Path of Exile 2's skill system can be somewhat confusing when starting out. Most ARPGs give players a clear set of skills they unlock as they play through the campaign, but in PoE2, these skills are itemized and can be used on all characters.
While this mechanic might seem strange at first, skill gems and their support variants give you untold flexibility in creating builds and trading skills with other characters. Today, we'll be diving into how the skill gem system works in PoE2, how to add skills to your build, and how to modify them with support and meta gems.
Changes From Path Of Exile
- Gems are now socketed into your character. Sockets on items are now used for Runes, a new item type in Path of Exile 2.
- This makes it significantly easier to gear while leveling since sockets are no longer a pain point.
- You may have up to nine skills at a time. Some Ascendancies grant more.
- Gem links no longer exist. Jeweler's Orbs are now used to add support sockets to skill gems. Orbs of Fusing have been deprecated.
- You cannot use multiple copies of the same support gem. For example, you can only use one copy of Multiple Projectiles across your entire build. Plan your builds accordingly.
- Meta gems. Trigger gems (Cast on Critical Hit, Cast on Damage Taken, etc.) and most auras are now meta gems. These automatically activate under certain conditions, triggering all skills socketed into them.
- Attribute requirements have been streamlined across the board.
- Uncut gems sometimes drop from quest rewards and slain monsters. Interact with the uncut gem to create any skill or support gem you need.
- Vendors no longer sell gems.
What Are Skill Gems?
Unlike most ARPGs, skills in PoE2 aren't learned but instead equipped. You will occasionally find skill gems while playing, physical items that can be socketed into your character. Inserting a skill gem into your character will grant access to that skill, provided you meet the skill's attribute requirements and any weapon restrictions.
Any class can use any skill in Path of Exile 2, excluding skills unlocked through your class's Ascendancy.
Skills in PoE2 are broken up into three categories:
Color
Attribute
Notable Skill Types
Not A Comprehensive List
Red
Strength
Slams, Totems, Fire-Based Attacks and Buffs
Green
Dexterity
Ranged Skills, Poison, Cold-Based Attacks and Buffs
Blue
Intelligence
Spells, Minions, Lightning-Based Attacks and Buffs
Red skill gems tend to focus on melee attacks, broken up into typical melee swings to heavy slam attacks. This gem color is also associated with totems, a type of minion that can taunt nearby enemies or attack foes with an apparition of your current weapon. If you're looking for fire-themed auras and similar buffs, it'll likely be a red gem.
Green skill gems lean towards ranged combat and hit-and-run playstyles. Melee skills in this category are usually fast and deal Cold damage. This is also the tech-focused part of Path of Exile's skill distribution, allowing you to spawn Ballista turrets, create traps, and modify the ammo types on your ranged weapons. Ice buffs are also in this category.
Blue skill gems encompass most spell types in PoE2, including meteor showers, chain lightning, ice blizzards, necromancy, and chaos-themed degen effects. If you want to play a spellcaster, chances are your character will be using quite a few blue gems. Non-spellcasters might also use blue skill gems for lightning-based attacks and buffs, such as Storm Wave and Herald of Thunder.
Equipping A Skill
You can access your skills tab from the menu button above your flasks and charms. You'll see a grid of sockets you can socket your gems into. Skill gems go into the left-most column, and support gems are inserted in the remaining columns. For example, inserting the Essence Drain gem will reveal two smaller gem sockets next to the skill. This tells us we have two support sockets to play with, allowing us to modify the skill's behavior or otherwise improve it.
You may have up to nine skills inserted into your character. You can bypass this restriction through certain weapons, Ascendancies (subclasses), and meta gems.
Activating Auras And Buffs
Some skills in PoE2 are buffs that passively affect your character. Unlike the previous installment, you no longer have to bind heralds or auras to your action bar to activate them. In your skill menu, simply click on the skill icon to activate it. This will persist until you toggle it off, even through death.
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Posts By Jacqueline ZalaceHow Support Gems Work
Support gems modify your skill gems with new behavior, ranging from damage buffs to entirely new mechanics. For example, if you placed the Multiple Projectiles support onto a grenade skill, you'd throw three grenades in a fan whenever you cast the skill.
These support gems are where most of your damage will be coming from early on, so it's essential to install as many support gems as you can into your skills. A skill can have up to five support gems installed at a time, although all skills only come with two empty support sockets by default. To get more, you'll need to upgrade your skill gems with currency items, notably Jeweler's Orbs.
Skill Vs. Support
Remember, skill gems add functionality to your build. Support gems modify your build.
Support Gem Limitations
As strong as support gems can be, there are some major restrictions you need to be aware of:
- You cannot use the same support gem multiple times. For example, if Multiple Projectiles is currently supporting a skill, you can't use Multiple Projectiles on any other skill.
- You can stack similar support gems on the same skill—for example, Multiple Projectiles and Wildspark. They just can't be the same gem.
- Support gems increase your build's attribute requirements, usually by +5 in whatever the gem's attribute bucket is in.
- For example, a green gem will increase the amount of Dexterity your build needs by +5.
Skill Gem Sockets
Every skill that drops in PoE2 will have support gem sockets. Sockets are what you install support gems into. For example, the first few skills you'll get in Act One will have two support sockets, which means they can equip two support gems. If you want more sockets, you'll need to find Jeweler's Orbs.
CloseJeweler's Orbs are an uncommon crafting currency you'll find throughout the campaign, with Lesser Jeweler's Orbs dropping around the end of Act 2. You can use these on your skill gems to add additional sockets. Jeweler's Orbs are tiered—for example, Lesser Jeweler's Orbs upgrade a two-socket skill into a three-socket skill—so be sure to keep any you find.
Meta Gems
Meta gems are the inverse of support gems. Instead of buffing your skills with passive effects, a meta gem is effectively a massive support gem you socket skills into. Each meta gem has a condition tied to it, such as igniting targets or landing critical hits. Meeting the condition will accrue energy. Once a meta gem has enough energy, it'll trigger every skill currently supported in the meta gem, starting from left to right.
Acquiring New Gems
In the earlier Acts, you'll get most of your skill and support gems through quest rewards. Many quests in the first two acts will award uncut gems, which you can interact with in your inventory to carve into any skill you please.
Uncut gems also drop from slain monsters. Certain bosses are guaranteed to drop an uncut gem on your first kill.
Your skill and support gem options are labeled per class, giving you a rough idea of which skills work best with your archetype. Once again, there are no skill restrictions tied to class, so feel free to carve out skills used by other classes. If you're a Witch but want to use a melee slam attack, you can do that. Just be aware of any attribute requirements that the skill needs.
Support gems work similarly, although uncut supports tend to be slightly rarer from our experience. It's important to note that when you look at compatible supports, you can deselect the "show recommended gems" button on the bottom of the UI to bring up more options; the initial list isn't comprehensive. Any support gem you find in that menu can be used on your current skill. Once again, just be aware of attribute requirements.
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Posts By Jacqueline Zalace
