PoE 2 Herald of Plague: Mastering the Plague in Path of Exile 2

In the ever-expanding world of Path of Exile 2, there are a multitude of support gems, curses, and auras that can drastically enhance your build. One of the standout auras in the game is Herald of Plague. Known for its potent synergy with poison-based builds, Herald of Plague offers a unique way to spread chaos and devastation to enemies. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just diving into the PoE 2 ecosystem, this article will break down everything you need to know about Herald of Plague—how to use it effectively, which builds it works best with, and how to maximize its power.

What is Herald of Plague in Path of Exile 2?

Herald of Plague is an aura that grants you significant bonuses to poison-related skills and damage. This aura will help you deal increased poison damage over time and spread that poison to enemies around you. This makes it ideal for builds that focus on damage over time (DoT), especially for poison-based characters.

Herald of Plague works by augmenting your poison output in multiple ways. It improves the effectiveness of your poison damage, amplifies the radius at which your poisons spread, and grants you various boosts that enhance the efficiency of your attacks. But Herald of Plague isn’t just about increasing your damage; it also provides defensive benefits, particularly by applying debuffs to enemies, making them more vulnerable to your poison effects.

Why Herald of Plague is a Must-Have for Poison Builds

If you’re building a character around poison damage, Herald of Plague should be one of your first considerations. Here’s why:

• Increased Poison Damage: The core of Herald of Plague’s power is its ability to increase poison damage significantly. This is essential for builds that rely on applying poison to enemies for extended periods, such as poison archers or poison-based spellcasters.

• Plague Spreading: One of the most powerful features of Herald of Plague is its ability to spread poison. When you apply poison to one enemy, the aura allows that poison to jump to nearby enemies, creating a chain reaction. This means that you can affect large groups of enemies quickly and efficiently.

• Defensive Synergy: In addition to offensive benefits, Herald of Plague also has synergy with defensive layers. It can apply curses or debuffs to enemies, lowering their resistances or defenses, and making them more vulnerable to your poison damage.

• Scaling with Toxicity: Herald of Plague shines in synergy with other poison-related mechanics. Items, passive tree nodes, and even support gems that scale toxicity and poison damage over time can magnify the effectiveness of this aura.

Herald of Plague isn’t just a simple aura that boosts poison damage—it’s a cornerstone in a well-rounded poison build, providing more damage, better crowd control, and even some defensive advantages.

How to Build Around Herald of Plague

1. Focus on Poison Damage

Since Herald of Plague works primarily with poison damage, your build should have a core focus on maximizing poison output. Here are a few build ideas that synergize well with this aura:

• Poison Archers: Rangers or Archers who focus on poison-based bows will benefit hugely from Herald of Plague. By combining this aura with support gems like Deadly Ailments or Unleash, you can significantly amplify your damage and spread poison over large groups of enemies.

• Poison Spellcasters: If you’re playing a Witch, Sorceress, or even a Monk with elemental spells that can trigger poison, Herald of Plague can be used to boost the effectiveness of poison skills. Contagion or Toxic Rain are two excellent spells that will benefit from Herald of Plague’s aura.

• Minion-Based Builds: Herald of Plague can also work with minion-based builds, particularly those that have a focus on applying poison through summoned creatures. A build with a combination of minions and poison skills can make use of the plague-spreading effect.

2. Maximize Damage Over Time (DoT)

DoT is one of the most important stats for a Herald of Plague build. Scaling DoT will increase the effectiveness of the poison damage you’re applying over time. Look for items, passive tree nodes, and support gems that enhance Damage Over Time. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• DoT Scaling Support Gems: Support gems like Void Manipulation and Empower will significantly boost the effectiveness of poison damage, working hand in hand with Herald of Plague.

• Passive Tree and Ascendancy: Certain ascendancies in PoE 2 cater specifically to DoT and poison builds. For instance, the Blood Mage and Infernalist ascendancies for the Witch class can provide significant bonuses to poison damage. These ascendancies provide enhanced poison scaling as well as passive buffs to your poison’s duration, ensuring that your foes are consistently affected by the plague.

3. Invest in Poison and Chaos Resistance

While Herald of Plague can certainly ramp up your poison damage, it’s important to balance offense with defense. Given that you’re dealing poison damage, it's a good idea to stack chaos resistance for your character to counter the inevitable chaos damage that might be thrown your way. You’ll also want to boost your poison resistance as a defensive measure, especially in maps with large amounts of chaos-based damage.

4. Focus on Poison and Plague-Based Flask Modifiers

Flasks in PoE 2 can be a game-changer, and if you’re building around poison damage, several flask mods work wonders with Herald of Plague. Focus on flasks that grant increased poison damage, immunity to poison, or even faster flask recharge speeds.

For example:

• Bubbling Flasks for instant health recovery
• Granite Flasks for additional defenses when you’re surrounded
• Mana Flasks for sustainability in prolonged fights

Combining Herald of Plague with Other Key Mechanics

Herald of Plague isn’t just about applying poison to enemies—it's about maximizing its effects in every corner of your build. Here's how you can combine it with other key mechanics:

1. Poison and Critical Hits

Combining crit chance with poison damage can make your poisons hit harder and spread more rapidly. Critical Strikes can enhance the overall effect of poison by triggering additional damage over time. Using Critical Hit Chance gear or passives that synergize with poison skills will increase your damage output significantly.

2. Area of Effect (AoE) Scaling

Herald of Plague can spread its poison damage to nearby enemies. Area of Effect (AoE) scaling, such as from support gems or passive tree nodes, will further amplify this spreading effect. By increasing the radius of your poison’s effect, you can infect larger groups of enemies, spreading the plague even faster.

3. Utilization of Minions

Minions are great for applying poison while you focus on other aspects of your build. Minion-based poison builds can use Herald of Plague to apply poison quickly and efficiently, especially when combined with skills like Summon Raging Spirit or Summon Zombie. Minions become a living extension of your plague-spreading aura.

Where to Get Herald of Plague in PoE 2

Getting your hands on Herald of Plague can be done in several ways:

• Loot Drops: Herald of Plague might drop as a support gem from regular encounters or high-tier bosses in PoE 2.
• Vendors: Some of the game’s NPC vendors may also offer a version of this support gem for sale, though at a higher cost.
• Trading: If you want to skip the grind, you can always trade with other players. Websites that specialize in PoE 2 currency can be a great resource to get the exact gem you need.

If you’re looking for a quicker way to obtain PoE 2 currency for sale or Herald of Plague gems, kit4game offers services where you can buy items and currency directly, saving you time.

Conclusion

Herald of Plague is a powerful aura in Path of Exile 2 that’s designed for players who are all-in on poison damage and damage over time. Its ability to spread poison, increase damage, and synergize with various builds makes it a must-have for many poison-based characters. Whether you’re a spellcaster, an archer, or a minion master, Herald of Plague can help you take your build to the next level. Combine it with DoT scaling, critical hits, and AoE modifiers for the best results.

For players looking to optimize their poison builds, Herald of Plague is a no-brainer. With the right gear, crafting, and a bit of patience, you’ll be ready to unleash the plague on your enemies in PoE 2.