Essence Drain
Fire a Projectile that applies a powerful Chaos damage over time debuff to enemies it hits.
Good option that performs well in the right setup or as a levelling skill.
Gem Effects
Projectile
Deals (5-138) to (9-257) Chaos Damage
Damage over Time
Modifiers to Spell Damage apply to Debuff's Damage over Time
Debuff duration is 4 seconds
Deals (9.2–409.4) Base Chaos Damage per second
Requirements
Best Support Gems for Essence Drain
Ranked by synergy — the game won't tell you which combo deals the most damage
How to Use Essence Drain Effectively
Practical tips you won't find on the tooltip
Projectile Scaling
Extra projectiles (GMP) and Pierce/Chain/Fork dramatically multiply your clear. Choose based on mob density.
Crit Viable
Base 7% crit — strong crit scaling potential. Invest in crit chance + multiplier from gear and passive tree.
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 Essence Drain
Similar skills — which one fits your build better?
Raise a Totem that bombards enemies afflicted by Chaos damage over time Debuffs.
Fire a slow-moving Projectile that moves through enemies. The Projectile itself
Fire a burst of Chaos energy at the target.
Afflict a single enemy with a Debuff that deals Chaos damage over time. If the e
How to Get Essence Drain
Use an Uncut Skill Gem to obtain Essence Drain. These drop from enemies or can be purchased from the gem vendor once unlocked through the campaign.