Welcome back to our guide covering the latest developments in Path of Exile 3.22 spoiler season! GGG has once again treated us to some exciting glimpses into the upcoming content, although today's reveals are a bit lighter compared to previous days. In this guide, we'll dive into the revealed information about Spellblade Support, Kirac Mods, the overall impact on the league economy, and the teaser for the new Devour Support gem and the Legion Keystone mechanic.

• Spellblade Support
• Kirac Mods Impact
• Fortune Favors the Brave
• Devour Support Gem: Initial Thoughts
• Use Cases and Potential Applications
• Limitations and Niche Situations
• Legion Keystone Mechanic: Timeless Conflict

↖ Spellblade Support

Spellblade Support is a new gem introduced in Ancestors Trial that adds spell damage based on a percentage of the damage of equipped one-handed melee weapons. While specific details are still unknown, it's worth noting the potential of combining it with various skills for added damage. Some key points to consider:

• Similarities with Spell Slinger Support: Spellblade Support shares some similarities with Spell Slinger Support, but it also has distinct differences.
• Energy Blade Interaction: Spellblade Support's interaction with Energy Blade, a unique skill, might lead to a powerful combination that adds substantial lightning damage to spells.
• Competition: Spellblade Support competes with other weapon alternatives, including the Annihilating Light, Battle Mage, and more.
• Scaling: The support gem's effectiveness might vary based on gem levels, weapon stats, and other modifiers.
• Niche Uses: Spellblade Support could find a niche use when you're forced to use low-level versions of a gem or when combined with specific builds and items.

↖ Kirac Mods Impact

Kirac Mods are an essential part of the league's mechanics, influencing the way players approach content and the economy. Understanding these mods will be crucial:

↖ Fortune Favors the Brave

Fortune Favors the Brave is a map device mod that randomly applies one of the seven other mods to a map. Its effectiveness depends on your Atlas strategy and synergy with your build.

• Assessing Value: Consider the synergy between the randomly chosen mod and your Atlas strategy before using Fortune Favors the Brave.
• Atlas Passive Tree: Some nodes on the Atlas Passive Tree may enhance the value of specific mods chosen by Fortune Favors the Brave.

↖ Devour Support Gem: Initial Thoughts

Today's teaser introduces the Devourer Support. This gem allows supported skills to consume corpses from killing blows, recovering life and mana for the user. At first glance, this is a convenient way to replenish your health and mana mid-combat. However, upon closer examination, there are some concerns.

Analyzing the slow-motion video, we can see a delay of 29 frames (a significant amount of time) between the killing blow and the life restoration. This delay could prove problematic in fast-paced combat situations. For instance, if you clear one pack of monsters, move to the next, and take damage from both, the life restoration might only occur after you're downed by the combined damage.

↖ Use Cases and Potential Applications

While there are reservations about using Devourer Support as a means of quickly topping off life during combat, there are a couple of scenarios where it could prove useful:

• Mana Replenishment for Big Mana Builds: The gem might find a home in builds that heavily rely on mana. Particularly, it could benefit big mana builds struggling with mana replenishment. For example, it could be paired with mechanics like Indigon or Arcmage Support to help manage mana effectively.
• Culling Strike Support for Secondary Skills: Another potential use is with secondary skills that utilize culling strike mechanics. Builds centered around Corrupting Fever might link Devour Support to a secondary skill like Kinetic Blast or Vile Power Siphon. Although this setup might provide occasional bursts of life and mana, it's important to weigh the opportunity cost against other available options.

↖ Limitations and Niche Situations

Several factors contribute to the overall limited applicability of Devour Support:

• Boss Limitations: The support's inability to work on bosses restricts its usefulness in boss encounters.
• Frame Delay: The 29-frame delay for life replenishment could prove problematic in high-damage scenarios.
• Opportunity Cost: The opportunity cost of using Devour Support might outweigh its benefits in most situations.
• Inconsistency: The consistency of the support further diminishes its appeal.

↖ Legion Keystone Mechanic: Timeless Conflict

In addition to the new support gem, a new Keystone named Timeless Conflict has been introduced for Legion encounters. This Keystone removes the timer from Legion Encounters in maps. Instead, breaking out monsters and chests that are in stasis will gradually fill up a progress bar, eventually triggering a Schism, causing the Legion monsters to attack.

This Keystone serves a specific purpose: assisting players who still need to be more powerful to break everything out of stasis in Legion encounters. It's designed for a more casual audience or those still getting used to Legion mechanics. Once your character is capable of handling these encounters without the extra help, you can remove the Timeless Conflict Keystone.

Remember that the information provided is based on the revealed content and may change as more details are unveiled. Earlier we analyzed POE 3.22 New Trauma Support Gems, Stay tuned for further updates and adapt your gameplay accordingly. Good luck on your journey through the Ancestors Trial!