Diablo 3 Clone items: Sockets and socketing by Posterboy

[:1]Notes: This thread was originally posted by posterboy@USWest, it also contains useful tables posted by Technomage-C01@USEast
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sockets v2.3
updated 06/01/07
THE BASICS
First, there are a few basic things everyone should (and probably already does) know about how sockets work:
Item types that can have sockets:

all Weapon types except Throwing Weapons

any Body Armor

any Headgear, including Circlets, Barbarian Helms, and Druid Pelts

any Shield, including Paladin Shields and Necromancer Shrunken Heads
- Throwing Weapons, Gloves, Belts, Boots, Amulets, Rings, and Charms can never have sockets
Number of sockets on a particular item:
The maximum number of sockets that a particular item can have, either when spawned in the game or when sockets are added via Larzuk or a Horadric Cube formula, is limited by several factors:

RULE #1: Any item cannot have more sockets than it's base item type will allow. For example, a Yew Wand will have 1 socket maximum, while it's exceptional and elite counterparts, Petrified Wand and Ghost Wand, can each have up to 2 sockets. For information on base item types, see the Weapons and Armor section at The Arreat Summit http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/weaponsandarmor.shtml .

RULE #2: The item level (often abbreviated "ilvl") will also restrict the number of sockets an item can have. Item levels are broken down into 3 groups as far as sockets go: 1-25, 26-40, and 41 or higher. Each individual item type has its own set of maximum number of sockets for each ilvl group. Example: A Spetum has 3/4/6 max sockets. If you found a Spetum with an ilvl of 25, the maxiumum number of sockets it will ever have is 3. If you found a plain white Spetum with an ilvl of 26, it can have up to 4 sockets. If the Spetum had an ilvl of 45, then it could have up to 6 sockets. (The following webpage by Adeyke has, among many other things, info on the max number of sockets per ilvl for individual items: http://www.theamazonbasin.com/d2/resources/d2weapons.html . Thanks to PrMoriarty for catching the broken link). See also the charts below posted by Technomage-C01.

RULE #3: The item quality will limit the max number of sockets on an item, but there are certain exceptions.* Generally speaking, Uniques/Sets/Rares/Crafted items can only have one socket added to them, Magic items can have up to two sockets added, and low quality/normal/superior items are not restricted in this manner.
*Exception 3A: Certain Uniques and Sets can have more than one socket, if and only if the sockets are inherent as part of that Unique or Set item's characteristics. Example: The Unique item Spirit Forge Linked Mail will always come with 2 sockets as will Witchwild String. Set item Griswold's Heart will always spawn with 3 sockets, while Griswold's Redemption will vary from 3 to 4 sockets.
*Exception 3B: Rare items (and probably Crafted too, but I'm not 100% sure) can sometimes have 2 sockets, if and only if the sockets were spawned on that item already as the "Mechanic's" mod.
*Exception 3C: Magic items can sometimes have more than 2 sockets, if and only if the sockets were spawned on that item already as the "Artisan's" mod or the "Jeweler's" mod.

RULE #4: If an item already has sockets, you can not alter the number of sockets. You cannot increase the number of sockets, nor can you take away any of the sockets.*
*Exception 4A: If the sockets on a particular item stem from the "Mechanic's," "Artisan's," or "Jeweler's" mods, then that particular magic prefix on a Magic or Rare item can be 'rerolled' using the appropriate Cube formula(s).

Note: Etherealness/ethereality does not affect the number sockets in any way.
LARZUK
"How many sockets will this item get if I take it to Larzuk?" Once you understand all of the rules stated above, it's pretty simple:

Larzuk will always add the maximum number of sockets possible to a low quality/normal/superior (white color name, or gray if it's ethereal) item. To add to the example started above, a plain white Spetum with an ilvl of 25 will get exactly 3 sockets from Larzuk; a Spetum of ilvl 26 will get exactly 4 sockets; and a Spetum of ilvl 45 will get exactly 6 sockets. Larzuk will never ever give you 1 or 2 or 5 sockets on a plain white Spetum.

Larzuk will randomly add either 1 or 2 sockets to a Magic (blue color name) item, with 50% chance of either.

Larzuk will always add exactly 1 socket to a Unique (gold color), Set (green color), Rare (yellow color), or Crafted (orange color) item.

The game difficulty (Normal, Nightmare, or Hell) in which you use your quest reward does not affect the number of sockets in any way.

Character level does not affect the number of sockets in any way.

Larzuk doesn't care if the item is superior or not.

