This guide focuses on the Oracle Ascendancy for the Druid in Path of Exile 2, covering their Unique Skills and Skill Interactions.
Table of contents
Oracle Overview
Oracles are masters of fate, with the ability to see and manipulate both their own fate as well as those of their enemies. This allows an Oracle to make outcomes favor them.
An Oracle can follow the fates shown to them to empower their skills with Align Fate or weaken their foes with Moment of Vulnerability. This makes them particularly potent spell casters.
Also unique to the Oracle are a whole slew of passives not accessible by any other class or ascendancy. This requires them to invest in The Unseen Path, which grants them access to these additional passives.
The Lesser Harm
The Lesser Harm applies Unlucky to incoming enemy damage and Critical Hit Chance, rolling these values twice and using the worst outcome.
This is an excellent defensive bonus, ensuring that in many cases we’re taking much less damage than normal. How impactful this actually is relies heavily on the damage range of our enemies, but a good portion of enemies have ranges to what we have based on their damage type.
Generally, this means it’s more potent against Elemental Damage, especially Lightning Damage.
However, this will not protect us at all from Damage over Time effects, so Bleed, Poison, and Ignite are all going to ignore this.
Forced Outcome
Forced Outcome grants Inevitable Critical Hits. This means any skill that can Critically Strike, will. However, this is achieved by re-rolling out Critical Chance until it succeeds, lessening the resulting critical damage for each roll needed to land the crit.
At the current point in time, it’s hard to determine how the multiplier is applied, whether it stacks multiplicatively or additively. Multiplicative stacking is the most likely and would mean our Critical Damage Bonus would slowly approach zero, still having some bonus left after multiple rolls. An additively-stacking penalty however, is much more dangerous, and would result in reduced damage on critical hits starting at 4 rolls.
Either way, if the goal is to use this alongside an actual Critical Hit-focused build, rolling more than twice will kill the majority of our bonus. The higher our bonus is, the more of it we will still have even after multiple rolls.
From a mathematical standpoint, having at least 20-25% Critical Hit Chance as well as a 250%+ Critical Damage Bonus will average out to being a fairly sizable damage boost for every hit.
This would have had insane synergy with Maligaro’s Virtuosity, but as of Update 0.4 these gloves also prevent Crit Chance from being re-rolled. So they (un)fortunately pre-nerfed this interaction, as it would have been meta-defining without a doubt.
There is one other way to use this as well, enabling a Cast on Crit setup on a non-crit build. In this case, we use this in place of any crit investment to allow a rapidly hitting skill to quickly build up energy. Think of skills like Entangle, Thunderstorm, Ball Lightning, or similar skills that can hit quickly but often for lower damage. This interaction fully relies on the less Critical Damage Bonus effect to scale multiplicatively.
Unnamed Heartwood
Unnamed Heartwood grants +1 Maximum Totems. Additionally, Totems will remain active for 6 seconds after their life is reduced to zero.
This passive is great for totem builds, not only for the +1, but also for being able to drop much of their defensive investment in favor of offensive investment instead. Much like the Last Gasp support for Minions, it also guarantees they get some damage out.
The only downside to this is that they need to actually reach 0 Life and properly die. This will not trigger when they expire. This means we’ll want to make sure we get some duration for them to maximize the amount of time they are active with this effect.
Converging Paths
Converging Paths grants the Moment of Vulnerability skill. When used when an enemy is Primed for Electrocution, Freeze, or Stun, Moment of Vulnerability will create a visage of them that takes damage and transfers that damage back to the target.
At its max level, achieved when we reach Character Level 90, it will effectively double the damage of an AoE attack, assuming it hits the boss as well as the newly created visage. This is quite the strong damage multiplier, but very conditional, and sacrifices most potential avenues for crowd control.
This has a lot of synergy with the Wolf Shapeshifting Skills, particularly Lunar Assault, which can build up freeze on bosses very quickly alongside the other bonus cold damage. This does trade the safety of just applying the Freeze for extra damage, but can be incredibly powerful nonetheless.
