Path of Exile 2's 0.5 expansion, titled Ruins of Aldur, is rolling out on May 29th with the largest update the game has seen so far. Among the mountain of changes, reworks, and additions, a fresh batch of skill and support gems has drawn major attention from the community. Since these gems shape how players construct their builds from the ground up, getting familiar with each one before launch is a smart move for any exile returning to Wraeclast.
PoE 2 0.5 New Skills & Support Gems
The 0.5 expansion introduces roughly twenty brand-new active skills and support gems, most of which are tied directly to the new Kalguuran (sometimes written Calguran) mechanic and the Runic Ward system. These Kalguuran skills cost Runic Ward instead of mana, and they carry no attribute requirements, which means any class wielding any weapon type can slot them in freely. A second batch of gems also accompanies the patch, covering everything from spectral bell builds to stag spirit projectiles and bear companion summons.
With that overview in mind, the following sections break the new gems into two groups: the Kalguuran set first, and the additional skill and support gems after.
PoE 2 0.5 Kalguuran Skills
The Kalguuran skill set is the centerpiece of 0.5's new gem release, tied directly to the new Runic Ward defensive resource and the Ezomyte Runesmithing crafting system. The most important thing to understand about these gems: many of them are fueled by Runic Ward as a resource instead of mana, and most come with no attribute requirements. That means a pure Strength Warrior can slot a spell-flavored Runic gem without touching their tree, and a Dex stacker can reach for Strength-themed effects the same way. This is arguably the single most build-diversifying change coming in 0.5. Below is a rundown of each skill in the collection.
Concussive Runes
Support
Attack, AoE, Melee, Slam, Trigger
Category: Concussive Runes
Supports Attacks, causing a Runic Shockwave to erupt under enemies they Heavy Stun. The Shockwave costs Runic Ward, and will not Trigger if you do not have enough Runic Ward.
Support
Supported Skills: Trigger a Runic Shockwave on Heavy Stunning an enemy
Runic Shockwave
Place into a Skill's Support Gem socket in the Skills Panel to apply its effects to that Skill. You cannot have multiple Support Gems of the same Category socketed within one Skill.
A support gem that causes any supported attack to trigger a Runic Shockwave when the attack Heavy Stuns an enemy. The shockwave draws from Runic Ward, so it won't fire if the resource pool is empty.
Frostflame Nova
Spell
AoE, Cold, Fire, Nova, Repeatable
Level: 20 (Max)
Quality: +20%
Cost: 93 Ward
Cast Time: 0.70s
Requires: Level 90
Unleash a wave of volatile ice that feeds on flames. While the wave doesn't deal damage, the ice latches onto Ignited enemies, refreshing the duration of their active Ignite and rapidly Freezing them but preventing them from being Ignited further until the Ignite expires.
Wave
Wave radius is 4.5 metres
Volatile Ice
Critical Hit Chance: 12.00%
Deals 81 to 122 Cold Damage
Wave radius is 1 metre
10% more Freeze Buildup for each 1% of enemy's Ailment Threshold dealt by the affected Ignite per second
Hits enemies every 0.5 seconds until affected Ignite expires
A level 90 cold-fire hybrid spell that sends out a wave of volatile ice. The ice latches onto Ignited enemies, freezing them rapidly while refreshing the Ignite duration and blocking further ignites until it expires.
Hollow Shell
Spell
Buff, AoE, Nova
Level: 1
Cast Time: 0.60s
Sacrifice your Runic Ward to send out an energy pulse that grants nearby Allies Guard.
Pulse spends 100% of your Runic Ward to grant Allies Guard equal to 35% of Runic Ward spent
Pulse radius is 3 metres
Guard duration is 6 seconds
A nova spell that sacrifices all of your Runic Ward to grant nearby allies Guard equal to 35% of the Ward spent. The Guard lasts 6 seconds across a 3-metre radius, giving group play a strong support tool.
Mark of Repulsion
Mark
Attack, AoE, Trigger, Physical, Duration
Level: 1
Cost: 15 Ward
Cooldown Time: 0.50s
Use Time: 0.50s
Mark a target with a Verisium Rune. Dealing enough damage to the enemy, or killing it outright, causes the Mark to Activate, Triggering an explosion to deal damage in an area and applying significant Knockback to other enemies near the Marked target.
Mark
Mark duration is 8 seconds
Activates when Marked enemy is dealt damage euqal to 200% of its Ailment Threshold
Triggers Repulsion wave when Activated
Limit 1 Marked target
A marking skill that stamps a Verisium Rune onto a target. Dealing damage equal to 200% of the enemy's Ailment Threshold or killing it outright triggers an explosion and applies heavy knockback to surrounding foes.
