In Path of Exile, the three core attributes are Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Most equipment, skill gems, and support gems have attribute requirements – if skill gem requires 100 intelligence to be used, you will have to have at least 100 intelligence to use that skill gem.
Each character class starts with different attributes which I listed in a table previously. Attributes are useful not only for meeting requirements but they also provide different bonuses:
1. Every 10 strength gives you +5 to maximum life and 2% increased physical damage.
2. Every 10 intelligence gives you +5 to maximum mana and 2% increased maximum energy shield.
3. Every 10 dexterity gives you +20 to accuracy rating and 2% increased evasion rating.
When leveling your character, sometimes it might be challenging to meet the requirements for certain gems – there is an easy solution to that: buy jewelry with attributes from a vendor. There are amulets that give you a good boost to attributes – Lapis amulet for intelligence, Amber amulet for strength and Jade amulet for dexterity and there are also hybrid amulets that give 2 of the attributes but in a bit lower numbers.
I almost always use them while leveling to be able to use skills that I want and recommend that you do too if you need some attributes. Even in late game, the best way to meet attribute requirements for most builds is using jewelry, so keep that in mind if you’re ever lacking them.
Hopefully the above guide will be helpful to you.