This is, however, a much stronger option for builds that rely on Stun. Compared to Freeze or Electrocute, it’s a much shorter and harder to scale crowd control, with the only means of scaling it being increases to build up, whereas Freeze and Electrocute can also scale their duration. Combined with the reduced Stun Buildup after an enemy is stunned, this actually plays very well into the cooldown between creating visages.
Harmony Within
Harmony Within grants Hit Damage is taken from Mana before Life while current Mana is higher than current Life. Additionally, it grants 15% less Life and Mana.
This can be a powerful defensive option, providing an effect similar to that of Mind over Matter (MoM), but gated to our current Life. This becomes a good alternative to that passive, as it doesn’t come with the downside of MoM but has much the same effect.
However, once we reach the point where our life and Mana are equal, the damage we take will be split among them. So investing in higher amounts of mana is recommended.
This effect also synergises with the Lifetap Support Gem, allowing us to use our Life as a resource for skills, and allowing our Mana Pool to effectively be our Life Pool. However, this also requires Life Regeneration to be effective.
Fateful Vision
Fateful Vision grants the Align Fate Skill. This creates visages of us, casting random spells. If we match the visage and cast a spell before a new visage is created, we’ll deal 30% more damage with that skill.
Since the cooldown of this skill is affected by the number of skills we have equipped, we need to balance the number of spells we have with those we’d prefer to empower. At it’s max level, it will create a visage every 9.15 seconds while increasing the frequency by 25% for each spell it can cast. That would look like the following across the base 9 skill slots.
| Count | Frequency |
|---|---|
| 1 | Once every 7.32 seconds |
| 2 | Once every 6.1 seconds |
| 3 | Once every 5.228 seconds |
| 4 | Once every 4.575 seconds |
| 5 | Once every 4.06 seconds |
| 6 | Once every 3.66 seconds |
| 7 | Once every 3.327 seconds |
| 8 | Once every 3.05 seconds |
| 9 | Once every 2.815 seconds |
In a lot of cases, this won’t ever exceed 2-3, as the visages cannot use Channeled Skills, Buffs Skills, or Skills with a cooldown. This immediately crosses off the majority of utility skills used outside our main DPS skill, Spirit Skills, and many others. As an example, an elemental caster would still be able to roll something like Orb of Storms, but not Frost Bomb.
The Unseen Path
The Unseen Path allows us to Walk the Paths Not Taken, opening a wide variety of additional passive clusters for use on the Passive Skill Tree.
This Ascendancy opens up a ton of options, with many build-enabling Notable Passives becoming available. Most builds will find something they want here, but it depends on if the Ascendancy points are better spent elsewhere for a particular build.
There’s a lot to cover here, so we’ve organized everything into a Table. We’ve included some Search Tags to help find bonuses that may be of interest.
| Notable | Tags | Effect | Small Passives |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cower Before the First Ones | Elemental Damage, Physical, Chaos | 30% Increased Cold, Fire, Lightning, Physical and Chaos Damage | Single Element Damage (one for each type), Damage |
| Relinquish Your Life | Damage as Extra, Chaos, Mana Cost, Life Cost, Stun Threshold | 53% increased Life Cost of Skills. Gain 21% of Damage as Extra Chaos Damage. | Chaos Damage Increased Life Cost %Mana Cost converted to Life Cost. |
| Corruption Endures | Avoid Death from Hits, Damage as Extra, Chaos, Mana Cost, Life Cost, Stun Threshold | 7% Chance to Avoid Death from Hits | Chaos Damage Increased Life Cost %Mana Cost converted to Life Cost. OR Stun Threshold |
| Flesh Withstands | Mana Regen, Armour, Life Regen, Stun Threshold, Ailment Threshold | 30% increased Mana Regen Rate while Shocked. +500 Armour while Frozen. 30% Life Regen Rate while Ignited. 21% increased Stun Threshold. 21% Incresed Elemental Ailment Threshold. | Stun and Elemental Ailment Threshold |
