The New World ‘gem is not compatible with that item’ error is causing a lot of annoyance for players in Amazon’s MMO who just want to upgrade their weapons. New World gem compatibility isn’t really explained very well in the game, with players finding that the gems they’ve crafted to put in specific weapons aren’t being allowed — with no real explanation. So is there a New World gem is not compatible error fix or explanation?
How to fix New World ‘gem is not compatible with that item’ error
The New World error “gem is not compatible with that item” is caused by attempting to equip a gem on a weapon with a different chain elemental damage effect. This basically means that a weapon with Chain Lightning already built-in cannot have a gem added to it with Nature, Fire, or other elemental damage types. The only gems the game will allow to be attached to a weapon with a chain ability is something with the same element damage type or one with a basic non-elemental damage trait.
There is no specific fix for this issue as it is a design choice, although the reason the error is frustrating for players is that the message “gem is not compatible with that item” is the only information New World gives them — there isn’t a gem compatibility list in-game, they simply cannot equip the gem. So the short version is: if a weapon has a chain damage power, like Chain Lightning, Fire, or Ice, then it cannot be equipped with a gem with a different damage type. Bear this in mind before crafting gems to use on a specific weapon.
It’s certainly not the only explanation that’s lacking in New World, either. Here’s everything players should know about equipping swords and shields, and here’s whether New World has a minimap or not.
