Path of Exile 2: Glacial Lance Gameplay Guide
1. Understanding Glacial Lance
Glacial Lance fires a piercing shard of ice that has two phases: an inner and outer phase.
Inner Lance: Deals moderate cold damage and triggers close to the caster.
Outer Lance: If the projectile travels far enough (past the “transition” point), it transforms and deals significantly more cold damage in a larger area.
Key mechanics:
Double Hit Potential: Enemies standing at the transition point can be hit twice — once by the inner lance and once by the outer lance.
Spell Tag: It scales with Spell Damage, Cold Damage, Projectile Damage, and Cast Speed.
Piercing: Glacial Lance pierces through enemies, making it ideal for line-based targeting and grouped enemies.
2. Pros and Cons
Pros:
Strong area and boss damage when positioned properly.
Synergizes well with chilling, freezing, and crit mechanics.
Excellent scaling with both single-target and AoE builds.
Flexible build paths: crit-based or cast speed-focused.
Cons:
Requires careful enemy positioning for double-hit optimization.
Damage can feel underwhelming if range isn’t managed.
Relies heavily on cast speed and mobility to stay safe and effective.
3. Optimal Positioning
To maximize Glacial Lance, you need to consistently hit enemies with the outer lance, and ideally both hits.
Tips:
Distance is key: The “sweet spot” is at mid-range — too close, and you only get inner hit; too far, and the inner portion is wasted.
Kite enemies into range so they line up for full damage.
Use terrain to funnel mobs into straight lines (narrow paths, bridges, etc.).
Against bosses, stay mobile and maintain the mid-range zone for double hits.
4. Class and Ascendancy Choice
Witch – Elementalist or Spellblade (if available in PoE 2)
Elementalist provides Cold Penetration, Increased Freeze Chance, and Golemental scaling.
Spellblade (if PoE 2 introduces it as a melee-caster hybrid) might benefit from close-range bonuses.
Sorcerer (if multiclassing is available)
Might benefit from Energy Shield, Spell Crit, and Mana Efficiency.
5. Passive Tree Priorities
Focus on nodes that enhance:
Cold Spell Damage
Projectile Speed and Damage
Critical Strike Chance/Multiplier for Spells
Cast Speed
Mana Regeneration or Reservation Efficiency
Cold Penetration and Freeze Effect
Sample Notables:
Heart of Ice
Snowforged
Arcane Will
Shaper of Storms (if ascendancy applicable)
6. Support Gems (Skill Links)
To maximize Glacial Lance’s effectiveness, use support gems that enhance cold, crit, and buy POE 2 Currency projectile aspects.
Core Links (5–6 Link Setup):
Glacial Lance
Spell Echo – Increases cast speed and gives double-cast utility.
Controlled Destruction – Big spell damage boost, manageable crit penalty.
Elemental Focus – Prevents freezing but gives massive cold damage.
Cold Penetration – Essential for scaling into high-resist mobs.
Increased Critical Damage or Hypothermia – If running a freeze build.
Alternatives:
Faster Casting – Quality-of-life, great for mapping.
Awakened Gems – If available in PoE 2, use for more power scaling.
7. Auras and Utility Skills
Recommended Auras:
Zealotry – Boosts spell and crit chance.
Herald of Ice – Good for clear and freeze shatters.
Clarity – Helps with mana sustain.
Arctic Armour – Defensive layer if standing still during bossing.
Mobility:
Flame Dash – Classic teleport spell for repositioning.
Frostblink – Better for freeze synergy and instant escape.
Phase Run – Optional, for extra speed and spell evasion.
Utility:
Frostbite (Curse) – Lower enemy cold resistance.
Vaal Righteous Fire – Burst damage booster.
Bone Offering/Steelskin/Immortal Call – Defensive options.
8. Gear and Stats Priorities
Weapon:
Wand + Shield or Staff
Look for:
+1 to Cold/Spell Gems
Spell Crit Chance
Increased Cold/Projectile Damage
Cast Speed
Helmet/Gloves/Boots:
Energy Shield or Evasion bases.
Resistances, ES, and cast speed modifiers.
Body Armour:
Increased Spell Damage
Socketed Gems supported by additional effects (Spell Echo, Cold Pen, etc.)
Amulet:
+1 to all Cold or Spell Skills
Crit Multi, Cast Speed
Rings:
Essence of Suffering for Chill/Freeze effectiveness
Mana Regen, Cold Damage, Curse on Hit
Jewels:
Watcher’s Eye with Zealotry interactions
Increased Crit Multi for Spells
Cold Damage to Spells while Dual Wielding
9. Leveling with Glacial Lance
Glacial Lance becomes available early, making it a good leveling skill if built properly.
Tips:
Use Frostbolt + Freezing Pulse early.
Transition to Glacial Lance once you have Spell Echo and enough cast speed.
Focus on Cold Damage, Mana Regen, and Projectile Supports.
Pick up Frostblink early to stay mobile.
10. Bossing and Endgame Mapping Tips
Bossing:
Stay at medium range to maximize double-hit potential.
Pre-cast for overlapping lances when the boss becomes vulnerable.
Apply Frostbite or Elemental Weakness for extra burst.
Use Vaal Righteous Fire during boss phases for extra DPS.
Mapping:
Use Spell Echo and Faster Casting for rapid clear.
Add Pierce or Chain (if available) for better crowd control.
Pair with Herald of Ice for screen-clearing shatter explosions.
11. Advanced Tips
Projectile Speed affects the transition point — test ranges to align the outer lance for boss fights.
Consider Ball Lightning or Cold Snap for utility alongside Glacial Lance.
If Totem or Trap builds are viable with Glacial Lance in PoE 2, they can offer alternate playstyles.
Watch for new Support Gems or Passive Tree reworks in PoE 2 that further boost cold/proj builds.
Conclusion
Glacial Lance in Path of Exile 2 is a rewarding spell that benefits players who master its range mechanics and optimize for cold and spell synergy. While it may take time to fine-tune positioning and build around its unique damage pattern, the pay-off is a devastatingly powerful caster setup that can handle everything from tight corridors to high-tier bosses.
Master the rhythm of mid-range casting, enhance it with cold-focused gear and spells, and freeze your enemies in their tracks — literally and figuratively.