- AFK Meta lists ten gems of one tier plus gold for one gem of the next tier: 300, 1,300, 5,500, 23,000 and 100,000 gold for the five upgrades.
- Its drop bands are tier 1 at item level 30–34, tier 2 at 35–39, tier 3 at 40–44 and tier 4 at 45+; tiers 5–6 are marked as not dropping.
- Wikily says removing an inserted gem costs 10,000 gold and destroys the gem. Socket creation also makes the equipment untradable in its reference.
Read the ten-to-one recipe before merging stock
Gem upgrading changes the gem’s tier; adding a socket changes the equipment; inserting a gem applies that family’s slot-specific stat. Keep those operations separate when budgeting. AFK Meta’s 3 October data lists six families and the same five upgrading recipes for all of them. Ten of a lower-tier gem produce one of the next tier, with a gold bill. Check the current Gem Specialist interface for that exact family and recipe before combining inventory.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
| From | To | Input | Listed gold cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 Raw Sphere | Tier 2 Chipped Teardrop | 10 tier 1 gems | 300 |
| Tier 2 Chipped Teardrop | Tier 3 Rough Square | 10 tier 2 gems | 1,300 |
| Tier 3 Rough Square | Tier 4 Polished Rhombus | 10 tier 3 gems | 5,500 |
| Tier 4 Polished Rhombus | Tier 5 Flawless Hexagon | 10 tier 4 gems | 23,000 |
| Tier 5 Flawless Hexagon | Tier 6 Radiant Octagon | 10 tier 5 gems | 100,000 |
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
The higher tiers are not a small additive inventory upgrade. If every input must be built from tier 1 stock, one tier 3 needs 100 tier 1 gems, one tier 4 needs 1,000, one tier 5 needs 10,000 and one tier 6 needs 100,000. Those are our calculated powers of ten from the published recipe, not a game promise that the player must start at tier 1. Holding higher-tier drops can substantially reduce the required merge work.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
Calculate the remaining stock and gold rather than the full theoretical chain
| Target | Tier 1 units required | Total gold across all merges |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 2 | 10 | 300 |
| Tier 3 | 100 | 4,300 |
| Tier 4 | 1,000 | 48,500 |
| Tier 5 | 10,000 | 508,000 |
| Tier 6 | 100,000 | 5,180,000 |
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
The gold totals use C_next = 10 × C_previous + the listed next recipe price. For example, tier 3 requires ten completed tier 2 recipes costing 3,000 gold, then the 1,300-gold final merge, totaling 4,300. These calculations assume no held higher-tier gems and omit socket creation/removal. They are planning examples, not a dealer price or a tested maximum resource cost. Use your actual stock to subtract merges already avoided.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
If you already hold ten tier 4 gems of the chosen family, the listed remaining bill for one tier 5 is 23,000 gold; rebuilding those gems from tier 1 would be unnecessary. If you hold nine, the missing input is one tier 4 rather than a vague “almost tier 5.” Record the exact family, tier and count first. Different families supply different stats, so merging the wrong color for the intended socket can leave the build goal unfinished.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
Use drop bands as source leads rather than guaranteed stock
| Gem tier | Listed item-level band | Additional lead in reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | Raw Sphere |
| 2 | 35–39 | Dreamy Kings Woods special drop |
| 3 | 40–44 | Dreamy Barrens special drop |
| 4 | 45+ | Dreamy Keep special drop |
| 5 | Does not drop | Crafted from tier 4 |
| 6 | Does not drop | Crafted from tier 5 |
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
The same page lists gem chance by encounter type as 1% normal enemy, 6% elite, 10% mini-boss and 12% boss/Mythic boss. Those are unofficial data values, not current Online Mode rates verified here, and they do not guarantee a particular family or tier on the next clear. Distinguish the chance that a gem drops from the chance that it is the exact crafting input you need. Plan farming around eligible levels and actual observed stock.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
The term item level in this drop table is not the hero’s current level. The socket page instead uses required level 30+ for equipment eligibility. If the client uses different labels, read both fields and their current tooltips before assuming an item can host the gem. The full bonus guide explains which slot group receives which stat; this page focuses on obtaining and spending the stock.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
Treat gem removal as destruction, not recovery
Wikily lists Gem Specialists Henry in City of Aldenreach, Rashid in City of Tazan and Leif in City of Veldak. It says removing a gem costs 10,000 gold and destroys the gem. AFK Meta also says a gem is destroyed when removed. That means a valuable inserted gem is not a free resource you can pull out and merge later. Before replacing it, decide whether the new item is worth losing the old gem plus paying the removal bill.
