Support Gems in Path of Exile 2: What Does It Mean?
In Path of Exile 2, Support Gems are a crucial component of the game’s skill system, allowing players to enhance and modify their character's abilities. By linking support gems to active skill gems in gear, players can customize their skills to better suit their gameplay style and strategy.
Functionality of Support Gems
Support Gems are used to augment Active Skill Gems. They offer various modifications such as increasing damage, altering mechanics, or adding new effects. Here is how they typically function:
- Linking Mechanics: Support Gems must be socketed in linked slots of equipped gear alongside the Active Skill Gem they are intended to augment.
- Compatibility: Not all Support Gems can augment all Active Skills. Each Support Gem specifies the types of skills it can enhance, such as attack, spell, or minion skills.
- Effects: The effects of Support Gems can range from increasing the damage output of a skill, adding elemental damage, or even changing the fundamental behavior of the skill.
Choosing the Right Support Gems
Selecting the appropriate Support Gems is integral to maximizing the potential of your skills. Here are some strategies:
- Understand Your Build: Identify the primary function of your build, such as dealing damage, supporting allies, or controlling the battlefield. Choose Support Gems that enhance these aspects.
- Synergy: Look for synergies between your active skill and support gems. For example, pairing a skill that deals fire damage with a support gem that increases fire damage can significantly boost your effectiveness.
- Experimentation: Since Path of Exile 2 encourages creativity, experiment with different combinations to find unexpected and powerful synergies.
Advanced Strategies
For advanced players, optimizing the use of Support Gems can lead to powerful builds:
- Socket Color Matching: Make sure to match the gem colors with the socket colors in your gear to fully utilize your gems.
- Link Count: Gear with more linked sockets allows for more Support Gems, offering greater potential for skill enhancement.
- Gem Quality: Increase the quality of your Support Gems to further enhance their effects, which can be achieved through various in-game methods.