Runic Infusion
Support
Category: Runic Infusion
Supports Attacks, causing them to cost [Ward|Runic Ward] to use but deal additional Physical damage based on their [Ward|Runic Ward] cost. Cannot Support Channelling Skills or Sustained Skills.
Supported Skills cost an additional 20% of
maximum [Ward|Runic Ward]
Supported Skills deal added Physical damage equal
to 25% of [Ward|Runic Ward] cost
Place into a Skill's Support Gem socket in the Skills Panel to apply its effects to that Skill. You cannot have multiple Support Gems of the same Category socketed within one Skill.
A support gem that adds 20% of maximum Runic Ward to a supported attack's cost while also adding physical damage equal to 25% of the Ward cost. It does not work with channelling or sustained skills.
Triskelion Cascade
Spell
Buff, Duration
Level: 1
Cost: 20 Ward
Cooldown Time: 1.00s
Cast Time: 0.45s
Tap into the power of the Triskelion Flame to Empower the next Spell you cast that affects an area around you or a target location. The Empowered Spell becomes centred on your location, and also targets six additional area around you in a Triskelion pattern.
Maximum Buff duration is 4 seconds
800% of Empowered Skill's cast time is added to this Skill's cooldown
Empowered Skill has 40% less area of effect
Empowered Skill deals 30% less damage
A short-duration buff that taps into the Triskelion Flame to empower your next area spell. The empowered spell re-centres on you and targets six additional areas around you in a Triskelion pattern, though with reduced area and damage.
The full list of Kalguuran skills will be updated here soon!
Other New Skill & Support Gems Coming in PoE 2 0.5
Beyond the Kalguuran set, 0.5 adds dedicated skill kits for the two new ascendancies and a handful of supplementary gems tied to the expansion's mechanics. These cover bell-based monk play, projectile companions, and spirit-themed attacks.
Azmerian Swarms
Buff
Minion, Persistent, Physical, Lightning, Cold, Fire, Duration
Level: 17
Requires: Level 72, 126 Dex
While active, summons short-lived Azmerian Swarms when you kill enemies affected by Elemental Ailments or hit Rare or Unique enemies affected by Elemental Ailments. The swarms are untargetable Minions that pursue nearby enemies to Attack them and infict [FaerieFire|Faerie Fire] on Hit.
Summon an Azmerian Swarm when you kill a target affected by an Elemental Ailment
10% chance to summon an Azmerian Swarm when you Hit a Rare or Unique target affected by an Elemental Ailment
Maximum 8 Azmerian Swarms
Swarm duration is 10 seconds
Swarms Convert 100% of Physical Damage to a random Element
Swarms have 100% chance to inflict 1 [FaerieFire|Faerie Fire] on Hit
Swarms have 1% increased Attack Speed
per 5 of your Dexterity
Swarms deal 28% more Damage with Hits for each type of Elemental Ailment on target
A buff-type skill that summons short-lived untargetable minion swarms when you kill or hit enemies suffering from Elemental Ailments. The swarms inflict Faerie Fire and scale their attack speed with Dexterity, reaching up to 8 active at once.
Azmerian Wolf
Minion
Companion, Persistent, Physical
Level: 18
Requires: Level 78, 42 Str, 106 Int
Summons an ancient Reviving Azmerian Wolf that can howl, calling to spirits convening an Eternal Hunt on Command. It Maims when attacking foes, and can lunge to bite and inflict Bleeding, or howl to inspire nearby allies.
Minion Info
Eternal Hunt
Cooldown Time: 15.00s
Attack Speed: 150% of base
Attack Damage: 1000%
The Azmerian Wolf howls, reaching out to the spirits to begin an Eternal Hunt. While the Eternal Hunt persists, spirits manifest as spectral wolves to ambush foes, damaging and Maiming enemies they Hit before disappearing.
Summons 7 Spirit Wolves
Wolves dash at enemies over 8 seconds
A persistent companion minion that howls to summon an Eternal Hunt of spectral wolves. The wolves dash at foes over 8 seconds, Maim on hit, and can be commanded for lunge attacks that apply Bleeding.
Coiling Bolts
Spell
Projectile, Chaos, Repeatable
Level: 17
Cost: 0 Mana
Cast Time: 1.00s
Critical Hit Chance: 7.00%
Requires: Level 72, 126 Int
Simultaneously fires a Physical Projectile and a Chaos Projectile at the target. These projectiles Chain through any number of Cursed targets.
