POE 1 Update: 3.28 Teasers Day 9 - New Lightning Slam Skill

Exciting New Skill: Holy Hammers

The ninth day of teasers for Path of Exile's 3.28 Mirage patch revealed a compelling new skill: Holy Hammers. This Strength/Intelligence slam converts 50% of Physical to Lightning Damage — a physical-and-lightning hybrid that calls down a hammer on the target area, then cascades a second hammer forward on impact. Here's a closer look at what the teaser showed ahead of the March 6, 2026 launch.

Key Takeaways

• Holy Hammers confirmed: A new Str/Int slam that converts 50% of Physical to Lightning Damage. Calls down a hammer on the target area; a second hammer cascades forward on impact. Requires a Mace, Sceptre, or Staff.
• Divine Retribution confirmed: A block-reactive triggered spell — not a slam. Triggers automatically each time you block a hit, unleashing lightning bursts in a cross pattern for 2 seconds. Physical + Lightning (50% conversion), designed for Gladiator and high-block setups.
• Propagation timing: The initial Holy Hammers strike lands after a slow windup; a second wave propagates within 833 milliseconds, with further waves following at approximately 300 ms intervals.
• Build direction: The 50% Physical-to-Lightning conversion makes Holy Hammers a natural fit for Inquisitor (Inevitable Judgement notable). Crit-stacking and lightning-penetration builds benefit most.
• Blunderbore interaction: The pre-existing unique Astral Plate grants a Lesser Brutal Shrine effect on hit, enabling knockback — potentially triggering Holy Hammers' cascade repeatedly. Worth testing in endgame scenarios.

Here is what the Day 9 teaser footage actually showed about each skill.

Key Observations from the Teaser

1. Skill Dynamics: The Holy Hammers skill features a distinct animation where the character initiates with a slow leap slam, suggestive of an early progression character. This is followed by a methodical windup before unleashing the slam.
2. Propagation Mechanics: Unlike instantaneous attacks like Vaal Ground Slam, Holy Hammers propagates its damage in waves. The initial strike impacts the area directly in front, followed by outgoing waves that extend the damage over a larger area.
3. Visual Effects: During the skill animation, visible effects such as power charges and blue orbs appear. These are an Inquisitor-specific interaction (Inevitable Judgement) rather than a base Holy Hammers mechanic.

Those observations translate into some concrete build and gameplay implications for the skills that shipped in 3.28 Mirage.

Potential Gameplay Implications

Holy Hammers introduces new strategies within the Path of Exile landscape, particularly for lightning slam builds. The propagation mechanic — hitting enemies multiple times as waves spread outward — opens up several build angles:

• Knockback Mechanics: Players can exploit knockback effects for multiple hits. The pre-existing unique Blunderbore chestplate grants a Lesser Brutal Shrine effect on hit, causing knockback — potentially triggering Holy Hammers' cascade repeatedly against grouped enemies.

• Skill Conversions: Holy Hammers converts 50% of physical damage to lightning, aligning with the game's standard elemental conversion mechanics. This makes it suitable for bolstering lightning-themed builds.

The propagation timing and area scaling will define which ascendancy classes get the most value from this skill in practice.

Elements to Consider for Builds

Running Holy Hammers effectively involves a few key build decisions:

• Strength Requirements: Blunderbore carries high Strength requirements. Players can either build around this stat or offset it using specific game mechanics like timeless jewels.

• Enemy Impact: The skill's ability to hit multiple times depends on enemy positioning and knockback. Testing in high-density maps is the best way to measure actual hits per cast.

With those build factors mapped out, here is a closer look at the timing data from the teaser footage.

Propagation and Damage Patterns

Timing data extracted from teaser footage:

With the full 3.28 gem data now confirmed, these timings match the shipped Holy Hammers tooltip. Dense map packs get hit by multiple waves, making clear speed noticeably faster than single-hit slam alternatives.

