PoE 2 0.3 Minion Gem Tier List - Best Support Gems for Minions in Path of Exile 2

If you’re diving into Path of Exile 2 patch 0.3, one of the biggest shifts comes from the massive overhaul to support gems for minions. In this PoE 2 0.3 minion gems tier list, we’ll break down the best support gems for minion builds, explain their synergies, and show you which ones are worth slotting into your endgame setups.

PoE 2 0.3 Best Minion Support Gems - Path of Exile 2 0.3 Minion Gem Tier List

In Path of Exile 2, support gems are special socketed gems that link to your active skill gems and enhance or modify how those skills behave. Instead of being skills on their own, they augment your minions by adding more damage, changing their mechanics, or giving them entirely new interactions. Support gems are what transform a basic minion into a powerhouse, letting you craft fun, unique, and competitive builds. Do you want to know PoE 2 0.3 best support gems for minions? Below are the must-picks.

S Tier

Scapegoat/Sacrificial Lamb

• Effect: Minions are always considered explodable.

• Synergy: Core to explosion-based builds (e.g., Arsonist or Detonate Dead). Allows seamless detonations without needing low-life conditions. Pairs well with Grim Feast and Harvest Essence.

• Impact: One of the most important gems for explosive minion builds.

Obey Command/Commandment

• Effect: Boosts cooldown reduction and damage of command skills. At higher levels, it also boosts basic attack damage of summoned creatures.

• Synergy: Excellent for builds relying on command-based minions like Arsonists or other summons with active abilities. The cooldown reduction and added damage make minions more versatile and consistent.

• Impact: A core support for command-skill-focused summoners.

A Tier

Harvest Essence

• Effect: Restores mana when supported minions are defeated.

• Synergy: Essential for mana sustain in detonation-based builds. Works well with Sacrificial Lamb and Grim Feast setups.

• Impact: A utility gem that can solve mana issues in niche builds.

Projectile Acceleration/Acceleration

• Effect: Increases projectile speed and damage while adding pierce effects.

• Synergy: Useful for projectile-based minions like Storm Mages. The bonus damage tied to projectile speed is particularly strong for builds relying on ranged minions.

• Impact: A solid choice for ranged minion setups.

Living Lightning

• Effect: Spawns chain-attacking Living Lightning minions when supported skills deal lightning damage.

• Synergy: Adds utility and DPS for lightning-based minion builds. The ability to summon minions passively while dealing damage is a unique and powerful mechanic.

• Impact: A strong and versatile gem for lightning summoners.

Flame Penetration/Penetration Supports

• Effect: Supported hits ignore elemental resistances (e.g., fire, lightning, or cold).

• Synergy: Great for elemental minion builds, like Flame Sentinels or Frost Mages. Fire Penetration is particularly strong when combined with Blaze Army.

• Impact: A highly impactful gem for elemental summoners.

Blaze Army/Infernal Legion

• Effect: Adds fire damage to summoning creatures and increases burning effects, dealing damage based on their max life.

• Synergy: A staple for burning-based builds (e.g., Righteous Fire minions). Strong synergy with Ignite-focused setups or Blaze-themed summoners.

• Impact: Vital for fire-focused minion builds.

Efficiency/Ingenuity

• Effect: Provides cooldown reduction (30-40%).

• Synergy: Fits perfectly into cooldown-focused minion setups, particularly for skills like Grim Feast or Arsonist. Helps maintain uptime on powerful abilities.

• Impact: A must-have for cooldown-dependent builds.

• Ranking: A Tier

B Tier

 Meat Shield

• Effect: Provides damage reduction and slight bonuses to your minions' damage.

• Synergy: A universal choice for tanky builds or summoners who want minions to act as bodyguards.

• Impact: Useful for survivability-focused builds but not game-changing.

Swift Attack/Cast (Martial Tempo/Arcane Tempo)

• Effect: Increases attack or cast speed, with some drawbacks (e.g., reduced damage at level 3).

• Synergy: High cast/attack speed is helpful for summoners who rely on frequent minion resummoning or skill spamming. However, the drawbacks at higher levels make it less desirable.

• Impact: Useful but not essential for summoners. Best at level 2.

Feral Howl/Feeding Frenzy

• Effect: Boosts damage and reduces damage taken by minions.

• Synergy: A classic support gem for all-around minion builds. The nerf from "more" to "increased" damage reduces its potency, but it’s still valuable for survivability.

• Impact: Reliable for tanky minion setups but slightly weaker than its previous iteration.

Melee

• Effect: Boosts total melee damage to enemies within a short radius.

• Synergy: Works well with melee minions like Golems or Zombies. However, the short range limits its utility for more mobile builds.

• Impact: A solid but situational gem for melee minion setups.

Elemental Arsenal

Effect: Supported skills deal increased elemental damage. At level 3, supported attacks deal more damage for each elemental ailment on the enemy.

Synergy: Not ideal for most minion builds, as minions themselves don’t often apply multiple elemental ailments. However, it can be used with mixed-damage hybrid builds (e.g., Frost Mage + Ignite + Shock setups).

Impact: Limited use for pure minion builds but potentially solid for hybrid elemental setups.

C Tier

Shockwave

• Effect: Adds AoE shockwave damage to minion attacks.

• Synergy: Best for melee minions like Brutes or Zombies. However, it may feel redundant in higher-DPS builds.

• Impact: A situational gem for AoE-focused melee builds.

 Increased Area/Magnified Effect

• Effect: Increases AoE radius but reduces AoE damage.

• Synergy: Situationally useful for minions with AoE abilities. May help minions like Storm Mages or Arsonists hit more enemies.

• Impact: A niche gem with limited impact.