
The result is an armor with an absolutely impossible defense rating. What is not normal is the fact that when sockets are added to an ethereal armor using the Horadric Cube, that ethereal defense bonus is applied again. Ethereal armors are assigned a 50% bonus to their base defense rating when dropped. In Diablo 2 version 1.11 and 1.11b, there is a bug regarding the socketing of ethereal armors. The basis for calculating the socket odds in each of the recipes (2)-(5) is 6 sockets, according to CubeMain.txt. The Arreat Summit (see the Horadric Cube link) claims the odds should be 50/50, which is incorrect. Since rolling 3, 4, 5, or 6 occurs each with a probability of 1:6, in this case there is a 2:3 chance of getting 3 sockets. If a figure beyond maximum is rolled, the recipe will return maximum.Ī Mage Plate allows max 3 sockets (the lower value of gemsockets and MaxSockXX). Each item type has a further limit on maximum sockets by internal level (ilvl) ("MaxSock1", restricted by gemsockets and ilvl tiers (MaxSockXX).Each base item has a limit on maximum sockets ("gemsockets" in Armor.txt and Weapons.txt)Īt the Arreat Summit, this figure is listed as Sockets.Shields, including Necromancer Shrunken Heads and Paladin Shields.Circlets, Helms, including Barbarian Helms and Druid Pelts.


See librarian's FAQtoids for a shorter account of sockets:
