Crystal Cove Gems?

[Bzzzt]

So I was all excited for the new loot, logged in, ran to cove, only to find the previous edition of gems (Stolen Star Rubies/Sapphires) have been replaced by Opals/Malacites.
Now this would've been fine, except there's no option to trade the star gems for these new ones...
So I have piles of useless star gems now. Seriously? I'm all for the farming grind but this is actually ridiculous...

[MadCookieQueen]

ugh...no chance to do a trade-in = epic fail

[TPICKRELL]

So I was all excited for the new loot, logged in, ran to cove, only to find the previous edition of gems (Stolen Star Rubies/Sapphires) have been replaced by Opals/Malacites.
Now this would've been fine, except there's no option to trade the star gems for these new ones...
So I have piles of useless star gems now. Seriously? I'm all for the farming grind but this is actually ridiculous...

I didn't expect a trade in option.

Trade ins have always been downwards and the Opals and Malachites are now the highest level gems. So you should be able to trade them in for Star Rubies/Sapphires but there won't be a trade to Opals and Malachites until we get level 28 items and they add a new tier of gem at the top.

[Bzzzt]

I didn't expect a trade in option.

Trade ins have always been downwards and the Opals and Malachites are now the highest level gems. So you should be able to trade them in for Star Rubies/Sapphires but there won't be a trade to Opals and Malachites until we get level 28 items and they add a new tier of gem at the top.

There's the issue. Rubies and Sapphires were already the top, they are level 24 gems/items. Opals and Malachite would be ML28 items if that was true, but they are both for ML24 gear.

[FestusHood]

So are you saying that the star rubies and sapphires aren't even there any more?

[TPICKRELL]

So are you saying that the star rubies and sapphires aren't even there any more?

I'm not at home to check in game. But reading the wiki, star rubies and sapphires appear to still drop in CR 21-23 instances, and opals/malachites drop in 24+ instances.

I believe that Bzzt's point, is that Star Sapphires and Star Rubies were introduced for the level 24 Glass Cannon and Eternal Flask. Diamonds and Emeralds are used in level 20 items. So they should not have introduced a new level of gem for making additional level 24 items.

I assume from Turbines point of view, they wanted to get some re-run use out of creating the new items, and if there were no new gems most of us could just craft our items tonight and not run the cove again. I know I've farmed it heavily the last 3 times it ran to help guildies craft some items. But I already had all the items I needed, so I have a ton of dragon shards and star gems already.

[FestusHood]

I assume from Turbines point of view, they wanted to get some re-run use out of creating the new items, and if there were no new gems most of us could just craft our items tonight and not run the cove again. I know I've farmed it heavily the last 3 times it ran to help guildies craft some items. But I already had all the items I needed, so I have a ton of dragon shards and star gems already.

This makes sense. Actually, i can see why they would do this as well. I guess it's unfortunate for people who accumulated a lot of high level gems specifically hoping to use them to make items that didn't exist yet. To be fair, they did mention adding new higher level gems for this in the post they had discussing it a few months ago.

[TPICKRELL]

This makes sense. Actually, i can see why they would do this as well. I guess it's unfortunate for people who accumulated a lot of high level gems specifically hoping to use them to make items that didn't exist yet. To be fair, they did mention adding new higher level gems for this in the post they had discussing it a few months ago.
Yes the new gems were mentioned in the original posts and is in the U23 release notes. However at the time they floated the ideas, I believe they were talking about level 24 and 28 items with augments as an alternative. When they stripped it back down to only 24 items, Bzzt's point became very valid.

[Ermin_Sivarch]

okay, lets talk about crystal cove. There is options to turn gems into higher or lower gems towards the end of the loot list in the box where you turn in pieces of map. its like page 16 roughly of 18 pages. To raise the gem to higher levels costs a 3 for 1 trade, so your trading 3 gems to get 1. If your trying to get lower grade, it costs 1 for 1. I figured this out when I was trying to get my endless rum and the gems I need are lower level. At the end of the list you can also turn in gems to get dubloons.

You can also turn in dubloons at the chest to get a level 8 summoning air elemental that a level 4 can use called greater gem of oceans wind, extremely useful, even though its a consumable. Another useful thing that is are the hats The hats can be customized to give you 1 skill and one other buff. They also help you gather dubloons faster, useful while your getting map pieces. Lastly, The greater stalwart trinket is useful for melee types, its min level is 4.

go here for a full list of Treasure at CC:

http://ddowiki.com/page/Treasure_of_Crystal_Cove_loot#Wands

[TPICKRELL]

okay, lets talk about crystal cove. There is options to turn gems into higher or lower gems towards the end of the loot list in the box where you turn in pieces of map. its like page 16 roughly of 18 pages. To raise the gem to higher levels costs a 3 for 1 trade, so your trading 3 gems to get 1. If your trying to get lower grade, it costs 1 for 1. I figured this out when I was trying to get my endless rum and the gems I need are lower level. At the end of the list you can also turn in gems to get dubloons.

You can also turn in dubloons at the chest to get a level 8 summoning air elemental that a level 4 can use called greater gem of oceans wind, extremely useful, even though its a consumable. Another useful thing that is are the hats The hats can be customized to give you 1 skill and one other buff. They also help you gather dubloons faster, useful while your getting map pieces. Lastly, The greater stalwart trinket is useful for melee types, its min level is 4.

go here for a full list of Treasure at CC:

http://ddowiki.com/page/Treasure_of_Crystal_Cove_loot#Wands

You cant trade up. You can trade for the other gem of the same level for a 3:1 ratio. ie diamonds to emeralds but you cant trade up.

[Ermin_Sivarch]

I saw star rubies being able to be traded for other gems on page 15. I beleive it was star rubies for sapphires and vs versa. sapphires trades into other gems pretty easily, so your not stuck with useless gems. If you throw star rubies on the line for trades, it shows you all the options you can do with that gem.

