Of the many forms of currency available in AFK Arena—gold coins, hero’s essence, soulstones, and so forth—none is arguably more valuable than Diamonds. Primarily obtained through real-money purchases and account achievements (such as completing a difficult campaign stage or advancing up the King’s Tower), diamonds are used to buy items in the Store, summon heroes in the Noble Tavern, hasten cooldowns in the Resonating Crystal, and purchase greater hero storage space. Of all of these, the most important is the ability to purchase new heroes.

The simple advice I can give is to only buy heroes from the Tavern in batches of 10—at 2700 diamonds, this saves you 10% off of buying heroes one at a time. Not only is this a great value for your hard-won (or -bought) currency, it’s also one of the only things you should spend diamonds on.

The store has many daily deals for equipment, PVP tickets, and other attractive offerings, often with deep discounts off of normal prices. Do not be fooled! Though an individual piece of equipment may seem like a good deal, particularly if it’s an upgrade for a valuable hero, know that as you pass through the campaign you will start to see purple, gold, and even red equipment fall from your idle adventures. Remember that AFK Arena is an idle game, and while you can spend currency (either in-game or through in-app purchases) to hasten your journey to the top, it’s almost always a worthwhile option to wait a few hours.

The only exception to this is purple (Elite) hero soulstones. Exceedingly rare, soulstones are sometimes the best way to advance your team of heroes, either by unlocking a new character or by enabling the ascension of an existing one. If you see elite soulstones in the store and have the means to acquire them, do it! You will not be disappointed.

For those looking to jump up the rankings, it pays to remember that most mobile apps are almost completely funded through the presence of whales—a very small percentage of players that drop thousands (and thousands) of dollars on the app of their choice. If you’re wondering why a particular player has been topping the leader boards week after week and month after month, with seemingly nobody able to catch them, it’s likely that they powered themselves with a better head start than anyone else. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t strive to grow and reach for new heights, I merely suggest that you don’t measure yourself and your success by the server or global leaders.

For those wishing to maximize their diamond income, in addition to the daily, weekly, and monthly one-off gift sets, players can enroll in a subscription that provides diamonds every day you log in, as well as increasing your VIP level (which provides additional passive bonuses such as higher AFK rewards). As with most idle games, the best bang for your hard-earned buck is the Deluxe Monthly Subscription Card, which provides a total of 12,980 gems (enough to buy more than 40 heroes at the tavern) over the course of a month. Again, this is just an option for those wishing to support the game and advance their own progress a little bit, and is in no way required to do well.

Takeaways

  • Only buy heroes from the Tavern in batches of ten (2700 diamonds)
  • Only spend diamonds at the market on elite soulstones
  • Everything else can be obtained through regular AFK gameplay and generally isn’t worth purchasing
  • If you’re going to pay money, look at the Deluxe Monthly Subscription Card for the best diamonds-per-dollar value

Poetics plays AFK Arena with the guild Moonfire (#86215)—come join us!

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