Want to upgrade the look of the House of Hades? Well, you can’t just buy cosmetic upgrades with the usual in-game Obols. You have to buy them with one of the Artifact currencies called Gemstones.
Although not as important as Darkness or Titan Blood, Gemstones are used to purchase various cosmetic items for the House of Hades’ Great Hall, West Hall, Lounge, and Bed Chambers from the House Contractor. Early on in the game, Gemstones are used to purchase underworld upgrades like upgrading infernal troves and healing fountain chambers. Additionally, Gems can also be exchanged for other Artifact currencies, specifically Chthonic Key for 10 Gemstones, Nectar for 50 Gemstone, Diamond for 500 Gemstone, Ambrosia for 1000 Gemstone, and Titan Blood for 1000 Gemstone from the Wretched Broker as Limited-time Offers.
Here are a couple of ways to obtain Gemstones:
Grind
The most common way of obtaining Gemstones is through chamber rewards. Fortunately, it’s very easy to know the chamber rewards from the icon on the door. After purchasing it from the House Contractor, watch out for Infernal Troves during your runs as it may sometimes reward you Gemstones. Make sure to clear the Infernal Trove challenges fast to obtain more rewards.
Certain Boons also help in farming Gemstones. Poseidon’s Sunken Treasure Boon drops an assortment of Gemstones, Darkness, Obols, and health. Also, Poseidon’s Ocean’s Bounty Boon will help increase Gemstone, Darkness, and Obols if received as chamber rewards. Chaos’ Eclipse Boon will also help in farming Gemstones, as this Boon will increase the Gemstone and Darkness found in any way throughout your run. The higher the rarity of the Boons, the higher the percentage of increase in rewards.
Purchase
Gemstones can also be bought from Charon’s Shop in Tartarus, Asphodel, and Elysium. It is important to note, however, that Charon will not always offer Gemstones in his shop.
The Wretched Broker offers limited-time deals to buy Gemstones. Always check with the Wretched Broker after every run.
There are also upgrades you can purchase from the House Contractor to increase the drops of Gemstones like Vanquisher’s Keep, which makes bosses drop Gemstones after defeating them, Darker Thirst, which gives +20% Gemstones for weapons with Dark Thirst, and Plunder Greater, which increases the rewards of Infernal Troves.
Fish
Fishes in Tartarus and the Temple of Styx can be exchanged for Gemstones. After every run, you should exchange caught fish with the Head Chef in the kitchen of the House of Hades. The fish that can be caught in Tartarus are Hellfish (Common, exchanged for 5 Gemstones), Knucklehead (Rare, exchanged for 20 Gemstones), and Scyllascion (Legendary, exchanged for 30 Gemstones). The fish caught in the Temple of Styx are Gupp(Common, exchanged for 20 Gemstones), Scuffer (Rare, exchanged for 40 Gemstones), and Stonewhal (Legendary, exchanged for 150 Gemstones). Just remember to exchange them after every run as they won’t be carried over on your next run.
It is worth mentioning that obtaining Poseidon’s Huge Catch Boon increases the chance of a fishing spot appearing in each chamber.
Prophecies
The Fated List of Minor Prophecies, after purchasing it from the House Contractor, will reward you with Gemstones for completing the following prophecies:
- God of the Heavens, God of the Sea, Goddess of Wisdom, Goddess of Love, God of War, Goddess of the Hunt, God of Wine, God of Swiftness, and Goddess of Seasons: Obtaining all the Boons of each God will reward you with 150 Gemstones for each God completed.
- Power Without Equal: Obtaining all the Legendary Boons will reward you 1000 Gemstones.
- Infernal Arms: Obtaining all the weapons will reward you 60 Gemstones.
- The Stygian Blade, The Heart-Seeking Bow, The Shield of Chaos, The Eternal Spear, The Twin Fists, The Adamant Rail: Obtaining all Daedalus enchantments or Hammers for each Infernal Arm will reward you 200 Gemstones for each Infernal Arm completed.
- Slashed Benefits: Killing enemies with each of the Benefits Package conditions from the Pact of Punishment will reward you with 450 Gemstones.
- Chthonic Knowledge: Revealing 70 sections of the Underworld Codex will reward you with 40 Gemstones.
- The Reluctant Musician: Releasing Orpheus from his sentence will reward you with 80 Gemstones.
- Customer Loyalty: Obtaining each of the items offered in the Well of Charon will reward you with 150 Gemstones.
- Denizens of the Deep: Catching a total of 25 fish that includes at least one Legendary and reporting it to Poseidon will reward you 250 Gemstones.
Strategy
The best way to farm Gemstones is by grinding in your Underworld escape attempts, focusing on taking the boons mentioned above, taking on the Infernal Trove challenges if they offer Gemstones as rewards, and, of course, picking chambers that offer Gemstones as rewards. Also, watch out for fishing spots on your runs, especially in Tartarus and the Temple of Styx, and don’t forget to exchange them with the Head Chef in the House of Hades.
We do not recommend buying Gemstones from the Wretched Broker because you’d be wasting much more important Artifact Currencies for them. But, if you really want to, the option is always there.
Make sure to purchase the upgrades mentioned above from the House Contractor for easier Gemstone Farming, and it does make a huge difference.
Final Thoughts
Although a little bit easier to find than the other Artifact currencies like Nectar and Titan Blood, what’s tricky with farming for Gemstones is the low quantity you receive in each drop and the low quantity you overall receive in each run. This makes farming for Gemstones a time-consuming task. So, to remedy this even just a little bit, make sure to purchase the upgrades from the House Contractor. Then, you’ll have a better-looking House of Hades in no time. Well, a little bit of time.
