Finding A Solution Regarding The Support Gem Limit

My biggest problem with the current selection of support gems is that there are by not enough of them, which is inconvenient if you're using a higher number of skills. The limitation to certain gem amounts depending on the colors also isn't helping. Some of them really should be "white", e. g. projectile related skills.

For examply, with my frost sorc build I use:

- Arctic Armor with Clarity
- Frost Wall
- Elemental Storm (from Ascendancy)
- Hypothermia
- Comet
- Frost Bomb
- Cold Snap
- Lightning Warp
- Eye of Winter or Frostbolt (haven't decided which one is better).

They're now all 4-link and while I "filled" almost all supports, I don't know if all of them actually make sense and for most I have no idea, what I'm supposed to add in case I get a 5th or 6th socket.

At this point I agree that having a limit on using the same support gem more than once with the exception of the Gemling Legionnaire ascendancy can be limiting and frustrating.

At the same time though I keep in mind that we are only in EA and we're missing A LOT of gems compared to POE1 and looking at the missing classes & ascendancies. Several support gems also have been reworked and some new ones are there too though. I just know that at some point in the future we'll have plenty of gems to choose from. -> Just need to give GGG the time to add them into the game.

EA is live for only 15 days... and they already added two new support gems in the last patch and reworked several others.

I also like to point that a lot of "damage" gems have multipliers now instead of additives -> "More vs increased"
Thus giving any skill a lot "more" power if linked with them. This choice was intentional by GGG to steer away from the "glass cannon all dps meta" in POE1. They want us to use crowd control skills in between our damage skills and don't want us to create a "full 6-link dps glass cannon power house."
We are not supposed to 6 link/socket all our skills -> also the reason why those orbs are really rare.

The only plausible way to let us use multiple of the same support gem is by lowering their overall power drastically. Even at 50% they would still create a power house if used on an all dps character with all skills being 6 linked to damage supports. It looks like fun, and it for sure would be for some time; but it also would destroy build diversity and create a select few "meta" powerhouse builds, most likely destroying the market and skyrocket the price for the gear of those builds.
Path of exile 1 was/is a great example of this when this happens and how quickly a league is done for 95% of the players.
Path of exile 2 would be even worse, given we can have several more 6 linked skills.

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TheSlayer#7040 wrote:

There are atleast six different ongoing threads that's addressing the concerns of players regarding the support gem limit.

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3651440

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3630981/

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3595302/

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3611864/

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3648084/

https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/3632552


My question is: Could there be a solution to this that would result in win-win-situation for all players, a "meet-in-the-middle" mechanic?

They way I see it GGG could implement a formula somewhat like this:

Equipping a previously used support gem could disable two gem slots on four of the other remaining links.

Equipping a previously used support gem two times could disable three gem slots on six of the other links (as in having three six-links and six three-links left).

Equipping a previously used support gem three times could disable four gem slots on all remaining links, leaving one with two six-links and seven two-links.

It's up to the player to decide what sacrifices should be made. Using a support gem only once would have no impact.


What possible solutions do you guys see? Only constructive suggestions please!

Compromising other gem slots to use 1 support more than once won't work as most builds don't need all the skills meaning you could have a sacrificial skill to take the negative effect without effective penalty.

The new gem system is one of the better features of 2

"

C4Guy#0918 wrote:

My biggest problem with the current selection of support gems is that there are by not enough of them, which is inconvenient if you're using a higher number of skills. The limitation to certain gem amounts depending on the colors also isn't helping. Some of them really should be "white", e. g. projectile related skills.

For examply, with my frost sorc build I use:

- Arctic Armor with Clarity
- Frost Wall
- Elemental Storm (from Ascendancy)
- Hypothermia
- Comet
- Frost Bomb
- Cold Snap
- Lightning Warp
- Eye of Winter or Frostbolt (haven't decided which one is better).

They're now all 4-link and while I "filled" almost all supports, I don't know if all of them actually make sense and for most I have no idea, what I'm supposed to add in case I get a 5th or 6th socket.

9 optimally supported 6-linked skill would lead to far more problems.

"

Amorencinteroph#4321 wrote:

I think the best solution is to just introduce more support gems so there's enough variety to fill 2-3 skills worth of damage.

PoE1 was full of situational support gems. Melee physical damage, melee physical damage on full life, and Energy Shield Leech for example all filled the melee role of multiplying base damage. One normal or ailment builds would use, one CI builds would use, and the final Tricksters would use (because they kept leeching at full life and got both damage boosts).

For example, a support gem called Retaliation: Red gem that causes your next attack after being hit to have 30%+ More Attack Speed. Warriors, who get hit a lot, could slide it into their primary skill and free up Combat Momentum for Leap Slam or a secondary skill (Sunder for me as a ranged option).

We'll probably see a bit of this as other classes get released. I'd be surprised if Shadow doesn't come with an Elusive support for example.

This, and buff clearly bad or underused ones (or make skills that are actually intriguing to use them for)

"

C4Guy#0918 wrote:

They're now all 4-link and while I "filled" almost all supports, I don't know if all of them actually make sense and for most I have no idea, what I'm supposed to add in case I get a 5th or 6th socket.

Yeah agreed, having to use one of each means just filling in the remaining slots with whatever is left that might help, it's not really building at that point.

Maybe I haven't theory crafted enough but I don't think having zero limits on support gems, or even duplicate supports on the same skill as would cause many issues. Maybe some aoe skills would get abit too big but that's about it.

PoE2 is a different game, it's supposed to incentivize more buttons gameplay, i had a blast that way during campaign, but both this and the main skillgem limit goes against it, just doesn't make sense.

Instead of balancing things with Spirit AND number of skills just try to balance Spirit properly since now pretty much everyone is doing a single button build for endgame to run as many auras as possible, hence neither was balanced.

Don't try to bring PoE1 into PoE2, else why would we have 2 games? there's a big audience missing in doing two times the same game.

"

Sickness#1007 wrote:

The skill system is far less restrictive in PoE 2.

There are those who believes that and there are those who believes otherwise. I believe otherwise since the support gem restriction prohibits me from customizing my skills to behave the way I want (for instance, increasing the cast speed on several skills [Spell Echo] instead of increasing their damage).

The solution is remove it.

1 sup gem per character makes me creative, don't want to change it