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 walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Whitehelm | Mana colours and spell casting basics | Frostmage | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Broken Spire | Skull damage mastery | Frostmage | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Zhul'Kari | Extra turns from four and five matches + gear | Titan or Frostmage | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Khetar | Build optimization | Titan | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Zaejin | Min-max | Titan or Archer | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (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.
Level/Difficulty: Kingdom level 1 to 10 early, 20 later Key Rewards: 10 Glory tribute, kingdom skill bonus, quest line troops
What to Do in Whitehelm
- Learn Mana colours and spell casting. Six colours feed troop spells, and a troop only casts once its bar is full. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Frostmage as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Divine Protector or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Mana colours and spell casting fundamentals
- Frostmage selected and functional
- Whitehelm main content cleared
- Ready for Broken Spire
Phase 2: Early Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Kingdom level 1 to 10 early Key Rewards: 200 Gold tribute, Arena access, ogre troops
What to Do in Broken Spire
- Work on Skull damage. A skull match sends your first surviving troop to attack, measuring its Attack against enemy Armour and then Life. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Divine Protector if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Zhul'Kari.
- Consider whether Titan might suit your playstyle better than Frostmage.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Skull damage integrated into gameplay
- Divine Protector acquired
- Broken Spire fully cleared
- Ready for Zhul'Kari
Phase 3: Mid Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Kingdom level 1 to 10 early Key Rewards: Tribute income, Dark Elf troops, quest line rewards
What to Do in Zhul'Kari
- Master 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. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Dawnbringer. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Traits and traitstones for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Extra turns from four and five matches mastered
- Dawnbringer acquired or in progress
- Zhul'Kari fully cleared
- Ready for Khetar
Phase 4: Late Game (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.
Level/Difficulty: Kingdom level 1 to 10 early Key Rewards: 40 Souls tribute, undead troops, Khetar quest line
What to Do in Khetar
- Finalize your build. You should be running Titan or Frostmage with optimized gear.
- Dawnbringer should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Hero class and weapon optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Zaejin.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Dawnbringer upgraded to max
- Khetar fully cleared
- Ready for Zaejin
Phase 5: Endgame (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.
Level/Difficulty: Kingdom level 1 to 10, then push for the goblin team Key Rewards: Goblin troop line, tribute income, kingdom skill bonus
What to Do in Zaejin
- Zaejin tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Zaejin, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Archer for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Hero class and weapon mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Zaejin fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Guides
- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Overview
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- Gems of War - Puzzle RPG Tier List
- 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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