An example of a bow with three linked sockets; two of which are occupied by skill gems.
Item sockets are slots on equipment or resonators into which other items can be placed. There are 3 types of sockets:
- Coloured sockets in which skill gems of a matching colour can be socketed
- Coloured sockets can be linked together, which is required for support skill gems to provide benefits to linked active skill gems.
- Abyss sockets in which Abyss Jewels can be socketed
- Resonator sockets in which fossils can be socketed
Coloured sockets
Colours
Each socket has one of four colours:
- red, associated with strength
- blue, associated with intelligence
- green, associated with dexterity
- white
Skill gems have to be placed into a socket with the corresponding colour with the exception of white gems and sockets, which can be placed into a socket of any colour or take a gem of any colour respectively.
The random choice of colour for sockets is weighted based upon the magnitude of the relevant attributes (strength, dexterity, intelligence) required to use the item. For example, a low strength requirement (low base-level) pure strength armour item has a higher probability of rolling off-color sockets than a high strength requirement (high base-level) pure strength armour.
White sockets can be obtained through corruption by using a Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. at a 25% chance.[1] They can also be crafted into an item using an Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. or Vorici's crafting bench in the Immortal Syndicate Research safehouse. The Altar of Corruption in the Temple of Atzoatl has a chance to corrupt an item to have all white sockets.
The colour of sockets can be changed by Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. reforging or by using the Crafting Bench in your hideout.
Number of sockets
The number of possible sockets on equipment is based on the item level as well as the type of the equipment being used.
The number of sockets can be changed by Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. reforging, using the Crafting Bench in your hideout, an Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. or a Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes... Corrupted items can only be changed through the Crafting Bench and need an equivalent amount of Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. as the usual cost of Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. to change sockets on any corrupted item.
Maximum number of sockets by equipment type
- Most Belts, amulets, rings and quivers do not have sockets. Exceptions are Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes...
- One-handed weapons and shields can only have up to 3 sockets max
- Boots, helmets and gloves can have up to 4 sockets
- Body armours and Two-handed weapons can have up to 6 sockets
Some items have exceptions to these rules.
Item level
| Number of sockets | Minimum item level | Weight (6S & 3S) | Weight (4S) | First vendor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 50 | 100 | Act 1 |
| 2 | 1 | 120 | 90 | Act 1 |
| 3 | 2 | 100 | 80 | Act 1 |
| 4 | 25 | 30 | 30 | Act 3 |
| 5 | 35 | 5 | N/A | Act 4 |
| 6 | 50 | 1 | N/A | Act 6 |
The item level item is generally applicable, but note that there are a few cases where the restriction does not apply:
- Hillock, upon death, always drops a specific weapon with three differently coloured sockets, which is dependent on your class.
- Unique items that override the socket mechanics, such as Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. which always has 6 linked white sockets.
- Items from strongboxes with Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "mods.name"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. affix
- Sockets can be crafted to an item using the Crafting Bench ignoring item level restrictions
Links
Sockets can be linked to other sockets in the same item. In order to provide their benefits support skill gems have to be placed in sockets linked to other sockets containing active skill gems.
Multiple support skill gems of the same type can only be applied once to an active skill gem, however it is possible to apply a single support skill gem to multiple active skill gems at once. If multiple support gems of the same type are socketed in the same link, the highest level support is used.
- For example, the two skills Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. may be linked with the support skill Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. in a three linked item, or Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. may be replaced by Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. to enhance the Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. even more. However linking two instances of Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. will only provide the bonus of the highest level one.
- Spell Totem Support can be linked with most blue Active skills (Arc, SRS, Frostbolt, etc) in a 6 link armor/Tabula Rasa
The number of links can be reforged using an Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., the Crafting Bench, an Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. or a Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes...
Order
Generally the order in which skill gems are linked only holds importance for trigger gems and for rounding the mana cost. The order for sockets used is:
| 1 | ⇒ | 2 |
| ⇓ | ||
| 4 | ⇐ | 3 |
| ⇓ | ||
| 5 | ⇒ | 6 |
If multiple trigger gems are socketed in several equipped items the order will be:
- Main hand ⇒ Amulet ⇒ Helm ⇒ Off hand ⇒ Body armour ⇒ Gloves ⇒ Boots
Items with non-standard interactions
Base items
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. have 1 socket instead of none.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. have 1 socket instead of none.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. can only have up to 3 sockets, despite being a two-handed weapon.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. can only have up to 4 sockets, despite being a two-handed weapon.
Unique items
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always have 6 linked sockets. They are the only one-handed weapons that can have more than three sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. do not have any sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always has a white socket and grants stats based on the colour of the gem socketed into the item.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.., and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. grant stats based on the colour of the sockets in the item.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always has 6 white linked sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always come with six linked sockets that are randomly colored. These cannot be modified with the crafting bench.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. does not need to have the socketed gems match the socket colors, effectively functioning as white sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always has 6 sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always has 6 linked sockets.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. always has 3 sockets, one of which can be lost if replaced by a vaal implicit.
Unique items from races
All Descent: Champions unique items have three white, linked sockets (except for Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes..).
Related divination cards
There are divination cards that grant items with a high number of sockets and links.
Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageID"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes..
Related Prophecies
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. will cause the next Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. used on an appropriate item to make that item become a fully-linked five-socket item.
- Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. will cause the next Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. that resulted in an item having 6 sockets to also make those sockets fully linked.
Abyssal socket
Abyssal sockets are special types of sockets exclusively found on Abyss themed items. A single socket can be found on Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes.. and between one and two sockets on Abyss-related uniques. Abyss sockets can also be crafted into an item using a Resonator with a Lua error: Error: invalid field alias "items._pageName"; aliases cannot contain dots or quotes...
The following uniques have abyss sockets:
Abyss sockets take the place of regular sockets, i.e. an item will have the number of maximum coloured sockets reduced by the amount of abyss sockets; for example, a glove with two abyss sockets can only have up to a maximum of 2 coloured sockets.
You can only socket abyss jewels into these sockets.
Resonator sockets
Resonators are a special currency item class which have sockets for fossils.
Developer Information
 | This section contains development information and is intended for developers and not regular end users. |
Relevant information about the sockets can be found in the "Sockets" section of .ot files (based on which files the item in question inherits).
The format used for sockets is
<number of sockets>:<item level requirement>:<spawn weighting>
The socket colours are commonly represented as:
| Colour | Letter Code | Numerical ID |
|---|---|---|
| red | R | 1 |
| green | G | 2 |
| blue | B | 3 |
| white | W |
References
- ↑ chris_wilson (July 16, 2015). "Chris Wilson on chances of corrupting White Sockets". Path of Exile Subreddit. Retrieved July 16, 2015.