Physical
Deals 188 to 283 Physical Damage
Modifiers to number of Projectiles instead apply to
the number of targets Projectile Splits towards
Projectiles Split towards 2 targets
Can Chain from any number of Cursed targets
50% increased Chaining range
Chaos
Deals 165 to 306 Chaos Damage
Modifiers to number of Projectiles instead apply to
the number of targets Projectile Splits towards
Projectiles Split towards 2 targets
Can Chain from any number of Cursed targets
50% increased Chaining range
A repeatable chaos spell that simultaneously fires a Physical and a Chaos projectile. Both projectiles Chain through any number of Cursed targets and can split toward additional enemies, offering curse-centric casters a strong single-target and spread hybrid option.
Crushing Fear
Attack
AoE, Melee, Strike, Physical, Chaos
Level: 18
Cost: 36 Mana
Attack Speed: 75% of base
Attack Damage: 311%
Requires: Level 78, 75 Dex, 75 Int
Requires: Quarterstaff
Dash to an enemy and Strike them, Culling enemies if their life is low enough. When this skill kills an enemy you draw out their final fears, crushing them to create a shockwave. Enemies around you that can be Culled will be highlighted.
Strike
Converts 50% of Physical damage to Chaos damage
Culling Strike
Can't be Evaded
Shockwave
Attack Damage: 1275%
Converts 80% of Physical damage to Chaos damage
Culling Strike
Can't be Evaded
5% more Area of Effect per Power of killed target
10% more Damage per Power of killed target
A melee quarterstaff strike that dashes to an enemy, applies Culling Strike, and releases a chaos shockwave when it kills a foe. The shockwave grows stronger based on the killed target's Power, with each Power adding more area and more damage.
Gemini Surge
Attack
AoE, Trigger, Cold, Fire
Level: 18
Attack Damage: 159%
Requires: Level 78, 75 Str, 75 Dex
Grants your weapon Surges. Non-Melee Projectile Attacks with that weapon Consume Surges to cause the Projectiles fired to explode at the end of their flight.
Cold Surge
Converts 100% of Physical damage to Cold damage
Cannot Consume Charges
Explosion radius is 1.6 metres
No more than once per Skill use
Fire Surge
Converts 100% of Physical damage to Fire damage
Cannot Consume Charges
Explosion radius is 1.6 metres
No more than once per Skill use
A buff that grants your weapon Cold and Fire Surges. Non-melee projectile attacks with that weapon then consume Surges to cause projectiles to explode at the end of their flight, with full physical-to-elemental conversion baked in.
Midnight Zenith
Buff
Persistent, AoE, Cold, Duration
Level: 18
Requires: Level 78
While active, Critical Hits with other skills that kill targets, or hit powerful targets cause you to gain Arctic Petals. Once you have enough Arctic Petals they will be Consumed to create Ice Crystals near the most recent target.
Buff
This Skill cannot cause Meta Skills to generate Energy
You cannot gain Arctic Petals from this Skill's Critical Hits
+1 Arctic Petal per Power of targets Killed with Critical Hits
+3 Arctic Petals on Critically Hitting Rare or Unique targets
Consumes 10 Arctic Petals to create 5 Ice Crystals when able
Crystal
Critical Hit Chance: 11.00%
Deals 37 to 55 Cold Damage
Explosion radius is 2.2 metres
Ice Crystal duration is 10 seconds
Ice Crystals have 3012 maximum Life
Limit 10 Ice Crystals
A cold buff that generates Arctic Petals from Critical Hit kills and from critting Rare or Unique targets. Once the Petal count hits 10, it creates up to five icy crystals near the most recent target, with each crystal exploding for cold damage.
Molten Shower
Attack
AoE, Projectile, Trigger, Fire
Level: 18
Cooldown Time: 0.25s (5 uses)
Attack Damage: 123%
Requires: Level 78
Fires molten Projectiles from the enemy hit, which will explode when they land nearby, dealing Attack damage in an area.
Converts 80% of Physical damage to Fire damage
Fires 4 Projectiles
Explosion radius is 1 metre
This Attack is Triggered by Brutus' Lead Sprinkler
An attack triggered specifically by Brutus' Lead Sprinkler. The skill launches four molten projectiles from a hit target, each detonating with fire damage on impact.
Righteous Descent
Attack
AoE, Melee, Slam, Physical, Lightning, Travel
Level: 18
Cooldown Time: 10.00s
Attack Damage: 637%
Requires: Level 78, 137 Dex
Leap into the air carried by divine wings, damaging enemies with your spear where you land. If there is a [DivineFragment|Fragment of Divinity] near you or the targeted location, this attack will Consume it when you leap to become Empowered, dealing more damage and granting life and mana recovery. This skill does not use up its Cooldown when empowered.
