Gems of War is Infinity Plus 2's match three RPG where two teams of four trade turns on a single 8x8 board. Matching gems fills each troop's mana in that colour, matching skulls sends your front troop in to attack, and matching four or more gems hands you another turn. Over 1,400 troops and more than 30 kingdoms across Krystara sit on top of that one loop.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Mana colours and spell casting
Six colours feed troop spells, and a troop only casts once its bar is full. Team building is mostly about covering colours without stacking four troops that all drink from the same two.
Skull damage
A skull match sends your first surviving troop to attack, measuring its Attack against enemy Armour and then Life. Doomskulls hit considerably harder, and several spells create them deliberately, so a skull heavy board is not automatically yours to use.
Extra turns from four and five matches
Matching four or more gems returns the turn to you, and chaining those turns is where the skill ceiling sits. A team that loops reliably beats a team with bigger numbers that hands the board back every turn.
Traits and traitstones
Each troop carries up to three traits unlocked with Minor, Major, Runic, Arcane and Celestial traitstones. The third trait is usually the one that changes a team, and Arcane traitstones are the bottleneck that farming teams exist to solve.
Hero class and weapon
Your hero takes one of the four slots, carries a weapon such as Dawnbringer or Essence of Evil, and runs a class like Titan or Frostmage. Classes level to 20 with souls and unlock seven talents through Champion Levels earned by winning with that class equipped.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Gems of War - Puzzle RPG combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Titan | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Frostmage | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Necromancer | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Sunspear | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Archer | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Gems of War - Puzzle RPG builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Dawnbringer | A crafted weapon costing 20 mana across Blue, Red and Yellow that damages all enemies scaled by yellow allies and enemies, gives the team Barrier, and gains 2 Magic when 13 or more red gems are on the board. | Hero teams that want damage and a defensive layer in one cast |
| Divine Protector | The hero weapon slotted into the standard Divines team alongside Infernus, Ubastet and Divine Ishbaala. | Endgame Divines teams built around Infernus |
| Essence of Evil | The Plaguelord class weapon, tied to a class rather than to a crafting recipe. | Plaguelord hero builds and early class progression |
| Orb of Winter | The Frostmage class weapon, which pairs naturally with freeze teams built around Queen Mab and Kraken. | Frostmage freeze teams in defensive matchups |
| Doomed weapons | A weapon family traited with Forge Scrolls earned during Tower of Doom rather than with ingots. | Guild players who run Tower of Doom every cycle |
Dawnbringer: A crafted weapon costing 20 mana across Blue, Red and Yellow that damages all enemies scaled by yellow allies and enemies, gives the team Barrier, and gains 2 Magic when 13 or more red gems are on the board. It stays relevant for years of account progress.
Divine Protector: The hero weapon slotted into the standard Divines team alongside Infernus, Ubastet and Divine Ishbaala. It exists to make the hero a fourth Divine rather than a passenger.
Essence of Evil: The Plaguelord class weapon, tied to a class rather than to a crafting recipe. Class weapons unlock as you level the class, which makes them the cheapest route to a usable hero for a new account.
Orb of Winter: The Frostmage class weapon, which pairs naturally with freeze teams built around Queen Mab and Kraken. Freeze effects slow enemy mana gain, which is what makes a slow team survivable.
Doomed weapons: A weapon family traited with Forge Scrolls earned during Tower of Doom rather than with ingots. They are a reason to take that guild event seriously even if the boss rewards look modest.
Full breakdowns in our Gems of War - Puzzle RPG weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Whitehelm | Kingdom level 1 to 10 early, 20 later | 10 Glory tribute, kingdom skill bonus, quest line troops |
| Broken Spire | Kingdom level 1 to 10 early | 200 Gold tribute, Arena access, ogre troops |
| Zhul'Kari | Kingdom level 1 to 10 early | Tribute income, Dark Elf troops, quest line rewards |
| Khetar | Kingdom level 1 to 10 early | 40 Souls tribute, undead troops, Khetar quest line |
| Zaejin | Kingdom level 1 to 10, then push for the goblin team | Goblin troop line, tribute income, kingdom skill bonus |
Whitehelm: One of the first kingdoms most players level, with a Glory tribute worth 10. Every kingdom you reach level 10 grants all your troops plus one to a particular skill, and plus two once Kingdom Power hits five gold stars.
