In Path of Exile 2 (PoE 2), players can tailor their builds around powerful passive skills that significantly alter or boost gameplay. One such passive is Storm Charge, a POE2 Currency highly impactful trait especially for characters who focus on critical strikes and elemental damage. Whether you’re planning a high-voltage spellcaster or a swift elemental archer, understanding how Storm Charge works and how to anoint it properly can significantly enhance your build.
Storm Charge is a passive skill that can be acquired through the passive skill tree or by infusing it onto an amulet. It provides the following effects:
40% increased elemental damage if you've dealt a critical hit recently
20% increased critical strike chance
This dual effect makes it extremely appealing to builds that rely on frequent critical strikes, even if the main source of damage isn’t from crits themselves.
"Recently" in PoE terms usually refers to the last 4 seconds. This means that if you have landed a critical hit on an enemy within that time frame, your character will benefit from the 40% increased elemental damage bonus.
The bonus applies to all elemental damage, not just the elemental portion of a critical hit. In other words, you only need to land a critical hit once every 4 seconds to activate this boost. The actual elemental damage that benefits from it can come from any source — spells, attacks, traps, totems, or even minions.
Storm Charge is one of the few passives in PoE 2 that bridges the gap between crit-based and elemental-based builds. While most passive nodes tend to specialize in one aspect (e.g., just increasing fire damage or just increasing crit multiplier), Storm Charge provides synergy between both systems.
Here’s how this synergy plays out in practice:
If you’re using an elemental spell like Fireball, landing a crit boosts your overall fire damage for 4 seconds, allowing all subsequent Fireballs, even non-crits, to hit harder.
If your build includes an attack like Lightning Arrow, and you have a reliable way to crit often, you’ll almost always have Storm Charge active — giving you a reliable 40% damage boost.
Even non-crit-based skills like Elemental DoT (Damage over Time) effects (e.g., Ignite or Shock over Time) can benefit from Storm Charge as long as your character still deals a critical hit every few seconds. The crit can come from a completely separate skill — making it a versatile and valuable passive even in hybrid builds.
How to Anoint Storm Charge on an Amulet in PoE 2
In Path of Exile 2, amulet anointing has been updated and is now done using Distilled Emotions — unique crafting items obtained from Delirium content.
Materials Needed:
To apply Storm Charge to an amulet, you need to collect and use the following Distilled Emotions in this specific order:
Distilled Fear
Distilled Terror
Distilled Envy
These must be combined properly to activate the Storm Charge infusion.
Where to Get Distilled Emotions:
Ultimate Delirium Map: These maps are the most reliable source of Distilled Emotions. Delirium-themed enemies have a chance to drop any of the needed essences, including Distilled Fear, Terror, and Envy.
Currency Exchange: If RNG hasn’t been kind to you, another option is visiting Alva in your hideout. She offers Distilled Mood, a randomized emotion item that can potentially become the one you need. This is a good option for targeting missing components.
Note: Monsters encountered in maps accessed with an Infused Waystone will not drop Distilled Mood. Plan your farming accordingly.
Once you have gathered the three specific Distilled Emotions and have the amulet you wish to enhance, follow this process:
Place the Amulet and Distilled Emotions into your inventory.
Right-click any Distilled Emotion to open the Infusion Interface.
In the window that opens:
Place the Amulet in the top center slot.
Place Distilled Fear, Terror, and Envy in the horizontal slots below — in that exact order.
If done correctly, the interface will confirm with the text: “Storm Charge”.
Click Infuse to finalize the process.
Once infused, your amulet will now passively grant the Storm Charge effect whenever it is equipped — no need for passive skill points.
Build Considerations
Here are some build types that particularly benefit from Storm Charge:
Crit-based Elemental Casters: Skills like Arc, Freezing Pulse, and Flameblast are natural fits due to their ability to crit often and deal pure elemental damage.
Elemental Bow Builds: Skills like Lightning Arrow, Ice Shot, and Elemental Hit all benefit from crit and elemental scaling.
Totem or Trap Builds: Even though totems and traps deal damage independently, the player only needs to crit once every few seconds to activate Storm Charge, making it very efficient for hybrid builds.
Minion Builds with Elemental Focus: Minions can’t crit if you’re not specced for it, but your own hits can activate Storm Charge, boosting your minions’ elemental damage if it’s scaled through auras or support gems.
Storm Charge is a deceptively simple passive, but its utility is wide-reaching. Whether you’re min-maxing for endgame bossing or looking to smooth out damage consistency in mapping, this passive can elevate your elemental crit build.
What sets it apart is its broad compatibility — players don’t need to exclusively rely on critical hits for damage to benefit from Storm Charge. As long as you can reliably land a crit every few seconds, the 40% elemental damage bonus will remain active and impactful.
Combine this with anointing your amulet using Delirium farming or currency exchange strategies, and Storm Charge becomes an accessible and powerful tool in the arsenal of POE 2 Currency any Path of Exile 2 adventurer looking to electrify their damage output.Craft your dream build and conquer the endgame with premium Path of Exile 2 Currency from MMOEXP.com.
