Electrocution | PoE2 Mechanic

What Electrocution does

Current rules

Use a skill, support, item, or debuff that explicitly allows qualifying Hit damage to contribute to Electrocution Buildup. The target becomes Electrocuted when its buildup reaches the applicable Electrocute Threshold, normally 100%. Normal enemies are Primed at 40% buildup, Magic at 50%, Rare at 60%, and Unique at 70%, allowing specific Primed payoffs to act before full Electrocution.

Electrocution prevents actions: Electrocution interrupts the target's current action and prevents further actions for five seconds by default. It is a non-damaging Ailment and an Immobilisation, so the ailment itself does not deal Lightning damage or inherit Shock's increased-damage-taken effect.
Lightning damage needs permission: Lightning damage does not contribute to Electrocution Buildup by default. The source must explicitly say that Lightning damage, all damage, or another named damage type contributes to Electrocution Buildup, or it must directly inflict Electrocution.
Buildup comes from qualifying Hits: When permission exists, qualifying Hit damage adds Electrocution Buildup relative to the target's Electrocute Threshold. Damage over time does not Hit and therefore cannot use this Hit-based contribution rule.
Full buildup causes Electrocution: A target is normally Electrocuted when buildup reaches 100% of its Electrocute Threshold. The resulting ailment has its own duration, while the buildup meter and any enabling debuff follow their own values.
Non-player buildup was reduced: Content Update 0.2.0 made Electrocution build roughly 44% slower on non-player targets. Current skill and item values must be read with that monster-side adjustment in mind rather than compared directly with early launch footage.
Primed thresholds depend on rarity: Normal enemies are Primed for Electrocution at 40% buildup, Magic enemies at 50%, Rare enemies at 60%, and Unique enemies at 70%. Content Update 0.2.0 lowered the Magic, Rare, and Unique thresholds to their current values.
Primed is not Electrocuted: A Primed enemy can still act. Primed is an earlier state checked by effects such as Neural Overload and Voltaic Mark; those effects can convert the setup into Electrocution before the normal 100% point.
Shock is a separate Ailment: Shock uses a chance roll and increases damage taken. Electrocution uses buildup and prevents actions. A target can have either or both, although Electrocute Support and Eonyr's Thunder explicitly prevent their supported skills from inflicting Shock.
Ailment Application scales buildup: Increased Ailment Application scales Electrocution Buildup after an effect has made the Hit eligible. It does not give ordinary Lightning damage permission to build Electrocution by itself.
Resistance affects buildup indirectly: Electrocution Buildup is based on qualifying Hit damage after mitigation. Lowering Lightning Resistance with Exposure or treating it as lower with Penetration can increase the contributing Lightning Hit, but neither grants Electrocution permission on its own.
Contribution can use other damage types: Explicit wording can allow a wider contribution. Brain Rattler uses all damage with the weapon, while Beyond Reach lets Chaos Hit damage contribute. This does not convert that damage to Lightning and applies only within the wording's stated scope.
Threshold overrides replace 100%: Sine Aequo makes enemies become Immobilised at 50% buildup instead of 100%. This explicit item modifier replaces the normal trigger point and can cause Electrocution before an enemy reaches its ordinary Primed threshold.

Building, triggering, and using Electrocution

8 cases

01

Electrocute supports

Electrocute Support makes Lightning damage from the supported skill contribute to Electrocution Buildup but prevents that skill from inflicting Shock. Eonyr's Thunder applies the same tradeoff and adds an explosion when supported skills kill an Electrocuted enemy.

02

Electrocution-enabling skills

Enervating Nova makes its own Lightning damage contribute and temporarily lets all Lightning damage build Electrocution on enemies it hits. Electrocuting Arrow attaches a rod with a similar enabling effect, while Voltaic Grenade applies a timed buildup debuff.

03

Direct and Runic sources

Conductive Runes applies Electrocution Buildup when its armed runes activate. Voltaic Barrier directly Electrocutes enemies caught between its pylons, bypassing the need to fill the normal meter through ordinary Lightning Hits.

04

Primed finishers

Neural Overload makes a supported Hit Electrocute a marked Primed enemy. Voltaic Mark makes the marked enemy become Electrocuted when Hit while Primed, then grants extra Lightning damage and consumes the Mark.

Related: Neural Overload, Voltaic Mark

05

Contribution-changing unique items

Kitoko's Current enables Lightning Hit damage, Brain Rattler enables all damage with that weapon, and Beyond Reach enables Chaos Hit damage. Each item changes which damage can fill the meter, not what damage type the Hit deals.

06

Earlier Immobilisation

Sine Aequo changes the Immobilisation point from 100% buildup to 50%. Against Rare and Unique enemies, this can trigger before the normal 60% or 70% Primed point, so Primed-only effects may never become necessary for that application.

Related: Sine Aequo, Immobilised

07

Electrocution payoffs

Combat Frenzy can grant a Frenzy Charge when you Electrocute. Shockchain Arrow reacts to Electrocuted enemies without consuming Electrocution, and Moment of Vulnerability can create a visage from an enemy Primed for Electrocution.

