Path of Exile 2 Skill Gems and Gemcutting guide

How to get Uncut Skill Gems and use them for Gemcutting

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

Wondering how to use Skill Gems in Path of Exile 2? Both Uncut Skill Gems and Uncut Support Gems are essential items if you want to unlock more abilities in Path of Exile 2 . As the names suggest, Uncut Skill Gems can be turned into skills, while Uncut Support Gems are used to upgrade those skills. To get them, you’ll have to slay some enemies, gather some Gems, and find your way around the Gemcutting menu.

Gems can be quite confusing if you’re new to the game, but they’re absolutely worth exploring. If you’ve got a backpack full of Uncut Gems and no idea what to do with them, this guide will help you out by explaining exactly how Skill Gems and Gemcutting work in Path of Exile 2.

How to use Skill Gems

Simply put, Skill Gems are your active abilities, which you can manage in the ‘Skills’ menu. You can drag Skill Gems from the Skills menu to your inventory and vice versa to adjust your ability setup. Examples of Skill Gems skills are ‘Permafrost Bolts’, ‘Boneshatter’, or ‘Ice Nova’. Related to that, Uncut Skill Gems are Skill Gems that haven’t been used to obtain new skills yet. If you want to use them, you’ll have to do some ‘Gemcutting’ - more on that below.

Here’s what Uncut Skill Gems look like in your inventory. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

To obtain Uncut Gems (and thus more skills), you simply need to defeat enemies. Although you can’t turn an unlocked ability back into an Uncut Gem, the Gem drops are fairly common. As you would expect, high-level Gems are dropped in areas with high-level enemies, so keep progressing through Path of Exile 2’s campaign to get to the good stuff.

‘Unearth’ is just one of the many skills you can unlock with an Uncut Skill Gem. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

How to use Gemcutting

It sounds very crafty, but Gemcutting is nothing more than the process of turning Uncut Skill Gems into skills. You can either pick a new skill or spell to add to your arsenal or upgrade one you’ve already unlocked. Take note of the Uncut Skill Gem’s level; a level 3 Gem will either unlock level 3 skills or upgrade a lower-level skill to level 3.

To open the Gemcutting menu, find an Uncut Skill Gem in your inventory and right-click it with your mouse (use the ‘X’ button on controllers). Use the tabs on the left to explore the skill categories, such as ‘bow’ or ‘occult’. It’s important to pick skills to match your weapon, class, and playstyle, since most skills come with stat requirements. If you picked the Sorceress as your class, for example, you may not have enough dexterity to use the ‘snipe’ skill from the bow category.

Use the Gemcutting menu to obtain new skills. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

How to use Support Gems

Uncut Skill Gems are not to be confused with Uncut Support Gems, the latter of which are used to buff your active skills rather than add new ones. For example, you can use a Support Gem to increase a Skill Gem’s duration, damage, or range.

Much like Skill Gems, you can use Gemcutting to turn an Uncut Support Gem into a support ability, after which you can either place the finished Support Gem in your inventory or put it in an ability’s support slot. The arrow in the picture below points to one such support slot.

Place the Support Gem in one of these sockets. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

Placing a Support Gem into a Skill Gem slot is no permanent commitment, since you can remove the Support Gem anytime you like, place it on another skill, put it in your inventory, or stash it away. Of course, Support Gems won’t fit every type of skill. If the Support Gem improves duration, for example, then the skill needs to have a duration too. If the two Gems don’t match, you won’t be able to place the Support Gem in the socket.

Before you start Gemcutting your Support Gems, here’s an important thing to be aware of: the Gemcutting menu automatically shows a few ‘recommended gems’, which makes it look as if these Support Gems are the only options, but that isn’t the case! Be sure to untick ‘recommended gems’ in the lower left corner or use the ‘all gems’ tab to explore every potential Support Gem.

Click the ‘all Gems’ tab to see every support ability you can get. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Grinding Gear Games

Gemcutting tips

Before you start assigning your skills and support buffs, here are just a few more things to be aware of:

• You can’t use two of the same Support Gems on a single skill.
• Some abilities come with a Spirit requirement, so make sure your Spirit is high enough before you use an Uncut Gem on them. We’ve got a guide on how to get more Spirit to help you with that.
• Equipped weapons usually grant a skill as well. You can recognize the weapon skills by their weapon icon (as opposed to a Gem Skill’s picture in the Skill menu). You can’t remove them and put them in your inventory like Gem Skills, but they’ll disappear when you unequip the corresponding weapon. Keep in mind that Gem Skills are typically a bit better, but weapon skills don’t cost mana.
• Although this Gemcutting system offers highly customisable skill combinations and support effects, beware that some combinations just don’t work. Even if the game allows a certain combo, be sure to test it in combat.

That’s how to use Gemcutting and obtain Skill Gems in Path of Exile 2. Be sure to pick the best beginner’s class to use them on, and don’t miss any of the first things you should do in Path of Exile 2 . It’s also important to understand the character attributes as well as the Path of Exile 2 crafting system before you jump back into the fray.

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

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