In Path of Exile 2, knowing about critical strike chance is very important for doing more damage. Learning how to check and improve your critical strike chance in Path of Exile 2 can help you defeat tougher enemies and enjoy the game even more. This guide will explain what critical strikes are, how to check your critical strike chance, and simple ways to improve it.
What is Critical Strike Chance?
Critical strike chance is the chance that an attack or spell will deal extra damage. Each skill in Path of Exile 2 has a base critical strike chance, which you can usually see on the skill gem itself. For example, the Fireball spell has a base crit chance of 6%. Attack skills get their critical strike chance from the weapon you are using. For instance, an Infernal Sword might give you a base crit chance of 6.75%.
Your total critical strike chance can change based on different modifiers that either increase your base crit chance or add more crit chance. These modifiers can come from your gear, passive skills, or skill gems. For example, if you use a wand that gives you an 87% increase to your critical strike chance for spells, this raises Fireball’s crit chance from 6% to about 11.22%.
How to Check Your Critical Strike Chance in Path of Exile 2
To check your critical strike chance in Path of Exile 2, follow these simple steps:
- Open Your Character Screen: Press the key that opens your character’s inventory.
- Hover Over Skills: Move your mouse over the skill icons in your skill bar. This shows details about each skill, including its base critical strike chance.
- Check Gear Modifiers: Look at your equipped items to see if they give bonuses to critical strike chance. Many weapons and accessories have modifiers that can increase your crit chance.
- Use the Passive Skill Tree: Visit the passive skill tree and look for nodes that boost your critical strike chance. Some nodes can give you big increases to this stat.
By following these steps, you can easily find out what your current critical strike chance is and how it changes based on your gear and skills.
Calculating Effective Critical Strike Chance
To find your effective critical strike chance, combine your base crit chance with all relevant modifiers. For example, if your base crit is 6% and you have a skill gem that adds 2% plus a global increase of 60%, your total crit chance would be calculated like this:
Total Crit Chance = (6 % + 2 %) × (1 + 0.60) = 12.8 %
This means that with these modifiers, you would have a total critical strike chance of 12.8%.
How to Improve Your Critical Strike Chance
Improving your critical strike chance involves several simple strategies that players can use to deal more damage effectively. Here are some easy methods:
Use High-Critical Weapons
Choosing weapons with high base critical strike chances is one of the best ways to improve your overall crit chance. Weapons like daggers or certain wands often have higher base crit rates compared to other weapon types. Always check the weapon’s stats before using it to make sure it fits well with your build.
Use Support Gems
Support gems can greatly enhance your skills by providing extra bonuses. For example, using the Increased Critical Strike Support gem on skills like Fireball raises both the base crit chance and overall damage output. This gem adds a flat percentage increase to the base crit chance, making it a useful addition for many builds.
Focus on Passive Skills
The passive skill tree offers many options for increasing critical strike chances. Players should look for important passives that boost crit chances or provide extra effects when landing critical hits. Investing points into these passives can lead to significant improvements in damage.
Use Buffs and Curses
Certain buffs and curses can also help increase your critical strike chances during gameplay. For example, using Assassin’s Mark as a curse on enemies increases the base crit chance for hits against those cursed targets. Additionally, power charges grant increased crit chances, so finding ways to generate these charges during combat can be helpful.
Keep an Eye on Your Accuracy
Accuracy plays an important role in whether you land a hit at all. If you do not have enough accuracy, even a high crit chance may not lead to many successful hits since there is an accuracy check during each hit. Make sure you maintain at least 100% accuracy when attacking enemies to maximize both hit chances and crit opportunities.
Understanding Modifiers for Critical Strike Chance
Understanding how modifiers work is key when trying to improve your critical strike chance. Modifiers can either be additive or multiplicative, which affects how they combine with each other.
- Base Critical Strike Chance: This is often referred to as local critical strike chance and is very important because every other source of critical strike chance works with this value.
- Increased Critical Strike Chance: This type of modifier adds a percentage increase to your existing critical strike chance rather than adding directly to it.
- Power Charges: These are another way to boost your crit chances significantly since each power charge typically adds around 40% increased crit chance.
By understanding these mechanics and utilizing them effectively, players can optimize their builds for maximum damage output.