Gems and Sockets Guide
Choose weapon Gems from post-3.0 multiplicative elements and armor or jewelry Gems from missing survival roles. Expansion builds account for Rune competition; base-game setups remain separate.
Match weapon Gems to the final damage element, use armor for the survival gap, and fill current Resistance shortages in jewelry. Reserve paired sockets for a Runeword first, then Gem the remaining slots and retest at one difficulty.
Five Decisions before Starting
5Confirm Final Element
Read the main element after variants, Aspects, and gear.
Check the Defense Gap
Separate Life, Armor, and Resistance gaps.
Reserve Rune Slots
Expansion setups place the Ritual and Invocation pair first.
Check Quantity before Crafting
Check alt demand before combining higher tiers.
Compare One Change
Change one Gem type and test damage and survival.
Decision Checks
5Weapon Gems
Match the main element's multiplier.
Check final element and uptime.
Test the matching Gem.
Stop when using pre-3.0 effects.
Compare after Rune reservations.
All sockets can remain Gem candidates.
Armor Gems
Repair the weakest survival layer.
Check Life and Toughness changes.
Swap one type and compare damage taken.
Stop when sheet gains do not fix bursts.
Check Mercenary overlap.
Judge the character's own defenses.
Jewelry Gems
Fill Resistance gaps.
Read each Resistance at the active tier.
Fix the lowest element first.
Stop when using old tier penalties.
Recheck after Talisman changes.
Recheck with base jewelry only.
Runeword Competition
Keep the paired sockets intact.
Check Ritual, Invocation, and trigger.
Lock the pair, then Gem the rest.
Stop when only one Rune is socketed.
Use Runes only with Vessel ownership.
Use Gems in every slot.
Recovery and Crafting
Upgrade without avoidable loss.
Check unsocket, salvage, and Cube previews.
Protect the original and process one item.
Stop when the result is unclear.
Audit both Runes and Gems.
Audit Gems only.
Decision Boundaries
6- Do not use pre-3.0 weapon Gem effects.
- No universal Gem setup is promised.
- Check Resistance in the active tier.
- One Rune alone is not a Runeword.
- Inspect sockets before Cube processing.
- Live tooltips are authoritative.
Baseline as of Patch 3.1.1
4- Patch 3.0 changed every weapon Gem to an elemental multiplier.
- Diamond boosts all damage in weapons.
- Ruby boosts Fire and Holy damage in weapons.
- 3.0.4 fixed Gem and Rune loss when recycling through the Cube.
Related Guides
10Aspects and Codex
Confirm required effect placement before socket changes.
Runewords
Compare the expansion setup competing for the same sockets.
Current Builds
Match roles with finished builds.
Gear Upgrades
Review upgrade order and investment.
Combat Mechanics
Review damage and survival rules.
Build Diagnostics
Find the missing role from symptoms.
Progression
Return to the matching progression stage.
Activities
Choose a repeatable test activity.
Farming
Choose a route for the missing resource.
Patch 3.1.x
Review current changes and fixes.