Larzuk will not accept non-socketable item types for socketing, nor will he accept any item that already has at least 1 socket already on it.|||Originally posted by posterboy@USWest
HORADRIC CUBE FORMULAE HAVING TO DO WITH SOCKETS
http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/cube.shtml
From The Arreat Summit, here are all of the relevant Cube formulas:
1) 3 Perfect Skulls + 1 Rare Item + Stone of Jordan = Add 1 Socket To a Rare Item
"Rare Items can only have one socket. You cannot add sockets to items that don't normally have sockets. You can not use this on a Rare with one socket. You can only add one socket to to a zero socket Rare Item." You can only use this formula to add exactly 1 socket to a Rare item that does not already have any sockets. After that, it's all done; you can't add any more. If a Rare item already has a socket then this formula won't work on it. Rares can only have two sockets according to Exception 3B as stated above.
2) 3 Standard Gems (normal) and 1 Socketed Weapon (Any Type) = 1 Socketed Magic Weapon (of same type)
This takes a socketed weapon and makes it a magic socketed weapon with a random number of sockets. This allows you to get new magic bonuses on an otherwise non magical weapon. The original weapon properties will be removed (rerolled) when the new weapon is created. ilvl = 30. It gets 1-2 sockets.
3) 3 Chipped Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon
This adds sockets to a magic weapon. The original magic weapon properties will be removed (rerolled) when the new weapon is created. If you use this formula with a weapon that is not normally socketed such as a Javelin, this recipe will create a new magical weapon without any sockets. ilvl=25 magic weapon with 1-2 sockets.
4) 3 Flawless Gems + 1 Magic Weapon = Socketed Magic Weapon
This adds sockets to a magic weapon. The original magic weapon properties will be removed (rerolled) when the new weapon is created. If you use this formula with a weapon that is not normally socketed such as a Javelin, this recipe will create a new magical weapon without any sockets. ilvl=30 magic weapon with 1-2 sockets.
(Regarding Formulas #2, 3, and 4, all that I'm concerned about is the number of sockets, so the only thing to note here is that all 3 of these formulas have to do with Magic items, and so the outcome will either have 1 or 2 sockets randomly, provided the base item type allows it. See also the Notes at the end of this post.)
5) 1 Tal Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Topaz + Normal Body Armor = Socketed Body Armor of same type
6) 1 Ral Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Amethyst + Normal Weapon = Socketed Weapon of same type
7) 1 Ral Rune + 1 Thul Rune + 1 Perfect Sapphire + Normal Helm = Socketed Helm of same type
8) 1 Tal Rune + 1 Amn Rune + 1 Perfect Ruby + Normal Shield = Socketed Shield of same type
The Arreat Summit has nearly the same description for Formulas #5, 6, 7, and 8: "The number of sockets created will vary. The item must be normal and unsocketed. Low-quality items and superior items do not work. The item gets 1-6 sockets, randomly. However, the number of sockets is then restricted by the maximum number of sockets that base item with that ilvl can have. For example, if you have an item that can only have 2 sockets, there's a 5/6 chance of getting 2 sockets and a 1/6 chance of getting 1 socket."
(It is important to note that these formulas will not work on low quality or superior items, but it will work on ethereal items. The resulting number of sockets is random, but is restricted by the base item type and the ilvl of that particular item. This formula may be useful to some players who need to add a specific number of sockets to an item for use as a Runeword, and have figured out that Larzuk will add too many sockets.)
9) 1 Hel Rune + Scroll of Town Portal + Any Socketed Item = Unsocket that item
"Warning: This will destroy any gems, runes, or jewels you have socketed. This is useful if you are not happy with the gems you have socketed and you want to socket the item in another way."
(To elaborate further on the description on The Arreat Summit, let's say that you have a 6-socket item with 6 things in it but you only want to remove one of the socketed gems/jewels/runes inside... well, you can't because it's all or nothing.) (Note, this will remove the contents of the item's sockets, but not the sockets themselves.)
OTHER HORADRIC CUBE FORMULAE
Honorable mention goes to the following Cube formulas because, while they do not have anything to do with sockets specifically, they involve 'rerolling' the affixes on a Magic or Rare item and can therefore sometimes results in socket prefixes.
10) 1 Perfect Skull + 1 Rare Item + Stone of Jordan = 1 High Quality New Rare Item of the same type
This formula has the possibility of creating a higher quality Rare Item than the following formula. ilvl = int(.66 * clvl) + int(.66 * ilvl) That is, the ilvl will be equal to .66 times your clvl (rounded down) plus .66 times the input item's ilvl (also rounded down).
11) 6 Perfect Skulls + 1 Rare Item = 1 Random Low Quality Rare Item of the same type
You can use this formula to get another chance at a Rare Item of the same type. ilvl = int(.4 * clvl) + int(.4 * ilvl) Player level matters. This formula will not work on items larger than 3x2.
12) 4 Health Potions (of any type) + Ruby (any type) + Magical Sword = A Magic Sword of the Leech
You can use this formula to get a Life Stealing sword. ilvl = 30. The sword will always have the "of the Leech" suffix (4-5% Life Stolen Per Hit) and has a chance at getting a prefix as well. The type of sword is retained. For example, a champion sword as input will give a champion sword as output.
13) 3 Perfect Gems (of any type) + 1 Magic Item = 1 New Random Magic Item of the Same Type
You can use this formula to get another chance at a Magic Item of the same type. The ilvl = ilvl. This means to use 100% of the ilvl of the input item. It's important to note the difference between "the ilvl is set to a fixed number" like what happens in some recipes and "the ilvl of the output is exactly the same as the ilvl of the input" as is the case here. So if you're cubing for +skills Grand Charms, for example, you want to use Charms starting from late Nightmare, not ones that dropped in the Normal Blood Moor. You can use this formula (with an Amulet) to create a +2 Skills Amulet. And you cannot Gamble one before Character Level 84. Be warned however, that the chances of getting that on an Amulet might be very low (considering everything is available) and it might take a lot of tries. Rare Items cannot be used with this formula to create new Rare Items. You can also use this on Charms and Jewels.
14) 1 Magic Shield (any type) + 1 Spiked Club (any quality) + 2 Skulls (any quality) = Magic Shield of Spikes
ilvl=30. The shield will always have the "of Spikes" suffix (Attacker Takes Damage of 4-6) and has a chance at getting a prefix as well. The type of shield is retained, and any type of shield (including paladin shields and necromancer shrunken heads) works as input.
ITEMS FOUND WITH SOCKETS

