PoE 2 The Last of the Druids - Best New Support Gems

Ben Author

Created - 17.12.2025 Updated - 17.12.2025

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Patch 0.4.0 for Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids introduced a new batch of support gems, with some of them improving the natural abilities of the new Druid class. Now, there are 35 different support gems in this update, so it is a tall order to pick the best of the bunch.

That is why in today’s article, I am going to go over some of the best new support gems for Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids! The supports that will be highlighted in this guide offer some incredible effects and bonuses that you should definitely incorporate into your builds!

Now, you need Uncut Support Gems to be able to create the supports that will be mentioned in this article. So, if you need uncut gems and currencies, visit our PoE 2 Store right away!

Overview of the New Support Gems in PoE 2: The Last of the Druids

Support Gem Design Philosophy

What I have noticed on the new support gems in Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids is that some of them provide lightning damage in some way. It seems that GGG is adding new avenues for people to inflict Shock on enemies, making you inflict more damage to them as a result.

For the uninitiated, Shock is an elemental ailment normally associated with lightning damage in PoE 2. Unless you allocate Shaper of Storms from the Stormweaver, you cannot inflict Shock if you don’t deal lightning damage.

Aside from that, some supports give bonuses when you generate or use various Charges (like Frenzy, Power, and Endurance). More on this will be revealed later in the guide.

How Support Gems Influence Build Pathing in Patch 0.4.0

For the most part, the support gems that we will discuss in this article do not require you to make any drastic changes to your normal pathing on the passive tree. If anything, they only serve to improve what your build is already capable of.

However, it is also worth pointing out that if you play the new Druid Class, especially the Wyvern and Werewolf Forms, you may need to rely on Power Charge generation so that you can use some of the new support gems to great effect. Other than that, you are free to allocate your passive skill points in any way you see fit.

Best New Support Gems in Patch 0.4.0

Here are the best new PoE 2 support gems you should know:

Ambrosia II

Ambrosia II is an upgrade to the Ambrosia support gem. This works similarly to its original version, albeit it consumes more mana flask charges. As a result, you gain 35% extra lightning damage, which is a 7% increase from Ambrosia I.

Having said that, Ambrosia II is typically utilized by Shamans, specifically those who prefer unleashing powerful Flame Breaths to incinerate their enemies. What’s cool about this interaction is that Flame Breath already gets extra lightning damage if a Power Charge is consumed. That’s why adding Ambrosia II’s effects on top of that just makes the Flame Breath even more powerful!

If you are going to use Ambrosia II, make sure that your Mana Flask has the “% Increased Charges” modifier. This is so that you’ll have enough charges to work with, especially if you’re going to use Flame Breath quite often.

Brittle Armour

If the previous support gem is ideal for Wyverns, this next one is great for Druids in Werewolf Form! Brittle Armour works best for the Werewolf because of its cold-based attacks.

Brittle Armour is typically inserted into Arctic Howl since the said skill freezes enemies that have already suffered from enough cold damage. However, you need the help of Lunar Assault as well.

So, the way this works is that you use Lunar Assault to cause Freeze to build up on the intended target. After a couple of swipes, the said enemy is primed to be frozen, which is why you follow that up with Arctic Howl.

When the target is frozen, Brittle Armour takes it one step further and breaks the enemy’s armor based on the physical damage they have taken. This particular support gem is great for boss fights because prolonged battles will ensure that the one you’re fighting is suffering from “Fully Broken Armor” status, effectively making them take 20% increased physical damage.

Deadly Resolve

Deadly Resolve is currently being used by many Druid players, especially those who opt for the Bear Form over the other animal forms. The reason why this is popular is that it can be used with either Rampage or Fury of the Mountain.

Basically, Deadly Resolve allows you to gain “stages” that trigger a deadly slash whenever you are hit by an enemy. The damage of this slash is based on your total armor value. Since you are in Bear Form, you gain an armor boost depending on your current level, which is why Deadly Resolve is perfect for this use case.

Smith of Kitava can also benefit from Deadly Resolve, especially because he can increase his armor based on the number of small nodes that are allocated under the “Smith’s Masterwork” ascendancy node.

Interestingly, Deadly Resolve can be inserted into Shield Charge since this skill has the “Channeling” tag. This is a great way to passively kill enemies as you move forward with Shield Charge.

Eternal Mark

GGG’s philosophy when it comes to most things in the game is that the company always imposes a downside to PoE 2 items and support gems. Fortunately, support gems introduced in Patch 0.4.0 don’t follow that design, and that is best exemplified in this next entry.

Eternal Mark makes it so that the supported skill is not consumed the first time it is activated. For example, if you put Eternal Mark into Sniper’s Mark and you deal a critical hit on the enemy, the said mark skill will still linger until the next time you land a critical strike.

This also works well with Freezing Mark, which is something that most Werewolf Druids use to significantly boost freeze build-up on affected targets. A support gem that has no apparent downsides? Eternal Mark is an easy support gem to recommend!

Exposing Cry

If you play the Warrior or Druid in PoE 2 Patch 0.4.0, it is almost mandatory to incorporate a warcry skill like Ancestral Cry or Infernal Cry. Assuming that you are going to use such skills, don’t forget to include Exposing Cry into the mix.

Exposing Cry’s effect is simple: It applies the “Exposure” debuff on enemies hit by the supported warcry skill. This effectively reduces their elemental resistance by 20% (more if you allocate “Stripped Defences” or “Overexposure” on the passive tree).

