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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Build every team around covering four different mana colours
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.
2. Run Valkyrie in any session where you need souls
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.
3. Collect kingdom tributes whenever you open the game
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.
4. Push each kingdom to level 10 before spreading gold thinly across all of them
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.
5. 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
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.
6. Chain extra turns before casting a finisher
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.
7. Third traits are the ones worth Arcane traitstones
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.
8. 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
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.
9. Doomed weapons are traited with Forge Scrolls from Tower of Doom, not with ingots
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.
10. 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
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.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Titan (A-Tier):
- Focus on Mana colours and spell casting combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Dawnbringer
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Frostmage (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Divine Protector
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Gems of War - Puzzle RPG's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Mana colours and spell casting + Skull damage: Six colours feed troop spells, and a troop only casts once its bar is full. Combined with Skull damage, a skull match sends your first surviving troop to attack, measuring its attack against enemy armour and then life.
Extra turns from four and five matches + Traits and traitstones: Matching four or more gems returns the turn to you, and chaining those turns is where the skill ceiling sits. When paired with Traits and traitstones, each troop carries up to three traits unlocked with minor, major, runic, arcane and celestial traitstones.
Hero class and weapon scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dawnbringer | Hero teams that want damage and a defensive layer in one cast | 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. |
| Divine Protector | Endgame Divines teams built around Infernus | The hero weapon slotted into the standard Divines team alongside Infernus, Ubastet and Divine Ishbaala. |
| Essence of Evil | Plaguelord hero builds and early class progression | The Plaguelord class weapon, tied to a class rather than to a crafting recipe. |
| Orb of Winter | Frostmage freeze teams in defensive matchups | The Frostmage class weapon, which pairs naturally with freeze teams built around Queen Mab and Kraken. |
| Doomed weapons | Guild players who run Tower of Doom every cycle | A weapon family traited with Forge Scrolls earned during Tower of Doom rather than with ingots. |
Location Efficiency
Whitehelm (Kingdom level 1 to 10 early, 20 later): 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 (Kingdom level 1 to 10 early): 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 (Kingdom level 1 to 10 early): 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 (Kingdom level 1 to 10 early): 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 (Kingdom level 1 to 10, then push for the goblin team): 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.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Frostmage, switch to Titan when ready
- Invest in Dawnbringer above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Whitehelm → Broken Spire → Zhul'Kari → Khetar → Zaejin. See our maps guide
- Mana colours and spell casting + Skull damage together are stronger than either alone
More Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Guides
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Overview
- 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 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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