Vampire Crawlers' Gems: Unlocking Power, Avoiding Pitfalls, and Chasing Those Bloody Rare Ones
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Vampire Crawlers offers a vast, deep gem system for buffing cards after finding the Gem Hammer, but players must navigate the permanent nature of gem slots to avoid hindering card evolutions, with later game buildings like the Blacksmith and Jeweller providing crucial flexibility.
Alright, mate, gather 'round! So, *Vampire Crawlers*. You know, the one that makes you feel like you've stumbled into a roguelike dungeon that's had a rather spirited night out with *Vampire Survivors*. We're diving deep into the shiny, tempting world of Gems here, because let's be real, who *doesn't* want to buff their cards to oblivion? Polygon's Marloes Valentina Stella recently laid out the digital breadcrumbs for us, and I, Jeff, am here to add a sprinkle of curious chaos to the mix, courtesy of Polygon.
### How These Sparkly Bits of Mayhem Actually Work
First off, you won't be flinging gems willy-nilly from the get-go. Nah, you gotta earn your sparkly destruction. Your first stop for gem-giddiness is the **Mad Forest**, where you'll unearth the legendary **Gem Hammer relic**. And poof! Just like that, treasure chests aren't just for gold anymore; they're your personal gem dispenser, offering up to four random shinies depending on how much 'Luck' you've sprinkled into your build. It's like the game's way of saying, 'Here, have some potential, but also, roll the dice, why don't ya?'
Stick 'em on cards with gem slots – mostly your attack cards and those rarer Tome cards. Wanna see a Knife card hit harder? Slap a Might gem on it, and boom, 40 damage plus a 10% Might buff for the encounter. Play it again? Another 10%. It's like a digital dopamine hit, isn't it? Pure, unadulterated statistical satisfaction.
**BUT HOLD UP, adventurer.** This is where the gentle skepticism kicks in, because *Vampire Crawlers* isn't always playing nice. You can't just *remove* gems once they're slotted. Reckon that's a bit of a devious trick, eh? Especially when those sweet, sweet card evolutions demand an *empty* gem slot. So, if you've got a Knife and a Bracer eyeing up a magnificent **Thousand Edge** evolution, you might want to hold off on gemming up that Knife. Otherwise, you're stuck. A bit of a digital cul-de-sac, that, and nobody likes being stuck in a digital cul-de-sac.
Fear not, though, because our friendly neighbourhood **Blacksmith** eventually swoops in to save the day (for a hefty gold fee, of course). You can purchase *additional* gem slots! Which means you *can* have your Might gem *and* evolve your Knife. Phew, crisis averted! And if you're feeling fancy, the **Jeweller** (unlocked later) lets you mess with gem rarities, like a digital alchemist stirring potions. These handy shops appear once you've done a bit of dungeon delving at **Teeny Bridge** and **Gallo Tower**. See? Always a workaround, even in the most chaotic of dungeons!
### The Grand Gem Catalogue: All 58 of 'Em!
Now, the pièce de résistance! Marloes Valentina Stella at Polygon diligently cataloged a whopping **58 gems** for *Vampire Crawlers*. Some are unlocked from the jump, others demand a bit more adventuring, some probably require a ritualistic offering to the digital gods. It’s a proper treasure trove of buffs, debuffs, and delightful peculiarities. I’m listing them directly below, big thanks to Polygon for this comprehensive breakdown. Get ready to pore over these like a wizard studying ancient runes, because knowing these could seriously change your crawl strategy:
* **Amount** (Increases your Amount stat. Unlocked by default.) * **Area** (Increases your Area stat. Unlocked by default.) * **Armor** (Increases your armor. Unlocked by default.) * **Armor Strike** (Sacrifice your armor to deal damage. Gain 15 armor in one turn.) * **Blue Trigger** (The card triggers any Crawler effects related to blue cards when played. Play 250 blue cards.) * **Bombard** (Deal extra Cherry Bomb damage upon use. Play the Cherry Bomb card 50 times.) * **Calcium** (Deals extra Bone damage upon use. Play the Bone card 99 times.) * **Coin Card** (The card generates a Big Coin Bag card upon use. Find and play 20 Big Coin Bag cards (destroy torches to get them).) * **Coin Count** (Deals damage based on the amount of coins in your possession. Collect 100,000 coins.) * **Copy** (The card is copied upon use. Play 1,000 cards in total.) * **Countdown** (The mana cost of this card decreases when you don't use it. Play the Empty Tome card 321 times.) * **Crawler Caller** (Summons all Crawlers to hand, so you can use them sooner. Complete the Library Sanctum dungeon.) * **Decimate** (Deals 10% of the target's health as damage (handy against bosses). Deal 666,666 damage in total.) * **Destroy** (The card is destroyed but generates 50 coins (which can be more, based on your Greed stat). Play 100 cards picked up from light sources (breakable torches).) * **Double Damage** (Hits twice as hard. Unlocked by default.) * **Drain** (Heals you when you kill an enemy. Heal 1,500 HP in total.) * **Draw** (Draw a card. Unlocked by default.) * **Duration** (Increases your Duration stat, allowing Crawlers