Evidence: Sockets · Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta
| Operation | Reference cost/consequence | Before you confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Gem merge | Ten matching lower-tier inputs plus recipe gold | Correct family and target tier |
| Add socket | 100 Earth Essence +400 gold per item level; untradable forever | Gear worth retaining, current displayed bill |
| Remove inserted gem | 10,000 gold and gem destroyed | Replacement value and losing the old stock |
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
AFK Meta labels its socket creation formula as awaiting play confirmation, while Wikily prints the cost directly. Both are documented references, but neither is our tested current transaction. Read the service bill and confirmation in the installed build. The reviewed text does not establish a downgrade recipe, free extraction or an undo system, so do not budget replacements around any of those assumptions.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
Build a useful crafting session
Choose the intended bonus
Identify family and destination group: Weapon, Armor or Accessory. Read the held tier’s effect rather than using the maximum row.
Count exact inputs
Record family, tier, count and whether gems are already inserted. Inserted stock has a documented destructive-removal issue.
Calculate only missing merges
Use published ten-to-one recipes and subtract held higher-tier stock. Keep material/gold for socket creation separate.
Check gear retention and trade goal
Adding a socket and upgrading gear have reference trade consequences. Do not customize an item you intend to sell without reading the prompt.
Perform one correct recipe
Confirm the target gem, tier and bill, then check the result before merging a larger group.
Insert deliberately
Use an existing socket or source-reported Gem Specialist service. Observe character stats and relevant combat before committing remaining stock.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
Crafting is most useful when it solves a concrete build gap. A higher-tier gem can be an expensive answer to the wrong damage type, and a small correct gem may help a stable loop earlier. Keep some flexibility for replacements instead of merging every color automatically. That is an editorial resource choice, not a game requirement to hold a particular stock level.
Crafting and removal questions
Q: Can I combine mixed gem families?
The reviewed recipes are ten of the same family’s lower-tier gem for its next tier. They do not establish a mixed-color recipe.
Q: Do tiers 5 and 6 drop in this reference?
AFK Meta marks both as not dropping and supplies crafting recipes. Treat that as its dated data scope.
Q: Does removal return the gem to inventory?
No. Both reviewed references say it is destroyed; Wikily also lists 10,000 gold.
Q: Is the 5,180,000-gold tier 6 calculation a shop price?
No. It is our total if all 100,000 tier 1 inputs are merged through every tier. Held higher-tier stock reduces the remaining work.
Q: Can I get the socket cost from my hero’s level?
The formula uses item level, while eligibility uses item required level. Read the item and current service bill.
Q: Where is the full bonus table?
Gem Bonuses and Sockets lists all 36 entries with separate Weapon, Armor and Accessory values.
Evidence: Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta · Sockets
Return to Gem Bonuses and Sockets before selecting a costly family for a particular item.
Sources and scope
Expanded editorial source review for Steam retail app 4623570, Deskrawl: Idle ARPG. Launch-era ApolloTrail advice, dated AFK Meta data, unofficial Wikily references and named official patch notes are separated in the article. New statements are traced in the claim ledger; derived planning examples are identified. Mechanics, source independence and online-server rules have not been verified in the current client.
- Review status
- verified
- Game version
- Source-specific scopes are stated in the body; no installed-client version is asserted.
- Checked
- Method
- Bounded first-release dossier review, including source roles, preserved conflicts and explicit limits. Recomputed retained source hashes, exact excerpts and line ranges and signed reader content. No installed-client or live-server verification.
- Deskrawl Gems: Bonuses by Slot, Sockets & Crafting | AFK Meta secondary
Ten-to-one recipes, gold costs, drop bands/chances, destructive removal and the cost-confirmation qualification. Source text was reviewed from the retained acquisition snapshot; this is not a current-client test.
Checked
- Sockets secondary
Gem Specialist names, 10,000-gold removal fee, gem destruction, socket bill and trade prompt. Source text was reviewed from the retained acquisition snapshot; this is not a current-client test.
Checked