POE2 Currency continues the franchise’s legacy of offering intricate systems for character progression and combat. Among the many options for players to enhance their builds, Storm Charge stands out as an intriguing passive ability. It’s especially useful for players focusing on elemental damage, as it provides a significant boost to their damage output. But how exactly does this ability work, and how can players take full advantage of it? In this article, we will explore how Storm Charge works in PoE 2, the effects it offers, and how players can apply it to their amulets to gain its benefits.

Storm Charge is a powerful passive skill that can be acquired in one of two ways: either through skill points in the passive skill tree or by applying it to an amulet. This passive ability comes with some solid perks that can greatly increase the effectiveness of your elemental damage. Let’s break down the specific bonuses that Storm Charge provides.

40% Increased Elemental Damage After a Critical Hit:
The key feature of Storm Charge is its ability to increase elemental damage after a critical hit.

20% Increased Critical Chance:
Another bonus that comes with Storm Charge is a 20% increase in critical hit chance.

These bonuses stack nicely with builds that rely on elemental damage, especially when critical hits play a significant role. The synergy between the increased critical chance and elemental damage makes Storm Charge a perfect choice for players who want to maximize their damage output in battle.

The mechanics of Storm Charge are relatively simple to understand, but they require a bit of strategic timing to fully capitalize on its potential.

Critical Hit Requirement: The first requirement is that you must deal a critical hit to an enemy. Once you’ve done this, the Storm Charge effect activates.

Elemental Damage Boost: After the critical hit, the 40% increase to elemental damage lasts for the next 4 seconds. This boost is applied to all elemental damage, not just elemental damage dealt through critical hits. So, even if your primary source of elemental damage doesn’t involve critical hits, you will still receive the damage boost.

Timing: The fact that the bonus lasts for only 4 seconds means that players will want to make sure they use their elemental skills effectively within this window. For example, using a rapid-fire elemental skill or a skill that triggers frequent hits will maximize the benefit of Storm Charge, especially if you can ensure that critical hits happen frequently.

One of the key strengths of Storm Charge is its versatility. Even if your build doesn’t revolve entirely around critical hits, you can still benefit from Storm Charge's elemental damage boost as long as you can regularly trigger critical hits. This makes the passive skill a great choice for hybrid builds that mix critical strike-based and elemental damage-based playstyles. Whether your character is more focused on raw damage output or has a variety of elemental abilities, Storm Charge can work synergistically with your overall strategy.

How to Anoint Storm Charge in PoE 2
To unlock the potential of Storm Charge, players need to apply it to an amulet using a crafting mechanic called Anointing. Anointing is a process where players apply specific passive skills to an item—usually an amulet—through the use of special items called Distilled Emotions.

In the case of Storm Charge, players will need to use Distilled Mood. The process to anoint Storm Charge is as follows:

1. Collect Distilled Mood
Distilled Mood is a rare item that can be used to infuse an amulet with the Storm Charge effect.

Currency Exchange: Alternatively, you can buy Distilled Mood at the Currency Exchange by speaking with Alva in your Hideout. However, it’s important to note that Monsters in maps accessed with an Infused Waystone will not drop Distilled Mood. You will need to acquire it elsewhere.

2. Prepare the Amulet
Once you have the necessary Distilled Mood, you will need an amulet to apply the StormCharge effect. Choose an amulet that fits your build’s needs and place it in your inventory.

3. Infuse the Amulet with Storm Charge
To apply Storm Charge, follow these steps:

Open the Infuse Window: Right-click on any Distilled Mood to open the Infuse window.

Place the Items: In the Infuse window, place the Amulet in the top slot, and the Distilled Mood in the row below it. Be sure to place the Distilled Mood in the correct order: Distilled Fear → Distilled Terror → Distilled Envy.

Infuse: If everything is set up correctly, you will see “Storm Charge” in the text box at the bottom of the Infuse window. Click “Infuse” to complete the process.

After this, whenever you equip the amulet, the Storm Charge effect will be applied automatically, and you will begin to enjoy the benefits of the 40% increased elemental damage and 20% increased critical chance.

Storm Charge is an essential passive skill in Path of Exile 2 that can dramatically enhance your elemental damage, especially for builds that rely on critical hits. Whether acquired through the passive skill tree or by anointing an amulet, Storm Charge provides substantial bonuses, including increased elemental damage after critical hits and increased critical chance. By understanding how to effectively trigger its effects and how to properly infuse it into an amulet, players can significantly boost their damage output and tailor their builds for even greater success in the endgame.

For players who enjoy flexibility in their builds, Storm Charge is a valuable tool to consider, offering a powerful synergy with critical hits and elemental damage. By learning how to apply it correctly, you can give your character an edge in the deadly world of POE 2 Currency Orbs.