Skill

Skills are abilities used by players, allies, and monsters that are not inherent effects. For players, most skills are obtained by placing a skill gem in the skills menu, which grants the ability to bind that skill to a keybind. Certain items and Ascendancy class passives can also grant skills, which are automatically added to the skills menu. For non-player allies and monsters, skills simply describe all of their used abilities.

Using skills

Skills are used when the corresponding keybind on their skill bar is pressed, as long as the character can pay the skill's cost and meets any specific conditions or requirements to use it. The most common varieties of skills usually involve attacking with a martial weapon, shield, or unarmed hand, casting a spell, summoning a minion or totem, using a warcry, or throwing a trap or grenade. Most of the skills require an initial animation to be played, which scales with player's stats such as attack speed, cast speed, throw time, etc. It is possible to animation cancel most skills by using a dodge roll or certain other skills, and skills with longer animations usually have some form of maneuverability to adjust aim.

Some skills are considered instant skills and have no animation time. These can be used without interrupting other actions. Additionally, other skills may not require active use, and instead reserve a resource called spirit to provide permanent buffs, maintain automatically reviving permanent minions, or trigger other skills automatically when a condition is met. Notably, triggered skills do not count as a "skill use", and will accordingly not benefit stats that care if you've attacked or cast a skill.

The number of permanent minions of each type can be customized in the skills menu for a fixed reservation for each minion.

All players have a default of 9 skill slots in their skills menu in which skill gems can be placed. Inserting a skill gem unlocks several linked gem sockets, which can be socketed with support gems to modify the skill's effects. Certain types of skill gems called meta gems also can be supported by skill gems, often to trigger them automatically. Each skill gem has a listed minimum level requirement and attribute requirement to equip and use it. Support gems do not have a set level or attribute requirement, but are limited in how many can be socketed overall of each colour based on the player's total attributes; for example, a player with high dexterity will have a higher limit of green support gems than red or blue.

In addition to these skill slots, all players have a default skill based on their currently equipped weapon which can also be supported by support gems. For martial weapons, these are a thematically appropriate default attack. For wands, staves, and sceptres, these are unique spells, minion skills, or auras that cannot be found as skill gems. These default skills have no cost or reservation, allowing them to be used relatively freely regardless of the player's mana or spirit.

Other skills granted from items and passive skills such as from ascendancy classes also do not use skill slots and are automatically added to the skills menu. Likewise, they are supportable by support gems. These skills' level and number of sockets scales with character level. Item skill sockets can be directly modified using a Jeweller's Orb, while skills from passives will gain sockets with character level, up to level 90 for a 6-link gem.

You cannot socket more than one copy of the same skill gem, but it is still possible to acquire multiple versions of the same the same skill if it comes from an item or passive. Skill gems which store a captured monster (e.g. Bind SpectreBind SpectreMinion, Persistent
Tier: 7
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (22-99) ManaCapture the spirit of a defeated monster, transforming this gem to instead allow you to summon the monster's ghost as a Reviving Minion.
Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality:
Minions deal (1-20)% more DamageSkills can be managed in the Skills Panel., Tame BeastTame BeastMinion, Companion, Persistent, Duration
Tier: 9
Level: (1-20)
Cost: (22-99) ManaConjure Azmeri wisps to engulf a Rare Beast for a duration, Hindering them. If you defeat the Beast while it is engulfed in wisps, it will be captured by this gem, transforming the gem to instead allow you to summon the Beast as a Reviving Companion.While this Gem is Socketed you can view Monster Categories on Enemies
Wisp duration is (8-11.8) seconds
Tamed Beast retains up to four monster modifiers when summoned

Additional Effects From 1-20% Quality:
+(0.08-1.6) seconds to Wisp durationSkills can be managed in the Skills Panel.) count as different skills if a different monster is bound to them.

Obtaining skills

Skill gems

All skill gems grant skills.

Hybrid gems

Main page: List of hybrid gems

Support gems may sometimes have a skill component, usually as a trigger; these are sometimes called "hybrid gems".

Items granting inherent skills

Main page: List of items granting inherent weapon skills

All wands, staves, and sceptres grant inherent skills as an implicit modifier. All shields grant the Raise Shield skill, all bucklers grant the Parry skill, and all spears grant the Spear Throw skill. All martial weapons grant a "default attack" skill, but this skill is not listed in its mods. Some unique items may also grant a skill, either directly or through a trigger.

Items granting existing skills

Main page: List of items granting existing skills

Certain items may grant skills that exist as skill gems as an explicit modifier. These are functionally identical to their gem counterparts, but cannot be corrupted or have their skill level or gem socket increased using uncut gems or Jeweller's Orbs.

Passives granting skills

Main page: List of passive skills granting skills

Certain passive skills, typically ascendancy passive skills, can grant exclusive unique skills.

Version history

Version	Changes
0.3.0	You can no longer socket multiple copies of the same Skill Gem into your main skill sockets. Skills not granted by gems and skills socketed into Persistent Buff Skill Gems do not count towards this limit. You can still have multiple copies of Spectres or Tamed Beasts, but only one of each kind of monster. Attribute Requirements on Skill Gems have been lowered, particularly at endgame. Endgame Skill Gems on average have around ~20-25% less Attribute Requirements. Having a Skill with socketed Support Gems you do not meet the attribute requirements for now disables just those Supports instead of disabling the entire Skill. Fixed a bug where refunding an Ascendancy Passive Skill that granted a Skill would destroy any Support Gems that were socketed into that Skill. These Skills will now stay visible in the Skills menu until all Supports are removed.
0.2.1	Added a new gem tag "Barrageable" to indicate Skills that can be made to repeat, to clarify which Skills Barrage and similar effects can and cannot affect.
0.2.0g	Most Skills that have no mana cost which you don't cast yourself are now also granted a hidden no skill cost stat preventing them from gaining additional costs, such as from Lich's Eldritch Empowerment Notable Passive Skill. Examples include Elemental Discharge, Impending Doom's Doom Blast and Blink. Spells you cast yourself granted from Wands and Staves will still be able to get additional costs.
0.2.0	Fixed a bug where Quality on Sceptres multiplied the amount of Spirit they granted instead of granting Quality to their inherent Skill.
0.1.0	Introduced to the game.

See also

• Skill bar
• List of modifiers affecting socketed gems