A normal Skill Gem starts with two Support sockets. Lesser Jeweller's Orb sets it to three, Greater sets it to four, and Perfect sets it to five. You can skip tiers because each Orb sets the final count rather than adding one. Skills granted by passives gain sockets from character level, while skills granted by items use their skill level or a Jeweller's Orb applied to the item. A Vaal Orb can add a sixth socket, but it can also remove one and permanently Corrupts the gem.
- Open the Skills Panel and count the empty Support sockets on the target Skill.
- Identify whether the Skill comes from a Skill Gem, a passive or Ascendancy, or an equipped item.
- Finish ordinary socket and Quality changes before risking a Vaal Orb.
A socketable Skill Gem, a Skill granted by a passive or Ascendancy, and a Skill granted by an item use different progression rules. The Skills Panel shows the current socket count, but the source determines whether Jeweller's Orbs, character level, or item skill level controls it.
- Skill Gem: the Skill exists as a gem item.
- Passive-granted Skill: the Skill came from the passive tree or an Ascendancy node.
- Item-granted Skill: the equipped item has a Grants Skill property.
DirectoryFind the active Skill Gem and its exact level data.
DirectoryFind skills granted by Ascendancy nodes.
MechanicKeep item level separate from the granted Skill's actual level.
Apply Lesser Jeweller's Orb for exactly three Support sockets, Greater Jeweller's Orb for exactly four, or Perfect Jeweller's Orb for exactly five. The Orb is usable only when the target has fewer sockets than its stated result. Since version 0.2.0, these currencies set the count, so a two-socket Skill Gem can go directly to five with a Perfect Jeweller's Orb.
- Choose the final socket count before spending currency.
- Use Lesser for three, Greater for four, or Perfect for five.
- Skip intermediate tiers when the final Orb is already available.
CurrencySet an eligible Skill Gem to exactly three Support sockets.
CurrencySet an eligible Skill Gem to exactly four Support sockets.
CurrencySet an eligible Skill Gem to exactly five Support sockets.
Skills granted by passives, including Ascendancy skills, gain levels and sockets automatically with character level. They reach three sockets at character level 36, four at level 64, and five at level 90. Jeweller's Orbs do not target these passive-granted Skills.
- Reach character level 36 for three sockets.
- Reach character level 64 for four sockets.
- Reach character level 90 for five sockets.
DirectoryBrowse every class and its granted skills.
MechanicCheck cumulative experience and level progression.
Item-granted Skills naturally have three sockets at Skill level 10, four at Skill level 15, and five at Skill level 20. The item's level influences which granted Skill level can appear, but overlapping ranges mean item level alone does not prove the socket count. Since version 0.5.0, a Jeweller's Orb can be applied to the item, and every Skill granted by a multi-skill item is affected. Perfect Flux sets every Skill granted by the item to level 20.
- Read the granted Skill level on the item.
- Apply a Jeweller's Orb to the item when a direct socket upgrade is preferred.
- Expect every granted Skill on a multi-skill item to change together.
CurrencySet every Skill granted by the target item to level 20.
MechanicUnderstand item level without assuming it equals granted Skill level.
CurrencySet all eligible Skills granted by the item to five Support sockets.
A Vaal Orb on a Skill Gem can add one socket, remove one socket, change the gem level, change Quality, or produce no visible change. Starting from five ordinary sockets gives the only normal chance to reach six Support sockets. The result is random and the gem becomes Corrupted, so Jeweller's Orbs and other ordinary modifications cannot repair a lost socket afterward.
- Reach five ordinary Support sockets first.
- Accept that the result can remove a socket instead.
- Keep or replace the Corrupted result based on its complete outcome.
CurrencyApply the random corruption outcome to the Skill Gem.
GuideCompare every current Vaal Orb result by item type.
MechanicUnderstand which modifications remain possible after corruption.
Jeweller's Orbs set the countThey do not add one socket. A Perfect Jeweller's Orb can take an eligible two-socket Skill Gem directly to five.
Item level is not the final socket countAn item's granted Skill level determines its natural socket breakpoint. At overlapping item-level ranges, two otherwise similar items can grant different Skill levels and socket counts.
An empty socket does not guarantee a working SupportThe Support must still be compatible, use a permitted Support Category, and fit the character's Attribute capacity.
Six sockets require a risky outcomeA Vaal Orb does not guarantee the extra socket and ordinary socket currency cannot modify the Corrupted gem afterward.
CurrencySet an eligible Skill Gem to exactly three Support sockets.
CurrencySet an eligible Skill Gem to exactly four Support sockets.
CurrencySet all eligible Skills granted by the item to five Support sockets.
CurrencySet every Skill granted by the target item to level 20.
CurrencyApply the random corruption outcome to the Skill Gem.
ToolChoose compatible Supports for the available sockets.
GuideEngrave, upgrade, socket, and enable gems.
MechanicCompatibility, Categories, Attribute capacity, and socket scope.
DirectoryFind the active Skill Gem and its exact level data.
DirectoryFind skills granted by Ascendancy nodes.
MechanicUnderstand item level without assuming it equals granted Skill level.
DirectoryBrowse every class and its granted skills.
MechanicCheck cumulative experience and level progression.
GuideCompare every current Vaal Orb result by item type.
MechanicUnderstand which modifications remain possible after corruption.
