Welcome to Unique Mechanics Explained, where we delve into the intriguing and often misunderstood properties of some of Path of Exile's most iconic items. Today, we'll be shedding light on the Eye of Malice, an item that boasts remarkable power but is frequently misinterpreted. It's a popular choice across various builds, so it's high time we unravel its secrets and learn how to harness its potential.

• Eye of Malice Modifiers
• Negative Resistance Scaling
• Ideal Builds for Eye of Malice
• When Not to Use Eye of Malice

↖ Eye of Malice Modifiers

Let's begin by examining the modifiers of the Eye of Malice:

• Evasion as Energy Shield: A fairly standard modifier.
• Fire Resistance and Cold Resistance: Again, quite standard for an item.
• 25% Chance to Inflict Cold or Fire Exposure on Hit: This modifier, while intriguing, isn't the primary reason for using this item. It can be useful if you attack rapidly, but it's often easier to obtain exposure through glove implicits rather than sacrificing your helmet slot.

Now, let's focus on the real standout modifier of the Eye of Malice:

Nearby Enemies Have 50% Increased Fire and Cold Resistances: At first glance, this may seem detrimental, as it appears to make nearby enemies stronger. However, it's essential to understand how resistance mechanics work in Path of Exile.

In Path of Exile, increases and reductions are applied as multipliers to an existing number, rather than directly adding or subtracting values. This distinction is crucial in comprehending the power of the Eye of Malice.

↖ Negative Resistance Scaling

To illustrate this concept, let's consider a few theoretical scenarios using my current Cold Elementalist build:

Against an Enemy with 0% Base Resistance:

• Cold Exposure: -11% (by default) +25% (from Eye of Malice) = -36%.
• Elemental Weakness: -30%.
• Frostbite: -17%.
• Void Beacon: -20%.
• Chilling: -5%.

The enemy's resistance becomes -108% Cold Resistance, effectively doubling the damage they take.

Against an Enemy with 75% Base Cold Resistance:

Cold Exposure: -11% + 25% = -36%.

In this case, you can't push the resistance into the negative with the Eye of Malice, but it still provides a beneficial reduction to -49% Cold Resistance.

As you can see, the Eye of Malice's effectiveness depends on the enemy's baseline resistance. It shines when you can significantly reduce an enemy's resistance, making it more valuable for builds like Elementalist. However, against heavily resistant foes, it may not be as effective.

↖ Ideal Builds for Eye of Malice

Here are some builds where the Eye of Malice can be particularly potent:

• Cold Elementalist: With built-in resistance reduction and dual curses, you can push enemy resistances into the negative.
• Righteous Fire or Firetrap Elementalist: Similar to Cold Elementalist, but focusing on fire damage and resistance reduction.
• Hex Blast with Eye of Malice: Hex Blast deals chaos damage, but it benefits from lowered enemy resistances, especially cold resistance, due to its unique interaction. This combination can result in significant damage output.

↖ When Not to Use Eye of Malice

There are situations where Eye of Malice may not be the ideal choice:

• Inquisitor of Inevitable Judgment or Chieftain with Ramako Sun's Light: These builds treat enemy resistances as zero, rendering the Eye of Malice ineffective.
• When You Can't Significantly Lower Enemy Resistances: If you lack the means to reduce enemy resistances significantly, the Eye of Malice may not provide substantial benefits.

In conclusion, the Eye of Malice is a unique item with a distinctive mechanic that can greatly amplify your damage output, but its effectiveness depends on your ability to lower enemy resistances. Use it wisely in the right builds, and you'll unleash its true potential in the world of Path of Exile.