What happens if you don't have a Gem in your Inventory and Click on a Gem Shrine?
A: Gem Shrines drop a chipped gem.
Q: Socketable Items and Weapons can have up to 3 Sockets. Depending on the item/weapon
A: they have a set number of sockets so a Dagger will always have one socket, if it is socketable.
There are 6 types [not including skulls] of Gems: Emerald, Ruby, Amethyst, Topaz, Sapphire, Diamond [as well as] Skulls.
Q: Will Gem Shrines upgrade Gems that are already Socketed?
A: No!
Q: What do Gem Shrines Look like?
A: They vary in appearance depending on where they spawn. So they do not have one uniform look.
Q: Are Gems stackable? If I put 3 of the same Gem in a sword will I get the effects of all 3?
A: Yes. The first Gem you place in your item will determine the color of the item. Also if you have more than one type of gem in a weapon it will randomly display an attack based on those types of gems in the sword. So one swing it will show cold damage, the next a poison attack but all of them are working at the same time.
To Socket a Gem, you must de-equip it and place it in your inventory. Pick up the Gem and drag it over the Socketable Item and left click the mouse button to set it in place. Make sure it's a GREY Socketable Item because I've heard stories of people trying to socket non socketable items.
You can ONLY place gems in non-magical socketable items/weapons. You cannot place gems in a magic item or a rare item, set item or unique item. There are Socketable Staves and Scepters that give +1-3 to up to 3 Skills/Spells but these Socketable Items are not considered Magic Items.
You can't unsocket Gems once placed. Sorry. If you could unsocket them then you could use the same Gems over and over again and finding them wouldn't be exciting.
Gemmed Weapons do not reflect the gem cost when selling them to the merchants. I've always explained this by saying the gems are already been used so they are useless to the Vendor. Hey buddy I don't want your used Gems!
Gem Shrines do not have an icon above them (this won't change) so it's up to you to run your mouse over it and see if it's used or not. This is a good thing because other people and your friends will pass by them leaving them all for you!
A Gem Shrine will upgrade one random gem in your inventory. So if you want a Gem upgraded drop all your other gems and leave only the Gem in your Inventory you want upgraded (watch out for other players jacking your gems) then click on the Gem Shrine. The Gem shrine will THROW out the upgraded Gem (or skull) and you have to pick it up. Pick it up fast or someone will steal it (as one post talked about).
Gem Shrines do not Regenerate. They are somewhat rare and can be found everywhere (that I know of). People finding them or not finding them is luck or their ability to clear areas and check each shrine. There is no TRICK that I know of to make them spawn but as people have noticed, the early first few areas of the game (Blood Moor -> Black Marsh) generally have a lot of shrines so if you run through those areas you can sometimes find them. There are 5 levels of Gems, Chipped, Flawed, Normal (just the Gems name), Flaweless, Perfect.
Gems give random among a range of stats, a Chipped Gem may give say 13 one time, and 14 the next even though it has the same Gem name. We'll have a complete list of Gems/Stats in on our Online Guide once we put it up or you can check the Fan Sites for their versions (which aren't 100% acurate) <- Sorry no help there.
You only see what a Gem does after it has been socketed. Until then you don't know exactly what stat within a range you will get. For example it may give +6 to dex or +7 to dex, but you will only know which one you will get after putting it in the item.
There is no "bonus" for socketing 3 gems. Any bonus you see is rounding or display errors (bugs) in the Stres Test. The "problem" is that it is not showing fractions, which is also the case with some skills. By Bonus I don't mean that all 3 gems are not working, I mean you do not receive anything EXTRA just for having 3. So if you put 3 chipped emeralds in helm, you get 9 dex, or +3 dex for each of the 3 gems. You don't receive anything more than 9 just because you managed to get 3. 3 is no special number. Not all socketed items even have 3 slots. Some of 1, some have 2.
Gem Abilities stack so each Gem added, adds to the over all total. So two Gems that give +10 to Dex, would give a total of +20 to Dex.
You can't buy Gems. Gems are only drop by monsters. You can trade with other players for gems too!
Higher quality Gems are dropped later in the game and on higher difficulty levels.
As to Gems being useful later on, better socketable equipment drops as you go further in the game and on higher difficulty levels.
Did I miss anything?
GFraizer
Web Designer
Various Responses Added By GFraizer
Drakkhen: Does the gem's power when socketed depend on the item it is socketed in? Ex: Will a two-handed sword give better results than a short sword?
A: No
questions: So are Gems Stackable? I didn't see the answer in the FAQ.
A: It depends on what you mean by stackable. In your inventory no. If you mean if you place 3 gems of the same type do you get the results of all 3 added together, yes.
questions: If a Sword has 3 gem sockets, would someone have to place a gem in all 3 Sockets at once or can one socket a gem now and say later when oen finds another gem socket the new gem and even later socket a gem in the 3rd socket?
A: You can socket them one at a time as long as you have a slot free you can place a gem in there at any time.
... you may get more money with a gem in an item but you won't get the same as selling the item and the games separately.
Tyburn: Can you find superior, [the quality item modifier, on] socketed equipment later on? My guess is no, since we haven't seen any inferior (damaged, low quality, etc.) socketed equipment.
A: Superior and Socketed are two different things, so No.
Melaquis: You mentioned scepters and staves having sockets, are there any wands for us poor necromancers that are socketable
?
A: Nope, and Necromancer's aren't so poor :0
Twink: (...EXTRA just for having 3. So if you put 3 chipped emeralds in helm, you get 9 dex, or...) Did GF just say you can have a Helm with 3 sockets?
A: Just an example, only 2 sockets in Helms.
Rae: Quick question that I haven't seen answered anywhere - What happens if Charsi [imbues] a socketed (or socketable) item?
A: She won't imbue Socketed Items.
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