If you are planning to play the Druid, I highly recommend that you place Exposing Cry to Ancestral Cry (if using the Bear Form) or Arctic Howl (when using the Werewolf Form).

Fan the Flames II

Fan the Flames II is almost the same as its predecessor, except for one major difference: It spreads the Ignite from an affected target onto nearby enemies when hit.

So, the way Fan the Flames works is that it empowers “wind skills” like Wind Blast and Whirling Slash to cause an explosion when they hit an ignited enemy. This explosion will then spread Ignite to the other monsters that are hit by the same skill as well.

If you don’t know how powerful Fan the Flames II is, then you have to understand the mechanics of the game. You see, Ignite is a fire-based ailment that deals fire damage over time. This has been changed in the previous expansion, where Ignite is only inflicted on enemies that have suffered from 100% Flammability magnitude.

Unless you are using a channeling skill that deals fire damage, it takes roughly 3-4 seconds to apply Ignite to one enemy via the Flammability method. With Fan the Flames II, you only need to Ignite a single monster to spread the said fire-based ailment onto nearby enemies with ease!

Inexorable Critical II

Inexorable Critical II is just the upgrade to an existing support gem (which was previously known as “Inevitable Critical”). Unlike its predecessor, Inexorable Critical II can provide up to a 200% increase in critical hit chance. However, this comes at the cost of 50% less critical damage bonus, which is not something that you’d have to worry about early on.

The reason why Inexorable Critical II is one of the best PoE 2 support gems in Patch 0.4.0 is that it can make builds that rely on landing consistent critical hits, such as the Lightning Spear Amazon and Lightning Arrow Deadeye, flourish even though they’re currently wearing sub-optimal gear.

Unless you have the means to buy an endgame spear with tons of critical hit chance, then Inexorable Critical II is a good substitute for the meantime.

Nova Projectiles II

One look at the description for the Nova Projectiles II support and you’d think that it will be a bad fit for any PoE 2 build. However, I disagree because there are some good use cases for this particular support gem in Patch 0.4.0.

You see, Nova Projectiles II is not meant to boost your damage (that 50% less damage penalty is too hard to ignore). Instead, it is there to support complementary skills that will make your primary skill do more damage.

The way things go in the Fate of the Vaal League, the Nova Projectiles II support gem is being used to make Gas Arrow fire more projectiles, thus covering a much wider area per cast of the said skill. Your main damage dealer in this scenario is the Poisonburst Arrow.

Now, if you are going to use it on the Spark Bloodmage or Lightning Arrow Deadeye, where your supported skill is also your main one, then you are better off using the base Nova Projectiles support, which does not have a downside.

Opening Move

Here we have another treat for melee builds in Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids. Opening Move is a new support gem that allows skills to Daze enemies on hit, which causes them to be more susceptible to getting heavy-stunned.

Whether you are using Leap Slam to traverse wide areas or Rampage to defeat enemies that are surrounding you, Opening Move is a great way to make sure that your foes won’t be able to retaliate when you utilize those skills.

Opening Move can also be slotted into Stampede, Vaulting Impact, and Shield Charge, which makes this support gem a must-have for any Warrior Build in PoE 2.

Splinter Totem II

Not a lot of people are a fan of the totem playstyle in PoE 2, and part of that is due to the clunky nature of totems. They take several seconds to lay down on the ground, forcing you to waste time putting totems rather than killing enemies. GGG tries to solve that problem by adding the new Splinter Totem II support gem in Patch 0.4.0.

Splinter Totem II is a better version of Splinter Totem I in that it has a more forgiving downside of 15% less damage and 7% less skill speed (compared to 20% less damage and 10% less skill speed, respectively).

The reason why this support gem is one of the best in the group is that it splits one totem into a few smaller totems at the cost of slightly reduced damage. This means that you only cast the supported totem skill once while you become busy with casting primary skills yourself and whatnot.

Splinter Totem II is ideal for the Essence Drain Contagion Lich build, where you only need to cast Dark Effigy a single time, and then proceed to using Essence Drain and Contagion.

Thrill of the Kill II

Shock is a pretty strong elemental ailment since Path of Exile 2 launched in Early Access over a year ago. This is because it makes affected enemies take 20% increased damage from all sources.

Thrill of the Kill II is often used by Wyvern Druids who utilize Devour so liberally. This is because this support gem grants 25% of damage as extra lightning damage that lasts for eight seconds after killing an enemy using the supported skill.

What’s cool about this version is that it also increases your chance to inflict Shock on enemies by 40% (this effect is not present in its predecessor).

Although most people who use Thrill of the Kill II slot it into Devour or any other “culling skill,” this support gem can actually be utilized by any skill, so long as it hits enemies, including Essence Drain, Sunder, and Spearfield, among others.

Best New Support Gems in Patch 0.4.0—In a Nutshell

PoE 2 Best New Support Gems in Patch 0.4.0: Conclusion

The new support gems introduced in Path of Exile 2: The Last of the Druids are mostly about improving underutilized skills and mechanics.

Eternal Mark encourages you to cast your Mark Skills since it allows you to get their bonuses a second time before they disappear.

Fan the Flames is a great way to cause Ignites to spread. The only caveat is that it should be inserted into a “wind skill” like Wind Blast or Whirling Slash, which you must incorporate into your build somehow.

Brittle Armour, Thrill of the Kill II, and Opening Move encourage you to play melee builds, especially any of the animal forms available to the Druid.

So, which of these new support gems do you like? Let us know in the comments! Also, check out our other PoE 2 guides here in RPGStash!