Impact
+2 seconds to Total Attack Time
Converts 40% of Physical damage to Lightning damage
Impact radius is 2.5 metres
Will Consume a [DivineFragment|Fragment of Divinity] within 3 metres of you or targeted location when you leap to become Empowered
Empowered
Attack Damage: 1275%
Converts 80% of Physical damage to Lightning damage
Impact radius is 4 metres
Does not consume a Cooldown Use
Recover 10% of maximum Life over 2 seconds
Recover 10% of maximum Mana over 2 seconds
A level 78 spear leap attack with a 10-second cooldown that damages enemies where you land. If a Fragment of Divinity sits near your landing zone, the skill consumes it to become Empowered, dealing much more damage, refunding the cooldown, and recovering 10% of Life and Mana.
Spiraling Conspiracy
Minion
Persistent, Physical, Chaos, Duration
Level: 18
Requires: Level 78, 137 Int
A flock of mist ravens circle you, dealing damage over time in an area. Their numbers are bolstered by slain foes, or in the Presence of dangerous enemies, but the flock as a whole is considered a single minion. You can Command some of them to take flight, leaving the flock to assail your enemies.
Minion Info
A Raven joins the Flock every 1.15 seconds while a Rare or Unique enemy is in your Presence
A Raven joins the Flock for every 1 total Power of enemies slain by you or your Minions
Mad Flight
Cooldown Time: 10.00s
Attack Damage: 550%
Command part of your flock to leave and crash through a set of illusory mirrors, Attacking enemies in the area between the mirrors with frequent Hits.
Converts 70% of Physical damage to Chaos damage
Mirror width is 2.2 metres
Mirror duration is 5 seconds
10 Ravens depart when Commanded
Flock Hits every 0.12 seconds
A persistent minion skill that keeps a flock of mist ravens circling you. The flock counts as a single minion, grows with slain enemies or in the presence of Rare/Unique foes, and can be commanded to attack through illusory mirrors with frequent chaos-converted hits.
Soaring Midnight
Attack
AoE, Melee, Slam, Projectile, Physical, Cold, Travel
Level: 20 (Max)
Cooldown Time: 4.00s
Attack Time: 1.00s
Critical Hit Chance: 10.00%
Attack Damage: 156%
Requires: Level 90, 157 Str
Requires: Tower Shield
Hurl your Shield as a Projectile which Returns to you at the end of its flight. While the Shield is in flight, the skill is replaced with Embrace the Fall. This skill's cooldown is skipped if you catch the Shield as it Returns, or destroy an Ice Crystal with the Embrace the Fall.
Soaring Midnight
64 to 149 Base Off Hand Physical Damage
Converts 50% of Physical damage to Cold damage
Modifiers to number of Projectiles instead apply to number of targets Pierced
7 to 11 Added Physical Damage per 15 Armour on Shield
Pierces 3 targets
Projectiles Return to you
Returning Projectiles Pierce all Targets
Projectiles cannot Fork
Projectiles cannot Split
Embrace The Fall
A level 90 tower shield skill that hurls your shield as a piercing, returning projectile. While the shield is airborne, the skill slot is replaced by Embrace the Fall, and catching the shield or destroying Ice Crystals skips its 4-second cooldown.
Starborn Onslaught
Attack
AoE, Melee, Slam, Physical, Cold, Duration
Level: 18
Attack Damage: 155%
Requires: Level 78, 137 Str
Requires: Two Hand Mace
Build up Glory by Freezing or Chilling enemies. When you have maximum Glory you may jump backwards loosing your Mace with the force of a falling comet onto your target. The impact releases Fissures and causes stars to fall in the area for a brief period.
Impact
Converts 70% of Physical damage to Cold damage
Creates 3 fissures
Requires 20 Glory to use
+1.2 seconds to Total Attack Time
Fissures branch 2 times
Impact radius is 2.5 metres
+8 seconds to Fissure duration
Calls down 20 Stars
Limit 8 Fissures
Star Fall
Attack Damage: 294%
Converts 100% of Physical damage to Cold damage
Impact radius is 2 metres
A two-handed mace attack that builds Glory by freezing or chilling enemies. At max Glory, you leap back and slam your mace down like a falling comet, creating fissures and calling down 20 stars for repeated cold-converted damage.
Vruun's Aftermath
Support
Lineage, Warcry
Category: Vruun's Aftermath
Requires: Level 65
Supports Warcries, causing them to destroy Ice Crystals and Ice Fragments. Supported Skills empower additional Attacks if they destroy enough Ice Crystals and Ice Fragments.
