Path of Exile Which Gems Should You Pick Up

With the recent influx of new players I see this question asked multiple times in chat channels, including my guild chat. There’s a ton of different gems and understanding their value when you’re just beginning with the game can be confusing for newbies. This post will provide you with some basic rules about (non-quality) gems and their value in Standard league so the next time you’re offered a choice after finishing a quest you’ll know exactly what to take.

High(er) value gems

Most gems in Path of Exile can be obtained from quests but some only drop from monsters, therefore they usually have higher prices.

• Portal – drop-only gem, not particularly useful since Portal Scrolls drop in abundance but they can usually be sold for 1-3 Chaos Orbs.
• Cast When Damage Taken – only rewarded from one quest in the game, “A Fixture of Fate” in Act III Merciless difficulty. Basically means that unless it drops for you (still rare), you can only get one of these gems on each character, so they are constantly being traded. Having a level 31 requirement also means it will take quite awhile until you’re able to get it, so the price is usually around 4-6 Chaos.
• Chain – drop-only gem but only useful for very few builds in the game. The cost is typically 1 Chaos.
• Multistrike – rewarded from “A Fixture of Fate” quest, otherwise a drop-only gem and fairly rare. It’s being used by almost every melee build in the game, but fortunately that doesn’t reflect its price: it can be obtained for 3 Chaos only.
• Cast When Stunned – typically you’re able to sell it for 2 Chaos, although it’s much easier to obtain one yourself.
• Empower – 10-20 Chaos
• Enhance – 8 Chaos

What about other gems?

• Auras are generally sought after and can easily be sold for 1 Fusing or even 1 Chaos each, or 2 Chaos for Purity which is a bit less common. Grace, Hatred and Clarity are likely the most popular ones and easiest to sell.
• Most attack and similar skill gems (such as Dual Strike, Cleave, Heavy Strike, Raise Skeletons etc.) are extremely easy to come by from the first few quests in the game and you’ll have a tough time trying to find buyers for those.
• Curses generally can be sold for 1 Alchemy in case someone’s looking for a specific one, but stashing dozens of them and waiting for a seller is usually just a waste of time and space.
• Support gems are generally what’s being traded the most, even though a majority of them are easy to come by. Players often need multiple so the demand is always there. Support gems that I see sought after on a daily basis are:
  • Reduced Mana
  • Blood Magic
  • Faster Attacks
  • Melee Splash
• All of the above can fairly easily be sold for 1 Chaos Orb each fairly easily.
• Slightly less used support gems are Fork, Culling Strike, Mana Leech, Faster Casting, Lesser Multiple Projectiles and Greater Multiple Projectiles, Life Leech, Item Quantity, Item Rarity, Melee Physical Damage, Multiple Traps, Curse on Hit. Most of these sell for 1 Fusing each.

Note about prices

As with all things in Path of Exile gem prices are determined by the seller and the buyer, and you may be able to sell them for either lower or higher amount of currency. Trading values (based on Standard league) I provided are just to give you a basic understanding of their potential value in general, so hold your horses.

What does it all mean?

If you come across some of these gems or are presented with a choice from a quest, this is roughly your priority:

1. Gems you need or will use later on
2. Any higher value gems you can sell
3. Support gems
4. Auras

Hope that helps. If you have any questions, shoot them in the comments below!