Items that are dropped from monsters or found from chests in Normal or Nightmare difficulty are limited in the number of sockets they can have when spawned. In Normal, you won't find anything with more 3 sockets, and in Nightmare, no more than 4 sockets.

While you won't find an item with more than 3 sockets in Normal, if the ilvl of the base item type is sufficient, you can still create an item with more than 3 sockets from an item found in Normal difficulty through Larzuk or cube recipes.
RUNEWORD NOTES
The Rune Words page at The Arreat Summit http://www.battle.net/diablo2exp/items/runewords.shtml will tell you everything you need to know about Rune Word Rules and all currently known working Rune Words. However, one thing deserves repeating here, and that is that you can only make Rune Words in non-magical items. Ethereal items are OK; low quality and superior items are OK; but Magic/Rare/Crafted/Set/Unique items are not suitable for Rune Words. This means you can't make Enigma in your Griswold's Heart armor; you can't make Zephyr in your Witchwild String bow; and you can't make Stealth in your 2-socket "Mechanic's" body armor. Basically, just pay attention to the name color of the item--you need it to be gray for a Runeword.
SOCKETING STRATEGIES

"Where can I find socketables for Runewords?" Well, any area where there are lots of monsters to kill, really. Just make sure you have as little MF as possible (which basically means zero MF) because this will increase the number of Whites and Grays that will drop as opposed to the Blues/Yellows/Greens/Golds you might see with high MF. The Secret Cow Level is ideal for this task. For a change of scenery, you can try the village-looking areas of Act 3 (Lower Kurast, Kurast Bazaar, and Upper Kurast) as there seems to be a high concentration of clickable objects (e.g. baskets, corpses, stashes, hollow logs, skeletons, weapon racks, armor stands, etc.) When looking for looking for socketables of a high Treasure Class (TC) it's probably best to stick to the Area Level 85 areas (see Technomage-C01's ever-bumped thread "FHR & FCR & FBR for all classes / Area Levels"). Also keep in mind that the Barb's Find Item skill can be used on monster corpses for more results.

