Each individual base item has its own number of maximum sockets for each ilvl tier (note that we are not talking about inherent maximum sockets here, just max sockets).įor instance, a Crystal Sword has max sockets: 3/4/6, meaning: ilvls 1-25 (max 3 sockets), ilvls 26-40 (max 4 sockets), and ilvls 41+ (max 6 sockets). As far as sockets go, ilvls are broken down into a set of 3 ilvl tiers,ġ-25, 26-40, and 41+. The internal level of an item, commonly known as the 'item level' (ilvl), restricts the number of sockets according to ilvl tiers. Question is, How do we know the maximum number of sockets that item X can have ? The answer lies within a set of rules that govern how socketing works.Ĭoncerning sockets, there are effectively 3 restrictions at work the internal level (ilvl) of an item, the item magic quality, and difficulty (items spawning with sockets in Normal and Nightmare).

These two should NOT be confused one of the most common mistakes is to always assume inherent maximum sockets from Larzuk, so make sure you understand what follows in section. Inherent maximum sockets : ('Sockets').Maximum sockets are either less than or equal to the inherent maximum sockets.

We need to distinguish between the 'inherent maximum sockets' (the maximum sockets possible for the base item), and the 'maximum sockets' for a particular item we might come across. Use a Horadric Cube recipe on an unsocketed item to generate sockets via socketing or rerolling.Use the Larzuk quest reward on an unsocketed item.The Arreat Summit website has the very basics of socketed items,

Diablo 2 socketing recipe