Gear & Upgrades
What to do with gold
Where to spend gold, what to save for, and how to make your early purchases count.
Checked for v4.2.2Reviewed
Quick answer
What should I spend gold on?
Gold pays for blessings, shrine healing, merchant offers and Forge actions. If you need Forge access, a wandering blacksmith on Floor 13 sells a Forge Token for 10,000 gold. Keep enough for the help your current run needs, then invest in equipment you expect to keep using. In normal mode, unused gold survives death.
On this page
Where you can spend it
Gold has several uses throughout a run. Some spending opportunities appear as dungeon events rather than in a permanent shop menu.
| Use | What you receive |
|---|---|
| Statue of Blessing | A stat bonus for the current run |
| Healing shrine | Health recovery |
| Wandering equipment merchant | An equipment offer on Floor 6 |
| Wandering blacksmith | A Forge Token on Floor 13 when the Forge is not unlocked |
| The Forge | Merging, rerolling or refining equipment, with additional requirements depending on the action |
Costs are shown before you confirm. Blessing and merchant costs can vary with your progress, so check the actual offer before spending.
What should a new player prioritise?
Our suggested priorities are:
- Keep your run alive. Healing can be a good use of gold when you are hurt and want to continue. Consider whether a blessing addresses a weakness in your build.
- Consider equipment offers that could help. Do not assume buying an item guarantees a better fit than your current gear.
- Save for Forge access if you need it. A Forge Token costs 10,000 gold at the Floor 13 blacksmith.
- Improve items worth keeping. Once you find useful gear, compare the cost of refining it with the chance you will replace it soon.
These are recommendations, not a required spending order. A healthy run and a nearly defeated character have different needs.
How Forge Tokens work
When your Forge is not unlocked, a Forge Token provides access for one Forge action. The blacksmith offer appears on Floor 13 for players who need that access.
The token does not replace the action’s gold cost. For example, refining without an existing Forge unlock requires a token, the displayed gold cost and the displayed Refine Stones. Players with Forge access do not spend a token, but still pay the action’s normal resource costs.
Read How to refine items for the complete process.
Should I save gold between runs?
In normal mode, gold is kept after death. Saving toward a particular upgrade is a valid choice; you do not need to spend your balance before the run ends.
In Hardcore, death clears your gold. Spending to help the current run can be more attractive, but it still pays to reserve enough for useful offers ahead.
Blessings are run bonuses. Gold invested in a blessing does not create a permanent character upgrade that carries into the next run.
What about selling equipment?
Selling unused equipment is another way to build your gold balance. Compare an item before selling it, especially if it has attributes you need or could be used for merging.
Use bulk selling and automatic selling carefully: their filters decide which items are sold. Keep equipment you may want for another setup until you understand how those settings work.