Gems are the definitive way to supercharge your deck in Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors. While a base Death Spiral is already formidable, embedding it with a Double Damage gem elevates its potential to devastating heights. Mastering the gem system is straightforward, yet acquiring every type—especially elusive ones like the Uncrackable gem—demands both strategy and persistence.
Below, we break down how to optimize your builds, followed by a comprehensive guide to every gem in Vampire Crawlers, including their unique effects and unlock requirements.
Mastering Gems in Vampire Crawlers
Gems become available as soon as you recover the Gem Hammer relic in the Mad Forest, the initial dungeon following the introductory stage. Once unlocked, treasure chests will yield a selection of three randomized gems (occasionally four, depending on your Luck stat). You can attach these to any card equipped with a gem slot—a standard feature for all attack cards and the more sophisticated Tome cards.
For instance, attaching a Might gem to a Knife card transforms it from a flat 40-damage dealer into a scaling powerhouse, granting an additional 10% Might stat boost with every activation during an encounter. Repeating this move builds your damage output exponentially.
Image: poncle, Nosebleed Interactive/poncleA word of caution: gem attachments are permanent. Because evolutions require an empty slot, you should carefully manage your cards. If you intend to evolve a Knife into a Thousand Edge, hold off on filling that slot until the transformation is complete.
To bypass these restrictions, visit the Blacksmith to purchase additional gem slots for your favorite cards. Investing your hard-earned gold here allows for versatile combinations, such as pairing an Evolution gem with a stat-boosting Might gem. Furthermore, you can visit the Jeweller—unlocked in the Gallo Tower—to shift the rarity distribution of your gem drops, ensuring you see your preferred buffs more often.
Vampire Crawlers: Complete Gem Index
There are 58 distinct gems to discover in Vampire Crawlers. While your starting pool is limited, completing specific challenges will unlock the remainder of the collection. Use the table below to track your progress and identify how to obtain specific buffs.
| Gem | Effect | Unlock Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | Boosts the Amount stat. | Unlocked by default. |
| Area | Boosts the Area stat. | Unlocked by default. |
| Armor | Increases armor value. | Unlocked by default. |
| Armor Strike | Sacrifices armor to inflict damage. | Accumulate 15 armor in one turn. |
| Blue Trigger | Activates blue card-related Crawler abilities. | Play 250 blue cards. |
| Bombard | Adds bonus damage to Cherry Bomb. | Use Cherry Bomb 50 times. |
| Calcium | Adds bonus damage to Bone cards. | Use Bone 99 times. |
| Coin Card | Generates a Big Coin Bag upon use. | Find and play 20 Big Coin Bags (from destroyed torches). |
| Coin Count | Damage scales with your total coins. | Hoard 100,000 coins. |
| Copy | Duplicates the card upon use. | Play 1,000 cards. |
| Countdown | Reduces mana cost for every turn left unplayed. | Use the Empty Tome 321 times. |
| Crawler Caller | Recalls all Crawlers to your hand. | Complete the Library Sanctum. |
| Decimate | Inflicts 10% of target’s health as damage. | Deal 666,666 total damage. |
| Destroy | Self-destructs for a coin reward (based on Greed). | Use 100 cards salvaged from light sources. |
| Double Damage | Doubles the card’s damage. | Unlocked by default. |
| Drain | Restores health upon enemy kills. | Restore 1,500 total HP. |
| Draw | Allows you to draw an extra card. | Unlocked by default. |
| Duration | Extends the active time of your Crawlers. | Use the Spellbinder card 10 times. |
| Easy Combo | Guarantees combo activation. | Achieve a combo of five or higher. |
| Echo | Replicates the effect of the previous card. | Play 3,000 cards. |
| Evolution | Triggers card evolution if requirements are met. | Unlocked by default. |
| Fireproof | Negates “destroy” effects, allowing repeated use. | Complete the Curd Refinery. |
| Free to Play | Eliminates the card’s mana cost. | Use 200 “free-to-play” cards (gained via level-ups). |
| Freeze | Freezes a random enemy. | Use the Clock Lancet card once. |
| Greed | Boosts your Greed stat for more coins. | Use the Stone Mask 10 times. |
| Growth | Boosts your Growth stat for more XP. | Use the Crown 5 times. |
| Kill Count | Damage scales based on enemies slain in the dungeon. | Defeat 10,000 enemies. |
| Leader | Cards in hand deal more damage while this is held. | Deal 100,000 total damage. |
| Luck | Boosts your Luck stat. | Use the Clover card 5 times. |
| Magic Hat | Summons Peachone. | Use the Peachone card 77 times. |
| Magnetic | Draws another copy of the same card from your deck. | Play 2,000 cards. |
| Mana Cost +1/+2 | Increases mana cost for higher combo potential. | Collect 10/20 mana orbs. |
| Mana Cost -1/-2 | Decreases mana cost for lower combo potential. | Collect 10/20 mana orbs. |
| Mana Rebate | If a move empties your mana, get double back. | Gain 15 mana in one turn. |
| Midas | Generates coins while held in hand. | Collect 5,555 total coins. |
| Might | Boosts the Might stat. | Unlocked by default. |
| Mild | Prevents discarding but breaks the combo. | Complete Gallo Tower with Gallo. |
| Mug | Grants coins on enemy kills. | Collect 3,333 coins. |
| Nduja | Adds bonus “spicy” fire damage. | Defeat Nesufritto (Inlaid Library boss). |
| Purple Trigger | Triggers purple card-related Crawler abilities. | Play 250 purple cards. |
| Quick Draw | Automatically drawn at the start of encounters. | Build a 30-card deck. |
| Rainbow | Acts as a universal color trigger. | Activate 500 Crawler trigger abilities. |
| Recycle | Skips the discard pile for potential reuse. | Hold eight cards in hand. |
| Red Trigger | Triggers red card-related Crawler abilities. | Play 500 red cards. |
| Refund | Recovers the card’s mana cost. | Gain 10 mana in one turn. |
| Remote | Summons a mine cart. | Destroy 5 mine carts. |
| Restore Health | Heals you after the battle concludes. | Use the Pummarola card 10 times. |
| Retain | Stays in hand rather than being discarded. | Hold seven cards in hand. |
| Return | Returns to your hand after activation. | Play 300 cards. |
| Reverse Combo | Inverts combo direction for longer chains. | Reach a combo of six or higher. |
| Triple Damage | Triples the card’s damage output. | Deal 500,000 total damage. |
| Uncrackable | Reduces the chance of the card breaking. | Defeat the Trickster secret boss. |
| Wild | Converts the card into a Wild card. | Play 100 wild cards. |
| X Mana | Costs all remaining mana. | Play 3,000 purple cards. |
| Yellow Trigger | Triggers yellow card-related Crawler abilities. | Play 250 yellow cards. |
| Yin Yang | Draws a card or grants mana based on current pool. | Complete the Berserk Wood. |
Source: Polygon
