You just finished a tough ladder run, opened a crown chest, and suddenly you’re staring at a pile of 500 extra gems you didn’t plan for. If you’re asking what should I use gems on Clash Royale without wasting them, you’re not alone. Most players, whether free-to-play or low-spending, end up blowing their first few hundred gems on useless impulse buys that don’t move the needle on their progression. I’ve been there too: back when I first started, I spent 100 gems on a single emote pack just because it had a goblin doing a dance, and I regretted it for weeks after when I couldn’t afford a Pass Royale discount. This guide breaks down the smartest spending choices, what to avoid, and how to stretch every gem to get the most value possible for your playstyle.
Key Priorities if You’re Asking What Should I Use Gems on Clash Royale
The first rule of smart gem spending is to prioritize purchases that give you long-term progression value over short-term fun. You can always splurge on cosmetic items later once you’ve built up a strong enough deck to compete at your desired rank. Pass Royale is the highest value gem purchase in the entire game, giving you 10x more rewards than spending the same number of gems on individual chests or gold. It includes exclusive skins, wild cards, gold, and even extra gems that offset almost half the purchase cost for most players.
Next, look out for limited-time shop bundles that are heavily discounted. Special offer bundles that include epic or legendary wild cards are almost always worth buying, as they let you upgrade your core deck cards far faster than grinding chests for months. You also can use gems to enter paid global tournaments, which give guaranteed card rewards even if you only win a couple of matches. Here’s a quick list of non-negotiable top gem purchases to prioritize first:
If you stick to these four purchases 90% of the time, you’ll never feel like you’re wasting your hard-earned gems. You can adjust this list based on your playstyle, but these are the baseline for maximum value for almost every player.
What to Never Spend Your Gems On
There are tons of tempting items in the Clash Royale shop that look like a good deal at first glance, but most are a massive waste of gems. Never spend gems on regular chests in the shop — the drop rates are terrible, and you get way more value from Pass Royale or free chests you earn from ladder play. Even the “special” discount chests that pop up occasionally are rarely worth the cost, as you can get the same number of cards for half the gem cost by buying wild card bundles.
Emotes and tower skins are another common waste, unless you have excess gems after covering all your progression needs. It’s fine to splurge on a cool emote if you’ve already maxed out your main deck and have thousands of extra gems lying around, but if you’re still working to climb the ladder, these cosmetic items will do nothing to help you win more matches. Skip timer costs scale with chest rarity, and even skipping a magical chest gives less value than saving for a bundle, so avoid spending gems to speed up chest unlocks at all costs.
You also shouldn’t buy individual cards from the daily shop with gems. The markup on individual cards is 3x higher than buying them in bundles, and you can almost always earn the cards you need from free chests or clan donations within a few days. The only exception is if you need one last common card to upgrade a core deck piece, but even then, it’s usually cheaper to ask your clan for donations first.
Gem Spending Strategies for Different Playstyles
The best way to spend your gems will vary a lot depending on how often you play and what you want to get out of Clash Royale. For strict free-to-play players who never spend real money on the game, you’ll earn about 30-50 gems a day from crown chests, quests, and clan wars. Stick to only the top 2 purchase priorities (Pass Royale and wild card bundles) if you don’t spend real money on the game, as it takes about 30 days of consistent play to save up enough gems for a single Pass Royale. You can set aside 10% of your monthly gem earnings for fun purchases if you want, but keeping 90% for progression will help you climb ranks far faster.
For low-spend players who buy the occasional gem pack or the free Pass Royale tier, you have a little more flexibility. You can splurge on a cool tower skin or emote once every couple of months, but still keep 70% of your gem budget for progression items like wild cards and tournament entries. If you play competitively, you’ll want to allocate most of your gem budget to tournament entries, as the top rewards include exclusive cards and massive amounts of gold that you can’t get anywhere else.
Casual players who only play a few times a week and don’t care about ladder rank have the most freedom. If you play Clash Royale just to have fun with friends, feel free to spend your gems on whatever makes the game more enjoyable for you. Even then, saving up for a Pass Royale once every few seasons will give you way more fun content and rewards than spending small amounts on random items every week, so it’s still worth considering as your top purchase.
How to Earn Extra Gems Without Spending Real Money
You don’t have to spend real money to build up a healthy gem balance in Clash Royale. There are dozens of free ways to earn extra gems every week if you know where to look. Clan wars are one of the most consistent sources of free gems: top 3 clans in each war bracket give 100-200 gems per participant per week, even if you only play one match. Joining an active clan that regularly places in the top 3 can double your monthly gem earnings with almost no extra effort.
Special challenge events are another great source of free gems. Many limited-time challenges give 50-200 gems for completing 3 wins or more, and most are designed to be accessible even for newer players with mid-tier decks. Global tournament participation often gives free gem rewards even if you don’t make it to the top 1000, so it’s always worth signing up for every global tournament even if you don’t think you’ll win many matches. You also get 100+ gems from the free tier of Pass Royale every season, plus occasional gem rewards from daily quests and seasonal event milestones.
I usually earn 400-500 gems a month without spending any money, just by doing my daily quests, participating in clan wars, and joining every global tournament. It doesn’t take a huge time commitment, and that extra gem income is enough to buy a Pass Royale every other season without spending a cent. If you’re willing to put in a little extra effort, you can easily earn enough gems to cover all your progression needs without spending real money.
At the end of the day, the answer to what should I use gems on Clash Royale depends a little on what you want out of the game, but sticking to high-value, progression-focused purchases will always give you the most return. Don’t fall for impulse buys that look fun in the moment but don’t help you build the deck you want or climb the ladder. Even if you’re a casual player, saving up for a Pass Royale once every few seasons will give you way more content and rewards than spending small amounts on random items every week. Play around with what works for you, but keep these tips in mind next time you’re staring at your gem balance wondering what to buy.
