Gem tag

All skill gems have keywords listed in the first line of the mouseover description. In addition to dividing the skills into groups, keywords largely determine which support gems and modifiers can modify a certain skill. The relationship is not strict, however.

Support Skill Keywords

While you can technically link any support gem to any skill gem, some combinations will have no effect. If a support gem contains one of the following keywords, the skill must have the keyword as well to be affected. Note that any skill with the Bow keyword counts as having Projectile.

• AoE: Concentrated Effect, Increased Area of Effect
• Attack: Additional Accuracy, Cast on Melee Kill, Endurance Charge on Melee Stun Faster Attacks, , Point Blank
• Curse: Curse on Hit
• Duration: Increased Duration
• Melee: Endurance Charge on Melee Stun, Melee Damage on Full Life, Melee Physical Damage, ,
• Minion: Minion Damage, Minion Life, Minion Speed, Minion and Totem Elemental Resistance
• Movement: Minion Speed
• Projectile: Chain, Faster Projectiles, Fork, Greater Multiple Projectiles, Iron Grip, Lesser Multiple Projectiles, Pierce, Point Blank, Ranged Attack Totem, Slower Projectiles
• Spell: Cast on Crit, Cast on Death, Cast on Melee Kill, Cast when Damage Taken, Cast when Stunned, Faster Casting, Iron Will

For example, Freezing Pulse and Ethereal Knives get no benefit from being linked to Point Blank: although they are Projectiles, they are not Attacks.

Active Skill Keywords

AoE

Certain skills have an Area of Effect (AoE for short) and can affect multiple enemies or allies at once.

• Strength: Anger, Cleave, Decoy Totem, Determination, Enduring Cry, Ground Slam, Herald of Ash, Infernal Blow, Leap Slam, Molten Shell, Molten Strike, Punishment, Rejuvenation Totem, Shockwave Totem, Static Strike, Sweep, Vitality, Warlord's Mark
• Dexterity: Cyclone, Detonate Dead, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Grace, Haste, Hatred, Herald of Ice, Ice Shot, Lightning Arrow, Poison Arrow, Projectile Weakness, Rain of Arrows, Reave, Smoke Mine, Temporal Chains
• Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Assassin's Mark, Ball Lightning, Clarity, Cold Snap, Conductivity, Discharge, Discipline, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Fireball, Firestorm, Flame Surge, Flameblast, Flammability, Frostbite, Glacial Cascade, Ice Nova, Kinetic Blast, Lightning Warp, Purity of Elements, Righteous Fire, Shock Nova, Vulnerability, Wrath

Attack

An attack is an offensive ability which uses a weapon, unlike Spells, Traps, Mines, and Totems (with one exception). "Attack" is NOT a generic term for any offensive ability.

• Strength: Cleave, Dominating Blow, Glacial Hammer, Ground Slam, Heavy Strike, Infernal Blow, Leap Slam, Lightning Strike, Molten Strike, Shield Charge, Static Strike, Sweep
• Dexterity: Barrage, Blink Arrow, Burning Arrow, Cyclone, Double Strike, Dual Strike, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Flicker Strike, Frenzy, Ice Shot, Kinetic Blast, Lightning Arrow, Mirror Arrow, Poison Arrow, Puncture, Rain of Arrows, Reave, Spectral Throw, Split Arrow, Viper Strike, Whirling Blades
• Intelligence: Power Siphon

Aura

An aura is a permanent effect focused on your character that also affects nearby party members and minions. Auras reserve a portion of your mana pool. Most of them reserve a percentage of your Mana, only Clarity reserves a flat amount. See Aura.

• Strength: Anger, Determination, Purity of Fire, Vitality
• Dexterity: Grace, Haste, Hatred, Purity of Ice
• Intelligence: Clarity, Discipline, Purity of Elements, Purity of Lightning, Wrath

Bow

These skills require an equipped bow.

