Hello exiles! Path of Exile 2 skill gem madness is going to make your mind explode, isn't it? If you think POE1 was wild, then wait until you play POE2. Grinding Gear Games is not just adjusting; they are flipping over and lighting up the table.

• POE1 vs. POE2
• The 2021 Overhaul That Wasn't
• The Current Gem-pocalypse
• Uncut Gems
• Meta Gems
• But Wait, There's More!
• The Path to Gem Perfection
• The Verdict

↖ POE1 vs. POE2

Back in the day in our beloved game poe1, things were pretty simple; put skill gems into your gear, link them with support gems and voila! You're now an unstoppable killing machine. However, let us be honest it could get as irritating as trying to detangle earphone wires that have been inside your pocket for so long.

Different is what this new game called poe2 said- very different!

↖ The 2021 Overhaul That Wasn't

Remember back in 2019 when we got wind of a new system? Gems would still go into gear, but now gear had set sockets and colors. Support gems would cozy up directly inside skill gems, eliminating the need for linking gear. And we were all chasing the dream of six-linked skills falling from the sky. A whole new design playground indeed.

But hold your horses! Fast forward to earlier this year, and it's like GGG decided to throw that plan out the window.

↖ The Current Gem-pocalypse

Now there are no more sockets in gears, yes you heard me right no socket at all. We have a given amount of gem slots tied to a separate screen where our exiles start off from here on with no sockets on their gears at all. It's like GGG gave us a gem shaped USB stick and said "Go wild".

We all start with nine skill sockets, but we can find currency items to raise those numbers. Support sockets are now for grabs and changing gem colours is as simple as ABC – no longer does one have to depend on RNGesus.

↖ Uncut Gems

It was not like this before, where gems dropped in ready condition. Now we've got these uncut gems that let us pick from any skill gem up to its tier level. It's like a buffet of skill gems and we’ve got VIP passes. There is no need to worry about class restrictions – in POE2 you can mix and match them like a pro.

↖ Meta Gems

Welcome meta gems; they allow you to add more skill gems into them for an inception level play. They are practically gem-ceptional. An example includes "Cast on Shock" which does exactly what it sounds like-shock the enemy while summoning wolves. Automation laced with disorder.

↖ But Wait, There's More!

In poe2 gearing will be less about finding the perfect six-link and more about picking out your skills. It's as if GGG handed us the keys to the kingdom and told us "create your own storyline". But while support gems in POE1 were always about boosting what your skill did best, POE2 has flipped that by making support gems change the game.

↖ The Path to Gem Perfection

So, how do we climb the gem ladder in POE2? Your starting point is uncut gems – pick your skill and follow the path to those difficult maximum socket numbers that you can throw six-linkers at your character. And for the coloring of gems? You have control.

↖ The Verdict

It's obvious as daylight but it is absolutely insane in a good way – this is what POE2's skill gem situation amounts to. GGG just scaled up their knowledge from POE1 to eleven in POE2. We are being led towards more complex action with richer fights than a circus artist trying to handle numerous tricks.