TL;DR
- Combat Focus jewels enable elemental control for prismatic skills by excluding specific damage types
- Vendor recipe requires 20% quality Elemental Hit gem paired with two specific elemental rings
- Resulting jewel version depends on ring combination: Ruby+Sapphire, Ruby+Topaz, or Sapphire+Topaz
- Strategic ring selection directly impacts which element gets excluded from your skill rotation
- Proper execution avoids common mistakes and maximizes build effectiveness
Games and Esports Articles
Path of Exile’s 3.20 update introduced transformative changes to unique jewel accessibility that every serious player needs to understand. Grinding Gear Games completely revamped the acquisition system by eliminating numerous jewels from standard drop pools while converting others to corruption-exclusive status. Most importantly for build crafters, they implemented targeted vendor recipes that provide reliable access to crucial jewels for specific archetypes.
This systematic overhaul addresses previous RNG frustrations by offering deterministic paths to obtain build-enabling unique jewels. The vendor recipe system now serves as a strategic alternative to pure luck-based acquisition, allowing players to plan their gear progression with greater certainty.
Among the most impactful jewels affected by these changes is Combat Focus, which delivers specialized functionality for prismatic skill users. When socketed in your passive tree, this jewel empowers you to deliberately exclude one elemental damage type from your prismatic skill rotations. This elemental exclusion capability transforms how skills like Elemental Hit and Wild Strike perform by enabling focused damage scaling.
Combat Focus exists in three distinct variations, each designed to suppress a specific element: cold, lightning, or fire damage. The strategic value comes from being able to eliminate your least desirable element while concentrating on boosting the remaining two through passive tree investments and gear modifiers.

The community discovery by Reddit user /u/Avocados-Number revealed how the vendor recipe intelligently mirrors this elemental exclusion concept through its component requirements.
Successfully obtaining your desired Combat Focus jewel requires precise execution of the vendor recipe. You must combine an Elemental Hit skill gem with 20% quality alongside two unidentified white (normal) rings selected from the elemental ring pool. The available rings include Ruby Ring, Sapphire Ring, and Topaz Ring – you need to strategically choose two from this selection.
The resulting Combat Focus version is determined by your specific ring combination pattern. Ruby Ring + Sapphire Ring yields the fire exclusion jewel, Ruby Ring + Topaz Ring produces lightning exclusion, while Sapphire Ring + Topaz Ring creates cold exclusion. This deterministic outcome allows for precise planning based on your build requirements.

For optimal results, ensure your Elemental Hit gem reaches the 20% quality threshold before vending. Quality can be achieved through using Gemcutter’s Prisms or obtaining quality versions from vendors. The rings must remain completely unmodified – no identified, magic, rare, or unique variants will work.
Seasoned Path of Exile players recommend several optimization strategies for acquiring Combat Focus jewels efficiently. First, plan your desired element exclusion based on your build’s damage scaling priorities and available support gems. Consider which elements have the strongest support in your passive tree and which resistance types you struggle against most frequently.
Avoid the common mistake of using identified or magic-quality rings, as these will invalidate the recipe. Another frequent error involves using incorrect skill gems – only Elemental Hit works, not Wild Strike or other prismatic skills. Always verify component conditions before attempting the vendor transaction.
For players following our Complete Guide to character progression, integrating Combat Focus acquisition into your leveling timeline around maps transition proves most effective. The jewel’s impact becomes particularly noticeable when you begin specializing your damage output for endgame content.
If you’re building around specific weapon types, consult our Weapons Unlock guide to ensure compatibility. Similarly, understanding how Combat Focus interacts with different class specializations in our Class Guide can prevent costly respeccing later.
Advanced players should note that Combat Focus works exceptionally well with elemental penetration strategies and conversion builds. The ability to eliminate one element means you can focus your penetration and damage amplification on the remaining two types, significantly increasing your effective damage against resistant targets.
Action Checklist
- Acquire Elemental Hit gem and quality it to 20% using Gemcutter’s Prisms
- Obtain two white Ruby, Sapphire, or Topaz Rings (unidentified)
- Determine desired element exclusion based on build requirements
- Vendor trade: Elemental Hit (20% qual) + 2 elemental rings
- Socket Combat Focus jewel and allocate supporting passives
No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Combat Focus new vendor recipe. How to get Elemental Hit and Wild Strike jewel PoE 3.20 The Forbidden Sanctum Master Path of Exile's Combat Focus jewel acquisition with vendor recipes and strategic build optimization tips
