Clash of Clans: How You Should Use Your Gems: A Deep Dive

An Econ teacher analyzes the various uses for gems for various play style options.

Whether you are F2P, Gold Pass, or a Big Spender, it is important to be economical with your gems. In this guide, we will explore all of the different ways that you can spend gems,and how well they will serve various sets of player personal priorities.

TL;DR: Training potions for enough loot to keep your workers and lab busy at all times.

Idle lab = -5.22 per hour (or more!).
Idle worker = -5.28 gems per hour (or more!).

Save the rest for lab books at TH13 (and one day, TH14); or, if your builders fell behind your lab, builder pot for timers under 7.3 days and books of building for anything longer than that, except book of heroes which should be used instead of potions starting at timers over 4 days.

All told, over the course of a 4 year account maxing lifespan, “terrible gem spending” would only save you about a week and a half instead of “perfect gem spending” which will save you about 4 months. That is for F2P. Those who purchase gems with real money will save even more from proper spending.

Table of contents:
i. Preface: The resource economy of Clash of Clans
ii. Base rates for gemming
iii. Base rates for…