks for devastating sustained damage. This makes it a must-have for poison-based builds focusing on long-term damage application.

Conclusion

Selecting the right support gems in Path of Exile 2 can significantly enhance your build’s effectiveness and efficiency. The ten Level 1 support gems discussed in this article offer a variety of benefits, from increased damage and attack speed to improved survivability and elemental resistance.

Understanding how these gems interact with different skills and builds allows players to make informed decisions, optimizing their character progression while conserving valuable POE 2 currency. Whether you favor physical combat, spellcasting, summoning, or elemental damage, the right support gems can help you maximize your potential in Wraeclast.

For players eager to dive into POE 2, now is the perfect time to take advantage of free giveaways and promotions. Events like the sixth POE 2 giveaway on MMOEXP Discord provide opportunities to win valuable in-game currency such as Orbs of Annulment, Orbs of Chance, and Divine POE 2 Orbs. Don’t miss out on the chance to strengthen your build and dominate in Path of Exile 2!