Fellowship Gems Guide: Understanding Gem Powers

Master the gem system in Fellowship and learn how gem powers work

Introduction to Gems

Gems are powerful enhancements that can be socketed into your gear to boost your character's stats and abilities. Understanding how gems work is essential for maximizing your character's potential in Fellowship.

Gem Types and Colors

There are six types of gems in Fellowship, each with its own color and unique powers:

Ruby - Red gems with offensive powers
Amethyst - Purple gems with defensive powers
Topaz - Yellow gems with utility powers
Emerald - Green gems with healing powers
Sapphire - Blue gems with mana powers
Diamond - White gems with special powers

Gem Levels and Gem Power

Each gem comes in multiple levels, with higher-level gems providing more Gem Power. Gem Power is the key metric that determines which gem powers are active.

How Gem Power Works

When you socket gems into your gear, the total Gem Power for each color is calculated. Different gem powers require different amounts of total Gem Power to activate. Higher-tier powers require more total Gem Power.

Example: If you socket three Ruby gems with 120 Gem Power each, you'll have 360 total Ruby Gem Power. This might activate several Ruby gem powers that require 120, 240, or 360 Gem Power.

Gem Power Multipliers

The Gem Power of your gems can be multiplied based on the item they're socketed into:

Legendary Items

When you socket a gem into a Legendary item, the gem's power is multiplied by 2.0x. This makes legendary items extremely valuable for gem socketing.

Example: A gem with 120 Gem Power socketed into a legendary item provides 240 Gem Power.

Essence Bonus

Non-legendary items can have an Essence Bonus applied, which multiplies gem power by 1.35x. This bonus is indicated by a checkbox in the FellowBIS calculator.

Example: A gem with 120 Gem Power socketed into an item with Essence Bonus provides 162 Gem Power.

Gem Powers

Each gem color has multiple powers that activate when you reach certain Gem Power thresholds. Powers are sometimes numbered with Roman numerals (II, III, etc.), with higher numbers requiring more Gem Power and replacing the previous power.

Power Types

Gem powers can provide two types of flat stat bonuses:

Rating Bonuses: Add flat rating points to your stats (e.g., "+100 Haste"). These are added to your total rating before percentage conversion, and are subject to diminishing returns.
Percentage Bonuses: Add percentage points directly to your stats (e.g., "+3% Critical Strike"). These bypass diminishing returns and are added after rating calculations.

Conditional vs. Always Active Powers

Some gem powers are always active, while others are conditional:

Always Active: These powers provide constant stat bonuses that are always in effect
Conditional: These powers activate under specific conditions, such as:
- Time-limited effects (e.g., "for 10 seconds")
- Trigger-based effects (e.g., "when you deal damage", "when you take damage")
- Health-based effects (e.g., "below 50% health", "above 80% health")
- Combat-based effects (e.g., "each time you kill an enemy")

Note: In the FellowBIS calculator, you can choose whether to include conditional gem powers in your stat calculations. This is useful for evaluating the specific impact of conditional gem powers on your character, in particular when considering talents that impact stats for certain abilities.

Power Progression

When you have multiple powers with the same base name but different Roman numerals, only the highest-tier power is active. For example, if you have "Power" (requires 120 Gem Power) and "Power II" (requires 1200 Gem Power) both active, only "Power II" will be in effect.

Example: If you have 1200 Ruby Gem Power and both "Might Of The Minotaur" (120 required) and "Might Of The Minotaur II" (1200 required) are available, only "Might Of The Minotaur II" will be active.

Optimization Strategies

Prioritize Legendary Sockets: Socket your highest-level gems into legendary items to maximize Gem Power multipliers
Consider Balancing Gem Colors: The required Gem Power for each tier increases as you add more, so you might gain more benefit from improving multiple colors in tandem.
Reach Power Thresholds: Plan your gem socketing to reach specific power thresholds that provide the most valuable bonuses
Consider Conditional Powers: If you can reliably trigger conditional powers, they can provide significant bonuses. Some of these are active far more often than others.
Use Essence Bonus Wisely: Apply your larger gems to items with Essence Bonus to maximize the benefit.

Using the FellowBIS Calculator

The FellowBIS calculator automatically calculates your total Gem Power per color and shows which powers are active. You can:

Select gems for each socketable item slot
Toggle Essence Bonus for non-legendary items
Choose whether to include conditional gem powers in your stat estimates
See how gem powers affect your final stats