To be or not to be... (decision on gems spending)

Hello everybody, I've been playing this nice game for 127 days up until now and enjoyed it very much. I've not spent many gems (just got some licenses when needed) and now I'm level 54 sitting on 14k gems. Got my MMA during Easter and got 2 Major gens also.
My two options at the moment are :

1. (which was my initial plan) - Continue to stock gems until I have 20k and buy gem pit. Then gather another 20k for second one and then start spending gems on generals and such.

Problem with this option is that I'll need another 150 day to get to 1st gem pit and then another 150 or so to get 2nd pit and then I'll start collecting gems for a general purchase (champions + 2nd MMA etc). Than means I'll be able to have my 2nd MMA and 1st champion (or 2 champs) after probably 1 year. That means 3 times the time I've played until now. I'll be probably have done more of the current content until then.

2. Option 2 which is crawling into my mind last days is to buy 2 generals right now (choosing which 2 is another question) and enjoy more options in my adventures. Will be great to enter Ali Baba series with 2 MMA and Anslem for example or any other combo. This way I'll spend all my gems but will enjoy the game much more during the incoming year.

Any advises and opinions will be very welcome as I really don't know what is my correct move. Also advises on what 2 generals to get are welcome.

Have a nice weekend and thanks for reading :)

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Originally Posted by frostmaker

Than means I'll be able to have my 2nd MMA and 1st champion (or 2 champs) after probably 1 year. That means 3 times the time I've played until now. I'll be probably have done more of the current content until then.

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Be pantient. the game is scaled poorly enough its seems like they espect us to play it for 10+ years, so 1 year is nothing in the long run.

Also 1 gempit into 2 gempits etc. will eventually give you enough gems to buy everything available for gems, and leave couple tens of thousands for a few years of premium without having to pay a dime for this game ever again (because someone didnt do the math when they were first introduced).

Gem pits for sure, especially if you really plan to play this game for long term, it is the reward for your patience, just get more and more gem pits until you get them all, it is not long as what it sounds, first gem pit will give you 20K in six months, but you will get it earlier, if you keep login, do achievements that give you gems, and doing letter quests and so on, after first gem pit, get 2nd one, you will collect for 3rd gem pit after about 3 months, you have 2 gem pits giving you gems, after 3 months, get 3rd one, and it will be 2 months to collect for 4th, after 4th gem pit, it will stay 2 months or a little less because first gem pit will be about to deplete, but after this 5th gem pits, you will get them so fast, before the 2nd/3rd one deplete, this is what I have done, got my last gem pit last week.

Then you can get generals all generals, premium, unlimited copper mines, and so on.

Hmm, actually you will get a lot of generals and save gems while you getting gem pits, so you will get your patience rewards.

Even if you got everything from the merchant, still have a use for gems, so it is worth to save as much as you can, always.

if your patient you will be able to get generals, etc from events saving the need to spend gems on them

I used up the gem pit allowance of 10 quite quickly by using the proceeds of the first to buy a 2nd, then of the two to buy a 3rd & so on getting faster & faster plus gems when they were on special offer. If I had my time again, I'd go for a year's premium first for the added xp. Then start buying gem pits.
I wish BB would increase the gem pit maximum!

So, let me see if I get this straight, if you wanna invest in gem pits you just have to save your gems and spend them on pits for at least 1 year and a half, is that right? (more or less until the last 5 or 6 pits are functioning all together) and then and only then you start thinking about spending on merchant products. Is that it?

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Originally Posted by jrma1033

So, let me see if I get this straight, if you wanna invest in gem pits you just have to save your gems and spend them on pits for at least 1 year and a half, is that right? (more or less until the last 5 or 6 pits are functioning all together) and then and only then you start thinking about spending on merchant products. Is that it?

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In a general sense I guess that's waht is beign said. I agree in part.

Most important thing in my humble opinion, get that 1st pit. Then spend some of that reward to eg get one general. Then save up to get second pit. By the time you've runs econd for a bit you'll be a year down the line and 1st will be running out so it's time to buy 3rd one.
This is basically what I did.

I saved up for the first. Happen to coincide with summer evnet so I bought an explorere to help with event. Then I saved up for gem MMA for 2 of them (was after my first easter). Then I started saving again, and CoAs came out so I got Vargus and Anslem in turn (saving up slowly). Now am close to buying that 3rd pit. Like 3-400 gems short.

Grind the short letters for excelsior for gems. And don't forget to buy weekly gems for starcoins. It helps in getting a bit faster to the goals.
I don't quite recommend waiting for that 10th pit befor spending. I prefer spending along the way, but always with an eye towards saving enough to afford next one.

In my opinion the whole 'gem pit' concept boils down to one thing....do you want a challenge? Or do you want a glorified god mode where you can buy or obtain what you want? Personally this is my idea of hell and I can guarantee that with the aid of Gem pits i would get bored out of my skull with this game very, very quickly. Its kinda like cheat codes on your favourite game back in the day, has a use but removes the skill.
If you want to come on here and simply freeroll gems and build and coast along then I can see the appeal, but noting new players can easily get to lvl 62-, where the content dries up, within a year comfortably utilising Excilsor buffs etc I would personally avoid the gem pit idea like the plague. I guess the demographic/casual nature of this game means it does def have an appeal though, so simply pick whats best for you. If you have to wait months or years to obtain generals then I would seriously reconsider. The COA generals were added to add variety and they are fun to use. Vargus and def Anslem are potentially two of the most powerful generals in the game, along with MGs, so I just find it crazy to think a player could wait so long. To me it just wouldnt be fun, but as i said we are all different. I just find Anslem alone can save me upto a 50%-33% of my camp losses (with skills), so waiting would def come at a cost. If your doing alis, its a huge edge in your favour having Anslem and Vargus. If you have an MMA and do FTs/Alis already then Nusala isnt really that essential, but still nice to have im sure.

maybe saving up for gem pits IS the challenge. Actually, there are many ways to play this game, what may be boring for you is actually what drives other people to play the game, so everyone is different.

after getting 5 running pits the last ones come relatively quickly so id keep off big purchases until that. would buy smaller useful stuff like explorers when have 2 pits. as always a lot depends on how you play. for example might be good to buy prem for event time. if you buy only limited items youll have plenty of gems left over after all pits have depleted so the last pits can wait.