• Dexterity: Barrage, Blink Arrow, Burning Arrow, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Frenzy, Ice Shot, Lightning Arrow, Mirror Arrow, Poison Arrow, Puncture, Rain of Arrows, Split Arrow, Tornado Shot

Cast

Skills marked with the Cast keyword are abilities that are "casted". This verbiage implies that the skill gem is a "Spell", but that is not correct. Cast gems are not spells, and are therefore not affected by modifications to Spells (such as increased spell damage). Skill gems with the Cast keyword are still affected by cast speed changes however.

• Strength: Herald of Ash
• Dexterity: Bear Trap, Detonate Dead, Herald of Ice
• Intelligence: Herald of Thunder

Chaining

Arc effectively has the Chain support built in, but can be linked to Chain for additional chains.

• Intelligence: Arc, Vaal Arc

Chaos

See Chaos Damage.

• Dexterity: Blood Rage, Poison Arrow, Viper Strike, Desecrate

Cold

See Cold Damage

• Strength: Glacial Hammer
• Dexterity: Elemental Hit, Freeze Mine, Hatred, Herald of Ice, Ice Shot
• Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Cold Snap, Discharge, Freezing Pulse, Frostbite, Frost Wall, Glacial Cascade, Ice Nova, Ice Spear

Curse

These skills weaken enemies to make them less dangerous or easier to kill. See Curse.

• Strength: Punishment, Warlord's Mark
• Dexterity: Projectile Weakness, Temporal Chains
• Intelligence: Assassin's Mark, Conductivity, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Flammability, Frostbite, Vulnerability

Duration

Certain skills have an effect over time. In some cases, such as curses, reusing the skill will reset the timer.

• Strength: Decoy Totem, Devouring Totem, Flame Totem, Immortal Call, Molten Shell, Punishment, Rejuvenation Totem, Warlord's Mark, Searing Bond, Shockwave Totem, Static Strike
• Dexterity: Animate Weapon, Bear Trap, Blink Arrow, Blood Rage, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Ice Shot, Mirror Arrow, Phase Run, Poison Arrow, Projectile Weakness, Puncture, Smoke Mine, Temporal Chains, Viper Strike
• Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Assassin's Mark, Conductivity, Conversion Trap, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Firestorm, Flammability, Frostbite, Frost Wall, Lightning Trap, Spark, Summon Skeletons, Vulnerability

Fire

See Fire Damage.

• Strength: Anger, Flame Totem, Herald of Ash, Infernal Blow, Molten Shell, Molten Strike, Searing Bond
• Dexterity: Burning Arrow, Detonate Dead, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap
• Intelligence: Discharge, Fireball, Flame Surge, Flameblast, Firestorm, Flammability, Incinerate, Righteous Fire

Lightning

See Lightning Damage.

• Strength: Lightning Strike, Static Strike
• Dexterity: Elemental Hit, Lightning Arrow
• Intelligence: Arc, Ball Lightning, Conductivity, Discharge, Herald of Thunder, Lightning Tendrils, Lightning Warp, Lightning Trap, Shock Nova, Spark, Storm Call, Tempest Shield, Wrath

Melee

Some melee skills require certain weapons; see Melee Skills.

• Strength: Cleave, Dominating Blow, Glacial Hammer, Ground Slam, Heavy Strike, Infernal Blow, Leap Slam, Lightning Strike, Molten Strike, Shield Charge, Static Strike, Sweep
• Dexterity: Cyclone, Double Strike, Dual Strike, Elemental Hit, Flicker Strike, Frenzy, Puncture, Reave, Viper Strike, Whirling Blades

Mine

Mines are skills which are laid at the characters location and detonated by a separate command.

• Dexterity: Freeze Mine, Smoke Mine

Minion

These skills let characters raise monsters to fight enemies.