Broken Spire: The ogre kingdom, whose people worship a Lava Wyrm, and the kingdom that opens access to the Arena draft mode. Its tribute pays 200 Gold rather than Glory or Souls.
Zhul'Kari: Dense forest under eternal night, home to the Dark Elves and their troop line. Worth levelling early because elven troops feature in a lot of budget teams.
Khetar: An ancient kingdom that fell centuries ago and whose dead still walk, which makes it the undead troop source. Its tribute pays 40 Souls, which matters more than gold while you are still levelling troops.
Zaejin: A chaotic sprawl of small goblin villages, and the home of the Goblin troops that anchor one of the most reliable looping teams in the game. Nobend Brothers, Queen Grapplepot, Princess Fizzbang and Goblin King all come from here.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Build every team around covering four different mana colours. Two troops competing for blue means one of them sits at half mana all battle while the enemy casts freely.
- Run Valkyrie in any session where you need souls. Her spell gives 10 souls per cast, and three Warlocks behind her add 50 percent each through the Necromancy trait.
- Collect kingdom tributes whenever you open the game. Most kingdoms pay around 10 Glory of value, Khetar pays 40 Souls and Broken Spire and Stormheim pay 200 Gold, and it costs nothing but a tap.
- Push each kingdom to level 10 before spreading gold thinly across all of them. Level 10 grants every troop you own plus one to a skill, and that bonus applies in every battle forever.
- Set up two farming teams rather than one: a fast Explore team for Arcane traitstones and a separate Underworld faction run for Legendary and Mythic ingots. They solve different bottlenecks.
- Chain extra turns before casting a finisher. Matching four or more gems returns the turn, so a player who sets up two loops first will often cast twice while the opponent never moves.
- Third traits are the ones worth Arcane traitstones. First and second traits are usually small stat bonuses, while the third is what makes a troop worth a team slot.
- Class talents come from Champion Levels earned by winning with that class equipped, so pick one class and stay on it for a stretch rather than switching every session.
- Doomed weapons are traited with Forge Scrolls from Tower of Doom, not with ingots. If your guild runs the event, participating is the only supply line for those weapons.
- Underworld faction runs restrict your team to the first two colours of that faction's banner, so the lineup has to be built inside the constraint rather than being your best general team.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Stacking four troops that all need the same mana colour.
- Spending souls levelling troops you will replace instead of levelling a hero class to 20.
- Ignoring daily tributes, which are free Glory, Souls and Gold for a single tap.
- Casting a spell immediately instead of setting up two more extra turns first.
- Bringing a general purpose team into an Underworld faction run limited to two banner colours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gems of War free to play?
Yes, and it runs on match three battles rather than an energy timer. Progress is gated by troop levels, traitstones and kingdom levels rather than by a stamina bar.
What is the best beginner team?
Treant, Alchemist, Valkyrie and Banshee on the Scales banner. Nothing in it is above Ultra-Rare, it loops the board through conversion spells, and Valkyrie funds the souls you need next.
How do you farm souls?
Valkyrie casts for 10 souls, and three Warlocks behind her add 50 percent each through Necromancy. Run it on a low difficulty so each battle finishes quickly.
What are traitstones for?
They unlock troop traits, in Minor, Major, Runic, Arcane and Celestial grades. Arcane traitstones are the limiting resource because third traits almost always need them.
How many kingdoms are there?
More than 30 across Krystara, each with its own quest line, troops, banner and tribute. Underworld factions add their own separate runs on top of the overworld kingdoms.
More Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Guides
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Best Builds
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Tier List
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Walkthrough
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Beginner's Guide
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Tips & Tricks
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Weapons Guide
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Combat Guide
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Boss Guide
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Maps & Locations
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Crafting Guide
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Classes & Characters
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