How to Remove Gems From a Gear in WOW

By James Rutter

Updated September 22, 2017

In World of Warcraft, gems can increase an item's damage or improve player attributes.
i three gems image by OMKAR A.V from Fotolia.com

In the World of Warcraft (WoW) online multiplayer game, players can take on quests, interact with non-player-characters (such as merchants), battle monsters and complete levels. During any of these activities, players might acquire gems and items that contain sockets for holding gems. Once inserted into an object (or “gear”), gems can add bonuses to weapon damage, increase an armor’s damage resistance or improve a player’s attributes (such as stamina). According to the IGN website, a player cannot remove a gem once inserted into an item; however, players can replace gems with other gems to upgrade items further.

Display your available gems and gear during WoW gameplay by pressing the “Shift” and the “B” button simultaneously. Pressing these two buttons with open all of the “bags” in which you have stored items.

Open the “socket window” of any gear holding a gem that you wish to remove by pressing “Shift” and right-clicking on it simultaneously. The socket window will show the gems already inserted into that gear, the available gem sockets remaining for that item, and which types of gems that item requires.

Remove a gem from the gear by replacing it with another gem. Click and hold on a gem in your inventory and then drag it over and on top of the gem you wish to remove from a piece of gear. Release the click button to replace the old gem with the new one.

Tips

You can decrease your reliance on finding, purchasing or winning gems by initially creating a character with jewel-crafting as one of his or her “Primary Professions.” After level 60, your character will then be able to fashion gems during gameplay.

Warnings

Replacing one gem with another will destroy the gem already inserted into a gear’s socket. You cannot recover this gem, or restore it to your inventory.

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