Grinding Gear Games has revealed a game-changing update coming with Path of Exile 2: The Third Edict (patch 0.3.0), a sweeping rule change to Support Gems that may fundamentally alter how every build in the game scales. Starting with this patch, players will be able to use as many duplicates of the same Support Gem as they want across multiple skills, without restriction.

This single adjustment is being hailed as one of the biggest buffs to build diversity since Path of Exile 2's beta began. No longer will players feel compelled to ration out their most powerful Supports-Martial Tempo, Clarity, Rapid Casting, or whatever your favorite may be-onto just one skill. Instead, you'll be free to stack them across your entire arsenal.

When combined with other sweeping systems changes coming in The Third Edict, the implications for the meta are enormous.

What's Changing With Support Gems in The Third Edict?

Path of Exile 2 has already set itself apart from the first game in several ways, but one of the most fundamental differences was how Gems worked with gear. Instead of socketing skill and support gems directly into items, PoE 2 decoupled the system-giving players more freedom while simultaneously introducing some new restrictions.

·Linking limitations: In prior Leagues, it was often difficult to get beyond 3-links early on, with 5-links being a serious rarity until well into the campaign. This was largely due to the scarcity of high-tier Jeweller's Orbs. In 0.3, GGG is alleviating this pain point by guaranteeing POE 2 Orbs drops in certain campaign milestones.

·Duplicate restrictions: Up until now, only the Gemling Legionnaire had special permission to duplicate Support Gems. For everyone else, running more than one copy of the same Support on different skills simply wasn't allowed.

With the Third Edict, that restriction is gone entirely. You can now run multiple duplicates of the same Support Gem-whether that's two copies of Martial Tempo on different attacks, or multiple Clarity supports across your entire spell suite.

This freedom dramatically raises the ceiling on building creativity.

Why Removing the Duplicate Restriction Is a Big Deal

At first glance, this might seem like a simple quality-of-life change. In practice, it's far more impactful. Here's why:

1. All skills can benefit equally. Instead of reserving your best Supports for a single "main skill," you can spread the wealth. Want both your clear skill and your bossing skill to benefit from the same scaling? Done.

2. Cast-time problems solved. Builds that felt clunky due to slow animations now have an easy fix-duplicate Rapid Casting, Martial Tempo, or other speed-oriented Supports across your setup.

3. Ailment scaling goes wide. With duplicate Supports, you can make every attack and spell in your bar apply your chosen ailment-Shock, Freeze, Ignite, or even Chaos degeneration. This makes thematic builds much stronger while reducing "dead buttons" in your rotation.

4. No wasted drops. In PoE 1, finding multiple copies of the same Support often meant vendor trash. In PoE 2, every duplicate you find is a potential build enabler.

Taken together, this doesn't just make individual builds smoother-it blows the meta wide open. Instead of funneling every player into the same optimized skill setups, we'll likely see far more diverse, specialized, and downright weird builds thriving in 0.3.

Tiered Support Gem Progression

Another wrinkle in The Third Edict is the new tiered Support progression. Instead of single-instance gems, Support Gems now upgrade across three tiers. For example:

·Rapid Casting I: +20% Cast Speed

·Rapid Casting II: +30% Cast Speed

·Rapid Casting III: +X% scaling based on spells cast recently

By Tier III, Supports don't just provide flat bonuses-they begin altering mechanics. Rapid Casting III's "10% Cast Speed per spell cast in the last 8 seconds" creates a scaling loop that rewards fast playstyles.

This tiering system makes Supports feel less like boring stat sticks and more like active enablers of unique playstyles. Combined with the removal of duplicate restrictions, this creates the possibility of stacking multiple high-tier Supports across different skills-something that could lead to exponential scaling.

Lineage Supports: The "Vaal Gems" of Path of Exile 2

But GGG isn't stopping there. The Third Edict also introduces Lineage Support Gems-Unique-rarity Supports that function much like Vaal Gems did for active skills in PoE 1.

These gems are rare drops only, not craftable, and they add build-defining twists on existing mechanics. Examples include:

·Dialla's Desire: +1 Level and +10% Quality to the supported Skill, while reducing Mana or Reservation cost. Essentially, a free buff and scaling tool in one.

·Zarokh's Retribution: Gives 2x Spell Echo to supported skills but imposes a cooldown. Double power, but with a pacing tax.

There are 40 Unique Lineage Supports coming in 0.3. Each one is designed to dramatically change how its supported skill functions-either amplifying strengths or creating new synergies with other mechanics.

When you consider that these can now be duplicated, the potential for broken interactions skyrockets. Imagine stacking multiple Lineage Supports across different copies of the same active skill. For theorycrafters, this patch is essentially a playground.

The Meta Implications in 0.3

The support gem overhaul is arguably the biggest buff to every build archetype in the game so far. Some of the likely impacts include:

·Caster dominance. Multiple Rapid Casting, Clarity, or ailment-scaling supports will supercharge spells that previously felt sluggish. Expect Lightning and Chaos casters to shine.

·Melee resurgence. Duplication of Martial Tempo, Ruthless, and other attack-scaling Supports will finally let melee builds keep pace with spellcasters, especially in high-link setups.

·Hybrid builds matter. With more flexibility, builds that rely on both spells and attacks can run multiple duplicated Supports without compromise. Think Battlemages or hybrid Totem/Caster archetypes.

·Greater build diversity. The days of "one main skill, one set of Supports" are numbered. Expect off-meta skills to rise in popularity as they gain access to the same powerful duplicate scaling.

In short, this change is not just about raw numbers-it's about freedom. Path of Exile 2 has always promised a wider design space than its predecessor, and this update delivers on that promise in spades.

Conclusion: A New Age of Build Crafting

With duplicate Support Gems, tiered progression, and Lineage Supports, Path of Exile 2's The Third Edict patch (0.3.0) is shaping up to be a watershed moment for build crafting.

Support Gems have always been the connective tissue of PoE's skill system. Now, they're being elevated into something even more flexible, more impactful, and more exciting to experiment with. Whether you're a casual player who just wants smoother leveling, or a hardcore min-maxer chasing the next busted synergy, this patch has something for you. So now is a good time to buy Path of Exile 2 items.

GGG's philosophy seems clear: Path of Exile 2 isn't just "PoE with better graphics." It's a fundamental reimagining of what building diversity can look like in an ARPG. And with this Support Gem change, that vision is taking its boldest step yet.