In Path of Exile 2, character progression is all about building synergy between skills, gear, and passive abilities. Among the many impactful passive skills available, Storm Charge stands out as a POE2 Currency highly effective option for elemental and critical strike-focused builds. Whether you're channeling lightning across the battlefield or unleashing a barrage of fire spells, Storm Charge can significantly elevate your damage output if used strategically.
What is Storm Charge?
Storm Charge is a passive skill that players can obtain in two distinct ways:
By allocating skill points into the passive skill tree, or
By anointing an amulet with specific materials.
Once acquired, Storm Charge grants the following two effects:
40% increased elemental damage if you’ve dealt a critical hit recently
20% increased critical strike chance
In the world of Path of Exile, the word “recently” typically refers to events that occurred in the last 4 seconds. This means that once you land a critical hit on an enemy, you will benefit from the elemental damage bonus for the next 4 seconds, whether or not you continue to land critical hits afterward.
How Storm Charge Works in Combat
Storm Charge is both simple in function and powerful in practice. Whenever you deal a critical hit, a 4-second timer starts, during which all of your elemental damage is boosted by 40%. Importantly, this increase applies to all elemental damage, not just elemental damage inflicted by a critical hit.
This makes Storm Charge incredibly versatile. You might be playing a build where:
Your primary skill deals elemental damage but doesn't usually crit, or
You use one skill to consistently crit, while another skill—like a totem or trap—deals the majority of your elemental DPS.
As long as you land a crit with any source, the entirety of your elemental damage benefits from the boost, even if the follow-up attacks or skills don't crit at all.
For this reason, Storm Charge is a great fit for hybrid builds and for players who rely on consistent critical triggers to activate broader elemental bonuses.
How to Anoint Storm Charge to an Amulet
If you don’t want to allocate Storm Charge through your passive tree, you can instead infuse it onto an amulet using an item-based crafting system involving Distilled Emotions.
Required Distilled Emotions (in order):
Distilled Fear
Distilled Terror
Distilled Envy
These emotional distillates serve a similar function to oils in Path of Exile 1. When used in the correct order, they allow you to add Storm Charge to an amulet via the infusion system.
Where to Get Distilled Emotions
There are two primary methods for obtaining these crafting materials:
Delirium Enemies: The most common source of Distilled Emotions is from Delirium monsters found in the Ultimate Delirium map. These enemies have a chance to drop various emotional essences after defeat.
Currency Exchange (Alva): If farming isn’t your style, you can also purchase Distilled Mood—a tradeable form of emotion—by visiting Alva in your Hideout and interacting with the Currency Exchange.
Important Tip: Monsters found in maps accessed using an Infused Waystone will not drop Distilled Mood, so avoid farming in those areas if you're hunting for infusion materials.
How to Infuse the Amulet with Storm Charge
Once you’ve gathered the required Distilled Emotions and have an amulet ready to enhance, follow these steps:
Place the amulet and the three Distilled Emotions in your inventory.
Right-click on any of the Distilled Emotions to open the Infusion window.
Insert the amulet into the top slot.
Place the Distilled Emotions in the row below in this exact order: Fear → Terror → Envy.
If done correctly, the infusion preview will display “Storm Charge.”
Click “Infuse” to apply the passive to your amulet.
Once infused, simply equipping the amulet will grant your character the Storm Charge effect—no additional skill point investment needed.
Storm Charge is a valuable tool for players who rely on elemental skills and critical strike synergy in Path of Exile 2. Its ability to reward critical hits with a massive elemental damage bonus makes it a buy POE 2 Currency top-tier passive for builds that can consistently trigger crits or mix crit-based and elemental-based abilities. Whether you're allocating it through your passive tree or infusing it into an amulet, Storm Charge is a worthy investment for both damage and versatility.