If you are impatient and like to play with all shiny toys right away. Even to upgrade buildings instantly to lv6. Just buy gems. Many people do so.

Me personally, I avoided to even build Trade Office for like 1 month, so I could enjoy the slow and methodical pace of this game without marble and hwp donations from guildies. So, when I got to 20k gems it was because it was piling on me, as I wasn't buying much for gems but the extra +10 licenses I needed for my island. For sure I was buying the license free deeds for coins, where I could.

So there was a time at lv50, when there was no lv75 stuff, I was doing daily logins in this game only in order to get my 10 gem pit spinning gems out. The only sense for them then I saw into buying 3 endless copper mines... nothing else really. When last gem pit went into dust, I basically bought all extra content in gem shop, that could not be bought with mere coins. These days I even buy extra jollies with gems. Still have like 70k of them left. Could buy yearly premium time... but... I am level 60 now, I have the granite masons, and I don't feel like some particular urge in leveling up. Slowly I will get there, I think... if I live long enough lol and BB won't shut the server ofc.

Like someone wrote above here... Do plan for 10+ years. Not just next 10+ months. Else you will end disappointed. This is afk game after all. It is not meant to be played like fps or rts. You log in and send gens... then you log off. Then later same day you log in, do combat for 1h, finish adventure and log off again. Unless you running it as some background task, though it is a wee heavy on my cpu tbh.

saving for the gem pits is a good option, once you have a few running then you can start to get the genrals, buildings that you will require to advance to the higher levels, after lv60 the xp is madness and genrals and a good islands prod is defo needed, so imo gem pits will be there 1 year on into game when there most needed, so play with the genrals you have at minit, save up 20 gems and get the pit, buying a new mma a month with the gems pits drop will get your xp and adventures faster.. the key is always investment
ofc all play diffrent, but once youve spent your gems and no more coming in in good quantity you,ll be left with a good amount of genrals and no island to keep prod up to serve the troops needed to gain fast xp
imp buildings defo help island go to another lv

Carry on saving use all your crystals on short letters to get 50 gems a time, go through your achievements see if any give gems, you'll soon have access to the 1001 gems achievement for doing all the Ali's there might be a few more, every 5th level you get some for levelling. Once the first pit is laid you might find frustration sets in a little with the waiting so consider treating yourself with say 1 general from the merchant then save for the second pit. Make sure you can buy 100 gems every week with star coins, most likely means doing a lot of BLT to get Panda's.

Its also worth noting that there are limited things to buy with gems. Im not sure that Jrmas point that maybe some play just to save for a gem pit as they see that as the challenge is necessarily a good one, but fair play! I never thought the content was that thin on the ground lol
As i said initially, if you want god mode go for it. If you dont want achievement of earning buildings/prem etc go for it. If you dont want to contribute to BB finances go for it. Whatever suits your play style and idea of fun.
Just please do not be one of the people that goes in chat moaning about how they have everything and nothing to buy in merchant/events as they have everything, after you have bought and freerolled 10 gem pits lol That does always kinda make me smile :D
I like earning my prems and working out best way to use them, i like earning buildings etc, and personally dont see by the time ur around lvl 60- any major differences in terms of what i have to what people with gem pits at my playtime/lvl have. This game is short on skill requirements, which is why its popular, so i just dont personally see the need to nerf the satisfaction of earning things, esp by waiting upto a year to save/use the cool things. Your get all the stuff anyway, after a year spending your gems you would have a pretty impressive island/generals thats for sure, even without gem pits. Its an economy game ultimately, but whether u have to balance and use an economy is something the developers have placed in your hands. You just need to save a year or pay for it. Good luck with what you chose

Think you hit nail on the head Samaritan, its a long haul game.

Been playing over 4years now and never got near to owning a gem pit. Would love to save for one but to me prem time is more important. But like people say, there are many ways to play and you have to play to your own style. I maybe able to get one when I get to 75, but wont be holding my breath.

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Originally Posted by chelseamick

Been playing over 4years now and never got near to owning a gem pit. Would love to save for one but to me prem time is more important. But like people say, there are many ways to play and you have to play to your own style. I maybe able to get one when I get to 75, but wont be holding my breath.

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what I your level? if you saved gems, you should be able to get one, also, you can use star coins to get 100 gems weekly!

Lvl 70 at the moment, even at 200gems per week it would take 2 years. I enjoy doing addies and prem is more important with the insane lvls of xp needed. But I will get one one day....maybe.

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Originally Posted by chelseamick

Lvl 70 at the moment, even at 200gems per week it would take 2 years. I enjoy doing addies and prem is more important with the insane lvls of xp needed. But I will get one one day....maybe.

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I have a friend he payed any single dollar and was just saving gems, with help of Excelsior managed to get 20K now he almost lvl 60 and have 3 gem pits or 4.
Another guild mate who used gems and destroyed some mountains got his gem pit at lvl 66.

So I'm wondering how you did not get any? leveling to lvl 70 should even be more than enough.