Path Of Exile Guide: Skill Gems
In this guide, we will explore the various aspects of Skill Gems in Path of Exile, including how they function, the types of skill gems, how to upgrade them, and how to optimize your gem usage for different builds.
1. What Are Skill Gems?
Skill Gems are the core abilities in Path of Exile that define a character's playstyle. These gems can be inserted into Sockets on your gear, granting your character powerful abilities. Each gem represents a specific skill or action that can be used in combat, from attacks to spells and auras. You need enough Path of exile currency to get them.
What makes PoE's Skill Gems so special is the ability to modify and combine them using Support Gems and various other mechanics, offering an unparalleled level of customization for your character's abilities.
2. Types of Skill Gems
There are several types of skill gems in Path of Exile, each offering different types of abilities. Let's break down the core categories:
Active Skill Gems
Active Skill Gems are the primary source of abilities in Path of Exile. These gems are directly tied to your character's offensive and defensive actions. When inserted into an item with a socket, the gem allows you to use the corresponding skill.
Attack Skills: These are abilities that are tied to physical combat, such as Frost Blades, Molten Strike, and Infernal Blow.
Spell Skills: These abilities use mana and are tied to casting magic-based attacks, such as Fireball, Ice Nova, or Flameblast.
Totem Skills: These skills allow players to summon totems that cast specific abilities on their behalf, such as Summon Flame Totem or Ancestral Warchief.
Aura Skills: These provide passive buffs to yourself or your allies. Examples include Grace, Hatred, and Discipline.
Minion Skills: These skills summon various minions that fight for you, such as Summon Zombies, Summon Spectre, and Summon Skeletons.
The key feature of Active Skill Gems is that they directly impact the gameplay. Depending on your class and build, the type of skill gem you choose can radically change how you approach combat.
Support Gems
While Active Skill Gems provide the core abilities, Support Gems modify the way those abilities work. When a Support Gem is linked to an Active Skill Gem, it alters the properties of that skill, such as adding extra damage, modifying its area of effect, or changing its functionality in other ways.
There are hundreds of Support Gems available in Path of Exile, with options for almost every build type. Here are a few notable examples:
Damage Support Gems: These increase the damage output of your active skills. Examples include Added Fire Damage, Increased Critical Damage, and Elemental Damage with Attacks.
Area of Effect Support Gems: These modify the size of the skill's area of effect, such as Greater Multiple Projectiles (which increases the number of projectiles fired) or Concentrated Effect (which reduces the area but increases the damage).
Defensive Support Gems: These increase your defense or provide utility, such as Cast on Damage Taken, Immortal Call, and Life Leech.
Support Gems come in a variety of forms, and their utility depends on how well they synergize with the active skill they are linked to.
Reserved Skill Gems
Reserved Skills are gems that use a percentage of your mana pool to provide persistent buffs or debuffs, rather than being activated in real time. They can be used to provide continuous effects throughout the course of the game, such as:
Grace (increases your evasion rating),
Hatred (adds cold damage to your attacks),
Clarity (regenerates your mana),
Discipline (increases energy shield).
These gems are very useful for boosting your survivability or adding additional damage to your build.
3. How to Use Skill Gems: Sockets and Links
Once you acquire a skill gem, the next step is to place it into your gear. Here's how you can use Skill Gems effectively:
Sockets
Skill gems need to be placed into Sockets on your equipment. Each piece of gear (armor, weapons, etc.) can have one or more sockets, and the type of socket determines which skill gems can be placed there. For example:
Red Sockets: These typically accept Physical Attack Skills or Fire-based Skills.
Green Sockets: These usually accept Dexterity-based Skills or Chaos-based Skills.
Blue Sockets: These are often used for Intelligence-based Skills or Spell Skills.
The color of the socket depends on your character's attributes (Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence). You can change socket colors by using Chromatic Orbs, which alter the color of the socket based on the gear's existing item type and attribute balance.
Links
What really sets Path of Exile apart from other ARPGs is its Linking System. You can link sockets together in your gear, allowing a Support Gem to modify an Active Skill Gem.
Skill Gems in linked sockets work together to alter the behavior of your abilities in different ways. The more sockets you have linked together, the more powerful the synergy between your active skill and support skills. The highest level of customization comes when you experiment with multiple linked gems, creating unique and powerful combos.
Gem Leveling
As you use Skill Gems, they level up and increase in power. When a gem reaches a certain level, it unlocks additional effects, such as increased damage or reduced mana cost. You can level up a gem by simply using it in combat.
Additionally, Skill Gems can be quality-augmented with Gemcutter's Prisms, which increase the effectiveness of the gem. For example, a Fireball gem with high quality will deal more damage and have a larger radius. The higher the quality, the more effective the gem becomes. You can also buy POE orbs to upgrade.
4. Gem Classifications: Which Gems Are Right for You?
There are a variety of skill gems available in Path of Exile, but choosing the right ones for your character depends on your build. Here are some popular classifications:
Attack-Based Skill Gems
These gems are designed for builds that focus on physical attacks or ranged combat. They are generally used in combination with weapons (like swords, bows, or claws) and scale with your strength or dexterity.
Spell-Based Skill Gems
These gems are used for magical or elemental-based builds. They scale with intelligence and are often used by casters who want to deal massive amounts of elemental damage from a distance.
Minion-Based Skill Gems
Minion builds focus on summoning and supporting minions that fight for you. These builds are very popular among players who prefer indirect combat and want to control the battlefield through their summoned creatures.
Totem-Based Skill Gems
Totem-based builds summon totems that cast spells or use attacks on your behalf. These builds are popular for those who want to deal damage while staying out of the way.
5. Conclusion: Mastering Skill Gems for Your Build
Skill Gems are the backbone of Path of Exile, offering immense flexibility in how you customize your character's playstyle. By combining Active Skill Gems with Support Gems, Sockets, and Links, you can create unique and powerful builds that cater to almost any playstyle.
The best way to master the Skill Gems system in PoE is through experimentation. Don't be afraid to try new combinations and adjust your build as you progress through the game. With a little creativity and knowledge of how different gems interact, you can create an effective and highly enjoyable character build that suits your preferences.
