Diablo 3: When to Upgrade Your Gems with Caldesann's Despair

For those who are new to the world of Diablo 3, upgrading your gems can be a daunting task. With so many options available, it's easy to get overwhelmed and unsure about when to upgrade which gems. In this article, we'll dive into the world of gem upgrading and provide some valuable insights on how to optimize your gold usage with Caldesann's Despair.

If you're playing on lower Tiers or Paragons, most of these findings will still hold true, although scaling may affect the results. To replace a Caldesann gem on an item, the new gem should be roughly 20 ranks higher. However, before upgrading your gems, it's essential to max out the 8%, 4%, and 2% chances on your main gems.

Main gems should be upgraded to be at least three ranks above the highest farming Tier you're currently at. This will help ensure that you're getting the most value for your gold. Additionally, stopping empower at Tier 77 can save you a significant amount of gold - around 70% - but requires only a few more runs.

In our findings, we've compared leveling main gems with 8% and less chance versus those with <60%. We've also looked at the cost scaling for relevant Tiers and the required amount of runs, gold, and time needed to get a gem to 90 with all empowered rifts. Finally, we've examined the cost of empowering, which is essentially an additional +1 gemup.

To help illustrate these findings, we've included an Excel sheet that provides more detailed numbers and calculations. We assume a season duration of around three to four months and increasing gold earnings from early game levels (200b/h) to near the end of the season (1000b/h). Keep in mind that these assumptions may vary depending on the exact duration of the season and XP/h values achieved.

In our example, we've used a solo Natalya setup with dual wield, no mainstat on jewelry, full diamonds, and a non-ancient amulet. This will provide a decently high gem level for casual players like ourselves.

Ultimately, the key to optimizing your gold usage is knowing when to upgrade which gems. With Caldesann's Despair, you can achieve significant savings by stopping empower at Tier 77 and focusing on maxing out your main gems. By following these guidelines, you'll be well on your way to becoming a gem-upping pro in Diablo 3.

Diablo 3 caldesann's despair