Many people find this game hard, so I'd like to give you some advice and other player should write theirs completing methods in this topic too! My tips: » Choose your own strategy! Yes, it is very important. My strategy: build only powerful gems near to each other, and I don't use traps at all. Also choose good places for gunning zones: better is to place you guns in inner part of corners, like that: []⢠[][]
[]-road ⢠- gem tower » If you can't complete level you should play all already open and completed levels in different or just same mode. This will give more magic upgrade points. » Don't forget to upgrade your magic skills in "skills" category. Also upgrade that categories which you need in your strategy. For example in my strategy I would recommend you to upgrade "focus" to much, which gives you a lot of mana in beginning of level. You can already build 5-edge gems.
That's all I think, believe you find my tips useful and please submit your own
And I think I'd lose pretty quickly with your strategy, but GemCraft is made for different strategies depending on your playing style. :3
My strategy depends on the level. Often stuff like a row of traps with a slowing gem in front of poison gems or mana steal gems, with towers equipped with shockers or splashes... But depends a lot on the gems available in the level. Getting the Gem Mastery of the kind of gems that are available in the level you're playing is pretty practical. Upgrading the skills that gives you a high amount of starting mana and lowers the cost of creating and combining gems, also very useful.
Most levels I've used nothing higher than grade 3 gems, but a heck of a lot of them.
There's so many different strategy approaches that I think it's hard to describe them all, or even just in general. XD
I wouldn't recommend putting towers so close to the sides because the gems range is way bigger thus you are covering a smaller amount of enemy track.
Traps are only useful in a few situations 1. if you have blue gems OR vs arcane guardians CYAN which can easily permanently 'shock' him forever. 2. If its a swarm level (use red/green)
I ONLY recommend using dual gems in every situation possible because a) the bonus's are more useful then those from pure (5% more attack speed and range is better then 30% attack imo) b) The dual gem mastery gives a nice bonus to it UNLIKE pure(2% to min damage 4% more to max is a joke) and (LOL) prismatic(<-- worthless)
For the specific gem masteries I only go yellow and lime
For the specific gem masteries I only go yellow and lime
But in levels where there are no yellow or lime, that's not particularly useful. Sure, a grad 2 and a grade 3 of the maxed skill's colour, but that's all. I find it a lot more useful to adjust the skills after the "best" gems available on the level.
Nice tip on the Arcane Guardian vs. cyan traps, though.
But seriously, green traps are good too. Grade three goes from a (example) 7 poison damage over five seconds, to some 23 or so. And it poisons the monsters more often, too~ Worth it on levels with poison gems.
Good point, I usually make 1 level 4 dual yellow and lime and combine the level 2 gems with another level 2
I detest poison because doesn't stack and unfortunately half the time it will be hitting the same monster and 23 damage isn't much compared to the fact it can do about 60 it's probably acceptable in early levels but after arcane guardian 1 its only taking off 30 out of like 400 when you can slow any monster to .3-.8 speed with a level 3 blue gem
In my opinion, poison gems are not worthless to do dmg overtime in traps. With about 250% firing speed compared with towers, they poison every monster unless they go through it very close between each other. However, it loses efficience compared to tower when there are only few monsters.
Placing a slow trap in front of a poison one is worthless, and it doesn't affect significantly the mana steal from orange gems (another orange would be better than the blue). But the slow is good combined to towers near it.
Good tips. I myself are still low on the totem pole, but I have come to the conclusion that traps are worthwhile, esp traps with green poison gems. Unlike the prev generation of gemcraft, it seems a trap w/out a gem in it is worthless?
My strategy Orange trap: I allways use the orange trap, because it give mana when it hit the enemy. It can be very useful. I allways make the trap where it can hit most enemies Blue trap: I use the blue trap to slow the enemy down. It very useful when you have a tower near. I place it where i have some towers.
Gems: I only use 3 grade gems, because it is powerful and it dont use so much mana.
Zophia, thank you for useful reply, but I made this topic to collect as much strategies as possible
Uh... Yes? Did my post seem like I wasn't aware of that?
Once you get to the higher levels (like 40+) max out Dual Gem Mastery and create a bunch of high grade dual gems in battle. It makes about five or six levels right after the third Arcane Guardian absurdly easy. I managed 5 grade 6 gems and a grade 5 in one battle, with much mana still surging in... T'was awesome.
The second level of GC Ch 0. (the one on the bottom left of the map with 12 levels, introduces buildings. It has 3 buildings that prevent tha laying of traps and another building that prevents towers. On this level I can't get enough mana to build a lvl 3 gem, nevermins enough mana to destroy all 4 towers in the limited time available (12 waves of creeps).
What have others done on this level? And are there hidden amulets in this level?
I suggest at the top curve you put your towers and try for a splash gem, you should have enough mana if you put some points into the 2nd skill (all others are quite useless early game)
[quote=Zophia]Once you get to the higher levels (like 40+) max out Dual Gem Mastery and create a bunch of high grade dual gems in battle. It makes about five or six levels right after the third Arcane Guardian absurdly easy. I managed 5 grade 6 gems and a grade 5 in one battle, with much mana still surging in... T'was awesome.[/quote]
I am doing dual gems since I was really low level (before being able to do mastery). They are really good.
Another thing is worth is to spawn monsters with your anger, especially when the group of monsters is small. It can boost your mana a lot.
i think the secret is upgrades. do not upgrade all of them. choose your way and upgrade. it was really hard when i upgraded all of them a little bit. then i upgraded for saving more mana from monsters and low mana for building towers. i made them max. and now it is easier. i am not using any traps, and i made lots of towers and powerful gems from the mana i saved from monters. and don't forget to use mana pool.