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 partly determine which support gems can modify a certain skill.
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, Faster Attacks, Life Gain on Hit, Point Blank
- Curse: Curse on Hit
- Duration: Increased Duration
- Melee: 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, Infernal Blow, Leap Slam, Molten Shell, Punishment, Rejuvenation Totem, Shockwave Totem, Sweep, Vitality, Warlord's Mark
- Dexterity: Cyclone, Detonate Dead, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Grace, Haste, Hatred, Ice Shot, Lightning Arrow, Poison Arrow, Projectile Weakness, Rain of Arrows, Reave, Temporal Chains
- Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Clarity, Cold Snap, Conductivity, Critical Weakness, Discharge, Discipline, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Fireball, Firestorm, Flammability, Frostbite, Ice Nova, Lightning Warp, Purity, 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, Shield Charge, Sweep
- Dexterity: Burning Arrow, Cyclone, Double Strike, Dual Strike, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Flicker Strike, Frenzy, Ice Shot, Lightning 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. Some skills reserve a straight amount while others reserve a percentage of your max. See Aura.
- Strength: Anger, Determination, Vitality
- Dexterity: Grace, Haste, Hatred
- Intelligence: Clarity, Discipline, Purity, Wrath
Bow
These skills require an equipped bow and are considered projectiles.
- Dexterity: Burning Arrow, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Frenzy, Ice Shot, Lightning Arrow, Poison Arrow, Puncture, Rain of Arrows, Split Arrow
Cast
These skills use cast speed, but are not affected by spell damage, although modifiers which do not mention the "spell" keyword affect them just as they would a regular spell.
- Dexterity: Bear Trap
Chaining
Arc effectively has the Chain support built in, but can be linked to Chain for additional chains.
- Intelligence: Arc
Chaos
See Chaos Damage.
- Dexterity: Blood Rage, Poison Arrow, Viper Strike
Cold
See Cold Damage
- Strength: Glacial Hammer
- Dexterity: Elemental Hit, Freeze Mine, Hatred, Ice Shot
- Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Cold Snap, Discharge, Freezing Pulse, Frostbite, Frost Wall, 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: Conductivity, Critical Weakness, 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
- Dexterity: Bear Trap, Blood Rage, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Ice Shot, Phase Run, Poison Arrow, Projectile Weakness, Puncture, Temporal Chains, Viper Strike
- Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Conductivity, Conversion Trap, Critical Weakness, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Firestorm, Flammability, Frostbite, Frost Wall, Lightning Trap, Spark, Summon Skeletons, Vulnerability
Fire
See Fire Damage.
- Strength: Anger, Flame Totem, Infernal Blow, Molten Shell, Searing Bond
- Dexterity: Burning Arrow, Detonate Dead, Elemental Hit, Explosive Arrow, Fire Trap
- Intelligence: Discharge, Fireball, Firestorm, Flammability, Incinerate, Righteous Fire
Lightning
See Lightning Damage.
- Strength: Lightning Strike
- Dexterity: Elemental Hit, Lightning Arrow
- Intelligence: Arc, Conductivity, Discharge, Lightning Warp, Lightning Trap, Shock Nova, Spark, 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, Shield Charge, Sweep
- Dexterity: Cyclone, Double Strike, Dual Strike, Elemental Hit, Flicker Strike, Frenzy, Puncture, Reave, Viper Strike, Whirling Blades
Minion
These skills let characters raise monsters to fight enemies.
- Strength: Dominating Blow
- Intelligence: Raise Spectre, Raise Zombie, Summon Skeletons
Movement
Skills that move the character.
- Strength: Leap Slam, Shield Charge
- Dexterity: Cyclone, Flicker Strike, Whirling Blades
- Intelligence: Lightning Warp
Projectile
Note that Bow skills also create projectiles.
- Strength: Flame Totem, Lightning Strike
- Dexterity: Ethereal Knives, Spectral Throw
- Intelligence: Arctic Breath, Fireball, Freezing Pulse, Ice Spear, Incinerate, Lightning Trap, Power Siphon, Spark
Spell
Spells are skills which do not draw their damage from your weapon in any way. They are affected by cast speed, spell damage, and critical strikes. They always hit and are unaffected by Accuracy. Integer damage bonuses on gear are not added to base or final spell damage. Spells which do fire, cold, or lightning damage will be modified by passives and gear which increases the damage of that specific type.
- Strength: Anger, Decoy Totem, Determination, Devouring Totem, Enduring Cry, Flame Totem, Immortal Call, Molten Shell, Punishment, Rejuvenation Totem, Searing Bond, Shockwave Totem, Vitality, Warlord's Mark
- Dexterity: Blood Rage, Detonate Dead, Ethereal Knives, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine, Grace, Haste, Hatred, Phase Run, Projectile Weakness
- Intelligence: Arc, Arctic Breath, Clarity, Cold Snap, Conductivity, Conversion Trap, Critical Weakness, Discharge, Discipline, Elemental Weakness, Enfeeble, Fireball, Firestorm, Flammability, Freezing Pulse, Frostbite, Frost Wall, Ice Nova, Ice Spear, Incinerate, Lightning Warp, Lightning Trap, Purity, Raise Spectre, Raise Zombie, Righteous Fire, Shock Nova, Spark, 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 AoE skills that trigger when an enemy walks over it.
- Dexterity: Bear Trap, Fire Trap, Freeze Mine
- Intelligence: Conversion Trap, Lightning Trap