Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame - Transfigured Skills Preview and Guide

Summary

Over the past several expansions, transfigured variants have been progressively added to skills that previously lacked them, and the Curse of the Allflame update continues this practice by introducing Holy Hammers of Spirals and Reap of Butchery. This guide covers the definition of transfigured gems, their acquisition methods, how they interact with the broader POE currency economy, and currently available information regarding these two new skills.

Definition of Transfigured Gems

Transfigured gems are alternate versions of existing skill gems, identified by the suffix "of X" in their name. Although they share the same base item type as their standard counterparts, they can substantially alter a skill's mechanical identity, including modifications to gem tags and core functionality.

Since their introduction, over 180 transfigured gems have been added to the game, with the selection continuing to expand each league. Each transfigured gem provides an alternative method of utilizing a familiar skill, thereby enabling new build archetypes.

Distinction from Regular Skill Gems

The primary distinction is that transfigured gems possess different or additional effects that modify skill behavior. Examples include alterations to projectile properties or changes to skill tags, which subsequently affect which support gems and passive tree nodes are applicable.

In all cases, the transfigured version includes "of X" in its name. These gems are not direct power increases but rather present tradeoffs: new functionality is gained while certain aspects of the original skill are lost.

Acquisition Methods

Transfigured gems do not drop randomly from enemies nor are they available for purchase from town vendors. Two primary acquisition methods exist.

Method 1: The Divine Font in the Labyrinth

Upon completing the Lord's Labyrinth (Trial of Ascendancy), the Divine Font altar at the end allows the transformation of a gem into a random transfigured gem of the same color. This is the most reliable acquisition method.

The principal advantage is that a specific gem can be brought and transformed into a transfigured version of the same color. The difficulty level of the Labyrinth completed—Normal, Cruel, Merciless, or Eternal—does not affect the availability of this transformation option.

Additional Information: Completion of either the Merciless or Eternal Trial may cause the Divine Font to spawn an additional option that guarantees a transfigured variant for a specific regular gem, provided one exists. When multiple transfigured versions exist for a given gem, selection among them is possible.

Method 2: Betrayal Safehouses

The Fortification Syndicate Safehouse, with Tora the Culler assigned as the primary boss, contains a Trapped Stash that drops transfigured gems. The quantity of gems awarded is determined by Tora's ranking; rank 3 grants up to four gems simultaneously.

The limitation of this method is the inability to select which gems drop. With over 180 transfigured gems in the pool, the probability of obtaining a specific desired gem is low.

Supplementary Method: Act 9 Secret Room

A lesser-known acquisition location exists in The Tunnel in Act 9. Within the Trial of Ascendancy gauntlet, approximately in the final third, an unmarked lever opens a secret room containing a chest that drops a random transfigured gem. This is limited to once per character.

New in Curse of the Allflame: Two Previewed Transfigured Skills

The Curse of the Allflame update introduces two new transfigured skills that have been previewed.

Holy Hammers of Spirals

This skill provides an alternative method of delivering holy damage. Based on preliminary data mining, Holy Hammers of Spirals appears to be an attack that swings a two-handed mace or staff in a circular motion, summoning holy hammers that land randomly on struck enemies.

Mechanical insights from preliminary data:

50% of Physical Damage is Converted to Lightning Damage

The skill summons holy hammers on up to 5 enemies struck

Hits from these holy hammers cannot be evaded

Hammers deal 35% less Damage

Base radius is 2.6 metres, with each hammer impact having a 1.2 metre radius

Build Considerations: Due to the attack-based nature of this skill, it is likely to pair effectively with two-handed mace or staff builds. The lightning conversion provides scaling opportunities through elemental damage nodes, Wrath auras, and support gems such as Lightning Penetration. The "cannot be evaded" property on hammer hits is particularly valuable against high-evasion enemies.

Community speculation suggests this skill may interact with a new support gem observed in previews, potentially an attack-based counterpart to Spell Cascade. Confirmation will be available upon release of the complete patch notes.

Reap of Butchery

Described as a skill for engagements requiring proximity to dispatched victims, Reap of Butchery is likely a melee-range variant of the existing Reap skill.

Community Discovery: Early previews of Reap of Butchery revealed a potential inconsistency in its description. The gem's description states "If any survive, you gain a blood charge," while the stats indicate "If this skill hits enemies and none of them die."

This creates an interpretive question: in an encounter with 10 enemies, if one is eliminated while the remaining nine survive, does this satisfy the condition? Grinding Gear Games has acknowledged this contradiction and indicated that the description requires revision.

Build Considerations: Reap traditionally scales with physical damage and benefits from blood charges that increase its damage output. This transfigured variant will likely shift the playstyle toward ensuring enemies survive the initial hit to accumulate charges—a different approach from the standard objective of eliminating enemies as rapidly as possible.

Preparation for These New Skills

For those intending to utilize either of these transfigured skills upon the Curse of the Allflame release on July 24 (PDT), the following preparatory actions are recommended:

Accumulate Labyrinth Offerings: As the Divine Font is the most reliable method for obtaining specific transfigured gems, maintaining a stockpile of Offerings to the Goddess facilitates multiple Labyrinth runs.

Level appropriate base gems: Obtain a regular version of the desired skill and level it prior to transformation, as the transfigured version retains the experience of the original gem.

Prepare equipment for two-handed mace or staff builds: Holy Hammers of Spirals explicitly requires a two-handed mace or staff. Having suitable equipment available will enable immediate testing of the skill.

Consider a physical-to-elemental conversion setup: With 50% physical to lightning conversion integrated into Holy Hammers, investigate additional conversion sources, such as gloves with conversion suffixes, to maximize elemental scaling.

Conclusion

The transfigured gem system consolidates alternate quality gems, labyrinth helmet enchantments, and unique threshold jewels into a single system, enabling Grinding Gear Games to better support alternate playstyles. Curse of the Allflame expands this roster with Holy Hammers of Spirals for holy-themed melee builds and Reap of Butchery for blood-themed caster skills. For players needing resources to test these builds, POE currency for sale is available from MMOEXP.