Choose a gem by its effect in the equipment you will actually wear, then check the required equipment grade and the sockets available on that item. A gem's weapon effect can differ from its armor effect. The socket and gem planner puts those checks beside each other before you commit materials.
Does character level make a gem compatible?
Equipment grade and character level are different requirements. Refined Sword requires character level 19 but is grade 3. An Average Garnet Shard requires grade 5 equipment. Being able to equip the sword does not make that shard suitable for it.
Select the equipment before browsing gems. The planner narrows its choices by the equipment's listed grade. It cannot decide which attribute matters most for your character: a physical attack increase, a defensive increase and a larger health pool answer different needs.
Which effect will a gem give?
Average Garnet Shard gives Physical Attack +16 in a weapon and Physical Defence +26 in armor. Average Citrine Shard gives Max HP +25 in either position. Read the appropriate column rather than assuming that the same colored gem produces the same attribute everywhere.
| Gem | Required equipment grade | Weapon effect | Armor effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Garnet Shard | 5 | Phy. Atk. +16 | Phy. Def. +26 |
| Average Sapphire Shard | 5 | Mag. Atk. +16 | Mag. Def. +21 |
| Average Amber Shard | 5 | Accuracy +50 | Evasion +26 |
| Average Turquoise Shard | 5 | Max Mana +40 | Max Mana +40 |
| Average Citrine Shard | 5 | Max HP +25 | Max HP +25 |
| Average Alabaster Shard | 5 | Metal Dmg. +32 | Metal Res. +42 |
For a weapon that accepts Average Garnet Shards and has two sockets to fill, two of those gems contribute +32 Physical Attack. The listed insertion fee is 2,000 coins per gem, so filling both costs 4,000 coins in insertion fees, before buying the gems. This is the gem contribution, not your character's final attack after every stat and buff.
What do dropped and crafted socket chances mean?
They describe the sockets the item starts with. They do not state the price or success chance of adding a socket later. The zero-socket outcome is a possible result, not a missing entry to be skipped.
For Refined Sword, the dropped distribution is approximately 91% for zero sockets and 9% for one. Its crafted distribution also includes two sockets, at approximately 1.435%; one socket is approximately 11.483%. The crafted possibility does not mean every copy has two sockets, and it does not turn a one-socket drop into a two-socket item.
How much should you set aside for a gem plan?
Count the sockets you intend to fill, the gems you already own and the insertion fees. Keep an empty socket separate from a completed gem choice: an empty socket does not award a random equipment bonus. The effect comes from the inserted gem.
Use Average Garnet Shard sources or Average Citrine Shard sources to examine acquisition options. A shop value on an item page is not a live player-market offer. Use the price you can actually obtain when deciding whether a temporary piece deserves an expensive gem.
What should you compare before replacing the item?
Review the new item's base attributes and requirements in the equipment comparison. A change in the equipment slot or grade can alter which gem effects and choices are relevant. Keep the existing item's gems out of the replacement's base-stat comparison until you have chosen what will be inserted in the new item.
The planner's share link preserves the selected equipment, gem and number of sockets to fill. Reopen it before buying materials so the plan remains attached to the intended item rather than to a remembered color or icon.