Okay, I'm confused... again.

[helix2]

Trying the first Vision level, my best gem is level two, giants come out with armor level 160. I shouldn't be able to hit these guys, at all. I killed a bhunch of them before I lost. What the heck?

[darthmohawk1]

Without knowing specifically which Vision field you played, I must guess that your attack gems probably had some effects to make killing armored giants possible, such as poison, which goes through armor by inflicting a Damage Over Time effect.

If I recall correctly, all gem strikes also deal a minimum of 1 damage per hit, regardless of enemy armor - so enough "ineffective" hits would still kill a low-HP monster.

[helix2]

Ahhh.... that one hit point damage minimum thing might have been it. It was at V11. That level comes with only one level one poison gem, you can't buy more, and as near as I can tell, this episode of the game doesn't allow dropping a bomb on a row of gems to change their color.
Thanks!

[BilboCGL]

If you get stuck on any Vision Field, you might want to know there's a guide...

[helix2]

Thank you, but I'm going to try and play the game without looking for too much information on how to win individual levels etc., I just want to know the rules of how things work. Good to know though, foir when I finally get totally stuck, thanks!

[darthmohawk1]

Just so you know, you can use 'D' to make 'D'uplicates of any gem, assuming you have mana enough to pay its value as cost. I believe there's somewhere you can drag a gem to produce this same effect, but I forget where exactly. It'll be in the logbook though, or the FAQ.

[helix2]

Thanks!

[laddsmith12054]

Don't worry about the sharp learning curve. I've got 952 hours logged into this game and I'm level 2985. Endurance runs get long, but I love tower defence games. This one has lots of strategies. Don't give up helix2, just plan your gaming. As you level, mana farming will become more important.

[=(eG)=™Cthulhu]

Just to add, you are correct that this version does not allow you to gem-break locked colors. The only way to do that is through the skills section. Vision fields however do not let you use skills so you are stuck with what they provide.

[helix2]

Okay, vision levels, no skills, talisman or battle traits... does anything I do make e stronger over time for these levels, or is it pretty much you can beat or you can't?

[=(eG)=™Cthulhu]

Nope, nothing you can do. That's the challenge.

[helix2]

Wow.... well, guess I'll keep plugging at them then... are they ever required to expand the map or progress the storyline?

[BilboCGL]

Some of them offer field token :)

[DanaO]

One note about gem colors, presuming you haven't found it by now: while you might not be able to unlock a color, that doesn't mean you can't use the Duplicate function to buy copies of a gem you start with which contains a color not available to just conjure.

[helix2]

Thank you DanaO, that's the kind of tip I'm looking for. Also curious, do the various colors tend to have different rages of damage? I'd also like a good chart of the pros and cons of combining the various colors. I was surprised to see a level four red gem did higher damage than a level four green/blue, I expected the combo gem to always do more.

[Ivan247]

I'm not sure about the exact damage stuff, but I'm sure that Orange gems tend to deal less damage compared with other colours at the same grade.