Divine Retribution: Block-Reactive Spell

Divine Retribution was the second new skill teased on Day 9. Unlike Holy Hammers, it is strictly a triggered spell — not a slam. Each time you block a hit, Divine Retribution activates automatically, unleashing waves of lightning bursts in a cross pattern around your character for 2 seconds. It deals Physical and Lightning damage with 50% conversion, and cannot be used by totems, traps, or mines.

Its design rewards block-stacking builds. Gladiator's Versatile Combatant notable enables spell block equal to attack block, keeping Divine Retribution triggering consistently. Aegis Aurora shield users also benefit, turning a defensive recovery loop into a sustained damage proc.

What 3.28 Mirage Delivered

With Path of Exile 3.28 Mirage launched on March 6, 2026, the teaser speculation resolved into confirmed mechanics. Here is what shipped:

• Holy Hammers shipped as a Str/Int slam gem — the physical+lightning hybrid shown in the teaser. Wave propagation and the 50% Physical-to-Lightning conversion function as previewed.
• Divine Retribution shipped as a block-triggered spell — not the slam hybrid some players speculated. It triggers on block and targets surrounding enemies with lightning bursts in a cross pattern.
• Power charge visual: The orbs visible in the teaser are an Inquisitor-specific effect (Inevitable Judgement), not a base Holy Hammers mechanic.

With those confirmed mechanics in hand, players moved quickly to theory-crafting and building at league launch.

Engaging with the New Content

Holy Hammers and Divine Retribution represent two distinct design directions in Path of Exile 3.28 Mirage. One is an active slam with sustained lightning potential; the other rewards defensive characters with a damage proc. Together they reflect GGG's 3.28 direction: expanding hybrid physical-lightning builds while giving block-focused characters a meaningful damage payoff in the world of Wraeclast.

• Watch Twitch streams during league launches for potential exclusive Twitch drop bonuses.
• Adjust character strategies based on which skill fits your preferred approach — slamming into packs or triggering on block.

Both skills have found homes in the 3.28 Mirage league, with Holy Hammers Inquisitor becoming one of the more popular league starters for the physical-to-lightning conversion build space.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Holy Hammers in Path of Exile 3.28?

Holy Hammers is a new Strength/Intelligence slam skill added in the 3.28 Mirage league. It calls down a hammer on the target area, then cascades a second hammer forward on impact. It converts 50% of Physical Damage to Lightning Damage and requires a Mace, Sceptre, or Staff.

How does Holy Hammers' propagation mechanic work?

After the initial strike (within 833ms of activation), Holy Hammers releases additional wave propagations at approximately 300ms intervals. Each wave extends the damage area forward from the initial impact point, making tightly packed enemy groups the ideal target.

What is Divine Retribution and how does it trigger?

Divine Retribution is a block-reactive triggered spell. Each time you block a hit, it activates automatically — unleashing waves of Physical and Lightning bursts in a cross pattern around you for 2 seconds. It cannot be triggered manually, used by totems, or placed in traps or mines.

Is Holy Hammers good for Inquisitor in 3.28 Mirage?

Yes — the 50% Physical-to-Lightning conversion pairs well with Inquisitor's Inevitable Judgement notable, which makes crits ignore enemy lightning resistance. Holy Hammers Inquisitor is one of the more popular league starters in 3.28 Mirage for this reason.

What builds work best with Divine Retribution?

Divine Retribution rewards block-stacking builds. Gladiator is the primary fit — its Versatile Combatant notable enables spell block equal to attack block, keeping Divine Retribution proccing reliably. Aegis Aurora shield users can also combine high block with the skill's lightning proc for a defensive-offensive hybrid loop.

Does Holy Hammers hit enemies more than once per cast?

Yes — the multi-wave propagation means each cast can hit enemies multiple times when they are grouped or when knockback repositions them into subsequent waves. The actual number of hits per cast varies by enemy density and positioning; endgame packs in mapping scenarios see the most benefit.

Where can I find the full PoE 3.28 Mirage patch notes?

The full 3.28 Mirage patch notes are published on the Path of Exile forum announcement and summarised on the PoE Wiki Version 3.28.0 page.