Contagion
Afflict a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos damage over time. If the enemy dies while affected by Contagion, it and all other Chaos damage over time Debuffs spread to nearby enemies and refresh their durations. Reanimating or detonating a corpse affected by Contagion will cause the Minion or explosion to spread Contagion on hit.
Very solid choice with strong damage or utility for most builds.
Gem Effects
Deals (1.9-93.9) Chaos damage per second
Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to Debuff's Damage over Time
Debuff deals 100% more Damage for each
time it has spread, up to 300%
Spread radius is 1.7 metres
Debuff duration is 5 seconds
Requirements
Best Support Gems for Contagion
Ranked by synergy — the game won't tell you which combo deals the most damage
How to Use Contagion Effectively
Practical tips you won't find on the tooltip
AoE Clearing
Invest in Area of Effect to cover more ground. Excellent for map clearing and handling packs efficiently.
Minion Scaling
Minions scale from specific gem/gear sources, not your own damage. Stack minion damage, life, and speed.
Duration Matters
Duration scaling extends effect uptime. Less recasting = more time dealing damage. Invest in skill duration passives.
Attribute Planning
Requires 157 Int at max level. Plan your passive tree and gear to meet this — don't get stuck unable to level your main skill.
Alternatives to Contagion
Similar skills — which one fits your build better?
Raise a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
Consume a Corpse to create a cloud of flammable Poisonous gas. Any Burning effec
Curse all targets in an area after a short delay, lowering their Chaos Resistanc
Conjure a horrific skull rising from the lightless depths to bite your enemies d
How to Get Contagion
Use an Uncut Skill Gem to obtain Contagion. These drop from enemies or can be purchased from the gem vendor once unlocked through the campaign.