Reposting this from /r/Gemcraft. These are a collection of the discovered secrets in Gemcraft: Chasing Shadows. Some of this may be slightly inaccurate, but hopefully compiling all the knowledge here will get us closer to the final answer.
Grey Trees
ReaperGuy on the AG forums figured out GreyTrees, and Seberoth also identified some extra codes. It was discovered that the outside corner squares of the map (zoom out to make them easier to see) are clickable. Various codes inputted will do changes to the game, but so far it's only cosmetic aside from the almost-useless Gift Gems.
The codes are entered with the following scheme (as if they're four corners of a number pad): Southwest = 1 Southeast = 3 Northwest = 7 Northeast = 9
The codes discovered so far are: 11331791 - Grey Trees - To get the achievement, finish any field with this set. 11319773 - Black Orb 13371337 - Spinning tower shots 11379197 - Mossy towers 97713791 - Mossy amplifiers 77919713 - Heavy rain 79797919 - Heavy snow 77311973 - Gift gems 11799397 - Dark monsters 11111111 or any 8 digits of the same number - Mods reset
Assuming up to 8 digits in any given code, there are still over 65k codes to try. I don't think brute forcing these will work. Again, all credit for this discovery goes to ReaperGuy and Seberoth on the AG forums.
Compass
The basic gist is that you need to set all compass pieces to tier 5 and beat the final one that drops the field marker. Rinse and repeat 11 times for talismans and field markers. The third reward is a bugged field marker that prevents the round from finishing. Just manually end it and start on the next compass set. You'll know you have completed them all when the gems no longer show up in the loading screen.
The compasses themselves correspond to the gem tiers you see on the loading screen of compass levels. Teardrop is tier 1, triangle is tier 2, square is tier 3, a "U" shape is tier 4, and an "X" shape is tier 5. Every time the compass tiers reset, the compass correspondences are set to a random orientation, which always follows a pattern of 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2.
Let me be perfectly clear: The directions on the compass don't matter for any tutorial/description, because where Tier 5 is pointing is random each time you do things such as reload the game, change your skills, or beat a level.
The compass levels, in left-to-right order, are C2, E3, J2, K2, O3, U4, and X7. The easiest level to finish at is E3, with only 24 waves at untraited Looming.
Here is my basic algorithm for setting a compass based upon the gem at the loading screen: Tier 1 - Turn 4 times. Done. Tier 2 - Turn 3 times. Recheck. Tier 3 - Turn 2 times. Recheck. Tier 4 - Turn 7 times. Recheck. Tier 5 - Done (duh).
With this algorithm, tier 2 and 4 always become a tier 3 or 5. Tier 3 always becomes a tier 1 or 5.
The rewards for completion of a certain amount of cycles is as follows: 1 - Field D6 3 - Bugged Field Marker (perhaps supposed to be N7?) 5 - Field O4 (Already acquired through normal progression) 7 - Field P6 9 - Field Q7 11 - Field X6 2, 4, 6, 8, 10th times: Talisman fragments of ascending quality
Missing Fields
This list is FAR from complete or entirely accurate. These are just the notes I have from field markers I have acquired or seen from other sources.
A6 - Complete A4 on Glaring B6 - Complete the achievement "Still Alive B1" D6, P6, Q7, X6 - See compass explanaition above. Y4 (->Y5->Y6) - Complete all waves on X5 without charging up the gem. G4 - Complete the rest of Hex G on Haunted difficulty L5 - Complete L1, L2, and maybe L4 on Haunted difficulty
I have no idea how to make the compasses work. Is it the red loading gem outline that is supposed to change? No matter what I do to a compass, it stays the same...
I have no idea how to make the compasses work. Is it the red loading gem outline that is supposed to change? No matter what I do to a compass, it stays the same...
It is not the red loading gem. On compass fields only, there are seven gems below that, each representative to a given field as fully described above. The above descriptions say that if you turn a specific compass the right number of times relative to the representative gem, that the representative gem shape of the seven will change.
The problem I am finding (as I described above) is that it doesn't work for me as described and I've been asking the thread initiators or people in the know to try and explain what might be off in the description.
On compass fields only, there are seven gems below that, each representative to a given field as fully described above.
I just checked every single compass field, and the loading screens look exactly the same as every other level...could someone post a screenshot or something? Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
When you load the screen you will see 7 gems, these gems are represented by a field, So the first gem is c2 the second gem is e3
C2, E3, J2, K2, O3, U4, and X7
so if you go into c2 and the first gem is a teir 2 gem, well you need to click the compass 3 times and make it a tier 5 gem. once you load and confirm the first gem is a tier 5 gem, then go in to e3 and work the second gem to get it to tier 5
and so on. I am not sure the entire order, but I hope that clears up some things.
just did the first set of compass to unlock d6 to set compass YOU can go back to map and reload/check do next 1 BUT when you get them all to 5 you need to beat that map to get reward .. so to change grade can just leave map to get reward when all are grade 5 need to beat map
Those of you who wanted a video here it is, how to manipulate the compass, it is lame because I am a youtube rookie, so don't judge me, just use the information
I know the issue that I was having is that the instructions said to turn or spin the compass a certain number of times, when instead they should say to click on the compass a certain number of times.
please a little help, I'm stuck for few days can't find G2 field for Curse spell I think it will appear after I will beat J3 field, but this map is impossible (wizard tower) must destroy 6 locks, each with 999 shoots I finished all waves, but didn't succeed to destroy even 2 locks tried with 3-4 towers near locks with level 5-6 gems, tried to upgrade one gem to level 9, nothing I have wizard level 52, >800 SC, talismans fully upgraded (low level), gathered skills upgraded to level 6-9..
the amplifiers are not available for this map I was able to build them only for few maps, but not for this one on other maps there are already built there
or I'm doing something wrong.. can I choose somewhere to have amplifiers and gems on every map? until now I used only the gems that the maps give it to me I remember on old version of this game there was a possibility to choose what gems type you want
