Middle-earth: Shadow of War may have been eagerly awaited, but there is still a steep learning curve across the game, especially when it comes to upgrading your weapons and armor. The Gem system is something that you want to understand from the get-go since it is so integral to your experience. This Middle-earth: Shadow of War Gems Guide will tell you all of the basics about Gems that you need to know.
For more help on Middle-earth: Shadow of War, you can check out our Nemesis System Guide, Ithildin Poems Solutions Guide, and Legendary Sets Locations Guide.
Middle-earth: Shadow of War Gems
Gems are sort of like a bonus system, which can stack on top of normal armor, and weapons upgrade system. These items are quite rare but they can be used on specific slots on your Sword, Dagger, Bow, Armor, and Cloak.
Each Gem has a special bonus that it can provide when it is equipped to a certain gear. Each Gem is quite hard to find and you need 1000 Mirian to unlock a Gem slot alone, so keep an eye out for them.
How do Gems Work in Shadow of War?
You can click on a Gem slot to see which of the three types of Gem you have available. The three types are known as Potency, Vitality and Wealth.
Furthermore, these categories are divided into 5 tiers, which are – from the least rare to the rarest:
- Basic
- Carved
- Polished
- Refined
- Perfect
You can see what upgrading a Gem gives you by checking the Gem Menu. You can also upgrade Gems to unlock all three of the bonuses that they provide. This will allow you to be more versatile in the style of play that you wish to employ.
Furthermore, you can enhance the effectiveness of a certain type of gem by combining three identical gems of that type, meaning; the fusion of three basic gems result in a carved gem, three carved gems result in the formation of a polished gem and so on. The better the tier of your gem, the stronger will be your gear it is attached to.
Moreover, if you wish to exchange a gem between two types of gears, you can easily do so by destroying the gear it is attached to (gems are not harmed this way), obtaining it and then equipping it to the type of gear you desire.
How to Get Gems
Gems are extremely hard to find as stated above. The best way to acquire them is to keep on playing the game. Just keep on killing enemies until you reach the later stages as Gems are not really important in the early parts of the game.
In the early game, it is best to try to unlock all of the Gem slots so you can start collecting and stacking Gems later on.