[LightBear]

So I was all excited for the new loot, logged in, ran to cove, only to find the previous edition of gems (Stolen Star Rubies/Sapphires) have been replaced by Opals/Malacites.
Now this would've been fine, except there's no option to trade the star gems for these new ones...
So I have piles of useless star gems now. Seriously? I'm all for the farming grind but this is actually ridiculous...

Can't you trade em both ways? So downgrade first and then upgrade them?

[Highlander]

The new gems (Malachite and Opal) are only available from the mining challenge.

I was hoping to avoid the Kobold challenge this year.....
After grinding raresin the wilderness for awhile, realised I wasn't getting any and re-read the U23 notes.
Has to be cr24 or greater mining challenge..... :-/

[TPICKRELL]

Can't you trade em both ways? So downgrade first and then upgrade them?

No, you cant upgrade any gems in cove.

You can trade sideways at a 3 for 1 ratio (gems come in pairs by level so you can trade Star Rubies for Star Sapphires which are both drop in the same level 21-23 instances).

You can trade down, so you can trade from Star Rubies/Sapphires(21-23 instances) to Diamonds/Emeralds(17-20 instances) at a 1:1 ratio.

But you can't trade up from Diamonds/Emeralds to Star Rubies/Sapphires.


EDIT: Heres the wiki post that outllines the trades: http://ddowiki.com/page/Treasure_of_Crystal_Cove/Collectables#Stolen_Gems

[EllisDee37]

You can trade sidewaysRight, but this should be a sideways trade since all the gems in question make the same level (ML24) loot.

[TPICKRELL]

Right, but this should be a sideways trade since all the gems in question make the same level (ML24) loot.

Logically I agree with you, but there was no recipe for that conversion.

The DEV's seem to be ranking the gems by level of quest instance they drop in, not by level of item the gems can be used to create.

Since Malachites and Opals drop in 24+ level instances, they are "above" Star Rubies/Sapphires that drop in 21-23 instances.

[brian14]

Right, but this should be a sideways trade since all the gems in question make the same level (ML24) loot.
Sideways trade is 3 to 1. Downward trade is 1 to 1. Why are you complaining?

I just checked. Yes, opals can be traded for star rubies at 1 to 1 rate.

[westyofoz]

I have run CC for hours and the 21-23 challenge successfully a few times now and I am yet to pick up a single stolen star ruby. Any advice on how to pick any up would be greatly appreciated?

[EllisDee37]

I have run CC for hours and the 21-23 challenge successfully a few times now and I am yet to pick up a single stolen star ruby. Any advice on how to pick any up would be greatly appreciated?Are there 28s in your group? I think there's a similar overlevel loot penalty like in cannith challenges.

As a general rule I try to always run at least 2-3 levels over the highest player level in the party.

[westyofoz]

Are there 28s in your group? I think there's a similar overlevel loot penalty like in cannith challenges.

As a general rule I try to always run at least 2-3 levels over the highest player level in the party.

Yeah 4 Arts, 2 28s and a couple of low level epic solely for the gems for the glass cannon, I forgot about the penalty. Thanks for the response, appreciated

[Dragavon]

So I was all excited for the new loot, logged in, ran to cove, only to find the previous edition of gems (Stolen Star Rubies/Sapphires) have been replaced by Opals/Malacites.
Now this would've been fine, except there's no option to trade the star gems for these new ones...
So I have piles of useless star gems now. Seriously? I'm all for the farming grind but this is actually ridiculous...

So what is the problems? The limiting factor in CC has always been dragonshards, I always end up with loads more gems than I can use.

[Livmo]

So I was all excited for the new loot, logged in, ran to cove, only to find the previous edition of gems (Stolen Star Rubies/Sapphires) have been replaced by Opals/Malacites.
Now this would've been fine, except there's no option to trade the star gems for these new ones...
So I have piles of useless star gems now. Seriously? I'm all for the farming grind but this is actually ridiculous...

But you are wrong. There is nothing wrong with gem turn in. More gems were added for L24. To max your trade-in flexability run CR 30 and collect the highest level gems and trade down for gems or for coins. The barter box was updated, so no more 1 clicks, and you can do stacks at a time.

If you run CR 30 you will get the new gems fast. I cracked 1000 of each the first day Cove came out. And you can keep trading down gems all the way to the lowest ones. I trade in 250-500 Opals and/or Malachites for mass coinage at a time. The only limiting factor is the green dragonshards, but in your hunt for those at CR 30 you will get oodles of the best gems for trade down.

Level 28

Gained from monster CR25+ (Crystal Cove CR 24+)
Stolen Opal
Stolen Malachite

Exchangeable at Euphonia's barter Box for the following doubloons: 200 copper 100 silver and 50 gold

[edit] Stolen Gem Trade Down

Stolen Gems can be traded on a one for one basis down one tier at a time. This is done at Euphoria's Barter Box.
Stolen Opal -> Stolen Star Ruby -> Stolen Emerald -> Stolen Sapphire -> Stolen Topaz -> Stolen Amber -> Stolen Pyrite
Stolen Malachite -> Stolen Star Sapphire -> Stolen Diamond -> Stolen Ruby -> Stolen Amethyst -> Stolen Obsidian -> Stolen Alabaster

http://ddowiki.com/page/Treasure_of_Crystal_Cove/Collectables#Stolen_Gems

[Kompera_Oberon]

So what is the problems? The limiting factor in CC has always been dragonshards, I always end up with loads more gems than I can use.

This is really the most valid point in the thread. By the time you have enough dragonshards for the items you want you should have more than enough gems and too many doubloons.

[Illethian]

Trade down not up.