Combat systems · Player guide
How elemental enchant works
A gem does more than add a color to your equipment. Learn what it changes, what it does not change, and how to choose the right element for each fight.
The short version
Three rules to remember
- Weapon gemConverts a grade-dependent portion of your attack into the gem’s element.
- Armor gem · PlannedWill add defense against the socketed element when armor enchantment is released.
- Best choiceDepends on the defenses of the monster or player you are fighting.
Weapon gems
Your damage is split, not replaced
An enchanted weapon divides each affected hit into an original portion and a gem-element portion. The enchant grade controls how much damage goes to each side, and the target defends against each portion separately.
Most damage keeps its original type; a smaller portion uses the gem element.
The balance shifts toward the gem element; at the highest grade none of the hit keeps its original type.
Important: A gem does not create a second full hit. It changes the damage composition of the attack.
Skills with a natural element
Some skills are elemental before the gem
Fire, Holy, Ice, Lightning, Poison and Unholy skills keep their authored element on the original side of the split. The weapon gem only determines the other side.
Holy skill + Holy gem
Both portions are still Holy, so the hit is judged against the same defense. Matching provides little practical change by itself.
Holy skill + Ice gem
Part remains Holy and part becomes Ice. This can help against a target that resists Holy but is vulnerable to Ice—and hurt against the opposite defenses.
Choose for the target. There is no universally strongest gem. Compare the skill’s natural element with the defenses of what you plan to fight.
Skills without an element
Physical attacks are the straightforward case
When a skill has no natural element, its original portion remains physical and is reduced by normal armor. The converted portion uses the element of your weapon gem.
The same split also applies to weapon-driven damage over time, reflected damage and other damage effects produced by the affected skill.
Planned system · Not yet released
Armor will protect; it will not change your attack
When released, each enchanted armor piece will raise defense against its socketed element. Bonuses from multiple pieces will stack, but elemental defense will be capped so equipment cannot make you completely immune.
Stack one element
Use several matching gems to prepare for a boss or threat dominated by one element.
Cover several elements
Mix gems across armor slots when you need broader protection against different attacks.
Only the socketed element
An unenchanted piece gives no elemental bonus, and a gem never protects against a different element.
Shields: elemental enchantment has not been released for them either. This is a current patch limitation, not an item bug.
Player versus player
The same split, a different defender
Weapon damage is divided in PvP exactly as it is against monsters. The difference is that the opposing player’s armor gems determine their elemental defense.
Players have no automatic elemental weakness. An unprotected element receives no mitigation from armor gems; a protected one is reduced normally. Since armor elemental enchant is not released yet, no one has that protection right now — every weapon gem currently lands at full elemental value in PvP.
Before socketing a gem
Make the choice in this order
- 1
Identify whether your main skills are physical or already have a natural element.
- 2
Check which element your target resists—and which defense is lowest.
- 3
Choose between concentrating on that weakness or preserving more of your skill’s original damage type.