Heist Rewards: Alternate Quality Gems
Same spells, different day
Earlier this week I analyzed the league mechanics for Path of Exile: Heist. Today we are going to take a look at alternate quality gems which is one of the many rewards found via in Grand Heists. For more Action RPG conversations and hot takes, remember to follow me on twitter or stop by my Twitch for live-action spice. For more articles and updates sent directly to your email inbox click the subscribe button below, and for those already subscribed, thank you for your support!
In Heist, Grinding Gears Games is adding alternate quality effects to skill and support gems. They range from changing Summon Skeletons to create archers instead of warriors, to Shrapnel Balisting gaining chain. Since there are over 900 different effects from alternate quality gems, I am not going to go into detail with ideas or builds that can utilize what we have seen, but I am going to focus on how the existence of alternate quality gems changes Path of Exile as a whole.
Alternate quality gems open up a completely new area of design for Path of Exile. while they are similar to threshold jewels I believe they are a better implementation. The intent is to subtly alter the mechanics of gem, while not removing the identity, but allow for different approaches to utilizing the skill.
We have seen three different types of alternate quality effects, the first makes the skill simply makes the skill better at what it has always done, further doubling down on the skill’s identity. As you can see with Shock Nova, strengthens the existing identity of the gem, letting you focus on shocks and utilizing the ring portion of the spell for damage.
Looking specifically at the Reave gem, we have the second type that I have seen. This makes a substantial change to the skill itself opening new methodologies to build. The ability to convert 100% of Physical damage into a random element, without investing anywhere else on the tree or in gear makes the conversion to elemental damage very easy for Reave. With more gems in a similar style should open up multiple ways to play the skill, and allows for new and interesting builds that may have not been viable before.
Blade Vortex adds up to 2% of damage leeched as life, this isn’t doubling down on the existing identity, nor does it substantially change the way you would build this skill, but what this does is add a generically strong modifier to the skill. Generic leech is strong and will likely open up some other way to play Blade Vortex, or allow you to invest differently in the tree. This category of alternate effects fills holes that the skill may have. Since many of the builds that utilize blade vortex either convert the damage to elemental damage or utilize BV for hitting quickly to apply stacks of poison, it is hard to get leech for those builds. Whether a skill is lacking defensive support, single target damage, or clear speed, alternate quality is an excellent way to aid the gems in accomplishing much more.
From conversion to chaining, or even adding interesting debuffs, this gives GGG a large design space to add to skills, especially without reworking the skills completely. I hope this is something that they continue to build upon and support in the game. Adding new and interesting ways to play with existing, or old, skill gems will breathe new life into builds you have done 25 times already, making a subtle change to make them more interesting. More than any of the other mechanics that GGG is adding in Heist this is the one that I hope sticks around after Heist. While not nearly as powerful as some of the other mechanics added, this is the most interesting to me, since if implemented correctly it opens up infinite new builds and ways to play Path of Exile.