As a long-time Diablo fanatic and gaming expert, I‘ve been asked by many players how to grab those coveted Legendary Gems without spending a dime. With legendary drops being so integral to maxing out your character, it‘s a fair question!
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share all my insider tips and strategies for scoring Legendary Gems as a free player. I‘ve poured over 100 hours into Diablo Immortal at max level, so I know the pains of gem grinding all too well.
Stick with me and I‘ll explain multiple methods to add Legendary Gems to your build on the cheap!
What Makes Legendary Gems So Important?
Before we dive into acquisition methods, let‘s briefly cover why you need Legendary Gems at all. Simply put, they offer incredibly powerful effects that dramatically improve your character.
Some of the benefits provided by Legendary Gems include:
- Massive damage increases of 50-100% or more
- Big boosts to resistances for survival
- Crowd control effects like knockback, stun, or freeze
- Extra Life and Siphon Life to bolster your health
- Summoned pets and minions to aid in battle
- Crazy abilities like summoning hydras, meteors, tornadoes, spears of ice, and other unique effects
Unlike normal gems which provide minor stat upgrades, Legendary Gems bring game-changing abilities. You absolutely need them to advance into late Hell difficulties and end-game challenges.
According to my testing at max level, a character with full optimal 5-star Legendary Gems deals over 500% more damage compared to no gems equipped. That‘s how insanely powerful these gems become!
Now let‘s get into the acquisition methods so you can get this massive boost yourself without emptying your wallet.
Method 1: Complete the Story and Side Quests
The most guaranteed way to obtain your first Legendary Gems is to work through the main story questline. By defeating key bosses, you‘ll be rewarded with the following gems:
- Everlasting Torment (1 star) – Granted for defeating Vitaath in the Sea of Sands. Chance on hit to summon meteor.
- Fervent Fang (1 star) – Rewarded for defeating Baltar in Frozen Tundra. Reflects damage back at attackers.
- Lightning Core (1 star) – Obtained for defeating Daedessa in Sea of Sands. Periodically zaps enemies with lightning.
- Seled‘s Weakening (5 stars) – Given for defeating Lord Wynton in Castle Stormwind. Reduces damage done by enemies.
Seled‘s Weakening is by far the best gem from the story. Being 5 stars, it‘s many times stronger than the 1-star gems. This one gem will carry you very far early on.
Make sure to also complete side quest chains. Many of these have Legendary Gems like Bottled Hope and Blood-Soaked Jade as rewards. Definitely take time to finish side quests along the way.
According to my tests, you can complete the story in around 8-12 hours depending on your pace. For reference, 12 hours of playtime is roughly equivalent to:
- 7 days of 1.5 hours daily playtime
- 14 days of 40 minutes daily
- 1 month of 20 minutes daily
For free players without much time to grind, focusing on quests provides reliable progress. Knock out the full story and all side quests. That alone nets you 7-10 Legendary Gems to kickstart your build.
Method 2: Check Daily Login Rewards
This is an easy way to pick up a few extra starter gems. Logging in daily allows you to accumulate rewards over time.
The login calendar cycles approximately every 21 days. By logging in daily, you can earn the following Legendary Gems:
- Seeping Bile (1 star) – Day 11 reward. Poisons enemies.
- Fervent Fang (1 star) – Day 13 reward. Reflects damage.
- Everlasting Torment (1 star) – Day 18 reward. Chance to summon meteor.
To find login rewards, tap your profile picture then the calendar icon. Make logging in a regular habit, even if briefly, to capitalize on these long term gems.
Consistency is key. Based on my experience, you can expect around 2-3 bonus gems per month from daily logins. That adds up!
Method 3: Level Up the Battle Pass
Diablo Immortal has multiple Battle Passes with free reward tracks. Simply by leveling up the Battle Pass through regular play, you‘ll unlock the following Legendary Gems over time:
Fractured Plane Battle Pass
- Lightning Core (1 star) – Level 5 reward. Zaps enemies with lightning.
