Why Not Level Gems in Path of Exile?
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The seemingly straightforward concept of leveling up gems in Path of Exile (PoE) isn’t always the best course of action. While leveling gems generally enhances their power, there are compelling reasons why players strategically choose to keep certain gems at lower levels. The core reason revolves around controlling the gem’s attributes, particularly mana cost, stat requirements, and interaction with specific support gems, most notably Cast When Damage Taken (CWDT).
In essence, leveling a gem isn’t always a strict upgrade. Each level not only increases a gem’s effectiveness but also raises its mana cost and stat requirements. This creates situations where a lower-level gem, with its reduced requirements, offers a significant advantage over its higher-level counterpart. This is particularly true when optimizing for specific builds that rely on precisely calibrated mechanics.
Reasons to Keep Gems at Lower Levels
The Cast When Damage Taken (CWDT) Synergy
The most prominent reason for not leveling a gem is its interaction with CWDT. This support gem triggers linked skills upon the player taking a certain amount of damage. The crucial aspect here is that CWDT only triggers spells when the damage taken is below a specific threshold, determined by the level of the CWDT gem. Higher levels of CWDT require higher damage taken thresholds to trigger, whereas lower levels require significantly lower damage taken thresholds.
Therefore, a low-level utility gem linked with a low-level CWDT gem will trigger much more frequently than the same utility gem at a high level. This becomes vital for builds that rely on frequent, automatic triggering of support skills or for maintaining uptime on buffs, debuffs, and utility casts. A good example is Immortal Call, which can be triggered more frequently with a low-level setup and can save a player from significant damage spikes.
Mana Management
Another critical reason involves mana management. Active skill gems, as they level, require more mana per use. For some builds, keeping mana costs low is essential, especially early in the game or for characters that rely on a high volume of spells and don’t heavily invest in mana regeneration or reservation. A lower-level skill gem may offer a sweet spot where it provides adequate power without putting a strain on mana resources, thus maintaining continuous action and spell casting without the risk of running out of mana.
Stat Requirements
As gems level up, they increase their stat requirements. This can be problematic if your character build does not adequately allocate attribute points into the relevant stats of the gem. By not leveling a gem, a player can use that gem with less stat requirement, even if it is not ideal damage-wise. This can be crucial for hybrid builds and builds that prioritize certain stats over others.
Specific Skill Mechanics
Certain utility skills may not necessarily scale with level in a way that is beneficial for the build. For example, a lower-level Desecrate may generate a specific amount of corpses that’s optimal for an army of minions to consume, and a higher level only creates less corpses. In such cases, a higher gem level is detrimental to the effectiveness of the skill because it messes with that specific timing, or number of corpses. Other support skill gems may scale in a way that makes their effectiveness more consistent if they are not leveled, creating optimal support.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do you prevent a gem from leveling in PoE?
To prevent a gem from leveling up, open your inventory by pressing “I.” You’ll see gems with an arrow indicating they are ready to level up. Right-click on the gem to hide it from the leveling prompt. It will no longer prompt you to level it up. The gem will still be equipped and functional.
2. Can you reverse gem leveling?
No, you cannot reverse gem leveling. Once a gem has been leveled up, it’s a permanent change. The only way to get a lower level version of that gem is to obtain a new one.
3. Does gem order matter when linked with CWDT?
Yes, when linked with CWDT, the top-right skill is triggered first, followed by the rest in a chain based on their position. This is vital to remember when controlling order in which linked skills are cast.
4. Does gem quality affect CWDT thresholds?
No, gem quality does not affect the damage threshold of Cast When Damage Taken Support. Only the level of the CWDT gem affects the threshold.
5. What is the best way to improve gem quality?
The most common way to improve gem quality is by using Gemcutter’s Prisms. These prisms will increase the gem’s quality by 1%. Alternatively, you can vendor a level 20 gem with a Gemcutter’s Prism to get a level 1 gem with 20% quality.
6. What is the max level of a gem in PoE?
The typical level cap for most gems is level 20. However, corrupting a gem can potentially raise its level to 21, or even higher through the use of specific items or stats. The effective level can theoretically go as high as 40 through stacking of modifiers.
7. How do you get a level 21 skill gem?
The most common way to get a level 21 gem is by corrupting a level 20 gem using a Vaal Orb. There’s a chance the gem will become level 21, have its quality improved, or become Vaal corrupted and lose the ability to be further corrupted.
8. What is the purpose of corrupting gems?
Gems are corrupted to potentially increase their level, quality, or make them a Vaal skill gem. This is the only way to obtain a level 21 gem with or without increased quality. However, corrupting also carries the risk of turning the gem into a Vaal Skill, bricking it (making it unusable), or changing it completely to a Vaal skill version.
9. Do multiple support gems on the same skill stack?
No, multiple copies of the same support gem linked to the same skill will not stack their effects. Only the higher level support gem will apply its effect. However, all linked gems will receive experience.
10. Is it beneficial to sell gems?
Yes, it can be beneficial to sell gems, especially those you don’t intend to use. Gems are abundant in PoE. Some gems are worth a lot of trading currency, especially those with high quality or a level cap of 20 and then corrupted into a level 21.
11. Can I use two of the same skills linked with different support gems?
Yes, you can use two copies of the same skill gem, each with different support gems. However, each skill is counted separately and does not stack.
12. What does ‘item level’ mean in PoE?
Item level is primarily related to the level of the area where it is found. It determines the affixes available on an item. A higher item level generally allows for better affixes to appear on the item, making it stronger.
13. Should I always prioritize gem leveling?
No, prioritizing gem leveling is not always the best strategy. As explained above, in many cases, especially when optimizing for a CWDT setup, lower level gems can greatly impact your build’s effectiveness by reducing the trigger threshold, reducing mana costs, or having specific skill scaling.
14. What is the best class to start as a beginner in PoE?
The Witch is often considered one of the easiest classes to start with due to its versatile builds, be it spell casting or minion summoning. Its passive tree focuses on intelligence, making it a great option for any magic-based builds.
15. Why would I choose Marauder over the Shadow class?
Marauders are built for brute force, focusing on physical damage and heavy armor, making them a straightforward class to understand. The Shadow, on the other hand, is more complex, requiring strategy and finesse.