Spending Smart
Free-to-Play Gem Plan
How to use gems effectively when you don't spend: gather gems on your main castle and budget for AZ boosts, VIP and shields.
If you play for free, gems are your lifeline. Here's how to earn enough to keep your Azurite boost running, and why your main castle should always be gathering gems.
Gem income
You have 5 march lines. Use one to hide troops at the Alliance Fort, kill monsters, reinforce allies or clear farms. Send the other four to gather gems.
- Gem gathering rate depends on your technology, but you should reach 9 gems an hour: 3 by default plus 6 from research. Depending on your gathering speed some players get more, but this plan leaves that out.
- Assume 20 hours a day to allow for downtime and taxes.
- 20 h × 4 marches × 9 gems = 720 gems a day, or 8,640 every two weeks. That's 12 gathering days, because you can't gather during the purge and the Kill Event.
- Every two weeks, Strongest Lord leads up to the Kill Event with Power Up, Recruit, Monster and Gather phases. Each pays 490 gems for opening the third chest: 1,960 every two weeks.
Gem spending every two weeks
| Expense | Gems | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AZ mine boost | 450 / day = 6,300 | Sometimes you can get the AZ boost as an event reward. |
| VIP (7 days, original price) | 1,600 × 2 = 3,200 | Cheaper per day in the HOT weekend sale, from events, or from the merchant ship for shells or fewer gems. |
| 3-day shield | 2,400 | Protection for the purge and Kill Event. Two 1-day shields cost less, but you'll need to make sure your shield doesn't drop. |
| Total | 11,900 |
Gem planner
Plug in your own numbers. The defaults match the plan above.
Other gem sources
- Territory Defense (TD) is a good source of gems, depending on your alliance's rank and your individual rank.
- The daily alliance quest gives gems.
Both depend on how many people take part, so they're left out of the numbers above. Treat them as a bonus.