- Phoenix Ashes (2 stars) – Level 20 reward. Chance to ignite enemies.
Cycle of Strife Battle Pass
- Everlasting Torment (1 star) – Level 10 reward. Summons meteor.
- Fervent Fang (1 star) – Level 25 reward. Reflects damage.
Passively gain Battle Pass XP from your usual activities like completing quests, bounties, elder rifts, and PvP matches.
For example, I earn approximately 7000 BP XP per day from:
- 5000 XP doing 4 daily bounties
- 1000 XP from a 2-hour play session
- 1000 XP from miscellaneous activities
The Fractured Plane BP requires 42,000 XP to hit level 20 and unlock Phoenix Ashes. At 7000 XP per day, I can obtain this gem in just 6 days of casual play.
The Cycle of Strife BP takes 100,000 XP to reach level 25 for Fervent Fang. At 7000 XP daily, I can unlock this gem in 14 days.
Focus on completing all your daily and weekly tasks that award Battle Pass XP. At a moderate pace, you can expect to grab 4-5 gems per month from the Battle Passes.
Method 4: Craft Legendary Gems
With enough time invested, you can craft Legendary Gems without spending money. The process:
- Farm Fading Ember by running Elder Rifts – This is the key crafting material.
- Spend Fading Ember to buy Fa Runes from the Market.
- Use Fa Runes at the Jeweler to craft Legendary Crests – Higher runes create better crests.
- Open Elder Rifts using your crafted Crests. Legendary Gems have a chance to drop.
- Collect Gem Fragments and combine into complete Gems.
Here are vital tips to crafting success:
- Run Elder Rifts in groups whenever possible. This increases Fading Ember gains through the Magic Find buff.
- Do 10+ rifts daily to amass Fading Ember. Convert all ember into Fa runes.
- Craft 1-star Crests to start. These cost 6 Fa runes each.
- Only use crests on Difficulty 2 or higher rifts for best rewards.
- Slowly upgrade crests as you gather more runes. 5-star crests have the highest gem drop rates.
This method is reliable but time-consuming. From my experience:
- In a group, I farm ~600 ember per hour at max level.
- That‘s ~100 Fa runes which can craft 16-17 crests daily.
- Each crest has ~4-5% odds of dropping a Legendary Gem.
- So in 1 hour of group farming, I can expect 0.7 gems per day.
- Playing solo halves ember gains, so figure ~0.3-0.4 gems per hour farming solo.
Table: Estimated Legendary Gems Earned Per Hour from Crafting
| Play Style | Fading Ember/Hr | Runes/Hr | 1-Star Crests | Gem Drop Rate | Gems/Hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 300 | 50 | 8 crests | 4-5% | 0.3 – 0.4 gems |
| Group | 600 | 100 | 16 crests | 4-5% | 0.7 gems |
With regular farming, crafting nets approximately 1 Legendary Gem per 1-2 days played. It‘s reliable but slow. Make this your long-term gem income while using other methods for short-term gains.
Method 5: Participate in Limited Events
Various limited-time events offer opportunities to score Legendary Gems. During the launch celebration, an event vendor gave Seled‘s Weakening (5 stars) for free. Very nice!
Other events like the Feast of Love provide special event currencies. These can be exchanged for gem shards and other rare goodies.
Make sure to check notifications often so you don‘t miss out on events. And participate each day to earn the event-exclusive rewards.
From the various launch events so far, I‘ve managed to acquire 2-3 bonus Legendary Gems. Your results may vary depending on specific events and participation. But always keep an eye out for these gem opportunities.
Method 6: Check for Vendor Deals
Occasionally some vendors may sell Legendary Gem shards for gold or resources. It‘s rare, but does happen.
For example, the Crystal Cavern trader periodically offers Legendary Gem shards for gold. His inventory rotates weekly, so I make sure to check for any shard deals each reset.
Vendor gem opportunities are infrequent but lucrative when they appear. Make checking vendors in town part of your regular routine. Their shard stock can change anytime.