"I can't seem to find the item I need with the right number of sockets for my Runeword. What are my options?" Depending on what exactly you're looking for, you might be able to get a little creative with the Cube formulas and Larzuk. For example, let's say you want to find a 3-socket Phase Blade for the "Crescent Moon" Runeword, but the Cows are being stingy. Well, one option is to find a low quality Phase Blade with no sockets, and use the following formula:
15) 1 Eld Rune + 1 Chipped Gem + Low Quality Weapon = Normal Quality Weapon of same type
ilvl = 1. That is, regardless of what the ilvl was beforehand, it will be set to 1.
This will set the ilvl of your Phase Blade to 1. Now, when you take it to Larzuk, he'll give you exactly 3 sockets instead of the 6 sockets you would have gotten if you gave him a Phase Blade with a higher ilvl. The next formula listed at The Arreat Summit is this one:
16) 1 El Rune + 1 Chipped Gem + Low Quality Armor = Normal Quality Armor of same type
This formula does not have any description below it, but it is assumed that this formula will work the same way as #15 and will also set the ilvl to 1, so you could probably do the same thing with armors.
NOTES/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mikeandroe on Cube formulas #2, 3, and 4: The Cube formula will always result in 1 or 2 sockets because the "Artisan's" or "Jeweler's" mods will not spawn due to the resulting ilvl being too low.

Sodapopinski on Cube formulas #2, 3, and 4: The Cube formula will automatically generate 1 or 2 sockets, and the "Mechanic's" mod will either not be able to spawn or will be redundant.

Thanks to gta-maloy] and (originally) andrion for providing additional info on how ilvl relates to max sockets and for the link to Adeyke's calculator.

Thanks to Rob7410 for clarification on the ilvl groups.

Thanks to Technomage-C01 for the item ilvl tables and the anti-vanishing-sticky relay bumps.

Thanks to Veneteaou to helping to preserve this post.

Thanks to Talamek for comments on Items Found with Sockets section.|||Originally posted by Technomage-C01@USEast
Maximum Number of Sockets for All ilvls
#3 Index
#4 Helms, Circlets, Barbarian Helms, Druid Pelts
#5 Armor
#6 Shields, Necromancer Totems (Heads), Paladin Shields
#7 Axes, Bows, Crossbows, Daggers, Clubs, Maces, Hammers
#8 Polearms, Scepters, Spears, Staves
#9 Swords, Wands
#10 Amazon Bows, Amazon Spears, Assassin Claws, Sorceress Orbs
These tables have also been compiled into an easy to use calculator here thanks to b_77@USEast:
http://brentmcclintock.net/diablo/guides/socket%20tables.aspx||| Originally posted by Technomage-C01@USEast

Normal                |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Helms                 |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Cap                   |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Skull Cap             |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Helm                  |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Full Helm             |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Great Helm            |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Crown                 |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Mask                  |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Bone Helm             |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
================================================================
Exceptional           |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Helms                 |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
War Hat               |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Sallet                |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Casque                |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Basinet               |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Winged Helm           |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Grand Crown           |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Death Mask            |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Grim Helm             |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
================================================================
Elite                 |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Helms                 |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Shako                 |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Hydraskull            |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Armet                 |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Giant Conch           |      2     |    2   |    2    |    2   |
Spired Helm           |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Corona                |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Demonhead             |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
Bone Visage           |      3     |    2   |    2    |    3   |
================================================================
Normal                |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Circlets              |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Circlet               |      2     |    1   |    2    |    2   |
Coronet               |      2     |    1   |    2    |    2   |
================================================================
Exceptional           |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Circlets              |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Tiara                 |      3     |    1   |    2    |    3   |
================================================================
Elite                 |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Circlets              |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Diadem                |      3     |    1   |    2    |    3   |
================================================================
Normal                |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Barbarian Helms       |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Jawbone Cap           |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Fanged Helm           |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Horned Helm           |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Assault Helmet        |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Avenger Guard         |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================
Exceptional           |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Barbarian Helms       |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Jawbone Visor         |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Lion Helm             |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Rage Mask             |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Savage Helmet         |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Slayer Guard          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================
Elite                 |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Barbarian Helms       |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Carnage Helm          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Fury Visor            |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Destroyer Helm        |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Conquerer Crown       |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Guardian Crown        |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================
Normal                |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Druid Pelts           |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Wolf Head             |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Hawk Helm             |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Antlers               |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Falcon Mask           |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Spirit Mask           |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================
Exceptional           |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Druid Pelts           |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Alpha Helm            |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Griffon Headress      |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Hunter's Guise        |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Sacred Feathers       |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Totemic Mask          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================
Elite                 |  Maximum   |  ilvl  |  ilvl   |  ilvl  |
Druid Pelts           |  Possible  |  1-25  |  26-40  |  41+   |
================================================================
Blood Spirit          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Sun Spirit            |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Earth Spirit          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Sky Spirit            |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
Dream Spirit          |      3     |    2   |    3    |    3   |
================================================================