Path of Exile 3.29 (Curse of the Allflame, launching July 24, 2026) brings a fresh category of Exceptional Skill Gems that has the community buzzing with theorycrafting. Among the four new additions, Pact of Beidat has quickly become one of the hottest topics thanks to its wild projectile-adding potential and hefty damage multiplier. This guide walks you through everything you need to know about the skill, from its raw effects to the setups that squeeze the most value out of it.
PoE Pact of Beidat Effect, Uses, Builds & How To Get
Patch 3.29 added four Exceptional Pact gems: Pact of Beidat, Pact of Ghorr, Pact of K'tash, and Pact of Lycia. Each one functions as a self-cast buff that empowers your following spell casts with more damage and expanded coverage, but with a catch, using the skill also burdens your character with an Affliction similar in flavor to the Beacon of Madness boots debuffs. These gems are aimed at the endgame, and since they carry the new "Pact" tag, they cannot be triggered automatically like normal spells.
Now that we have a quick look at the wider Pact family, let's zoom in on what Pact of Beidat actually does in-game.
PoE 3.29 Pact of Beidat Effects
Pact of Beidat is described by GGG as follows: "Cast a pact, Empowering spells that either fire projectiles, apply an effect to an area around a targeted location or fire chaining beams, causing them deal more damage and have enhanced coverage. However, using this skill also burdens you with an Affliction."
Here are the key numbers and properties players have datamined and observed:
+6 additional projectiles on empowered casts, with no other conditions required beyond having the pact up
35% MORE damage applied to empowered spells
8 empowered casts per activation (functions similarly to a warcry buff)
Enhanced coverage on area spells and chaining beams
Carries the new Pact tag, plus the Spell tag
Applies an Affliction debuff to the caster, such as 20% less cast speed or 20% reduced movement speed
Because the skill has the Spell tag, there is speculation that it could work with Alva's temple modifier that triggers spell skills, though the Pact tag likely prevents triggered casting. The affliction stacks are refreshed each time you use the pact, so cycling it constantly does come at a cost.
How To Use Pact of Beidat in PoE 3.29
With the numbers on the table, the next question is how to actually fit this skill into a rotation without getting crippled by the debuffs.
Basic Playstyle
You cast Pact of Beidat, gain 8 empowered casts, then unload your main spell. The empowered projectile/AoE/chain bonuses apply while charges remain. Because you only get 8 casts, the skill works best on spells that either channel (one channel = one charge) or fire slowly enough that you're not burning through the buff instantly.
Mitigating the Afflictions
The good news is the afflictions can be softened using existing tech:
Temporal Rift for cleansing debuffs
10% increased quality effect from the new 3.29 socket recoloring
Enhance Support paired with Runegraft of the Warp
Warped Timepiece or Stasis Prison for debuff expiration rate scaling
Full anti-debuff investment similar to running Beacon of Madness boots
For casual mapping, the community consensus is that the afflictions are annoying but not backbreaking. Most players plan to just live with them and pop the pact for hard rares, bosses, or juiced maps rather than dedicating their entire build to removal.
Skill Interactions to Watch
Not every spell benefits equally. The area effect from Beidat draws a spiral pattern, which means skills that already overlap or auto-target work best. Storm Call, Winter Orb, Cremation of Volcano, Divine Retribution, Forbidden Rite, and Blazing Salvo are all strong candidates. Skills like base Fireball benefit from the extra projectiles but cannot shotgun single targets. Novas and skills that already fire in a fixed pattern may not gain much from the coverage buff.
Best Pact of Beidat Builds to Set Up
Given the flexibility of the skill, several archetypes are lining up to abuse it. Let's look at the top contenders currently being built around Pact of Beidat.
Winter Orb Occultist (Ronarray's Build)
Winter Orb received a big buff in 3.29 with more base projectiles, better crit, and flat cold damage. On top of that, Pact of Beidat can theoretically stack with Winter Orb to push it into absurd territory:
Up to 6 additional projectiles
35% MORE damage
Combines with the extra base projectiles from the skill buff
Occultist provides Power Charge bonuses, huge ES pool, Chaos Inoculation, and recovery on block
Since Winter Orb is a channeling skill, one activation of Pact of Beidat should only consume one charge, giving you high uptime. If the pact fails to work as expected, Greater Multiple Projectiles Support acts as a fallback.
Storm Call Elementalist
Storm Call also got a 35% damage buff this league. If the Beidat spiral overlaps closely, you could potentially drop Greater Spell Cascade for a real damage support. Storm Call likes reduced duration items like Warped Timepiece, which conveniently also reduce debuff duration for the Pact skill.
Cremation of Volcano
Cremation of Volcano leverages every part of Beidat — 35% more hits and ailments, plus the extra projectiles fire quicker. With enough quality and stacking, you can hit up to 14 volcanoes per cast, chaining perfectly with a Spell Echo or a damage support.
Divine Retribution Gladiator
Divine Retribution is unique as a spell in a mostly attack archetype. Since Retaliations cannot be Exerted but pacts Empower rather than Exert, Beidat should function with it. The 6 additional targets for the waves overlap even more, and the 40% damage plus 25% cooldown speed buff are welcome additions.
Arc Ignite / Vaal Arc
Whether Arc counts as a "beam" skill is still under debate. If GGG allows Arc to gain the +6 chains and 35% more damage from Beidat, it becomes an ignite monster with 20+ chains.
Forbidden Rite
Any spell scaling damage per projectile loves this pact. Forbidden Rite is a natural fit, though targeting can get wonky when more than 4 additional projectiles cause some to miss single targets.
How To Get Pact of Beidat
Since these gems are Exceptional Skill Gems, they do not come from quest rewards or standard vendor rolls. Here are the confirmed acquisition methods.
Drop from Beyond Bosses
GGG confirmed that the new Exceptional "Pact" gems drop from Beyond encounters. To farm them:
Add Beyond to your maps through Atlas passives or the map device
Run maps with high monster density to proc Beyond portals
Kill Beyond bosses for a chance at Pact gem drops
Players who have farmed exceptional gems before note that the Beyond Trio drops these gems fairly often, so a Beyond-focused Atlas strategy should produce a steady supply.
Lycia in the Forbidden Sanctum
Pact gems can also drop from Lycia, the final boss of the Forbidden Sanctum. Run Sanctums, defeat Lycia, and farm for drops. This is a slower but reliable route for players comfortable with Sanctum mechanics.
Trade League Shortcut
If you play in trade league, the fastest option is buying directly from another player via the official trade site. Search for "Pact of Beidat" specifically. Prices will spike early in the league and settle as more players farm Beyond and Lycia.
SSF Recommendation
For SSF players, dedicate your Atlas to Beyond scaling and run Sanctums between mapping sessions. The pinnacle bosses (Beyond generals, Xesht) tend to be the most consistent sources for exceptional gem drops based on prior league experience.
Pact of Beidat is one of the more exciting additions to Path of Exile 3.29, offering a fat damage multiplier and projectile boost that opens up new build angles for spells that have been stuck in mediocrity. Whether you're league starting Winter Orb Occultist, planning a Divine Retribution Gladiator, or brewing something spicy with Cremation of Volcano, this gem is worth chasing early. Just be ready to farm some Beyond bosses (or open your wallet on trade) to get your hands on it.