Projectile

Projectiles are entities which are produced by a Spell or ranged Attack which travel independently of their creator until they collide with an enemy or obstacle or reach their travel distance limit of 150 Units. Skills gems that create projectiles usually have the Projectile or Bows gem tag.

Speed and duration

All projectiles have a speed, which can be altered by Projectile Speed modifiers. All projectiles also have a duration (which can be infinite), although in most cases this duration is not mentioned anywhere and cannot be modified, unless explicitly stated such as with the skill Spark.

The speed and duration combined determine the distance the projectile will travel, up to its maximum range. This is important when considering projectiles that have a limited lifetime.

For example, Freezing Pulse creates projectiles which deal full damage initially, but deal less and less damage the longer they are alive. Increasing the Projectile Speed of Freezing Pulse will cause the projectiles to arrive at the target sooner, and therefore they will deal more damage than a slower-moving Freezing Pulse that traveled the same distance.

Increasing the Projectile Speed of limited duration projectiles will allow them to travel a further distance before they expire.

However, there are effects that occur based on the projectile's total distance traveled since launched. For instance:

• Ice Spear will always arm (change into its second form) at a certain distance from its launching point, regardless of its speed The damage modifiers from Point Blank and Chin Sol are based the projectile's total distance traveled, not how long the projectile has been alive. Note that, in the case of Spectral Throw or other "Projectiles Return" mechanics, the total distance traveled may be greater than the current distance from the player.

Ground and airborne projectiles

Most projectiles fly through the air, however there are some that travel along the ground.

Airborne projectiles can be aimed up and down cliffs and other height transitions, and can impact with the ground or ceiling. This can sometimes make them difficult to aim when dealing with a steep vertical angle, as they might fly over the heads of enemies or harmlessly impact the ground at the enemy's feet. Airborne projectiles will pass through most low obstacles such as small chests and rocks.

Projectiles that travel along the ground are subject to the same restrictions as a walking player. This means they cannot be fired up or down height transitions, and will instead collide with the edge. They will never impact with the ground or ceiling, but they are much more likely to be obstructed by small obstacles around the environment. Skills that create earthbound projectiles include Spark, Lightning Strike.

Death

When a projectile collides with an enemy or obstacle, it explodes and is destroyed. This happens even if the projectile is the result of an attack that is evaded or dodged. Intuitively a projectile that is evaded or dodged would continue along its trajectory, but that is not the case in Path of Exile.

Subprojectiles

Normally a projectile attempts to hit the first enemy it encounters, explodes if the projectile has an explosion effect, and disappears. However, some effects change the projectile hit behavior.

Effect types

At most one effect may be applied per hit. The effects are listed in order of priority.

Split

"Split" redirects here. For the item modifier, see Split (item modifier).

Upon hit the projectile splits into (X) number of auto-targeting projectiles. The auto-targeting radius limitations are similar to chain.

Split arrows are considered the same arrow after splitting and therefore will not target the same monster twice. This means that in most situations split will not increase your single target hits. (see explosive projectiles for exception)

Sources of split include:

• Sniper's Mark

• Fury Valve

Pierce

Main page: Pierce

The projectile passes through the enemy and continues along its previous trajectory. Once a projectile has exhausted its pierce count, one of the other effects listed in this section may apply.

Fork

The projectile splits into two identical projectiles which each travel at a 60 degree angle from the projectile's original path. A projectile can only fork once.

Sources of fork include:

• Fork Support

• Rigwald's Quills

• Snakepit (For spell projectiles when worn in the left ring slot)

Chain

The projectile chooses a target within a certain radius, and travels in the direction of that target. A target cannot be hit twice by the same projectile. If a skill produces multiple projectiles at once and chains, none of the projectiles may chain to an enemy which has already been struck by a projectile from the same attack or cast. If there are no valid targets in range of the original enemy, it will target an enemy but not hit, instead passing through. Chain has a specified number of iterations.

Sources of chain include:

• Chain Support and Awakened Chain Support

• Ewar's Mirage (For attack projectiles when in main hand)

• Gloomfang

• MjölnerRicochet passive for the Deadeye ascendancy.

• Roth's Reach

• Snakepit (For spell projectiles when worn in the right ring slot)

• Touch of Anguish (While at maximum frenzy charges)

• Replica Voidwalker (For projectiles while you have phasing, which is also granted if you have killed recently)