Grinding Gear Games has introduced three powerful new Strength Skill Gems in Path of Exile 2. Each gem offers unique mechanics that expand the warcry, melee, and fiery-themed playstyle. Let's break down how Fortifying Cry, Forge Hammer, and Ancestral Cry work, and what kind of builds they may empower.
Fortifying Cry – Guard and Shockwave Warcry
Perform a Warcry that grants Guard and causes subsequent Shield Attacks to release an Empowered shockwave when dealing damage. This Skill's cooldown can be bypassed by expending an Endurance Charge.
Key Features:
- Acts as a Guard skill triggered through a Warcry.
- Empowers Shield Attacks, turning them into shockwave-generating abilities for extra area damage.
- Cooldown can be skipped at the cost of Endurance Charges, adding strong synergy with charge-based builds.
Best Use Cases:
- Tanky melee characters who rely on Shield Slam, Shield Charge, or similar shield-based attacks.
- Builds that naturally generate Endurance Charges, such as Juggernaut ascendancies or warcry-focused characters.
- Defensive setups where survivability and shockwave AoE combine for both sustain and clear speed.
If you want to boost your gameplay even more, the best choice is to buy Path of Exile 2 currency cheap from trusted platforms. This lets you gear up faster, craft stronger items, and enjoy the game without wasting hours grinding for resources.
Forge Hammer – Fiery Weapon Recall and Fissures
Hurl a fiery hammer that Slams into the ground and lodges there. While the hammer is lodged, reusing the Skill recalls it and resets its cooldown. Alternatively, using a Warcry near the lodged hammer causes it to shatter, releasing a number of Molten Fissures in a spiral.
Key Features:
A unique projectile-slam hybrid skill.
Two modes of interaction:
- Recall Mode: Call the hammer back to reset cooldown, allowing repeated use.
- Warcry Interaction: Shatter the lodged hammer with a nearby Warcry, triggering Molten Fissures in a spiral pattern for massive AoE fire damage.
Best Use Cases:
- Perfect for fire melee builds seeking a mix of direct and delayed burst damage.
- Pairs excellently with Warcry-heavy builds, especially those using Enduring Cry, Seismic Cry, or the new Fortifying/Ancestral variants.
- Great synergy with ignite, fissure-themed, or area-scaling builds.
Ancestral Cry – Embody Kaom
Perform a Warcry using Glory gained by Igniting enemies to turn you into an embodiment of Kaom. While embodying Kaom, your footsteps trigger Volcanic Steps, Melee Strikes and Slams are Ancestrally Boosted, and your Melee Attack Hits trigger Volcanic Eruption.
Key Features:
- Consumes Glory, a new resource gained by igniting enemies, to activate.
- Transforms the character into an avatar of Kaom, dramatically empowering melee combat.
Provides three powerful effects:
- Volcanic Steps from movement, adding fiery ground damage.
- Boosted Strikes and Slams, making every hit deadlier.
- Volcanic Eruptions triggered on melee hits, offering explosive AoE coverage.
Best Use Cases:
- Builds centered around ignite mechanics and fire damage scaling.
- Heavy melee-strike or slam archetypes, such as Earthquake, Ground Slam, or Molten Strike users.
- High-synergy in Kaom-themed builds or any fire-oriented Juggernaut/Chieftain archetype.
Next Steps
These three new gems highlight GGG's push to merge Warcry mechanics with melee and fire-themed playstyles in Path of Exile 2.
- Fortifying Cry enhances survivability and damage through shield shockwaves.
- Forge Hammer blends fiery projectiles, Warcry synergy, and area fissures for flexible combat.
- Ancestral Cry offers a transformative state where melee builds channel the raw volcanic power of Kaom himself.
Together, they open new pathways for melee fire builds, endurance charge interactions, and warcry-centered archetypes — making them some of the most exciting additions for Strength-based characters in PoE 2.
