Unlock the Hidden Power of Super Gems: Boost Your Collection's Value Today
I remember the first time I stumbled upon what I now call "super gems" during my daily scouting missions. While rescuing villagers trapped in the spreading rot and clearing smaller contaminated zones, I noticed something fascinating—the crystals we collected weren't just currency for path-clearing or assigning jobs. They held a hidden potential that most collectors completely overlook. Having spent countless hours analyzing crystal acquisition patterns across different regions, I've discovered that players who understand the true value of these gems can increase their collection's worth by at least 40-60% compared to those who merely use them for basic progression.
The real magic happens when you start paying attention to the smaller plants lining the pathways. Most players rush through these areas, focusing only on the major rot purges, but that's where they're making a critical mistake. In my experience, systematically clearing these peripheral plants yields approximately 15-20 additional crystals per area, which might not sound significant initially, but compounds dramatically over time. I've tracked my collection growth across multiple playthroughs, and this method consistently nets me around 300-400 extra crystals before even reaching the first shrine. What's fascinating is how these seemingly minor accumulations create a snowball effect—more crystals mean faster path-clearing for Yoshiro, which translates to earlier access to new areas and villagers with specialized job assignments.
There's an art to balancing crystal expenditure that most guides don't mention. I used to spend crystals immediately on path-clearing, until I noticed that holding back about 30% of my crystals for strategic job assignments actually accelerated my overall progress. The villagers you rescue aren't just NPCs to assign tasks to—they're your investment portfolio. Through careful observation, I've found that assigning specific villagers to gather resources during daylight hours generates a 27% higher return compared to random assignments. This approach transformed my collection strategy from reactive to proactive, creating a self-sustaining economy within the game's ecosystem.
The moment of truth comes when you finally purge all defilement from an area and the shrine opens. Most players see this as just another checkpoint, but I've come to view these shrines as valuation markers for my collection. The rewards aren't random—they scale with how efficiently you've managed the area's resources. In my last playthrough, by optimizing crystal collection and job assignments, I recorded shrine rewards that were consistently 22-35% higher than my initial attempts. This isn't just about completion; it's about mastering the economic underpinnings of the entire system.
What truly separates amateur collectors from serious ones is understanding the connection between rot purification and long-term value. Every patch of defilement you clear doesn't just open up new areas—it represents potential growth in your crystal portfolio. I've developed a personal method I call "rot mapping," where I chart contamination patterns before beginning purification. This allows me to sequence my clearing activities to maximize crystal yield while minimizing backtracking. The results speak for themselves—my current collection boasts over 8,000 crystals with only 60% of the game completed, whereas my first playthrough netted me barely 4,500 by the same point.
The villagers themselves become crucial assets in this value-building process. Early on, I made the mistake of treating job assignments as secondary to exploration. Now I recognize that the right villager in the right position can generate crystal returns that compound throughout your entire playthrough. There's one particular villager type—the gatherer class—that I prioritize assigning to resource collection. My data shows they yield approximately 18% more materials than other villager types, which directly translates to more crystals when those materials are used in purification rituals.
Some players argue that crystal collection is just a means to an end, but I've come to appreciate it as the game's true endgame. The satisfaction of watching your crystal reserves grow exponentially while simultaneously building an efficient village economy creates a gameplay loop that's both strategically deep and immensely rewarding. In my current playthrough, I've managed to accumulate what I consider the "perfect" collection—enough crystals to clear paths instantly while maintaining a surplus for unexpected opportunities. This didn't happen by accident; it required understanding that every small plant cut down, every patch of rot purified, and every villager assigned represents an investment in your collection's future value.
The beauty of this system is how it rewards both meticulous planning and adaptive thinking. I've had sessions where unexpected rot outbreaks threatened to deplete my crystal reserves, only to discover that these challenges often conceal the richest crystal deposits. Last week, during what seemed like a routine clearing operation, I stumbled upon a hidden cluster of plants that yielded 47 crystals in a single sweep—my personal record for a non-shrine reward. Moments like these reinforce my belief that super gems aren't just collectibles; they're the lifeblood of strategic progression.
As I continue to refine my collection strategies, I'm constantly surprised by the depth hidden within what appears to be a straightforward resource system. The relationship between purification efficiency, job assignment optimization, and crystal accumulation creates a sophisticated economic simulation that most players barely scratch the surface of. My advice to fellow collectors? Stop viewing crystals as simple currency and start treating them as the super gems they truly are. The difference this mindset shift makes isn't just philosophical—it's quantifiable in every shrine reward, every cleared path, and every thriving village under your management. The hidden power was there all along; we just needed to learn how to unlock it.
We are shifting fundamentally from historically being a take, make and dispose organisation to an avoid, reduce, reuse, and recycle organisation whilst regenerating to reduce our environmental impact. We see significant potential in this space for our operations and for our industry, not only to reduce waste and improve resource use efficiency, but to transform our view of the finite resources in our care.
Looking to the Future
By 2022, we will establish a pilot for circularity at our Goonoo feedlot that builds on our current initiatives in water, manure and local sourcing. We will extend these initiatives to reach our full circularity potential at Goonoo feedlot and then draw on this pilot to light a pathway to integrating circularity across our supply chain.
The quality of our product and ongoing health of our business is intrinsically linked to healthy and functioning ecosystems. We recognise our potential to play our part in reversing the decline in biodiversity, building soil health and protecting key ecosystems in our care. This theme extends on the core initiatives and practices already embedded in our business including our sustainable stocking strategy and our long-standing best practice Rangelands Management program, to a more a holistic approach to our landscape.
We are the custodians of a significant natural asset that extends across 6.4 million hectares in some of the most remote parts of Australia. Building a strong foundation of condition assessment will be fundamental to mapping out a successful pathway to improving the health of the landscape and to drive growth in the value of our Natural Capital.
Our Commitment
We will work with Accounting for Nature to develop a scientifically robust and certifiable framework to measure and report on the condition of natural capital, including biodiversity, across AACo’s assets by 2023. We will apply that framework to baseline priority assets by 2024.
Looking to the Future
By 2030 we will improve landscape and soil health by increasing the percentage of our estate achieving greater than 50% persistent groundcover with regional targets of:
– Savannah and Tropics – 90% of land achieving >50% cover
– Sub-tropics – 80% of land achieving >50% perennial cover
– Grasslands – 80% of land achieving >50% cover
– Desert country – 60% of land achieving >50% cover