On this page
- Quick Answer
- Quick Facts
- Requirements
- Persistent Buff
- Storm Activation
- Storm Hit Behaviour
- Ailment Interactions
- Support Compatibility
- Support Loadouts
- Spirit Budget
- Mapping Rotation
- Bossing Value
- Build Usage
- Troubleshooting
- Community Evidence
- Video Walkthrough and Timestamps
- Sources and Verification
- Patch History
- Changelog
Quick Answer
Herald of Thunder reserves 30 Spirit. While it is active, any time a Shocked enemy dies, a Storm is triggered at that location, calling down Lightning bolts.
Shocking an enemy without killing it does nothing yet; killing a non-Shocked enemy does nothing. You need both: the enemy must be Shocked, and then it must die.
The kill can be yours, a Minion's, a Totem's or a triggered skill's. What matters is that a Shocked enemy died. It is excellent for maps and weaker for bosses, which are harder to Shock and offer fewer adds to kill.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Spirit / Herald / Lightning
- Tagged spirit, herald, lightning, ailment, trigger.
- Spirit
- Reserves 30 Spirit
- Cheaper than Heralds that reserve more; easy to fit into a budget.
- Trigger
- Shocked enemy dies
- Both conditions required: Shocked, then killed.
- Storm
- Lightning bolts at death site
- Lasts a few seconds; bolts hit at intervals within a radius.
- Acquisition
- Uncut Skill Gem (Tier 3)
- Obtained from an Uncut Skill Gem; enabled in the skill panel.
Requirements
No special attribute gate. The only real requirement is that your build can apply Shock to enemies often enough that Shocked enemies actually die while Shocked.
- Shock application
- Required for activation
- Without Shock there is no valid target state for the Storm.
- Kill while Shocked
- Required for activation
- The enemy must die while still in the Shocked state.
- 30 Spirit
- Reserved while active
- Cheap; usually leaves room for another small Spirit skill.
Persistent Buff
Herald of Thunder is a persistentbuff: once enabled it stays on, reserving 30 Spirit, and passively watches for Shocked enemies dying. You do not activate it per fight; it is always listening.
- State
- Always on while reserved
- Reserves 30 Spirit for the whole map or fight.
- Trigger condition
- Shocked enemy dies
- Passive watch; no manual cast.
Storm Activation
The activation chain is strict: a Shocked enemy must die. If you Shock but never kill, nothing happens. If you kill but the enemy was not Shocked at death, nothing happens. Only a Shocked-then-dead enemy triggers the Storm.
Kill credit is broad. The kill can be yours, a Minion's, a Totem's or a triggered skill's; as long as the dead enemy was Shocked, the Storm triggers. This makes Herald of Thunder pair well with minion, totem and trigger builds that kill many Shocked enemies.
- Shock without kill = no Storm.
- Kill without Shock = no Storm.
- Shocked then killed by you / Minion / Totem / trigger = Storm.
Storm Hit Behaviour
When the Storm triggers, it calls down Lightning bolts over a few seconds within an impact radius around the death site. The bolts hit at a regular frequency, not all at once.
The same boss can be hit by multiple bolts during one Storm, because each bolt is a separate hit within the duration. A Storm bolt can also inflict Shock on what it hits, which can chain into more Shocked enemies dying and more Storms — though the original Herald kill itself is what started it.
- Duration
- A few seconds
- Bolts fall over the Storm's lifetime, not instantly.
- Impact radius
- Around the death site
- Area supports widen this radius.
- Boss hits
- Multiple per Storm
- Each bolt is a separate hit on the same target.
Ailment Interactions
Shock is the gate. Herald of Thunder does not need Chill, Freeze or Ignite; only Shock on the dying enemy matters. A Storm bolt can itself Shock, which can create more Shocked enemies, but those new Shocks only matter if those enemies then die.
Herald-on-Herald: Herald of Thunder and Herald of Ice can both be active at the same time (they reserve different Spirit). They do not recursively trigger each other — a Herald of Thunder Storm killing a Shocked enemy does not itself fire Herald of Ice's shatter; each Herald watches for its own condition.
- Only Shock gates activation; other ailments are irrelevant to the trigger.
- Storm bolts can Shock, enabling more Shocked targets.
- Herald of Thunder + Herald of Ice can both run; they do not chain-trigger.
Support Compatibility
The Storm is a Lightning hit, so supports that add Lightning Damage, Lightning Penetration or Area help it. Area supports widen the impact radius so more enemies are caught by the bolts.
- Area supports
- Recommended
- Widen the impact radius to catch more enemies per Storm.
- Lightning Damage / Penetration
- Recommended
- Scale the Storm's Lightning bolts directly.
- Elemental Focus
- Usually avoid
- It prevents inflicting Shock, which is the trigger; without Shock the Herald never fires.
