WIKI
Your gold engine is Alchemy in the Cube — melt unwanted gear into gold on a loop. Feed it with a fast-clear farming stage and auto-open runes, then spend the gold on the rune tree (hero slots + automation first). In-game gold is separate from Steam Wallet money.
Where gold comes from
Gold has three sources, but they're not equal — one does most of the heavy lifting:
| Source | How it works | How big |
|---|---|---|
| Alchemy | Melt unwanted gear into gold in the Cube | Your main, renewable income |
| Kills | Enemies drop gold as you clear stages | Steady passive trickle |
| Selling drops | Listing tradeable items on the market | Steam Wallet, not in-game gold |
The big takeaway: most of your gold doesn't come from kills, it comes from processing the loot those kills drop through Alchemy.
Alchemy — your gold engine
Set the Cube to Alchemy and it converts unwanted gear into gold (and Cube XP). Early and mid game, this is where the bulk of your drops should go: lock the keepers you want, then bulk-melt the rest. Because chests never stop dropping while the game runs, Alchemy is a renewable tap — the more you farm, the more there is to melt. It is, by a wide margin, the most important gold source for the first several hours.
Farming gold fast
Gold income scales with how much loot you funnel into Alchemy, which scales with clears per hour — not stage level. So the fastest gold farm is the highest stage your party clears quickly and reliably:
- Park on your fastest reliable clear (full method in the best farming stage guide)
- Unlock Far North auto-open so chests open themselves and feed the melt pile hands-free
- Equip drop-rate and attack-speed gear — more chests, faster kills, more to alchemize
- Leave the game minimised, not closed — offline drops zero chests, so it can't make gold
What to spend gold on
Generating gold is only half of it; where it goes decides how fast you grow. Priorities:
- The rune tree first. Hero slots (Rune of Command) and automation give the biggest compounding returns, then damage and offline rewards.
- Crafting & the Cube. Building and upgrading gear, plus socketing your keepers, all draw on gold.
- Socket removal fees. Stripping a socket (to re-tune or sell) costs a little gold — budget for it.
The honest rule: don't sit on a gold pile. Idle gold does nothing; gold in the right rune nodes pays off every minute the game runs.
Gold vs Steam Wallet — two different currencies
It's easy to confuse the two. Gold is the in-game currency from kills and Alchemy, spent on runes and crafting. Steam Wallet funds are real Steam balance you earn by selling Legendary+ gear, materials and soul stones on the Steam Market — spendable only on Steam, not in-game and not cashable to real money. So a great drop gives you a choice: melt it for gold, or sell it for Wallet funds. More on that trade-off in the Steam market guide.
FAQ
What's the fastest way to make gold?
Alchemy on a loop — melt unwanted drops into gold — fed by a fast-clear farming stage and auto-open runes so a minimised game keeps generating it.
Should I sell gear or melt it?
Melt most of it for gold via Alchemy. Sell only the genuinely valuable Legendary+ pieces and soul stones on the market for Steam Wallet funds.
Is in-game gold real money?
No. Gold is in-game only. The closest thing to real value is Steam Wallet funds from market sales, and even those are spendable only on Steam.
What do I spend gold on first?
The rune tree — hero slots and automation first. Those compound harder than anything else early on.
Gold rates and costs shift between patches; this guide gives the method rather than fixed numbers. Unofficial fan resource, not official Nugem Studio data.