Path of Exile 2 offers a vast array of POE2 Currency melee skills for Strength-based characters, but few are as satisfying and effective as Lacerate. This powerful melee attack is a staple for Gladiator, Slayer, and Berserker builds, delivering devastating AoE (Area of Effect) slashes that make short work of enemies.

Lacerate is a dual-purpose skill that can be used for both single-target boss fights and wave-clearing, making it one of the most versatile melee skills in the game. Whether you’re cleaving through hordes of monsters or focusing all your power on a single foe, Lacerate remains one of the best choices for fast-paced melee combat.

In this guide, we’ll break down how Lacerate works, its best support gems, weapon choices, build synergies, and how to make the most out of this devastating attack.

What is Lacerate?
Lacerate is a dual-wielding or two-handed melee attack that slashes enemies in a wide arc, hitting multiple targets at once. Unlike some other melee attacks, Lacerate has two different attack modes, giving it more flexibility:

Blood Stance: Deals more bleed damage and increases area coverage, making it excellent for clearing groups of enemies.
Sand Stance: Provides increased attack speed and is better for single-target damage, allowing you to focus more DPS on bosses.
Players can switch between these two modes, depending on their situation, making Lacerate one of the most adaptable melee skills in Path of Exile 2.

Why Choose Lacerate?
Lacerate is an excellent skill for melee characters who want strong AoE coverage and solid single-target damage. Here’s why it stands out:

High-Clearing Efficiency: Lacerate’s wide cleaving attack allows it to hit multiple enemies in front of the player.
Bleed Synergy: In Blood Stance, Lacerate inflicts heavy bleed damage, making it ideal for DoT (Damage over Time) builds.
Dual-Mode Flexibility: Being able to swap between Blood Stance (AoE) and Sand Stance (single-target) allows for greater build adaptability.
Works with Dual-Wield and Two-Handed Weapons: Players can choose between dual axes or swords for attack speed or two-handed weapons for raw power.
Scales Well with Physical Damage: Since Lacerate is a pure physical skill, it benefits from all melee physical damage buffs and support gems.

How Lacerate Works
When you activate Lacerate, your character swings their weapon(s) in a forward arc, damaging all enemies in the cone-shaped attack range. The stance you’re in affects how the skill behaves:

Blood Stance (Bleed-Focused AoE)
Wider attack range for better area coverage.
Higher bleed chance to deal damage over time.
Ideal for clearing packs of enemies quickly.
Sand Stance (Single-Target DPS)
It has a smaller AoE but increased attack speed.
Better at focusing damage on bosses.
Works well with critical strikes and life leech builds.
Switching between these stances allows players to adapt to cheap Path of Exile 2 Currency different combat scenarios, making Lacerate one of the most versatile melee skills in PoE2.