Skill Gems & Support Gems — Uncut Gems, Linking, and Spirit
Gems are the heart of a PoE2 build. What you attack with (skill gems) and how you empower it (support gems) are both decided by gems. PoE2’s gem system differs quite a bit from the previous game, so old habits get you stuck. This page lays out the framework. You can adjust levels and see individual skill numbers on the skill gem list.
Skill gems — cut from uncut gems
In PoE2 you don’t pick up a skill directly. You get an Uncut Skill Gem and cut it, choosing exactly which skill to make from a list — it’s a deliberate choice, not random.
- Uncut gems drop from monsters and areas, and the early ones are quest rewards too.
- The uncut gem’s level sets the maximum level of the skill you can create. A level 5 uncut gem lets you pick any skill up to level 5.
One big difference: skill gems aren’t socketed into gear — they go into a Skills Panel. You can have several skill gems active at once (nine by default), and certain rings and passives raise that.
Another: gem levels don’t rise automatically from XP. You level a skill gem up one step at a time by spending an Uncut Gem of the level you want (up to 20, or 21 if corrupted). Each gem has attribute requirements (Str/Dex/Int) that grow as it levels.
Linking support gems
Support Gems empower a skill — and again, this differs from before: supports attach directly to a skill gem, not through linked gear sockets.
- Each skill gem starts with 2 support sockets, expandable to 5 by using a Jeweller’s Orb on that skill gem.
- A support only fits skills with matching tags. A support that “supports Attacks,” for example, only goes on skills with the Attack tag.
- You can’t socket two supports of the same category into one skill. But you can use the same support on different skills — the old “one of each support per character” limit was removed.
Gems also have color caps by attribute: Strength = red, Dexterity = green, Intelligence = blue, and roughly every 5 of that attribute affords one support of that color. If you fail a support’s attribute requirement, only that support turns off — the skill still works.
Spirit and persistent skills
Persistent skills you keep running — auras, heralds, permanent minions, trigger (meta) skills — reserve Spirit while active. You can only run them within your Spirit budget, so Spirit decides how many persistent skills you can keep up.
- These persistent skills (spirit gems) are made by cutting an Uncut Spirit Gem.
- Base Spirit is 0; it comes from sceptres, body armour, amulets, and quest rewards (for example, the Gembloom Skull in Act 1 gives +30). Running a defensive aura off Spirit ties this into your defence too.
Early setup tips
- Pick one main skill and focus on it. Grow its sockets with Jeweller’s Orbs and fill them with good, tag-matching supports first.
- Check the tags on a support — not every support fits every skill.
- While leveling, keep raising your main skill’s level with the uncut gems you find so your damage doesn’t fall behind.
- If Spirit is tight, don’t force several auras at once — add one as your Spirit grows.
Gems also have quality that adds a little performance, but it’s not something to worry about early.