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Retaliation skills are one of Path of Exile's most unusual modern mechanics—skills that won't even let you use them until you satisfy a specific condition. They sit somewhere between counterattacks and manual skills, rewarding players who enjoy reactive combat, tanky setups, and timing windows that hit like a truck when used well.

This guide breaks down how Retaliation skills work, the core gems, their strengths and weaknesses, and what kind of builds make them shine. Whether you like blocking, taking hits on purpose, or simply enjoy pressing a button the moment a glowing icon appears above your head—this system is surprisingly fun once you get used to it.

What Retaliation Skills Actually Do

Retaliation skills can only be activated when they are Usable, which happens when their specific condition is met—usually blocking a hit or taking damage. When a skill becomes Usable, a small icon appears above your character, giving you a short window to press the button.

Each Retaliation skill tracks its condition independently. For example:

• Blocking a hit can make Crushing Fist usable
• The same block can also make Eviscerate usable
• Using one does not consume the usability of the other

Copies of the same skill share cooldown and usability.

Once you press the skill, its Usable state ends (unless you use modifiers such as “Remain Usable”), and it goes on cooldown. You can also make Retaliation skills usable by chance whenever you activate a different Retaliation skill, opening fun chains of reactive melee bursts.

Core Mechanics

Here are the main things to remember:

• A Retaliation skill cannot be used unless it is Usable.
• Usable windows are short but clearly visible above your character.
• Cooldowns prevent spam unless you invest into Remain Usable effects.
• Retaliation skills cannot Multistrike, cannot be exerted, and cannot be triggered.
• Proxies (General's Cry, The Saviour clones, Mirage Warriors) won't use your Retaliation skill for you.
• They have much higher base damage than normal skills, because their uptime is limited.

The end result: Retaliation is a reactive playstyle that rewards strong defenses, good timing, and learning enemy attack cycles.

Retaliation Skill Gems

Here are the six current Retaliation skill gems:

• Glacial Shield Swipe – Level 16
• Divine Retribution – Level 16
• Crushing Fist – Level 4
• Eviscerate – Level 16
• Swordstorm – Level 16
• Vengeful Cry – Level 24

Support gem:

• Expert Retaliation Support – Level 31

Each one represents a different damage type and range profile, giving you multiple ways to react depending on the situation.

Whether you're experimenting with Glacial Shield Swipe or diving into late-game setups with Vengeful Cry, having the right resources on hand makes the whole process way smoother—especially when you can buy Path of Exile Currency cheap from U4N to keep your build moving without stress. Just gear up, practice your timing, and let those Retaliation windows do the heavy lifting.

Key Parameters (What Players Care About)

Here are the important parameters shared across Retaliation gems:

• Condition trigger – usually block or taking a hit
• Cooldown – limits burst uptime
• Usable duration – the window you get to cast it
• Hit coverage – cone, slam, nova, projectile
• Damage scaling – very high base values
• Tag compatibility – but not compatible with Multistrike or proxies

Understanding these helps you pick the right gem for your build.

Strengths of Retaliation Skills

Retaliation skills may sound restrictive, but they bring some real advantages to the table.

High Base Damage
Because you can't use them freely, they hit extremely hard. A single timed activation can delete packs or chunk bosses.

Reactive Gameplay
You feel rewarded for blocking or tanking. It's satisfying to press the skill the exact moment the icon appears.

Very Tank-Friendly
Any build with good block or mitigation naturally procs Retaliation windows.

Synergy With Certain Uniques and Passives
Items like Bitter Instinct, Lycosidae, and Gladiator's Measured Retaliation turn the playstyle from “occasional counterattack” into “burst rotation machine.”

Weaknesses of Retaliation Skills

They aren't perfect, and you should know the downsides before committing.

Cooldown Lockout
If you miss your Usable window, you lose a big portion of your damage uptime.

Can't Be Triggered or Repeated
No Multistrike, no Echoing Shrine, no automation. This is a manual playstyle.

Requires Taking/Blocking Hits
Offensive builds that rely on avoiding all damage will rarely see Retaliation windows.

Learning Curve
Timing windows feel strange at first. Newer players may miss activations often.

Related Uniques & Why They Matter

Two uniques stand out:

Lycosidae (Rawhide Tower Shield)

• Adds 250–300 cold damage specifically to Retaliation skills
• Your hits can't be evaded
• Easy block
  A perfect early-game shield for cold or phys-to-cold Retaliation builds.

Bitter Instinct (Spiny Round Shield)

• Huge armour/evasion
• Big reflect
• Extra Retaliation damage
• Automatic “Usable every 4 seconds”
  This one makes Retaliation feel much smoother, especially for boss fights.

Passives & Masteries Worth Knowing

Keystone: Arsenal of Vengeance

• Damaging Retaliation Skills become Usable every sixth enemy hit
  Useful for builds that don't block consistently.

Gladiator Ascendancy: Measured Retaliation

• Longer usability window
• 50% chance to not consume cooldown
  This is the single best node for Retaliation builds. It makes the whole system more forgiving.

Retaliation Mastery

• Longer ailment duration
• Free Debilitate
• Armour scaling based on diversity of Retaliation skills
• Chance to chain Usable activations
• Reduced mana cost

These masteries make Retaliation builds surprisingly tanky and efficient.

Reviews: How Players Feel About Retaliation

Players who've spent time with this mechanic usually describe it like this:

• “Feels like playing a fighting game counter mechanic.”
• “Extremely high damage but only if you press it at the right time.”
• “Tanky setups feel more fun because you're rewarded for getting hit.”
• “Takes some learning, but when it clicks, it's addicting.”

The general sentiment is positive—Retaliation is niche but powerful.

Build Guide: How to Build Around Retaliation

If you want to run a Retaliation skill build, here's a simple structure:

Defense First
Stack block chance or reliable mitigation. You need to take hits.

Choose 1–2 Main Retaliation Skills
Examples:

• Crushing Fist for slam hits
• Eviscerate for bleed/phys builds
• Glacial Shield Swipe for cold conversion

Add Expert Retaliation Support
It boosts reliability and damage.

Use a Suitable Shield
Lycosidae for cold builds
Bitter Instinct for general builds

Pick the Mastery
The 10% chance to activate another Retaliation skill helps chain windows smoothly.

Final Tip
Practice watching the Usable icon. It becomes muscle memory after a while—don't stress it early.

Summary

Retaliation skills in Path of Exile are high-damage, reactive abilities that activate only when specific conditions (usually blocking or taking damage) are met. They hit harder than normal skills, reward tanky builds, and provide a unique rhythm to gameplay. With the right shields, passives, and timing practice, Retaliation becomes a powerful and stylish playstyle that mixes defense with explosive counterstrikes.