Essence Drain · Path of Exile: Gem levels and requirements

Using this reference

Choose the gem level for Essence Drain before checking requirements or mana cost. Values from two different levels do not describe one usable gem. If you are planning an upgrade, compare the next level with the attributes and resources your character will have at that point.

The skill-type list records source tags. It helps you identify the kind of skill, but is not a complete test of support compatibility or a damage calculation. Check the linked skill documentation for interactions before committing to a setup.

What changes between variants

Essence Drain includes 20 recorded variants. Comparing Essence Drain · 1 with Essence Drain · 20 changes these fields: Gem level: 1 → 20, Required character level: 12 → 70, and Listed mana cost: 8 → 23. Select the variant that matches your situation before using its figures in the calculator. The intermediate records remain in the full table if you need a closer comparison.

A worked example

The listed Dexterity requirement for Essence Drain is 14. At 13, you are one point short; at 14, that requirement is met. Check the other requirements separately—meeting this one does not clear the whole list.

One useful comparison

For Required character level, Essence Drain is listed at 12, compared with 10 for Flame Dash: a difference of 2. This compares that field in the recorded variants only. Read the other fields before deciding whether the trade-off matters to your use.