08

Electrocution modifiers

Modifiers can change Electrocution Buildup, Electrocution Duration, damage against Electrocuted enemies, or the trigger threshold. These values are separate and should be filtered independently when comparing gear or passive nodes.

Limits and exceptions

9 rules

Ordinary Lightning damage cannot build Electrocution without explicit permission.
Damage over time does not Hit and cannot use the Hit-based Electrocution contribution rule.
Primed for Electrocution is not the Electrocuted state and does not prevent actions by itself.
Shock chance, Shock Magnitude, Electrocution Buildup, Electrocute Threshold, and Electrocution Duration are separate values.
Electrocute Support prevents supported skills from inflicting Shock, but that restriction is specific to the support and similar explicit effects.
Ailment Application scales eligible buildup but does not grant permission to build Electrocution.
Contribution from another damage type does not convert that damage to Lightning.
An explicit threshold override such as Sine Aequo replaces the normal 100% point.
Electrocution is non-damaging and does not inherently increase damage taken.

Related pages

20 connections

mechanicAilments

Ailments are damage-type-related debuffs: Bleeding, Ignite, Chill, Freeze, Shock, Electrocute, and Poison. Some deal damage over time, while others impair the target.

mechanicLightning

Lightning Damage is one of the five damage types and one of the three Elemental damage types. Lightning Hits can Shock by default, while Electrocution requires a Skill, item, support, or other effect that explicitly enables Electrocution Buildup.

mechanicShock

Shock is a non-damaging Lightning Ailment that makes a target take 20% increased damage by default. Lightning Hits gain a chance to Shock based on post-mitigation damage relative to the target's Elemental Ailment Threshold.

mechanicHit

A Hit is an instantaneous damage event. Any damage that is not damage over time is Hit damage, whether it comes from an Attack, a Spell, Thorns, or another effect.

mechanicElemental Ailment Threshold

Elemental Ailment Threshold is the defensive comparison value used when Elemental Hits try to apply Ignite, Chill, Freeze, Shock, or Electrocution. A higher threshold makes those ailments harder to apply and reduces Freeze and Electrocution Buildup received.

mechanicImmobilised

A target is Immobilised when it cannot move between locations. Pin, Freeze, Heavy Stun, and Electrocution are common ways to cause this state.

mechanicContributes

Damage contribution decides which parts of a Hit are counted for one named Ailment chance, buildup, or Magnitude calculation. It does not convert the Hit or change the damage types it deals.

skillEnervating Nova

Unleash a Nova of Lightning damage to Electrocute enemies. Enemies close to you take no damage while enemies at the edge of the ring take significantly more damage. Enemies Hit can be Electrocuted by all Lightning damage for a short duration.

skillElectrocuting Arrow

Fire an electrifying arrow that explodes in an Area on Hit. Hitting an enemy will attach an Electrocuting Rod to them, causing all incoming Lightning damage to build up Electrocution. This rod is removed when the enemy is next Electrocuted.

skillVoltaic Grenade

Fire a bouncing Grenade that discharges an Electrocuting Lightning blast when its fuse expires, causing all Lightning Hits against enemies to contribute to Electrocution buildup for a duration.

supportNeural Overload

Supports any skill that Hits enemies. Nearby enemies are marked when they are Primed for Electrocution, and hitting a marked enemy with a supported skill will Electrocute them.

skillVoltaic Mark

Mark a target, making them more susceptible to being Electrocuted. When the Marked target is Electrocuted, the Mark Activates, granting a Buff which gives extra Lightning damage and Consuming the Mark. Marking another target while you have the Buff will remove the Buff.

skillConductive Runes

Spend Runic Ward to create a number of Hazardous Runes in a cone in front of you, which arm after a time. After arming, these Runes will activate when enemies step on them, exploding to deal Attack damage that is not based on your Weapon's damage and apply Electrocution buildup.

skillVoltaic Barrier

Raise a pair of electrified pylons in front of you which project a wall of electricity between them, damaging and Electrocuting enemies caught between them. Projectiles you fire through the wall become energised, and discharge that energy on Hit as Chaining Lightning beams.

unique itemKitoko's Current

(30-50)% increased Energy Shield

unique itemBrain Rattler

Adds 1 to (110-115) Lightning Damage

unique itemBeyond Reach

(10-15)% reduced Attack Speed

unique itemSine Aequo

(10-15)% increased Skill Speed

skillCombat Frenzy

While active, grants you a Frenzy Charge when you Freeze, Electrocute or Pin an enemy. This can only occur once every few seconds.

skillShockchain Arrow

Fire a Lightning-charged arrow that homes in on enemies afflicted by Lightning Ailments. Hitting such an enemy will cause your arrow to release a damaging shockwave and Chain towards nearby targets, with those Chaining Hits also releasing a shockwave. After the final Chain, the arrow lodges into the ground as a Lightning Rod. Consumes Shock from enemies it Hits, but not Electrocution.