PoE 2 0.3.0 New Gems (Skill, Spirit & Support) and Best Skills to Use

The addition of new skill and spirit gems in Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict adds fresh ways for different types of characters. The removal of support gem limits means you can experiment with combos that were not possible before. In this article, we’ll break down each PoE 2 0.3 skill gem and spirit gem, then select the best one for your builds, and also list new support gems.

Path of Exile 2 0.3 New Gems (Skill, Spirit, Support & Lineage Support Gems)

Path of Exile 2 0.3 The Third Edict Update introduces a significant redesign of the Support Gem system, removing the previous limit of one support gem per type and allowing multiple copies to be used, with many supports now having multiple tiers that provide varied effects. Several support gems have been renamed for clarity, combined, or adjusted for better balance, and a new category of powerful Lineage Support Gems has been added for endgame content. The update also brings a variety of new skill gems across Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence, including new warcries, projectiles, persistent buffs, and minion-related abilities, alongside reworks to existing mechanics such as Grim Feast. 

PoE 2 0.3 New Skill Gems & Best Skills 

Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict adds a variety of new skills that bring fresh play styles and strategies for different characters. Each skill offers unique effects, strengths, and some limitations. For POE 2 beginners, skills like Fortifying Cry and Ice Tipped Arrows are solid choices with clear uses, while advanced players might dive into Mirage Archer or Ancestral Cry for high skill-cap and powerful effects. Minion players should watch how Grim Feast performs to decide if its consistency boost is worth the spirit cost.

1. Fortifying Cry

Fortifying Cry is a powerful Warcry that grants Guard, which acts like extra temporary hit points sitting above your life and energy shield. This Guard absorbs damage first, giving you a buffer to survive strong hits. When you have a guard active, your shield attacks unleash a shockwave that damages enemies. The cooldown of Fortifying Cry can be skipped by spending an endurance charge, a resource you must generate during combat to use it often. This skill is fantastic for tanky melee classes like Monks or Shield Warriors who want extra defense and offensive bursts combined. It’s especially useful in tough fights where extra protection and crowd control matter.

2. Forge Hammer

Forge Hammer lets you slam a fiery hammer into the ground, where it stays lodged. You can recall the hammer to reset its cooldown, allowing you to strike repeatedly. If you use a Warcry near the lodged hammer, it shatters, releasing molten fire damage in a spiral pattern. This skill focuses on heavy single-target damage rather than clearing many enemies at once. It suits hammer-wielding melee builds, especially those using a one-handed hammer with a shield, but it’s flexible enough for two-handed hammer users, too. 

3. Ancestral Cry

Ancestral Cry is a skill that requires building up Glory, a resource gained by igniting enemies (setting them on fire). The more powerful the enemies you ignite, the more Glory you earn. When activated, you become an embodiment of Kaom, where your footsteps cause volcanic effects, your melee hits trigger eruptions, and your attacks get a big boost. This skill is very strong but has huge limitations: it requires a lot of glory to use and is best saved for boss fights or tough rare monsters. It’s a niche skill for fire-focused melee builds who want a massive burst of damage at key moments.

4. Toxic Domain

Toxic Domain creates a poisonous area around you called a Toxic Bloom. Standing inside this area regenerates your life but also increases your skill costs, so you have to manage your mana carefully. Your projectile attacks while inside the domain apply toxic pustules to enemies, which can be poisoned. These pustules explode after enough poison stacks, damaging enemies nearby. This skill is great for ranged poison users who like to control space and fight from a fixed spot.

5. Ice-Tipped Arrows

Ice-Tipped Arrows empower your next few bow or spear attacks to create ice fragments when hitting enemies. These fragments can explode for extra cold damage. The skill has an 8-second cooldown but can be refreshed instantly by spending a frenzy charge. This makes it a perfect combo skill for archers or spear users who like fast, barrage-style attacks with extra cold damage and crowd control.

6. Frost Darts

Frost Darts launches multiple icy projectiles toward your target. When these projectiles hit chilled or frozen enemies, they create chunks of ice on the ground that explode, dealing extra damage. This skill consumes Cold Infusion, a resource linked to cold damage mechanics. It’s an excellent choice for cold-elemental spellcasters who want to freeze and shatter enemies, combining crowd control with burst damage.

PoE 2 0.3 New Spirit Gems & Best Spirit Skills (Buff Gems)

Spirit Gems in Path of Exile 2 provide both buffs and skills in exchange for spending the Spirit resource.

1. Iron Ward

Iron Ward is a defensive buff that stores some of the physical damage your armor blocks. When you activate the skill, it releases that stored damage as a nova of spikes around you, damaging nearby enemies. This skill could be very powerful for tanky characters who face many small hits, allowing them to retaliate effectively against groups of enemies.

