Load your Crossbow with Piercing bolts that can consume Fully Broken Armour on enemies to deal extra damage.
Attack Damage: 249%
Knocks Back Enemies
Consumes Fully Broken Armour on enemies to deal 150% more Damage
Bolts Pierce 6 Targets
Skills can be managed in the Skills Panel.
Buy PoE 2 Currency Fast
PoE 2 Currency (6% off coupon: z123). Path of Exile 2 currency items. Payment: PayPal, Skrill, Cryptocurrencies.
High Velocity Rounds is a devastating Projectile-based Attack skill in Path of Exile 2 designed for Mercenary players who want to maximize their piercing potential and damage output. This skill works by loading your Crossbow with specially designed Piercing bolts that can deal extra damage by consuming Fully Broken Armour on enemies. Whether you’re looking to break through defenses or obliterate multiple targets at once, High Velocity Rounds is an exceptional choice for dealing high Physical damage.
Effect: Load Piercing bolts into your Crossbow, and unleash them on enemies. These bolts can consume Fully Broken Armour on enemies to deal extra damage.
How High Velocity Rounds Works
High Velocity Rounds uses a combination of piercing projectiles and armor penetration mechanics to deliver devastating blows to enemies. The key mechanics of this skill include:
1. Piercing Bolts for Maximum Damage
The bolts fired by High Velocity Rounds have the Piercing property, allowing them to hit multiple targets in a straight line. This is particularly effective when facing large groups of enemies, as it enables the bolts to continue traveling through targets and deal damage to multiple enemies with a single shot.
Piercing is a valuable mechanic in Path of Exile 2, as it ensures that the bolts hit enemies behind the initial target, allowing you to hit 6 targets with a single burst of bolts.
2. Armor Consumption for Extra Damage
One of the unique aspects of High Velocity Rounds is its ability to consume Fully Broken Armour on enemies to deal 150% more damage. This means that when an enemy’s armor is fully broken, the attack can gain a significant damage boost, making it incredibly effective against heavily armored enemies or bosses with strong defenses.
To maximize the damage from High Velocity Rounds, you’ll want to focus on breaking enemy armor before unleashing the skill. This can be achieved using other abilities or modifiers that reduce enemy armor or increase armor penetration.
3. Knockback Effect
High Velocity Rounds also comes with a Knockback effect. This means that enemies hit by the bolts will be pushed back, which can be useful for controlling the battlefield and keeping enemies at a distance. The Knockback can be especially helpful when dealing with melee enemies or trying to manage space in a tight area.
4. High Attack Damage
The attack damage of High Velocity Rounds is 249%, making it a powerful attack for those who want to focus on physical damage with their Crossbow. This high damage output is further amplified when you take advantage of the armor consumption mechanic, ensuring that your attacks hit even harder once an enemy’s armor is broken.
Synergies with Other Skills and Builds
High Velocity Rounds is a great choice for builds that focus on Physical damage, Armor penetration, and Projectile scaling. It works especially well in Mercenary builds that emphasize Crossbows and piercing mechanics. Here are some synergies to consider:
1. Armor Penetration Builds
Since High Velocity Rounds consumes fully broken armor for additional damage, it pairs well with armor penetration effects. Consider using skills or passive tree nodes that reduce enemy armor or increase your armor penetration, ensuring that enemies’ defenses are broken faster, allowing you to take advantage of the damage bonus from armor consumption.
You can also use support gems like Vicious Projectiles or Armor Penetration to further enhance your ability to break through defenses.
2. Projectile and Piercing Builds
High Velocity Rounds is a Piercing projectile skill, which makes it synergize well with Projectile scaling builds. Consider using support gems that enhance Projectile damage, such as Slower Projectiles or Increased Projectile Damage, to further boost the damage output of the skill.
Additionally, Pierce support gems like Piercing Shots can ensure that your projectiles continue through multiple targets, allowing you to hit up to 6 enemies with a single shot.
3. Knockback Synergy
The Knockback effect of High Velocity Rounds can be useful for controlling the positioning of enemies. If you are building a crowd control or space management strategy, you can enhance the Knockback effect using items or skills that increase Knockback distance or enhance projectile knockback.
Additionally, Knockback can be useful for keeping enemies away from you, especially in ranged Mercenary builds that focus on staying at a distance.
4. Crossbow Builds
High Velocity Rounds is specifically designed for Crossbow users, and it pairs incredibly well with builds that focus on Crossbows. Make sure to focus on Crossbow modifiers that enhance your attack speed or damage to maximize the effectiveness of High Velocity Rounds.
Consider using crossbow-focused skills, such as Rapid Fire or Burst Fire, to increase the overall speed and damage of your Crossbow.
Pros and Cons of High Velocity Rounds
Pros:
Piercing mechanic allows you to hit up to 6 targets with a single bolt, making it highly effective for clearing large groups of enemies.
The ability to consume broken armor for extra damage makes it highly effective against enemies with high armor or defenses.
Knockback effect helps with crowd control, keeping enemies at a distance and potentially setting up for follow-up attacks.
High attack damage scaling, especially when armor is broken, gives the skill potent single-target and AoE damage.
Cons:
Mana cost of 10 Mana per use, while not extremely high, can add up over time, especially in prolonged fights. You may need to focus on mana regeneration.
The armor consumption mechanic relies on breaking armor, which means you may need additional skills or setup to break armor effectively before using the skill.
The Knockback effect may unintentionally push enemies out of your attack range, potentially disrupting your positioning.
Tips for Using High Velocity Rounds
Focus on Breaking Armor: Since High Velocity Rounds deals extra damage when it consumes fully broken armor, make sure to use skills or support gems that help break armor. Skills like Puncture or Impale are great options to reduce enemy armor.
Maximize Piercing: Use support gems like Pierce or Piercing Shots to ensure that your bolts hit multiple targets. This will allow you to maximize the AoE damage potential of the skill.
Manage Knockback: While the Knockback effect can be useful, be mindful of its potential to push enemies out of range. Try to use it strategically to keep enemies at a safe distance or to reposition them.
Use Crossbow Enhancements: Make sure your gear enhances Crossbow damage and attack speed to make High Velocity Rounds even more powerful. Items or passive tree nodes that enhance Crossbow attacks will boost the overall effectiveness of the skill.
Conclusion
High Velocity Rounds is a powerful Projectile-based attack that offers excellent piercing potential and armor-breaking damage. With its ability to pierce 6 targets and deal extra damage when armor is consumed, it’s an effective choice for Mercenary players who enjoy using Crossbows. Whether you’re clearing large mobs or focusing on high-damage single-target attacks, High Velocity Rounds provides versatile options for dealing physical damage in a variety of combat situations. If you’re looking to combine piercing projectiles with armor-breaking mechanics, this skill is an essential part of your Mercenary toolkit.