| Prize of the Hunt | Frenzy Charge | +1 Maximum Frenzy Charge 2% Chance to gain up to maximum Frenzy Charge when gaining Frenzy Charges. | 2% Chance to gain up to maximum Frenzy Charge when gaining Frenzy Charges. |
| Endlessly Soaring | Skill Effect Duration, Shapeshifting | Shapeshift Skills have 30% increased Skill Effect Duration | Shapeshift Skills have increased Skill Effect Duration |
| Deadly Thorns | Physical, Skill Effect Duration | 35% increased Physical Damage | Increased Physical Damage and Skill Effect Duration |
| Everlasting Bloom | Physical, Skill Effect Duration | 30% Increased Skill Effect Duration | Increased Physical Damage and Skill Effect Duration |
| Power of the Storm | Meta, Energy, Trigger | 50% increased Damage if you’ve triggered a Skill Recently. | Meta Skills gain increased Energy |
| First Sting | Poison | 30% Chance to Poison on hit against enemies that re not poisoned 80% increased effect of poison inflicted against enemies that are not Poisoned. | Chance to Poison OR Poison Magnitude. |
| Forbidden Path | Life, Resistance, Minion, Recoup | 5% reduced maximum Life -10% all Elemental Resistance Minions Recoup 30% of Damage Taken As Life minions Gain 20% of, Elemental Damage as Extra Chaos Damage | Minion Damage OR Minion Life |
| Exhaust All Power | Archon, Critical | Archon recovery period expires 30% Slower Archon Buff also grants +50% Critical Damage Bonus Archon Buff Also grants +30% Critical hit Chance | Critical Damge Bonus and Archon Buff Duration |
| Mighty Trunk | Totem | Totems Gain +3% to all Maximum Elemental Resistances 20% increased Area of Effect for Skills used by Totems | Totem All Maximum Elemental Resistance |
| Rustle of the Leaves | Totem | 40% increased Totem Placement Speed Skills cast by Totem have 6% increased Attack and Cast Speed | Skills cast by Totems have increased Attack and Cast Speed |
| Known By All | Minion | Temporary minion Skills have +2 Limit of Minions Summoned | Minion Duration and Minion Damage |
| Friend to Many | Minion | Minions deal 10% increased damage with Command Skills for each type of persistent Minion in your presence | Minion Damage |
| Trusted Partner | Companion | Companions have 20% increased Maximum Life 5% of Damage from Hits is taken from your Damageable Companion’s Life before you | Companion Damage |
| Lunar Boon | Mana Regen, Shapeshifting | 40% Increased Mana Regeneration Rate while Shapeshifted | Increased Mana Regeneration Rate while Shapeshifted |
| Unmoving Craiceann | Armour, Stationary, Life Regen | 30% Increased Armour while Stationary 30% Increased Life Regeneration Rate while Stationary | Increased Armour while Stationary |
| Shelter from the Rain | Start of Energy Shield Recharge, Block Chance | 40% Faster Start of Energy Shield Recharge 15% Block Chance | Block Chance |
| Self Sacrificing | Spirit Reservation Efficency, Minion | 20% reduced Spirit Reservation Efficiency of Skills 50% Increased Spirit Reservation Efficiency for Minon Skills | Reduced Damage and Allies in your Presence deal Increased damage OR Reduced Skill Speed and Allies in your Presence have increased Skill Speed |
| Gift of the Plains | Power Charges | +1 Maximum Power Charges 2% Chance when gaining Power Charges to instead gain Maximum Power Charges | Chance when gaining Power Charges to instead gain Maximum Power Charges |
| Comradery | Damage, Minion | 30% Damage Minions Deal 30% increased Damage | Damage and Minion Damage |
| Night’s Bite | Damage as Extra, Chaos, Spell Damage, Poison | Spells gain 12% of Damage as Extra Chaos Damage | Spell Damage and Poison Chance |
| Give Up Your Essence | Prescence, Life Regen, Life Cost | Allies in your Presence Regenerate 2% of your maximum Life per second 30% increased Life Cost of Skills. | Skill Mana Costs coverted to Life Cost |
| Nurturing Nature | Mana Regen | 40% Increased Mana Regeneration Rate while on Full Life | Life Regneration Rate |
