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Quick answer
Throw Gas Grenade where enemies will remain, then either let the cloud poison or detonate it with a burning effect or Detonator skill for a fire explosion.
Choose one main job—poison cloud, fire detonation, or utility. A link split across all three usually underperforms a focused setup.
Skill properties
- Gem tier
- 5
- A Strength/Dexterity crossbow attack.
- Cooldown
- 3 seconds with 3 uses
- Quality can improve cooldown recovery.
- Impact fuse
- 2 seconds
- The grenade bounces and follows its detonation timer.
- Cloud duration
- 6 seconds
- Persistent Ground supports can extend control and poison coverage.
- Cloud limit
- 6
- Throwing beyond the limit replaces older clouds.
- Cloud growth
- 20% more radius per second, up to 80%
- A fresh cloud has less coverage than a mature one.
- Detonation
- Burning effects or Detonator skills
- Converts the explosion component to fire damage.
Requirements and setup
- Requires a crossbow and enough Strength/Dexterity.
- Needs a reliable plan for cooldown charges and landing delayed grenades.
- Fire-detonation versions need a dependable igniter or Detonator; poison versions need poison and chaos scaling instead.
Core mechanics
The grenade's impact creates a poison cloud after the fuse. The cloud does not hit, but poisons as though it hit, so its ailment scaling differs from the initial impact and later fire explosion.
The cloud grows over time and lasts six seconds. Immediate detonation trades that growing area and poison uptime for a fire burst, so the correct timing depends on whether the build values poison, crowd control, or fire damage.
Only six poison clouds can be active. Extra throws can replace useful established clouds and waste cooldown charges.
What scales each component
| Component | Useful investment | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| Poison cloud | Chaos, poison, duration, persistent area | Do not detonate immediately |
| Fire explosion | Weapon damage, fire conversion, area, reliable igniter | Detonate when the target is inside |
| Utility cloud | Duration, area, cooldown recovery | Use to control packs or enable another skill |
| Boss preload | Multiple charges before a stationary phase | Respect the six-cloud limit and boss movement |
Support priorities
- Second Wind
- Core
- Adds charge flexibility when the rotation regularly empties all uses.
- Persistent Ground
- Core
- Extends cloud uptime for poison or utility versions.
- Fire Mastery
- Situational
- For a dedicated detonation build, not a pure poison setup.
- Cooldown Recovery
- Situational
- Improves sustained availability after the base link is functional.
- Long Fuse
- Optional
- Changes placement timing and can prevent premature detonation in specialised setups.
Support compatibility rules
Choose supports for the component that actually deals damage in the build. A support can be technically compatible while weakening placement, speed, conversion, or another component.
- Re-test projectile speed, duration, and area after changing supports.
- Do not infer support behaviour from the visual effect alone.
- Keep one flexible socket for mapping or bossing needs.
Mapping rotation
Throw ahead of the pack, not behind it. For fire versions, ignite or detonate after monsters enter the cloud. For poison versions, allow the cloud to grow and move enemies through it.
Do not spend all three uses on the first small group. One charge in reserve keeps the build responsive when a rare or fast pack appears.
Bossing rotation
Preload clouds during a long animation and trigger the chosen detonation only while the boss is still inside. If the boss teleports frequently, use fewer throws per window.
Track whether old clouds are still active. Replacing six mature clouds with fresh off-target clouds lowers both poison uptime and control.
Build use cases
- Grenade builds using Oil or another burning effect for fire detonation.
- Poison crossbow builds that scale the non-hit cloud behaviour.
- Utility setups needing a persistent growing area and delayed burst.
Troubleshooting
- Clouds form behind enemiesLead the target and account for the fuse.Use control or an adhesive support if compatible with the plan.
- The fire explosion never occursConfirm the activating effect is burning or a valid Detonator.Make sure it reaches the cloud rather than only the enemy.
- Boss damage stalls after one burstPreserve charges and add cooldown recovery.Use a filler attack while charges recover.
Common mistakes
- Mixing poison and fire supports without enough scaling for either.
- Throwing directly at a fast enemy instead of its path.
- Ignoring the six-cloud limit.
- Detonating a poison-focused cloud immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Does the cloud hit?
No. It poisons as though hitting, which matters for hit-only effects.
How many clouds can exist?
Six according to the current skill data.
Should I ignite every cloud?
Only in a fire-detonation version. Poison versions usually want the cloud to persist.
Why does a fresh cloud look small?
Its radius grows over time up to the listed cap.
Is Scattershot always good?
No. More grenades change spread, charge use, and placement; test whether they land where the target remains.
Video guide
PoE2 Gas Grenade Guide
Gas Grenade — poison cloud, detonation and cooldown (PoE2 0.5)
Guide covering Gas Grenade poison cloud buildup, ignition detonation, and cooldown handling.
What to watch for: Watch the cloud buildup and detonation timing.
Open source ↗Sources and verification
Current cloud limit, cooldown, damage branches and quality effects.
Revision history
- Expanded the skill page with current mechanical properties, component scaling, rotations, compatibility rules, and symptom-based troubleshooting.
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