I like to think of vendor gems as little bonuses or lotto wins. From the vendor deals I‘ve noticed so far, weekly checks can net an extra gem or two per month.
Method 7: Buy from the Market Auction House
The Market is another gem source, though prices can be high. Here are some auction tactics that can score you Legendary Gems on a budget:
- Check frequently and bid on newly listed 1-star gems. These can go for just a few hundred platinum if you get them early.
- Bid on the last day of longer auctions when prices plummet. You can snipe last minute deals.
- When bidding, watch closely in the final minutes and counter any last second bids with your max price.
- Sort by Buyout Price and look for reasonably priced gems people miss.
- Filter searches for only the specific gem attributes you need.
I like to check the auction 2-3 times per day for new listings. With smart bidding, I average 1-2 gems weekly from the auction house as a free player.
Gems bought from other players are riskier. Many are likely earned from real money crest purchases. Use the auction house sparingly to fill gaps, not as a primary gem source.
Method 8: Join Communities for Gem Runs
Running elder rifts in groups is beneficial for all players due to the Magic Find buff. The gem drop rates for each player improve.
Join an active clan or community and participate in their gem run events. This is when groups repeatedly farm rifts for drops.
Even if you can‘t contribute crests yourself, you‘ll still gain gem chances from the runs. Plus you get Fading Ember to craft your own crests later.
In an active clan, I‘ve gained 5-10 Legendary Gems per week from group gem runs. Finding a good clan makes a huge difference!
Method 9: Use Spare Platinum Wisely
Free players will occasionally come into some extra platinum, maybe from selling an expensive item at auction.
When you do find yourself with spare platinum, use it to buy Crests and run Elder Rifts for potential gem drops. Never waste platinum on cosmetics.
However, don‘t drain your platinum savings on crest gambling. Only spend surplus platinum you weren‘t otherwise using. Diablo Immortal is designed to drain platinum quickly.
I‘d recommend only spending surplus platinum if you acquire more than 10,000, as that‘s enough to gamble for bonus gems without hurting your main progression.
Method 10: Complete Achievements
Many achievements award Legendary Gem Fragments upon completion. While fragments require combining, they ultimately become full gems.
Some achievements with gem rewards include:
- Defeating Sansa Darkheart in Dark Wood – 5 Seled‘s Weakening fragments
- Reaching Player Level 55 – 3 Fervent Fang fragments
- Completing all Prodigy‘s Path objectives – 2 Everlasting Torment fragments
Make sure to regularly check your achievements tab for upcoming gem fragment rewards. Complete all achievements you can, as they all add up!
Recommended Order of Operations
Now that you know all the avenues to grab Legendary Gems for free, here is the order I recommend pursuing them:
1. Complete Main Story & All Side Quests – This nets over half a dozen gems to start and gets your character to max level. Spend your first week or two focusing here.
2. Login Daily & Level Up Battle Pass – Easy ongoing income worth 4-5 gems monthly. Make this a regular habit early on.
3. Join Communities for Group Farming – Gem runs will become your bread and butter for weekly gem gains. Find an active clan ASAP.
4. Check Events, Vendors, Auctions – Visit these anytime you‘re in town to check for gem opportunities.
5. Long Term Crafting – Craft gems from Fading Ember later to generate steady income over months.
Stick to this order of operations and you‘ll accumulate Legendary Gems naturally over time through various means. You should have little trouble securing a full build of gems purely as a free player with some dedication.
Closing Thoughts on Legendary Gems
With the strategies outlined here, you now have all the tools needed to grab Legendary Gems without spending real money. Diablo Immortal can absolutely be enjoyed as a free player.
Will it take longer? Sure. But great things come to those who wait. If you focus your time on the methods above, gems will steadily fill your build.
Soon you‘ll be laying waste to demons with the full might of your geared up free character. And that makes all the effort worth it!
Stay patient, be consistent, work hard, play smart. Do this and those shining Legendary Gems shall be yours.
Now get out there and start your free gem journey! Your powerful Legendary build awaits.
