Gems and sockets
Sockets on item level 245+ gear, gems of three colours, hybrids, the legendary gem and meta gems: what they give and how to socket them. PvE only.
Loot referenceItem atlasWhat drops whereOpen the atlas
Sockets are slots for gems built into an item. Put a gem in — the item gets stronger. Gems work only in PvE: dungeons, raids, the open world and the Underhall. In the arena, duels, battlegrounds and tournaments gems do nothing — the item tooltip says so: “no effect in PvP”.
Where sockets appear
Only items of item level 245 and above have sockets: mythic raid and world boss loot, the 245 key chest, Tier 1.2 regalia, 245 crafted gear, the weekly 250 chest and 280 legendaries. Items below 245 have no sockets.
| Slot | Sockets |
|---|---|
| Head | always 2 regular + 1 meta socket |
| Shoulders, chest, hands, legs, wrists, waist, feet, cloak, weapon, shield | 2 or 3 |
| Rings, neck, trinkets, ranged slot | 1 |
Sockets belong to the specific item. Their number is written when the item drops: mythic loot on the “big” slots has 2 sockets, sometimes 3 (35% chance). An item from the weekly 250 chest always has 3. 245 crafted items always have the same number — it is shown in the recipe. An item with sockets is not weaker than the same item without them: sockets come on top.
Colours and gem power
A gem has a colour and a rarity. The colour tells you what it gives:
| Colour | Rare | Epic | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red — Power | Garnet: +2 Power | Blood Ruby: +5 Power | Heart of the Forge: +10 Power |
| Green — Health | Jade: +5 Health | Emerald of the Tree: +10 Health | Tear of the Tree of Life: +20 Health |
| Yellow — Hardiness | Amber: +2 Hardiness | Sun Topaz: +2 Hardiness | Eye of the Sun: +5 Hardiness |
A full set of epic gems in mythic gear is a big boost — about +24% Power (or Health for a tank). It is not quick to collect: it is a goal for several weeks.
The legendary gem — one per hero
You can wear only one legendary gem — the game will not let you socket a second: “this hero already has a legendary gem”. In return it is “rainbow”: for meta gem requirements it counts as all three colours at once. A legendary gem is soulbound from the moment it is made or dropped.
Hybrids — two colours at once
Hybrids are made by alchemists. A hybrid counts as both of its colours — it makes meta gem requirements easier to meet.
| Hybrid | Colours | Rare | Epic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emberstone | red + yellow | Emberstone: +1 Power, +1 Hardiness | Blazing Emberstone: +2 Power, +2 Hardiness |
| Alexandrite | red + green | Alexandrite: +1 Power, +1 Health | Royal Alexandrite: +2 Power, +2 Health |
| Chrysolite | green + yellow | Chrysolite: +1 Health, +1 Hardiness | Dawn Chrysolite: +2 Health, +2 Hardiness |
The meta socket and meta gems
A 245 head item has a special meta socket (diamond ◆). Only a meta gem fits there. A meta gem does not add a stat — it gives an action in combat. But it only turns on if your hero has enough gems of the right colours across all worn items.
- Requirement met — the meta gem icon is gold with “✓ active”.
- Not met — the icon is grey, and the tooltip says what is missing: “Missing: 1 yellow”.
- All gems on the hero count. A hybrid counts as both colours, the legendary gem as all three.
| Meta gem | Role | Gems needed | What it does (against creatures only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond of the Unbreakable Wall | tank | 3 green, 2 yellow | Once per fight, when your Health drops below 35%, you get a shield worth 12% of your max Health. |
| Diamond of Stoneskin | tank | 3 yellow, 1 green | Every 4th hit against you in a fight is weakened by 30%. |
| Diamond of Forge Fury | melee | 2 red, 1 yellow, 1 green | Every 4th attack in a fight deals +25% damage. |
| Diamond of the Blood Harvest | melee | 3 red, 2 green | Hits against a target below 30% Health deal +12% damage. |
| Diamond of the Nexus Flow | spell damage | 2 red, 2 yellow | +1 crystal on the first turn of the fight, then +1 more every 6th turn. |
| Diamond of the Thunder Discharge | spell damage | 3 red, 1 yellow | Spells that hit three or more targets deal +10% damage. |
| Diamond of Mercy | healer | 2 green, 1 red, 1 yellow | Healing an ally below 35% Health is 15% stronger. |
| Diamond of the Spring | healer | 3 green, 1 red | Every 3rd heal in a fight returns 1 crystal (no more than once per 2 turns). |
| Diamond of the Pack | support, hybrids | 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow | Once per fight, when an ally drops below 20% Health, they get a shield worth 8% of their Health. |
On average a meta gem adds about +5% in its role. Meta gems never drop ready-made — gemcutters make them from blueprints (see Gem cutting).
Socketing, replacing and removing
- Open an item with a socket and tap the socket.
- Pick a gem from your bags. The game shows “before → after” and the socketing fee.
- Confirm — the gem goes in and the item becomes soulbound (it can no longer be sold or traded).
Socketing fee: rare — 2g, epic — 5g, hybrid — 5g, meta gem — 20g, legendary — 50g.
Replacing:
- Rare, epic and hybrid gems are destroyed when replaced. The game asks you once more first.
- Meta and legendary gems are never destroyed: you take them out with Gemcutter's Tongs (made by engineers, used up). The removed gem stays yours, soulbound — put it into a new item, for example when you move on to Tier 2.
Gems that are not socketed yet can be sold on the auction house and traded. An item with a gem in it cannot — no “surprise” items.
If something does not work
| What the game says | What to do |
|---|---|
| “This item has no sockets” | Only items of 245 and above have sockets. |
| “This hero already has a legendary gem” | Remove the old legendary gem with Tongs, or use a different gem. |
| “Gemcutter's Tongs needed” | Meta and legendary gems come out only with Tongs — buy them from an engineer or on the auction house. |
| “Not enough gold” | The fee is shown in the socketing window. |
| “Item is on the auction” / “Item is in a trade” | Cancel the listing or finish the trade. |
Read next
Gem cutting
Who cuts gems, from what, where to get raw gems and blueprints, daily gemcutter limits, Gemcutter’s Tongs and the Gemcutter’s Bag.
Mythic Spark and Blueprint Scraps
Mythic Spark is rare loot from mythic and timed keys: how much drops and what it is for. Blueprint Scraps are a safety net if you are unlucky.
245 crafting
57 item level 245 items from six crafts: with gem sockets, recipes from mythic bosses. Daily limits, who wears them, special trinkets.
Enchants and sharpening: how to upgrade an item
Enchants and sharpening go on any wearable item: who makes them, how to apply them, what they give, heirlooms, and what happens when you re-enchant.