Once you've graduated from finding Crude Rubies in buy diablo 4 items, the next step on your journey is the Chipped Ruby. This upgraded gem offers stronger benefits and becomes an important resource for players aiming to survive tougher encounters and craft more powerful gear setups.
In this post, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Chipped Rubies — how to get them, where to use them, and why they matter.
What is a Chipped Ruby?
A Chipped Ruby is the second tier of Ruby gem quality in Diablo 4. It's a refined version of the Crude Ruby, offering better stats across the board. Players can acquire Chipped Rubies through gameplay or by upgrading Crude Rubies at the Jeweler.
At this stage, the gem is still relatively common but much more useful for mid-tier builds and early boss fights.
How to Obtain Chipped Rubies
You can find Chipped Rubies naturally in several ways:
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Loot from elite enemies and bosses
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Random world drops and chests
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Rewards from completing side dungeons and strongholds
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Salvaging socketed gear that contains Rubies
Another important way: Crafting at the Jeweler. You can combine three Crude Rubies to create one Chipped Ruby. This process requires some gold but is relatively cheap compared to higher-tier gem crafting.
It’s smart to always be gathering Crude Rubies and combining them when possible, especially before major story milestones or endgame prepping.
What Does a Chipped Ruby Do?
When socketed into your gear, Chipped Rubies offer stronger benefits:
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Armor (Chest, Pants): Greater maximum Life bonus compared to Crude Rubies
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Weapons: Increased Overpower Damage for burst builds
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Jewelry (Amulets, Rings): Higher Fire Resistance boost
These bonuses are noticeably better than their Crude counterpart, making Chipped Rubies valuable for pushing through tougher midgame content.
Upgrading Chipped Rubies
Chipped Rubies themselves are stepping stones toward even more powerful gems like standard Rubies and beyond.
To upgrade further:
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Combine three Chipped Rubies at the Jeweler
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Pay a slightly higher gold fee
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Sometimes, a few additional materials are required at later stages
It’s all about resource management. Think carefully about whether you want the immediate bonuses of using Chipped Rubies — or if you should stockpile them for a bigger payoff later.
Best Builds for Chipped Rubies
Chipped Rubies fit into a surprising number of midgame builds:
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Barbarian Overpower Builds: Early rage and bloodthirst playstyles rely heavily on bonus Overpower damage.
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Tanky Druids: Extra Life is critical when soaking up hits while your Werebear mauls enemies.
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Necromancer Summoners: Your minions may fall, but a sturdier Necromancer can survive to summon again.
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Sorcerers: Especially Fire-focused Sorcerers, where both the Fire Resistance and extra Life matter.
Basically, any class that leans toward survivability or burst Overpower benefits from equipping Chipped Rubies early on.
Strategic Tips for Managing Chipped Rubies
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Prioritize jewelry sockets: If you’re facing heavy elemental damage, using Chipped Rubies in rings and amulets can make a real difference against Fire-wielding bosses.
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Balance socketing and saving: Only socket Chipped Rubies into gear you know you'll keep for a while — otherwise, you risk wasting gems you could have upgraded.
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Keep an eye on Jewelry crafting: Sometimes crafting or enchanting gear requires specific gem qualities. Having a reserve of Chipped Rubies can speed up gear progression.
Final Thoughts
Chipped Rubies mark a turning point in your gem crafting journey. They provide serious boosts in Life, Fire Resistance, and Overpower Damage that can carry you through the midgame and beyond. Understanding when to use them and when to upgrade them will separate the casual adventurer from the true champions of Sanctuary.
So, next time you find yourself standing over a fallen world boss, sifting through loot and seeing that shining red gem drop — you’ll know exactly what to do. Harness the power of Chipped Rubies and carve your legend into the D4 items bones of Sanctuary.