Path of Exile 2: Herald Synergies Enhanced

This guide explains the Double Herald setup in Path of Exile 2, combining Herald of Ice and Herald of Thunder for massive area-of-effect damage.

Key Components of the Double Herald Setup

The synergy relies on these four elements:

1. Herald of Ice with Lightning Infusion: A Herald of Ice skill gem linked with a Lightning Infusion support gem. This converts a portion of the Ice damage to Lightning, enabling Shock.
2. Herald of Thunder with Cold Infusion (and Glaciation): A Herald of Thunder skill gem linked with a Cold Infusion support gem (Glaciation is highly recommended). This converts a portion of the Thunder damage to Cold, enabling Freeze.
3. 60 Spirit: Sufficient Spirit is required to maintain both Heralds effectively.
4. Cold Damage Infliction: A method to initially trigger Herald of Ice, such as the Monk's Ice Strike, passive skills increasing Freeze, or the Against the Darkness Time-Lost Diamond Jewel.

Remember to activate both Heralds in your skill bar.

How the Double Herald Works

The core mechanic lies in the interplay of Freeze and Shock:

• Herald of Ice: Triggers upon shattering a frozen enemy, dealing AoE cold damage. Crucially, the Cold damage from Herald of Ice cannot Freeze, preventing self-sustaining chains.
• Herald of Thunder: Triggers upon killing a shocked enemy, unleashing electricity that damages nearby foes. Similarly, Herald of Thunder's damage cannot Shock.

The Infusion support gems are key: Lightning Infusion on Herald of Ice allows it to Shock, while Cold Infusion on Herald of Thunder lets it Freeze. This creates a chain reaction:

1. A cold skill (like Ice Strike) freezes an enemy.
2. Shattering the frozen enemy triggers Herald of Ice.
3. The lightning damage from Herald of Ice shocks nearby enemies.
4. Killing a shocked enemy triggers Herald of Thunder.
5. The cold damage from Herald of Thunder freezes enemies, restarting the cycle.

While theoretically infinite, this chain usually ends after one or two cycles due to enemy density. Breaches are ideal due to the high number of enemies. Starting with Herald of Ice is preferred because Freeze is easier to inflict than Shock, and Herald of Thunder's lightning bolts have better range.

Setup Overview

Herald of Ice

Lightning Infusion

Herald of Thunder

Cold Infusion

Glaciation (Recommended)

Against the Darkness Jewel (Alternative Cold Damage)

Herald Interaction Diagram