Supported Warcries cause Ice Crystals to explode
Supported Warcries Detonate your Ice Fragments
Supported Warcries Empower 3 additional Attacks if they destroy at least 5 total Ice Crystals and Ice Fragments
Vruun tore through Tul's preserved, shattering their
bodies with reckless malice. "The Will of the Lored!"
he roared over his decimation. "All broods must serve."
Place into a Skill's Support Gem socket in the Skills Panel to apply its effects to that Skill. You cannot have multiple Support Gems of the same Category socketed within one Skill.
A Warcry support gem that causes supported warcries to destroy Ice Crystals and detonate Ice Fragments. If the warcry destroys five total Ice Crystals and Fragments, it empowers three additional attacks.
Hollow Form
Attack
Melee, Sustained, Channelling, Meta
Level: 20 (Max)
Attack Speed: 70% of base
Requires: Level 90
Channel to create fleeting images of your astral self near the target location. The images perform a socketed Attack once then vanish, targeting the closest enemy if possible. The images cannot perform Channelled Skills or Conditional Skills.
Images can be created within 6 metre radius of you
Creating an Image spends 80% of socketed Skill's Cost
Creates 2 additional Images when Consuming a Power Charge
Socketed Skills have 30% less Attack Speed
Socketed Skills deal 20% less Damage
A level 90 channelling meta skill that creates fleeting astral images near the target location. Each image performs a socketed attack once before vanishing, with additional images created when consuming Power Charges. Channelling and conditional skills cannot be socketed into it.
Hollow Resonance
Attack
AoE, Trigger
Level: 20 (Max)
Cooldown Time: 0.50s (3 Uses)
Attack Damage: 224%
Requires: Level 90
Attaches a ghostly bell to your back. Critical Hits with other Skills will cause the bell to ring out, damaging nearby enemies.
150% more Stun buildup
Shockwave Radius is 2 metres
A trigger attack that attaches a ghostly bell to your back at level 90. Critical Hits from other skills cause the bell to ring, sending out a shockwave with 150% more stun buildup across a 2-metre radius.
Hollow Focus
Attack
Buff, Persistent, AoE, Duration
Level: 20 (Max)
Requires: Level 90
While active, ghostly bells periodically appear near you. Your Hits immediately destroy the bells, creating a shockwave that damages nearby enemies and causes a Heavy Stun on enemies that are Primed for Stun. The bells are themselves always Primed for Stun, and can be Culled.
Bells
Bells appear within 4 metre radius of you
Bell Duration is 5 seconds
4.1 second duration between Bells appearing
Limit 1 active Bell
Shockwave
AttackDamage: 341%
Cannot cause Stun buildup
Shockwave Radius is 2 metres
A level 90 persistent buff that periodically spawns ghostly bells around you. Your hits destroy the bells instantly, creating shockwaves that damage nearby enemies and Heavy Stun any foes Primed for Stun. The bells themselves stay Primed and can be Culled.
Vivid Stampede
Attack
AoE, Trigger, Lightning
Level: 20 (Max)
Cooldown Time: 0.30s
Attack Damage: 362%
Requires: Level 90
Requires: Any Martial Weapon, Unarmed
Call upon Spirits of the Stag, sending them leaping forward. Each Stag releases a damaging shockwave each time it lands.
Converts 60% of Physical Damage to Lightning Damage
Shockwave Radius is 2 metres
Stags leap 4 times
A triggered lightning attack available to any martial weapon or unarmed build at level 90. It calls Stag Spirits that leap forward four times, each landing creating a damaging shockwave with 60% physical-to-lightning conversion.
Wild Protector
Minion
Companion, Persistent
Level: 20 (Max)
Requires: Level 90
Call upon a Bear Spirit Companion to maul your foes. The Bear Spirit leaps at enemies to Maim them, Leeches Life with its slam, and periodically roars to Intimidate enemies. The Bear Spirit does not count toward your Companion limit.
A companion minion gem that calls a Bear Spirit to fight alongside you. The bear leaps at foes to Maim them, leeches Life with slams, and periodically roars to Intimidate enemies. It sits outside your normal Companion limit.
Primal Bounty
Buff
Trigger
Level: 20 (Max)
Requires: Level 90
Empowers the next Projectile Skill you use, causing it to create additional Projectiles and fly faster.
Empowered Skills fire 2 additional Projectiles
Empowered Skills have 68% increased Projectile Speed
A trigger buff that empowers your next projectile skill, giving it two additional projectiles and 68% increased projectile speed. A solid pick for bow, crossbow, and spear projectile builds alike.
