Best Use of Gems

Hey Firoth,

My decision was primarily based on play time. During the work week, I log in the morning, lunch break and at night. So, the priority is to get the island in order in the least amount of time. The Jolly Geologist was my first purchase, shaving off 15 minutes to bring mines back up. Savage Scout was next as the opportunity for coins was too good to pass up. I enjoy the building part of the game. Having as many production buildings up and running is immensely satisfying to me, so the 10 Licenses was next.

If you have more time to play, the 10 Licenses is likely the best bang for the buck. In the early levels, fast paced production (relatively) require more buildings and therefore, require more licenses. Later on, you'll be able to upgrade and get back some of the licenses which you will need for higher level buildings. If you have the patience, then save the weekly bonus gems for more licenses. If not, then save them for noble residences. You will need a good number of noble residences (leveled up to 3) to prepare military for Adventures (opens up at around level 29).

When you hit level 30 or so (or even before), you may experience the tedium of rebuilding wells. The Water Mill is an excellent buy to alleviate this most annoying situation. It may not totally eliminate the need for wells (Deep Wells at this point), but it certainly helps. Its presence may garner the occasional "ooohs & ahhhs" from visiting friends. The animation (turning wheel and water) is quite good. However, an upgrade does not change the building in any way. At 995 gems, I expected this to level up into a castle shooting fountains high up to perdition OR a female settler doing laundry (or some other activity involving water). No such luck!

Getting back to shaving time, you did get one or two silos, didn't you? It's wheat seeding property helps in alleviating the tedium of rebuilding wheat fields. In my opinion, it's the best one to get for the Halloween season. It's not too late to plunk down gems to get at least one. Else, a mad scramble to trade for pumpkins (also known as ruining your economy) may be your best bet. Like the Water Mill, expect no change when you level this up. Though well drawn, no animation was added to this building (but then what can you expect from a silo? a female seeder? Get real.)

Hope this helps.