Support Loadouts
A mapping loadout maximises the Storm's reach and Lightning damage; a bossing loadout leans harder on Lightning Penetration since bosses resist.
- Mapping loadoutSocket Area and Lightning Damage supports.Wider, harder-hitting Storms that clear packs.
- Bossing loadoutSocket Lightning Penetration and damage supports.Storms that still matter against resistant bosses.
Spirit Budget
At 30 Spirit, Herald of Thunder is cheap. The real question is the tradeoff: that 30 Spirit could instead go to Combat Frenzy, Wind Dancer or a second Herald. Because it is cheap, it often fits alongside one of those.
- Reservation
- 30 Spirit
- Leaves room for another small Spirit skill.
- Vs Combat Frenzy / Wind Dancer
- Budget choice
- Pick the one that helps your build more; CoC-style builds may prefer Frenzy.
Mapping Rotation
In maps, packs are full of Shocked enemies dying every second, so Storms trigger constantly and the bolts chain clear the screen. This is where Herald of Thunder shines.
- Shock the packApply Shock with your main skill.Pack is in a valid target state.
- Kill while ShockedClear the pack.Storms trigger across the group, chaining clears.
Bossing Value
On a single boss the Herald is weaker: bosses are harder to Shock and there are no add packs dying to trigger Storms. You may get occasional Storms when the boss is Shocked and dies to a phase, but the uptime is low. Many bossing builds keep it for the cheap Lightning supplement but do not rely on it.
- Shock the bossApply Shock when the window opens.A Storm can trigger if the boss dies Shocked.
- Accept low uptimeTreat it as supplemental.Storms are occasional, not a core boss tool.
Build Usage
Lightning Spear Amazon: a Shock-focused attack build that keeps packs Shocked and dead, triggering Storms constantly.
Ice Shot Deadeye: a cold build that still applies Shock via supports, using the Herald as a Lightning clear layer.
Any Shock-centric mapping build: if you Shock and kill a lot, the Herald adds free screen-wide Lightning.
- Lightning Spear Amazon mapping.
- Ice Shot Deadeye secondary Lightning layer.
- Any build that Shocks and clears fast.
Troubleshooting
No Storms at all: you are not applying Shock, or enemies die before they are Shocked. Direct answer: apply Shock first, then kill.
Storms but weak clear: the impact radius is small. Direct answer: socket Area supports to widen it.
Boss barely触发: bosses resist Shock and there are no adds. Direct answer: accept low uptime; the Herald is a mapping tool.
Herald feels dead after adding Elemental Focus: it removed Shock application. Direct answer: remove Elemental Focus so Shock can be applied.
- No StormsApply Shock before the kill.Shocked-then-dead enemies trigger the Storm.
- Small radiusSocket Area supports.Wider Storms catch more enemies.
- Elemental Focus issueRemove it.Shock can be applied again.
Community Evidence
Players consistently call Herald of Thunder a top mapping Herald because the Storms chain with packs, and note that it underperforms on bosses where Shock uptime is low.
The 'does Shock alone trigger it?' question is common; the consensus is no — the Shocked enemy must die.
The 30 Spirit cost is widely seen as cheap enough to run alongside Combat Frenzy or Wind Dancer rather than instead of them.
- Recurring view: great mapping, weak bossing.
- Recurring question: Shock alone is not enough; need the kill.
- 30 Spirit is cheap; run alongside other Spirit skills.
Video Walkthrough and Timestamps
Peuget2
GOD TIER Ice Strike Invoker Monk Build
A Shock and Herald-driven build that demonstrates Herald of Thunder Storms chaining through Shocked packs during mapping.
What to watch for: Watch how Shocked enemies dying trigger the Storm and how it supplements clear speed.
Open source ↗Sources and Verification
GGG official Patch Notes and 0.5.4 Herald behaviour, including the 30 Spirit reservation and Shocked-enemy-kill trigger.
PoE2DB and Community Wiki provide the gem id, Spirit reservation, Storm duration, bolt frequency and impact radius.
YouTube Shock / Herald builds used to cross-check Storm chaining and mapping strength.
Reddit and forums surface the Shock-only confusion and bossing weakness, reproduced on client and answered directly.
Official GGG forums where staff confirm Herald and Shock mechanics.
Patch History
- 0.4.0 (2025-09): Herald of Thunder reserves 30 Spirit; Shocked enemy death triggers a Lightning Storm.
- 0.5.4 (2026-08): Current baseline: Storm bolts hit over a few seconds in an impact radius; can re-Shock; does not chain-trigger other Heralds.
Changelog
- Initial release: Storm activation rules, kill credit, hit behaviour, ailment interactions, support choices, Mapping vs Boss value, and the 30 Spirit tradeoff.
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