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Gemming Your Way to Godhood: A New World Healer’s Guide to Perfect Gems

So, you want to be the best healer in Aeternum? Excellent choice! The Life Staff is a powerful tool, and knowing which gems to slot in your gear is crucial for maximizing your effectiveness. Let’s cut straight to the chase:

For your Life Staff, you almost always want a Diamond. For your armor, the answer is more nuanced and depends on the content you’re facing. Generally, for PvE, prioritize elemental resistance gems tailored to the specific expedition. For PvP, consider gems that boost your survivability like Opal or gems offering more specific defensive buffs.

Now, let’s delve deeper into the shimmering world of gems and how to best use them to create an unstoppable healing machine!

Understanding the Fundamentals: Gem Types and Their Benefits for Healers

New World offers a variety of gems, each with unique properties that can significantly impact your performance. As a healer, you need to understand which gems provide the most benefit in different situations.

Weapon Gems: Amplifying Your Healing Power

Diamond: The undisputed king for Life Staff gems. Diamonds provide increased healing and damage based on your current health percentage. This makes them incredibly effective because you’re constantly healing, ensuring a consistent bonus. The higher your health, the more potent your heals become, creating a positive feedback loop of survivability and power.
Amber: Converts a portion of your damage to Nature damage and scales off Focus. This could be tempting for a hybrid build. However, the Diamond’s reliable, constant boost to both healing and damage generally outperforms Amber for a dedicated healer.
Carnelian: Forces enemies to aggro on you. Absolutely not for healers! Your job is to keep the team alive, not become the primary target.
Other Gems (e.g., Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire): These convert damage to other elemental types or add specific effects. They’re generally not optimal for healers, as the Diamond provides the best overall value.

Armor Gems: Fortifying Your Defenses

Armor gems are where things get interesting, as the optimal choice depends heavily on the content you’re facing.

Diamond: Provides a mix of Physical and Elemental Armor. A decent all-around option, especially when you’re unsure of the damage types you’ll be facing. However, it’s generally better to specialize.
Opal: Provides Elemental Armor when your stamina is not full. This is a fantastic choice for PvP, as you’ll often be dodging and using abilities, meaning your stamina will rarely be maxed.
Ruby: Provides Fire Absorption. Essential for fire-based expeditions like the Lazarus Instrumentality (especially in mutated form).
Sapphire: Provides Arcane Absorption. Crucial for expeditions featuring heavy arcane damage, such as the Tempest’s Heart.
Emerald: Provides Thrust Absorption. Useful in PvP against spear users and for expeditions featuring thrust damage (though less common).
Amethyst: Provides Void Absorption. Vital for expeditions featuring void damage, such as the Garden of Genesis.
Aquamarine: Provides Ice Absorption. Needed for ice-focused encounters, such as some sections of the Depths expedition.
Topaz: Provides Lightning Absorption. For lightning-heavy environments.
Jasper: Provides Strike Absorption. Less common, but useful against enemies with blunt weapons (hammers, etc.).
Malachite: Provides Physical Absorption. Good against purely physical damage dealers.
Moonstone: Provides Slash Absorption. Good against sword users and those with slashing attacks.
Obsidian: Provides Nature Absorption. Important for nature-based mutations and encounters.

Prioritizing Gems Based on Content: PvE vs. PvP

Understanding the difference in gem priorities between PvE and PvP is critical.

PvE (Expeditions & Dungeons)

The key here is elemental resistance. Analyze the damage types of the expedition you’re entering.

Mutated Expeditions: These require specific elemental resistance. Stack 2-3 of the appropriate elemental gem (Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, etc.) and fill the remaining slots with Opals for general defense.
Regular Expeditions: A mix of elemental resistances is a safe bet, or focus on the most prevalent damage type in the dungeon.

PvP (Wars, Outpost Rush, Open World)

Survivability is paramount.