• Strength: Animate Guardian, Dominating Blow
• Dexterity: Animate Weapon, Blink Arrow, Mirror Arrow
• Intelligence: Raise Spectre, Raise Zombie, Summon Skeletons, Summon Raging Spirit

Movement

Skills that move the character.

• Strength: Leap Slam, Shield Charge
• Dexterity: Blink Arrow, Cyclone, Flicker Strike, Smoke Mine, Whirling Blades
• Intelligence: Lightning Warp

Projectile

Note that Bow skills also create projectiles.

• Strength: Flame Totem, Lightning Strike, Molten Strike
• Dexterity: Ethereal Knives, Spectral Throw
• Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Ball Lightning, Fireball, Freezing Pulse, Ice Spear, Incinerate, Lightning Trap, Power Siphon, Spark

Spell

Spells, along with Attacks, form the two major effect types. Spells cannot be Evaded and thus are not affected by Accuracy. Most flat damage bonuses on gear only affect Attacks and not Spells. See cast for a subset of Spells that don't deal Spell damage.

• Strength: Anger, Animate Guardian, Decoy Totem, Determination, Devouring Totem, Enduring Cry, Flame Totem, Immortal Call, Molten Shell, Punishment, Purity of Fire, Rejuvenation Totem, Searing Bond, Shockwave Totem, Vitality, Warlord's Mark
• Dexterity: Animate Weapon, Blood Rage, Detonate Dead, Ethereal Knives, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Grace, Haste, Hatred, Phase Run, Projectile Weakness, Purity of Ice, Smoke Mine
• Intelligence: Arc, Arctic Breath, Assassin's Mark, Ball Lightning, Bone Offering, Clarity, Cold Snap, Conductivity, Conversion Trap, Desecrate, Discharge, Discipline, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Fireball, Firestorm, Flameblast, Flame Surge, Flammability, Flesh Offering, Freezing Pulse, Frostbite, Frost Wall, Glacial Cascade, Ice Nova, Ice Spear, Incinerate, Lightning Warp, Lightning Tendrils, Lightning Trap, Purity of Elements, Purity of Lightning, Raise Spectre, Raise Zombie, Righteous Fire, Shock Nova, Spark, Summon Raging Spirit, Summon Skeletons, Tempest Shield, Vulnerability, Wrath

Totem

Totems are stationary summons that assist in battle. Note that many other skills can be turned into a totem with the Spell Totem or Ranged Attack Totem support gems.

• Strength: Decoy Totem, Devouring Totem, Flame Totem, Rejuvenation Totem, Shockwave Totem

Trap

Traps are skills that trigger when an enemy walks over it. Note that many other skills can be turned into a trap with the support gem.

• Dexterity: Bear Trap, Fire Trap
• Intelligence: Conversion Trap, Lightning Trap

Trigger

Certain gems can't be activated manually, and happen automatically when specific conditions are met.

• Strength: Vengeance, Reckoning
• Dexterity: Riposte

Vaal

Vaal Skills are special, more powerful versions of existing skills. They can be obtained from Vaal Vessels in Corrupted Areas or by using a Vaal Orb on a normal skill gem. Vaal Skills can only be used if they are fuelled with the souls of killed enemies.

• Strength: Vaal Glacial Hammer, Vaal Ground Slam, Vaal Immortal Call, Vaal Lightning Strike, Vaal Molten Shell,
• Dexterity: Vaal Burning Arrow, Vaal Cyclone, Vaal Detonate Dead, Vaal Double Strike, Vaal Grace, Vaal Haste, Vaal Reave, Vaal Rain of Arrows, Vaal Spectral Throw
• Intelligence: Vaal Arc, Vaal Clarity, Vaal Discipline, Vaal Cold Snap, Vaal Fireball, Vaal Flameblast, Vaal Ice Nova, Vaal Lightning Trap, Vaal Lightning Warp, Vaal Power Siphon, Vaal Righteous Fire, Vaal Spark, Vaal Storm Call, Vaal Summon Skeletons