Gem Earning Tips
This is a User Guide, sharing tips for gaining free Template:Gem without having to buy them with real cash.
#1 - Watch Ads
If you click on the Template:Gem button at the top it will take you to the gem purchasing screen. To the side there will be a green button saying "Get Free Gems". Tap this and you will be taken to view a 10-30 sec advert for some other app/game. After the ad is done, return and you will have earned 1 gem.
You can only get 3 Template:Gem a day through this, so make sure you don't forget to watch each day. Those 3 Template:Gem a day can really add up.
However, this changes if you play the game on Android. Here, the button takes you to a list of promotions offered by Tapjoy, usually downloading and using another App, but there are more complex ones as well. Most are free downloads, but some will cost you. Also be mindful of your contract, downloading all those apps could be very costly if you don't use a WLAN connection to do it. There is no daily limit here, but each promotion is one-time and and the offers don't change very often.
#2 - Derpy Hooves
There is a chance that when you click on Derpy hiding under her box that she will spawn a Template:Gem among the bits she usually pops. The chance is kinda average maybe 20-30%.
There is no limit to how many times you can click on Derpy in day, so long as you can find her. She can be easier to find in Canterlot than Ponyville due to the fact that the area is smaller and you would have less buildings there. While there is no set pattern to her hiding, after 3 or more taps you may find she spends time wandering around talking to other ponies instead of hiding again. You can try closing and restarting the app to trigger her hiding again.
#3 - Clearing Parasprites/Changelings/Bats
Sometimes when you defeat parasprites, bats, or changelings, you will get some bits, a Template:Gem, or maybe nothing. You will need 5 shards per set of parasprites, bats, or changeling. Tap on the parasprites a couple of times and some bits will come out. Then, tap a few more times and usually a gem will pop out.
When you expand your Ponyville/Canterlot/Sweet Apple Acres, Changelings, Bats, or Parasprites will come. The type of Parasprite/Changeling/Bat depends on what level you are on.
#4 - Balloon Pop - (Hearts)
Once you have bought all the ponies that require Template:Heart, there is not much else to do with Template:Hearts other than play balloon pop with them. There is a chance that you can get either 1 (uncommon) or 2 (rare) Template:Gem from a balloon.
For those people just starting out with only a few friends, struggling to get even the first pony may not think they will ever reach this stage. But it will happen. Check out the Friends page, and put your name there for others to add, as well as checking links for other "Add Me" locations.
#5 - Feeding Shrines
Harmony shards eventually cap at 999. To avoid wasting shards, go to Ponyville and tap activated shrines. As you feed shards to the shrines you will get a whole lot of bit popping out. There is also a very small chance that a single Template:Gem will also come out, you may get one in every 200-300 shards fed in.
Additional hint: Zoom in all the way on the shrine if you want to use shards faster. That makes it easier to avoid tapping on coins that come out which are collected automatically.
#6 - The Crystal Mine Game
Playing the Crystal Mine Game will grant gems. Gems are granted as rewards after collecting enough minecart points. If you're really good at the game you can eventually pick them up during the game itself, just like element shards.
In the Windows version, two gems spawn at the start of the game. Gems also spawn after each revival. Pairing this with collected Minecart Wheels from Changelings can make up to Template:Gem per wave of Changelings. After revival, it is sometimes possible to get three gems instead of two. This appears to happen when a gem already spawned prior to revival, but the player died before getting the gem, so it remains after revival.
#7 - Daily Login
You will be awared 1 Template:Gem for logging in every 4 days and 2 Template:Gem for logging in every 5 days.