2. Mortar Cannon

Mortar Cannon summons a totem that fires grenade skills with a much faster cooldown. This lets you attack dangerous enemies from a distance, softening them up before you get close. While it might not be your main skill, it’s useful for specific situations, such as preparing for tough monsters around corners. It’s a smart tactical tool for hybrid builds or those who like to play safely.

3. Mirage Archer

Mirage Archer is likely the strongest new spirit skill. When active, dodging creates a mirage that attacks with your ranged skills for a short time. You can only have one mirage at once, and dodging again refreshes it. This skill rewards precise timing and mechanical skill, as you must time your rolls to keep the mirage attacking consistently. It’s fantastic for dexterity builds focused on ranged attacks and mobility, and can drastically increase your damage output if mastered.

4. Ravenous Swarm

Ravenous Swarm summons swarms of insects that automatically attack and poison nearby enemies. These swarms act like minions but are un-targetable. This skill is helpful for summoner builds, providing extra offense and defense when enemies get close. The Ravenous Swarm gem in Path of Exile 2 0.3 shows strong potential when paired with Bonestorm, as it can help trigger Bonestorm’s powerful but often difficult-to-activate Impale effect by providing rapid attacks nearby. This synergy could be further amplified with buffed Bone Constructs or fast-attacking spectres, creating a fluid and consistent flow of Impale stacks. While some concerns exist about its limited range and the relative weakness of its poison application, the combination offers interesting opportunities for aggressive, sustained damage, especially when integrated with other skills like acid concoctions or fragmentation rounds. 

5. Siphon Elements

Siphon Elements gives you a chance to generate Infusion Remnants when you freeze, shock, or ignite enemies. These remnants feed into other elemental mechanics and help power up your elemental skills. This gem supports elemental builds that rely on status effects and elemental damage.

6. Grim Feast

Grim Feast was reworked and brought back after being removed in an earlier version. Now, instead of helping energy shield, it lets you instantly revive dead minions by consuming spirit. This gives PoE 2 0.3 minion builds better consistency, keeping their forces alive longer at the cost of spending spirit, so you summon fewer minions. Whether it’s worth using depends on how much spirit it costs and how often your minions die in combat.

PoE 2 0.3 New & Reworked Support Gems

GGG stated that 11 new support gems will be added along with the 0.3.0 patch, and a number of support gems have been renamed and reworked, but the full list of 0.3 support gems has not been revealed. Here is a leaked version from the China Trail Event. And we’ll update the list here once the official version is available.

Boundless Energy

Bounty 

Cannibalism 

Greatwood 

Magnified Area 

Mysticism 

Rageforged 

Retaliate 

Skittering Stone 

Thornskin 

Vanguard 

Poisoning 

Redundancy

Immortal Butterfly 

Ambush

Eroding Ground

Ritual Curse

Elemental Army

Charge Shot 

Call of the Ancestors

Foresight

Glacier

Frost Exposure

Frost Infusion

Cooldown Recovery 

Withering Touch

Split Crack 

Biting Chill

Severe Pain

Upheaval 

Extended Lead 

Wind of Support 

Helping Wind 

Strong Momentum

Upflow 

Fort 

Fortitude Totem 

Great Opportunity 

Zenith 

Ordered 

Cluster Bomb

Perfect Stamina

PoE 2 0.3 Lineage Support Gems

Lineage Support Gems are a new and unique category of Support Gems introduced in Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict update. Unlike regular Support Gems, which can be crafted or upgraded through typical gem mechanics, Lineage Support Gems are exclusive, powerful support gems that add a new layer of build customization primarily focused on the endgame experience. They offer significantly stronger or unique effects compared to ordinary Support Gems.

How to Get and Use Lineage Support Gems in PoE 2?

Lineage Support Gems do not drop through conventional means such as vendor recipes or uncut gem upgrades. Instead, they are primarily obtained as rare drops from specific high-level bosses or from the endgame drop pool. Some are exclusive drops tied to particular bosses or unique endgame encounters, making them valuable and sometimes rare. For example, Zarokh's Refrain drops rarely from Zarokh, a boss found at the end of the fourth floor in the Trial of Sekemas.

Once acquired, Lineage Support Gems function like normal Support Gems in that they can be socketed alongside Skill Gems to enhance or modify their effects. However, these gems often come with trade-offs or unique mechanics that require careful build planning. For instance, Ratha's Assault boosts crossbow skills by loading multiple bolts when dodging, but removes the ability to reload normally, which can radically change how a build plays. Many Lineage Support Gems offer powerful but situational bonuses, enabling new or novel builds that are otherwise impossible with standard Support Gems.