Opal: Consistent elemental protection when dodging.
Diamond: Balanced physical and elemental armor can be useful, but often less effective than specialized options.
Consider Onyx: Provides physical armor, and since melee damage is common in PvP, this could give more protection.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Gems for Healers

Here are some of the most common questions I get asked about gemming for healers in New World:

What’s better, a Brilliant Diamond or a Pristine Diamond in my Life Staff? While Pristine Diamonds offer a slightly higher bonus, the difference isn’t massive. Brilliant Diamonds are significantly cheaper and easier to obtain, making them a perfectly viable option, especially when starting out. Focus on upgrading other aspects of your gear first.
Should I use different gems in my armor for different PvP modes (War vs. Outpost Rush)? Potentially, yes. War often involves coordinated attacks with specific damage types, so you might want to tailor your resistances. Outpost Rush is more chaotic, making general survivability gems like Opal more effective.
Are there any specific gear perks that synergize well with certain gems? Absolutely! For example, the perk Fortifying Sacred Ground (allies healed by Sacred Ground gain Fortify, increasing damage absorption) pairs well with a defensive gem setup, making your team even more resistant to damage.
I’m on a budget. What’s the most cost-effective way to gem my gear? Start with Brilliant Diamonds in your Life Staff. For armor, focus on acquiring a set of elemental resistance gems (Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, etc.) and swap them based on the content you’re doing. Don’t be afraid to use flawed or standard versions initially; upgrading can wait.
How important is it to have fully gemmed armor? Very important, especially at higher levels and in mutated expeditions. Gems provide significant damage reduction and can be the difference between surviving and dying.
Should I prioritize gemming my armor or my weapon first? Weapon first. The Diamond in your Life Staff provides a consistent boost to both healing and damage, making it the most impactful upgrade.
What about Runeglass gems? Are they good for healers?

Runeglass gems can be useful! Some provide flat healing output bonuses, or increase the effectiveness of buffs applied through your abilities. Experiment with them to see what works well with your build.
Can I use different gems depending on my playstyle? Yes! If you’re an aggressive healer who likes to deal damage, you might consider using an Amber gem in your Life Staff. If you prefer a more passive healing style, prioritize defensive gems in your armor.
What about the Resilient perk? Does it affect my gem choices? The Resilient perk reduces critical damage taken. While valuable, it doesn’t directly affect your gem choices. Focus on elemental resistance for PvE and general survivability for PvP, regardless of whether you have Resilient on your gear.
How do I acquire the best gems in New World? You can find gems by mining ore veins, opening chests, completing quests, and crafting them through Stonecutting. The higher your Stonecutting skill, the better the gems you can craft. Also, keep an eye on the Trading Post for deals!
What’s the difference between absorption and resistance in New World? Absorption refers to how much damage is mitigated before armor is factored in. Resistance is total mitigation, after armor is factored in.
Do gems affect my mana regeneration? No. Gemming does not affect mana regeneration. Focus is your primary stat for this as a healer.
I am new and have never played New World, where should I start?

New World offers a lot of exciting content, but a great place to start learning is to check out educational resources for gaming like the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org!
What is the strongest type of healer in New World?

There is no single “strongest” healer build, as the best setup depends on your playstyle, group composition, and the content you’re facing. Some popular and effective builds include:
- The Sacred Ground Healer: Focuses on providing sustained healing through Sacred Ground, Beacon, and Divine Embrace. This build is excellent for PvE and wars.
- The Splash of Light Healer: Utilizes Splash of Light for rapid, AoE healing. This build is versatile and effective in both PvE and PvP.
- The Paladin Healer: A hybrid build that combines healing with melee combat using a sword and shield. This build is fun and effective for solo play and small-scale PvP.
Where can I find the latest updates and community input on gems? The New World forums, popular New World Discord servers, and YouTube channels dedicated to New World content are all excellent sources of information. Pay attention to what experienced healers are using and adapt your gem choices accordingly.

Final Thoughts: Experimentation is Key!

Ultimately, the best gem setup for you will depend on your personal preferences and the specific challenges you face. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different gems to find what works best for your playstyle and your team. Aeternum is a vast and ever-changing world, and adapting your gear to the circumstances is essential for survival, and for keeping your allies alive! So, go forth, gem your gear wisely, and become the ultimate healing force in New World!

What gems should I use in New World healer?