| Anger Management | Rage | +15 to Maximum Rage 200% faster start of inherent Rage Loss | Maximum Rage |
| Strength of the Deep | Endurance Charges | +1 Maximum Endurance Charges 2% Chance when gaining Endurance Charges to instead gain Maximum Endurance Charges | Chance when gaining Endurance Charges to instead gain Maximum Endurance Charges |
| Powerful Casting | Spell Damage, Strength | 2% Increased Spell Damage per 10 Strength | Spell Damage and Strength |
| Her Final Bite | Bow Damage, Reduced Movement Penalty for Skills | 20% increased Physical Damage with Bows Bow Attacks have Culling Strike | Damage with Bows or Reduced Movement Speed Penalty frm using skills while moving |
| Medatative Focus | Stun Threshold, Recoup, Channeling | 60% increased Stun Threshold 30% of Damage Taken Recouped as Life while Channeling | Damage Taken Recouped as Life While Channeling |
| Call Upon the Deep | Elemental Damage, Glory | Damage Penetrates 20% Elemental Resistance for each Glory Skill used in the last 6 seconds | Elemental Damage or Glory Generation |
| Limitless Pursuit | Movement Speed, Cooldown Recovery Rate | 4% Increased Movemennt Speed 14% increased Coldown Recovery Rate | Movement Speed and Cooldown Recovery Rate |
| Mentorship | Minion | Minions have 15% reduced Skill Speed Minions deal 100% increased Damge with Command Skills | Cooldown Recovery Rate for Command Skills |
| Hidden Forms | Elemental Damage, Shapeshifting | Gain 8% of Damage as Extra Damage of a Random Element while Shapeshifted | Elemental Damage whiel Shapeshifted |
| Innate Rune | Elemental Damage | 1 to 37 Lightning Damage added to Attacks | Flat Lightning to Attacks |
| Calculated Hunter | Skill Speed, Critical | 5% reduced Skill Speed 50% Increased Critical Hit Chance | Critical Damage Bonus |
| Rough Carapace | Thorns, Shapeshifting | Gain Physical Thorns damage equal to 8% Maximum Life while Shapeshifted | Thorns Damage |
| Scent of Blood | Movement Speed, Bleed | 3% Movement Speed 20% Increased Bleed Duration 40% chance to apply Incision with Attack Hits | Bleeding Duration and Incision Chance |
| Vale Dweller | Armour, Bleed | 50% Increased Armour while Bleeding 50% reduced Magnitude of Bleeding on you | Increased Armour While Bleeding |
| Unquenchable Iron | Elemental Damage, Physical, Damage as Extra | Gain 18% of Physical Damage as Extra Lightning Damage | Physical Damge or Lightning Damage |
Entwined Realities
Entwined Realities grants the ability to assign any Non-Keystone passives located within a Medium radius of an allocated Keystone passive.
If you’re familiar with the From Nothing Jewel, it’s a similar effect, but requires the Keystone to actually be allocated. This means spending some points to take the keystone, but allowing us to skip additional travel nodes or nodes within a cluster to pick up some powerful Notable Passives.
This may potentially work with unique Items that allocate Keystones as well, giving those items a niche use for certain builds, outside of any they already work for. However, we won’t know for sure until launch.
This can save a ton of Passive Points when utilized well. As a couple of examples that may or may not still work after the update.
- Zealot’s Oath will allow easy access to the nearby (assumed to be Shapeshifting) cluster
- Whispers of Doom allows easier access to the nearby curse clusters
- Eldritch Battery allows easier access to the nearby Lightning, Mana, Archon and Spell Crit clusters.
- Blood Magic allows easier access to the nearby Totem, Rage, and Shapeshifting clusters
- Resolute Technique allows easier access to the nearby Stun, Endurance Charge, Aftershock, Thorns, Rage, and Skill duration clusters.
Since we’re also forced to take The Unseen Paths before this, we’ll also have easier access to those bonuses as well, should any be near Keystones. There will also be a few more Keystones being added to the Druid section as well, so there will be even more options to work with.