to stay active for longer. Play the Spellbinder card 10 times.) * **Easy Combo** (This card always benefits from a combo. Reach a combo of five or above (use wild cards to do so).) * **Echo** (Replays the previous card's effect. Play 3,000 cards.) * **Evolution** (Provided you've got the required cards, grants a card evolution. Unlocked by default.) * **Fireproof** (Removes the "destroy" effect, thus allowing you to use one-time cards more often. Complete the Curd Refinery dungeon.) * **Free to Play** (The card won't consume any mana when played. Play 200 free-to-play cards (when you level up during battle).) * **Freeze** (Freezes a random enemy. Play the Clock Lancet card once.) * **Greed** (Increases your Greed stat (earn more coins). Play the Stone Mask card 10 times.) * **Growth** (Increases your Growth stat (more experience). Play the Crown card five times.) * **Kill Count** (Deals damage based on your current kill count (for this dungeon) to an enemy. Defeat a total of 10,000 enemies.) * **Leader** (The cards you play deal extra damage while this card remains in hand. Deal 100,000 damage.) * **Luck** (Increases your Luck stat. Play the Clover card five times.) * **Magic Hat** (Summons Peachone. Play the Peachone card 77 times.) * **Magnetic** (Draws another card of this kind (provided you have one in your deck). Play 2,000 cards in total.) * **Mana Cost +1** (The card's mana cost is increased by 1, so you can use it in a higher combo. Collect 10 mana orbs.) * **Mana Cost +2** (The card's mana cost is increased by 2, so you can use it in a higher combo. Collect 20 mana orbs.) * **Mana Cost -1** (The card's mana cost is decreased by 1, so you can use it in a lower combo. Collect 10 mana orbs.) * **Mana Cost -2** (The card's mana cost is decreased by 2, so you can use it in a lower combo. Collect 20 mana orbs.) * **Mana Rebate** (If this card would reduce your mana to zero, receive double the mana instead. Gain 15 mana in one turn.) * **Midas** (All played cards earn some coins while this card remains in hand. Collect 5,555 coins in total.) * **Might** (Increases your Might stat. Unlocked by default.) * **Mild** (The card never leaves your hand, but it always breaks the combo. Complete the Gallo Tower using Gallo as your Crawler.) * **Mug** (Earn coins whenever this card kills an enemy. Collect 3,333 coins.) * **Nduja** (Deals spicy damage (extra damage on top of the card's regular effect). Defeat Nesufritto (optional boss in the Inlaid Library).) * **Purple Trigger** (The card triggers any Crawler effects related to purple cards when played. Play purple cards 250 times.) * **Quick Draw** (This card is always drawn first at the start of an encounter. Handy if your strategy requires a specific card to work. Reach a deck size of 30.) * **Rainbow** (The card triggers any Crawler effects, no matter which color they require. Activate 500 Crawler (character) trigger abilities.) * **Recycle** (The card skips the discard pile and can be redrawn. Hold eight cards in hand.) * **Red Trigger** (The card triggers any Crawler effects related to red cards when played. Play 500 red cards in total.) * **Refund** (Refunds the card's mana cost. Gain 10 mana in one turn (Tome cards will help).) * **Remote** (Summons a mine cart. Destroy five mine carts.) * **Restore Health** (Restores health after the encounter ends. Play the Pummarola card 10 times.) * **Retain** (The card stays in hand until used (instead of landing on the discard pile after the turn ends). Have seven cards in hand.) * **Return** (The card returns to your hand instead of the discard pile after playing, so you can play it again. Play 300 cards.) * **Reverse Combo** (You change the combo direction, so instead of playing cards in ascending mana order, the combo continues in descending order, allowing for longer combos. Reach a total combo of six or higher.) * **Triple Damage** (Hits thrice as hard. Deal 500,000 damage in total.) * **Uncrackable** (The card is less likely to shatter when you use it repeatedly in the same turn. Defeat the Trickster, a secret boss. Play the same card five times in one turn (by continuously redrawing and playing your cards) until it's destroyed, and the Trickster will appear.) * **Wild** (Turns this card into a wild card. Play 100 wild cards.) * **X Mana** (The cost of this card equals your remaining mana. Play purple cards 3,000 times.) * **Yellow Trigger** (The card triggers any Crawler effects related to yellow cards when played. Play 250 yellow cards.) * **Yin Yang** (If your current mana pool has even mana, you gain 1 mana. If it has uneven mana, you draw one card. Complete the Berserk Wood dungeon.)
Bloody hell, that's a lot of ways to tweak your deck, isn't it? From turning your cards into coin-generating machines to summoning mine carts (because why not?), there's a gem for almost every flavour of digital mayhem you can imagine. Just remember the golden rule: experiment, but maybe don't commit to that 'Uncrackable' gem until you've defeated its trickster guardian – a truly peculiar boss encounter, that one. It's all about finding that perfect, chaotic synergy!
Tags: Vampire Crawlers, Roguelike, Deckbuilding, Gaming Guide, Indie Games
Original article: Polygon