Path of Exile skill system can seem overwhelming

Path of Exile’s active and passive skill systems are two of POE Items the more unique aspects of the game. Taken together they introduce degrees of depth, breadth and flexibility into character builds (passive skills) and combat abilities (active and support skills) that are rarely seen in RPGs. If you like designing and building characters, you’ll love this game.

This article focuses on active and support skills. In many RPGs, abilities are gained by making choices as you advance through a skill tree. Path of Exile takes a very different approach. A character gains access to skills by socketing active skill gems into weapons and armor. Active skills can be modified by linking them to support gems. According to the Path of Exile Wiki on Gamepedia, there are 213 active skill gems and 109 support gems in the game. More will be coming with the Betrayal expansion which rolled out to PCs on December 7 and is coming to consoles on December 10. The possible combinations are almost unlimited.


The gem system gets very complicated at advanced levels. However, most of POE Currency that complexity can be safely ignored during the early phases of the game. The key word here is “most”. Path of Exile’s skill system can seem overwhelming and confusing for new players. Here’s a guide to help you get started.

Gems are not hard to come by. They’re dropped by monsters, given as quest rewards, and sold by vendors in quest hubs. Don’t fret over which one to choose from those offered for completing a quest because all the others can be purchased from the local gem vendor after the quest is completed.