Path of Exile 2 Sockets and Runes are an in-game slot mechanic that allow you to improve your weapons, armour and build. You can put runes in them, also jewels and gems to unlock skills, stats and overall power. Slots are a big part of character development, so you can create your build to every challenge, if it’s more damage, more survivability or special effects. Sockets are important for making strong characters for your playstyle in Path of Exile 2.
Runes are the items that go into sockets. They’re powerful modifiers that can change or enhance abilities, skills and support. By placing and combining modifiers in your gear you can turn basic skills into deadly abilities or reinforce your defensive options. Understanding how sockets and runes work together is key to mastering PoE 2’s complex gameplay mechanics.
How Do Sockets and Runes Work in Path of Exile 2
Sockets and runes work together to give you unparalleled flexibility and customisation. Every piece of equipment—weapon, armour or rare accessory—can have one or more sockets. These sockets can hold modifiers, jewels or gems, each with different benefits. To add slots to your equipment you can use crafting materials from the game or farm specific bosses and dungeons. Some mats allow you to change slot colours, adjust socket links or replace unwanted runes with new ones. This allows you to adapt your build on the fly so you’re always ready for what’s ahead.
- Add Sockets: Use crafting benches or specific items to add more slots to your gear.
- Change Colours: Match socket colours to specific modifiers or gems for your build.
- Replace Runes: Swap out existing items for better ones as you level up.
The combination of sockets and runes means you can fully realise your potential whether you’re focused on offence, defence or utility. Here is a more detailed guide for Sockets and Runes.
What to Put in Jewel Sockets
Jewel sockets in Path of Exile 2 are key to syncing your passive tree and gear. By putting the right runes or jewels in these slots you can tune your build to its maximum potential. Each class has specific modifiers that fit with their strengths whether it’s more damage, more survivability or more utility. Choosing the right runes for your equipment and playstyle means you’ll be competitive in both early and late game.
| Class Type |
Recommended Runes |
Benefits |
| Strength-based (e.g., Marauder, Duelist) |
Iron: +20% Physical Damage (Weapon), +20% Armor/Evasion (Armor)
Body: Leech 3% Physical Damage as Life (Weapon), +25% Maximum Life (Armor)
Stone: +25% Stun Buildup (Weapon), +40 to Stun Threshold (Armor) |
More damage, survivability and crowd control. |
| Dexterity-based (e.g., Ranger, Shadow) |
Vision: +100 Accuracy Rating (Weapon), +10% Life and Mana Flask Recovery (Armor)
Storm: Adds 1-20 Lightning Damage (Weapon), +12% Lightning Resistance (Armor)
Desert: Adds 7-11 Fire Damage (Weapon), +12% Fire Resistance (Armor) |
More critical strike chance, elemental damage and mobility skills. |
| Intelligence-based (e.g., Witch, Templar) |
Mind: Leech 2% Physical Damage as Mana (Weapon), +20 Maximum Mana (Armor)
Glacial: Adds 6-10 Cold Damage (Weapon), +12% Cold Resistance (Armor)
Inspiration: Gain 10 Mana per Enemy Killed (Weapon), +15% Mana Regeneration Rate (Armor) |
More resource regeneration, spell damage and elemental resistance for sustain. |
Putting the right modifiers in jewel sockets not only improves your gear stats but also reinforces your class’s natural abilities making your build more effective at higher difficulties. By matching the right runes to your class and gear jewel sockets become a powerful tool in PoE 2. Whether you need more survivability, more damage or better resource management choosing and optimising these runes means your build will be ready for anything. Try out different combinations to find the perfect setup for your playstyle and max out your success in PoE 2.
Tips for optimizing jewel sockets:
- Match socket colours to your main skill.
- Use support jewels to amplify core abilities.
- Farm rare jewels that match your gear and passive tree path for extra benefits.
Jewel sockets require thought and knowledge of your character and gear. By focusing on colour alignment, synergistic support jewels and farming rare upgrades you can maximise your build. This adds to character customisation and means you’ll be ready for the toughest content in PoE 2.
How to Unsocket Runes
In PoE 2 unsocketing runes is a mechanic for players who want to try builds or take part in new content. It allows you to remove, replace or swap runes from your gear without damaging the item. This means your character can be optimised for both offence and defence. Knowing how to unsocket and manage your items is key to a dynamic playstyle. Here’s how to do it.
Unsocket modifiers:
- Craft at a bench or use an unsocketing orb.
- Select the item to modify.
- Choose the runes to remove or replace.
Key points to remember:
- Removing them keeps the item and the runes.
- Unsocketing or replacing requires crafting materials.
- Changing often means dynamic build changes.
Unsocketing runes is a game changer that lets you change your build on the fly. By keeping the item and the modifiers intact this mechanism gives you a lot of flexibility to adapt to different situations. Swapping items often means you can try out new builds and overcome tough content, it’s a core part of mastering PoE 2’s complexity.
Buy Sockets and Runes in PoE 2
Sockets and runes are key to unlocking your gear in PoE 2. But acquiring them can be a long and arduous process, requiring hours of farming and crafting. For many players this can be overwhelming especially when looking for rare modifiers or perfectly aligned sockets. Buying slots, runes or boosting services is a quick fix, saves time and gets you exactly what you need. Here’s how we can help with sockets and runes.
How ChaosBoost helps:
- Our boosters collect rare modifiers, jewels and crafting materials fast.
- We add and adjust sockets to match your build.
- We help you choose and place the best runes for your gear and playstyle.
- We farm the resources for slot and item upgrades for you.
Buying sockets and runes in PoE 2 is a way to play the game without the grind. Whether you want to get rare materials, customize your gear or optimize your build, boosting services like ChaosBoost is the solution. With our help you can play the game while your character is fully prepared for any content.
Path of Exile 2 Sockets and Runes FAQ
PoE 2 has a lot of mechanics including sockets and runes to customize your gear. But many players have questions on how to optimize these features for their build. From increasing skill slots to finding and using items, understanding these mechanics can make a big difference in your gameplay. Below we’ve answered some of the most common questions to help you get the most out of sockets and runes in PoE 2.
How to increase skill sockets in PoE 2?
Skill sockets can be increased by crafting at a bench or using items that add extra sockets to your gear. These tools let you add more runes or gems to your gear. You can farm crafting materials or buy them in game to do this.
How to get more support sockets in PoE 2?
Support sockets are obtained by linking existing sockets using crafting tools or by choosing gear with multiple linked slots. Linked slots allow skills and support runes to work together, to boost overall performance. Farm items with natural linked sockets or craft them to get maximum support synergy in your build.
How to get 3 sockets in PoE 2?
To get 3 sockets you can use crafting tools that add slots to your gear. Or farm locations with high level drops for gear that has 3 sockets. Trading with other players is also a fast way to get gear with the socket you need.
Where to find runes in PoE 2?
Runes can be obtained by farming bosses, completing dungeons and endgame content. These activities will give you modifiers tailored to your class and build. Trading with other players is also a great way to get rare and powerful items.
How to use runes in PoE 2?
Runes are inserted into sockets on your gear, where they give stat boosts and special effects. You can combine multiple modifiers in linked slots to get unique synergies and powerful abilities. Make sure your items match your build and socket colors to get the most out of them.
All Runes
Get any rune
Desert Rune
Body Rune
Enzomyte Rune
Glacial Rune
Iron Rune
Mind Rune
Soul Cores
Soul Core of Azcapa
Soul Core of Atmohua
Soul Core of Cholotl
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