Part of the Resources Series:

Resources Guide: The wider economy (Start Here).

Gift Codes: A steady free gem trickle.

Best Events to Spend On: Timing purchases properly.

Quick Answer

Free gems come from daily objectives, expedition, the tavern, events, alliance sources and gift codes — a steady trickle that adds up over months if you actually collect it. Spend them on commander sculptures for the commander you are currently building, then on speedups during scoring events. Do not spend gems on random chests, and do not convert gems to resources at retail rates.

Overview

Gems are the premium currency, and the free supply is larger than people assume — it is just spread across a dozen small sources that all need collecting. The players who feel gem-starved are usually the ones skipping the daily routine, not the ones who refuse to spend money.

The bigger mistake is on the spending side. Gems evaporate into chests and resource conversions, and then there are none left when sculptures appear.

Free Gem Sources

Daily objectives. The single most reliable free source. Complete them every day and the chest rewards accumulate meaningfully over a month.

Expedition. Stages award gems as you progress, and the daily chest keeps paying afterwards. A large one-off pile for players who have not pushed it — and nothing dies, so there is no risk in trying.

The tavern. Five free silver chests daily plus a golden chest every couple of days. Silver keys should be spent daily; gold keys are worth banking only for events that score chest openings.

Events. Almost every event awards gems, and event stores often sell gem-adjacent value. See the event calendar.

Gift codes. Small but free — see gift codes. Anniversary codes are the generous ones.

Alliance sources. Gifts and chests from alliance activity. Another reason alliance quality matters.

The VIP chest. Daily, free, and part of the VIP progression as well.

Gem nodes on the map. Occasional, worth gathering when they appear in territory.

None of these individually is exciting. Collected daily for six months, they are a serious amount of gems.

What Gems Should Be Spent On

1. Commander sculptures — first, always

Sculptures are the bottleneck on every account. Gems spent on sculptures for the commander you are currently building convert directly into fight-winning skill levels. See the commanders hub and best epic commanders.

The qualifier matters: sculptures for a commander you might build someday are wasted gems.

2. Speedups during scoring events

Buying speedups to push through a Mightiest Governor phase converts gems into both progress and event points. The same gems spent on a quiet Tuesday buy only the progress.

3. The second builder, early

The best early gem purchase in the game. A Builder Recruitment item costs around 150 gems and gives you a second builder for two days — and the second builder becomes permanent at VIP 6, at which point spare recruitment items auto-convert into speedups. Two construction queues instead of one changes your whole build pace. See the VIP guide.

4. Permanent capacity

Anything that permanently increases how much you can do at once. Note that march queues are not one of these — they come from City Hall 5, 11, 17 and 22, not from gems or VIP. See best gathering commanders for why each queue matters so much once you have it.

What Not to Spend Gems On

Random chests and spin events, unless you can reach milestone rewards — see the Wheel of Fortune guide.
Resources at retail rates. You can gather resources for free. Gems are for things you cannot gather.
Instant healing or training outside an emergency.
Panic purchases during a war.

Is the 30-Day Gem Supply Worth It?

If you spend anything at all, yes — around $10 for roughly 19,500 gems paid out at about 650 a day. It is the best recurring purchase in the game and it rewards logging in.

The one thing that beats it on raw gems per dollar is the Growth Fund: a one-time purchase that pays out roughly 81,000 gems as you hit City Hall milestones. If you are going to spend once and never again, buy the Growth Fund first and the monthly supply second.

For a strict free-to-play account, the daily routine above still produces a usable gem income — it just takes patience. See the F2P guide for the wider plan.

FAQ

How do I get free gems in Rise of Kingdoms?

Daily objectives, expedition stages, tavern chests, events, alliance gifts, the daily VIP chest and gift codes. Collect all of them daily.

What should I spend gems on?

Commander sculptures for the commander you are actively building, then speedups during scoring events, then the second builder.

Is the 30-day gem supply worth buying?

For anyone who spends at all, yes — roughly 19,500 gems for about $10, paid daily. The one-time Growth Fund (~81,000 gems across City Hall milestones) beats it on raw value, so buy that first if you only ever buy one thing.

Can I get unlimited gems?

No. Gem generators and "unlimited gems" mods do not exist — see mod APKs, bots and bans.

Should I use gems on resources?

No. Resources are gatherable. Spend gems on things you cannot gather.

Key Takeaways

Free gems come from a dozen small daily sources — collect all of them.
Sculptures first, and only for the commander you are actually building.
Speedups bought during a scoring event pay twice.
The second builder pays back permanently — and becomes free at VIP 6.
Growth Fund first, monthly gem supply second, if you spend at all.
Never convert gems to resources at retail rates.

How to Get Gems in Rise of Kingdoms (Free Sources and What to Spend Them On)