Path of Exile 2 expands on the deep customization of POE2 Currency its predecessor, and one of the standout passive skills gaining popularity is Storm Charge. Whether you're building around elemental spells, stacking crits for massive bursts, or just looking to boost your DPS window, Storm Charge is a simple yet powerful tool for many builds. It offers consistent damage amplification, provided you understand how to use it effectively.

Storm Charge is a passive skill that grants the following effects:

20% increased Critical Strike Chance

40% increased Elemental Damage if you've dealt a Critical Hit recently

The term "recently" in Path of Exile 2 means within the last 4 seconds. So, if you land a critical hit on an enemy, the 40% bonus to elemental damage kicks in and lasts for 4 seconds. You don’t have to keep landing crits nonstop—just land one every few seconds to maintain the buff’s uptime.

This passive can be accessed in two ways:

By allocating a point to it on the passive skill tree, or

By infusing it into an amulet using special resources called Distilled Emotions.

How the Mechanics Work
What makes Storm Charge so valuable is its versatility. Once you've triggered it with a critical hit, the 40% elemental damage boost applies to all your elemental damage sources—not just the crit that activated it.

For example, if you're playing a build that primarily deals non-critical elemental DoT damage (like Burning Ground, Cold DoT, or Poison converted to elemental), you can still benefit from Storm Charge as long as one of your skills—perhaps a low-cooldown crit-based spell or attack—keeps the buff active.

It also shines in hybrid builds where you deal crits with one skill and elemental damage with another. Just keep dealing a crit every few seconds, and you’ll have near-constant access to the damage boost.

How to Infuse Storm Charge onto an Amulet
If you’d rather not use a passive point, you can apply Storm Charge to an amulet through the use of Distilled Emotions. These are special infusion items used in combination to add passive skills to jewelry.

To get Storm Charge, you’ll need to use the following three Distilled Emotions, in this exact order:

Distilled Fear

Distilled Terror

Distilled Envy

These can drop as random loot from Delirium enemies inside the Ultimate Delirium map. Alternatively, you can get Distilled Mood, a currency that can be exchanged for any of the three required Emotions. This can be done through the Currency Exchange menu by speaking with Alva in your Hideout.

Important Note: If you're using an Infused Waystone to access maps, monsters in those maps will not drop Distilled Mood.

Step-by-Step Infusion Process
Once you’ve collected the necessary Distilled Emotions:

Make sure the amulet you want to infuse and the three Distilled Emotions are in your inventory.

Right-click any of the Distilled Emotions to bring up the Infuse window.

Place your amulet in the top slot.

Insert the three Emotions—Fear, Terror, then Envy—into the row below in the correct order.

If done properly, you will see “Storm Charge” appear in the box below.

Click Infuse to finalize the process.

The amulet is now infused with Storm Charge, and equipping it will automatically grant you the passive's effects.

Why Use Storm Charge?
Storm Charge is a low-maintenance, high-impact passive that works well in many offensive setups. Whether you're running a high-crit spellcaster, a bow build, or an elemental melee fighter, the synergy between crits and elemental scaling is incredibly valuable. It’s particularly useful for maintaining consistent damage output in boss fights, mapping, or PvP.

For players looking to maximize elemental output without relying solely on crit multipliers, Storm Charge serves as a great bridge. And with the option to infuse it into gear, it's accessible for nearly any character regardless of their passive path.

In short, Storm Charge is one of the most reliable and versatile passive bonuses for elemental-focused builds in PoE 2. Whether you're theorycrafting a fresh build or optimizing a Path of Exile 2 Orbs high-end character, this passive is worth considering for your arsenal.