Path of Exile is one of the most complex and rewarding action RPGs ever created. Its depth comes not only from its massive passive skill tree but also from the way active and support skill gems interact. Understanding how to use support gems to link your skills is one of the most important lessons every exile must learn. Doing this well can transform a simple skill into a devastating powerhouse and is often the difference between a weak build and a league-crushing monster.

 

In this guide, we'll explore how support skill gems work, how to link them to your active skills, strategies for maximizing damage or utility, and common mistakes to avoid. By the end, you should feel confident in experimenting with different combinations and building efficient gem setups.

 

What Are Skill Gems?

Before diving into support gems, it's important to understand the foundation. In Path of Exile, nearly all of your abilities-whether they're attacks, spells, summons, or utility skills-come from gems. These skill gems are socketed into gear (weapons, armor, helmets, gloves, boots, and even shields).

 

Active skill gems are the ones that directly grant you abilities. For example:

Fireball: casts a fiery projectile.

 

Cyclone: spins in place, dealing melee damage.

 

Raise Zombie: summons undead allies.

 

On their own, these skills might be decent, but they become much more powerful when combined with support gems.

 

What Are Support Skill Gems?

Support skill gems don't grant abilities by themselves. Instead, they modify active skills they are linked to. For example:

 

Added Cold Damage Support: gives your linked skill extra cold damage.

 

Increased Area of Effect Support: makes your linked skill affect a larger area.

 

Spell Echo Support: causes linked spells to cast twice rapidly.

 

The magic of support gems is that they can fundamentally change the way an active skill behaves. Some add raw power, some improve efficiency, and others change mechanics entirely (like turning projectiles into piercing or chaining attacks).

 

How Linking Works

The key rule is this: a support gem only modifies an active skill if the two are socketed in linked sockets.

 

When you look at gear in Path of Exile, you'll notice colored sockets (red for strength, green for dexterity, blue for intelligence). These sockets can be connected by links. If a support gem and a skill gem are connected by a link, the support gem will enhance the skill.

 

For example:

A Fireball gem in a blue socket linked to Added Lightning Damage Support in another blue socket will now cause Fireball to deal both fire and lightning damage.

 

If they are in sockets that are not linked, the support gem will have no effect.

 

This means that finding gear with multiple linked sockets is crucial for powering up your skills.

 

The Role of Gear

Gear plays a huge role in how many support gems you can attach.

 

Two-link items allow for a skill gem plus one support.

 

Three-links allow a skill gem to benefit from two supports.

 

Four-links are the first major power spike, allowing three supports.

 

Five-links can supercharge a skill with four supports.

 

Six-links are the holy grail, where a skill can benefit from five support gems.

 

The number of links you have often determines your character's ceiling in terms of damage or utility. A six-link skill setup is usually the centerpiece of every build. So you need more Path of exile currency to get more links.

 

Choosing the Right Supports

Not all supports work with all skills. For example, Melee Physical Damage Support won't apply to Fireball because Fireball is a spell, not a melee attack. To check compatibility, hover over the support gem. Path of Exile's tooltip will highlight which of your currently socketed skills can be supported.

Understanding Multipliers

Support gems often scale your damage in one of two ways: increased damage or more damage.

 

Increased Damage is additive. For example, if you have 100% increased spell damage from passives and a support gem adds 50% increased, the total is 150%.

 

More Damage is multiplicative. If you already have 150% increased and add a support that gives 50% more damage, your damage is multiplied by 1.5 again, leading to much higher gains.

 

This distinction is crucial. Supports that say "more damage" are usually the strongest options for scaling a skill's output.

 

Utility Supports

Not all supports are about damage. Many provide crucial utility that makes builds more viable. Some examples include:

 

Fortify Support: grants damage reduction when you hit enemies with melee skills.

 

Lifetap Support: allows skills to cost life instead of mana, solving resource problems.

 

Faster Casting Support: speeds up casting animations, making gameplay smoother.

 

Increased Duration Support: keeps your buffs and damage-over-time effects active longer.

 

Sometimes, a build prioritizes survivability and comfort over raw numbers, and these utility supports can make all the difference.

 

Early Game vs. Late Game Linking

Early Game (1-30): You'll often be using two- or three-link setups. This is where experimenting matters. Try different supports to see what feels good.

 

Mid Game (30-60): Four-links become accessible, and your main skill should have three supports backing it. This is usually when your build starts to take shape.

 

Late Game (60+): You'll want at least a five-link for your main damage skill. Six-links become the endgame goal. Many players farm currency or maps specifically to acquire their six-link setup.

 

Gem Levels and Quality

Support gems, like active gems, level up as you gain experience. Higher levels usually increase their bonuses. For example, Added Lightning Damage Support adds more lightning damage per level.

 

In addition, gems can gain quality (up to 20%) using Gemcutter's Prisms or the vendor recipe system. Quality often provides extra bonuses, such as increased effect or improved efficiency. For support gems, this can significantly boost performance. You can also buy POE orbs to upgrade your gems.

 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using incompatible supports. Always check whether a support actually applies to your skill. If it's grayed out, it's not working.

 

Wasting links. A six-link setup with one or two useless supports is not better than a well-optimized four-link.

 

Ignoring mana costs. Some supports increase mana multipliers drastically. If your skill costs too much to cast, consider swapping in a cheaper support.

 

Tunnel-visioning damage. Don't overlook survivability. Sometimes, supports like Lifetap or Fortify can keep you alive far better than raw DPS scaling.

 

Experimentation Is Key

The beauty of Path of Exile is that it encourages experimentation. The sheer number of active and support gem combinations means the possibilities are endless. You might stumble upon a unique interaction that makes your build both fun and powerful. Don't be afraid to try unusual pairings-you may discover something entirely new.

 

Final Thoughts

Mastering support gems is one of the most rewarding parts of Path of Exile. It transforms the game from a hack-and-slash into a true sandbox of creativity. Every exile must learn to recognize which supports pair best with their chosen skills, when to prioritize damage versus utility, and how to chase those powerful five- and six-link setups.

 

Once you understand how to use support skill gems to link your skills effectively, the world of Wraeclast opens up in new and exciting ways. Whether you're summoning hordes of undead, raining down elemental fire, or spinning through enemies with melee devastation, your supports are what make your build truly shine.