Path of Exile: Living Lightning mechanics, stats, and is it worth it?

Path of Exile features many interesting support gems, including Living Lightning. First introduced in PoE 2, it creates floating minions who follow you around and attack enemies for a short duration. It was added to the game in patch 3.27, Keepers of the Flame update, and is available as a quest reward in Act 2 for a few Classes or from Siosa in Act 3 for everyone.

Living Lightning works similarly to Summon Phantasm and will be a perfect pick if you’re playing a lightning-based skill and want to add a little more damage. Here’s everything you need to know about this newly added support gem in Path of Exile.

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Path of Exile: Living Lightning mechanics and stats explained

Small floating sparks will follow you around (Image via GGG)

Living Lightning is a support gem that you slot alongside a skill gem through a linked socket. When dealing lightning damage through a supported skill, it creates a floating spark that will deal lightning damage to enemies. You can have a maximum of eight minions active at a time with a level 20 gem.

Unlike Summon Phantasm, Living Lightning has a 100% spawn chance as long as you hit the enemy, so keeping them at full stacks will never be an issue. The base duration for each spark is five seconds, after which it will disappear. They also disappear after three attacks, regardless of duration.

While three attacks may not seem much, each one can chain between enemies three times. Since there’s no damage fall-off, you’re getting 24 hits at max stacks, not to mention how it’s easy to keep all minions active at once.

You need lightning damage to trigger the support gem (Image via GGG)

Note that while the support gem only triggers with lightning damage, you don’t need to have a lightning-specific skill. Simply having the related attacks as part of the skill gem will help you summon your elemental army. Here are the in-game stats:

• Trigger Summon Living Lightning when a Supported Skill deals Lightning Damage with a Hit
• Minions convert 100% of Physical Damage to Lightning Damage
• Base duration is 5.00 seconds
• Maximum (5-8) Minions (increases with quality)
• Minions Attack 3 times before dissipating
• This Skill is triggered when a Supported Skill deals Lightning Damage with a Hit
• Minions' Skills Chain +3 Times
• Minions Attack +(0.1-2) times before dissipating (increases with quality)

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Is it worth using Living Lightning in Path of Exile?

Living Lightning is great support gem for beginners (Image via GGG)

Living Lightning is an excellent skill to use throughout the campaign. Since they convert 100% of physical damage to lightning that can chain between enemies, it’s easy to inflict Shock, allowing you to deal additional damage.

However, the endgame in Path of Exile is very challenging, as enemies gain more resistances or even immunity to certain elements. It's where you’ll want the additional support slot to have something that increases damage.

If you still want minions, a better alternative would be the Sacred Wisps support, which can trigger the same attack you are using. It will deal 50% less damage, but you have more base duration and additional attack damage by improving the gem quality.

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Check out other related guides and features:

• Path of Exile Withered debuff explained
• Path of Exile: What's changed in patch 3.27.0d
• Path of Exile Genesis Tree crafting guide

Edited by Mayank Singh Rathour