Socket can have two meanings. Generally, sockets refer to 'holes' in some items that can be used to insert other special items in, adding their properties to the properties of the item that holds the sockets. Socketing (or to socket) refers to the process of performing the named action.
A socketable item means both an item that has sockets and an item that can be inserted into a socket.
A socket is a placeholder for Gems, Runes and Jewels. These 3 kind of items won't have effects unless they are placed into a Socket in the item. Sockets appear as grey circles in items. The number of grey circles on the item corresponds with the number of sockets it has. Each socket may only hold one socketable item. Names of socketable items are displayed in gray, and some magic, unique, set, and rare items may have sockets.
Once the item is socketed, it may be unsocketed (i.e. the gem, jewel or rune may be extracted, leaving the socket vacant for a new socketable item). In Diablo II, this involves using a Horadric Cube, losing the old gem (rune, jewel) in the process.
Diablo II
The sockets are a way of customizing your gear, putting the bonuses of your choice. Many socketable items change their effect depending on what item type they are socketed into (weapon, armor, helm, off-handed item). Runes are a special type, as they can form Rune Words if socketed into a proper item in the correct order; while it is possible to use them as Gems, the effect of several runes is always much weaker than that of the combined Rune Word. Jewels always grant the same effect regardless of the item type, so one can gain, for example, bonus Fire Damage on a Shield, or increased Chance To Block on a Helm.
The number of sockets per item type is limited by item, up to 6 in Diablo II. The maximum number of sockets depends on the level of the monster that dropped the item: most of the time, up to 3 sockets at Normal, up to 5 at Nightmare and up to 6 at Hell; items can never have more sockets than the number of tiles they occupy in the Inventory (that is, 1x2 and 1x3 smaller weapons are limited to 2 and 3 sockets, whereas 2x3 and 2x4 weapons can have up to 6).
Items Used in Sockets
Items that can be used for sockets include:
- Gems: There are seven types of gems, each of which have five levels of quality. Gems provide an array of benefits to characters depending on what gear they are put in. Typically, gems put into weapons increase a character's offensive capabilities, while gems put in armor, shields or helmets increase their defensive capabilities. Gems are very common, and are an excellent way for low-level characters to improve.
- Jewels: Jewels are magical, rare or unique items that come with their own affixes: either a prefix, a suffix, or both. Jewels grant these benefits to any item they're socketed in. Unlike gems and runes, jewels grant the same benefit to any item they are placed in.
The rarest jewels, rainbow facets and the jewels obtained from the Colossal Ancients event, grant increased skill damage or reduction in enemy resistance, making them often the best possible items to put into the sockets of late-game characters.
- Runes: Runes, like gems, grant different effects to items depending on what they're put in. Runes vary wildly in terms of rarity and effect, ranging from El Runes, which are commonly dropped even at the beginning of normal difficulty, to Zod Runes, among the rarest items in the game.
While runes (particularly the rarer runes) grant benefits that are often rare and powerful, runes that are put into socketed items in the correct order make powerful items called Rune Words. Some rune words rank among the strongest in the game, so runes are valuable both to use outright and as trading currency.
Items that can be socketed
Types of socketable items (numbers in parentheses show maximum number of sockets possible):
- Weapon (6), Chest Armor (4), Shield (4), Helm (3) (all grant different effects from same gems and, sometimes, runes). Note that these limits, while possible, are very hard to get to due to the rarity of such items dropping.
In Act V, Larzuk gives the Siege of Harrogath quest. Upon completing it, he offers to add sockets to a piece of gear. The quest is given once per difficulty, so each character can socket up to three items in total.
Gloves, belts, boots, rings, and amulets may never be socketed.
Recipes
Horadric Cube socket Recipes for magic and rare items:
- 3 Perfect Skulls + 1 Rare Item + Stone of Jordan = Add 1 Socket To a Rare Item
- 3 Chipped Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon ilvl=25
- 3 Flawless Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon ilvl=30
- 3 Standard Gems (normal) and 1 Socketed Weapon (Any Type) = 1 Socketed Magic Weapon ilvl=30 (of same type)
Horadric Cube socket Recipes for white items (base for runewords) (NOT Low-quality, Superior or socketed):
- 1 Tal + 1 Thul + 1 Perfect Topaz + Normal Body Armor = Socketed Body Armor of same type
- 1 Ral + 1 Amn + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal Weapon = Socketed Weapon of same type
- 1 Ral + 1 Thul + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal Helm = Socketed Helm of same type
- 1 Tal + 1 Amn + 1 Perfect Ruby + Normal Shield = Socketed Shield of same type
1 Hel + Scroll of Town Portal + Socketed Item = Remove Gems, Jewels, and Runes from Socketed item
Low quality item (Crude), after repair in Cube (any Item properties are removed/re-rolled) have
Low-quality item, after recovery in Cube with Eld Rune (Weapon) or El Rune (Armor) + Chipped Gem (any type) = normal (standard) quality, but iLVL=1 (can have minimal sockets), like:
- recovery War/Rune/Archon Staff - maximum only 5 sockets (not 6)
- recovery Naga/War/Berserker Axe - maximum only 4 sockets (not 6)
- recovery Paladin shield (like Vortex Shield) - maximum only 3 sockets (not 4)
- recovery Archon Plate, Dusk Shroud and other armor - maximum only 3 sockets (not 4)
Diablo III
Items can have up to 3 sockets in Diablo III).
Types of socketable items (numbers in parentheses show maximum number of sockets possible):
- Diablo III: Weapons (1), Helm (1), Chest Armor (3), Pants (2), Shield (1) or Off-Hand item (1), Amulet (1), Rings (1 each) for a total of 11.
In Diablo III, the Jeweler can take care of that, which will clear the sockets and return gems to the player; originally he did so for a fee, but in later versions, this was changed to free of charge. Alternatively, the socketed item may be salvaged, returning the socketed gems to the owner for free, but destroy the item in process.
Legendary Gems can only be inserted into Rings and Amulets. The only exceptions are Gem of Ease, which must be socketed into weapons, and Red Soul Shard, which must be socketed into helms.
Having socket(s) counts as one affix for an item (always one property, regardless of the number of gems). In Diablo III, it is always a Primary property. Ramaladni's Gift can be used to grant a Socket to a weapon that does not have one.
Verb
Socketing is the act of placing socketable items (see above) in the item. You use the mouse to drag the Rune, Gem or Jewel you wish to socket to the item you want it to have. Socketing does not require any special actions, but unsocketing (see above) does.
Care is advised when moving gems and runes around the inventory, for a misclick may cause an act of socketing to the wrong item.