Income: 19 gold per second + 3 per workshop (up to four: 200, 350, 550, 800 gold) + 4 from the mine. Workshops pay back in 67 / 117 / 183 / 267 seconds. A killed unit gives 10% of its price, a line 150 / 250 / 400. You cannot hold more than 2400.
Gold sources
| Source | Amount | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Start | 200 | at the start of the battle |
| Base income | 19 per second | always |
| Workshop | +3 per second each | up to four |
| The mine | +4 per second | held by your army with no enemy nearby |
| Killed unit | 10% of its price | per kill |
| Destroyed line | 150 / 250 / 400 | palisade / wall / citadel |
| Undoing a wave | 100% of what was paid | while units have not left the field |
You cannot hold more than 2400 gold: anything above is lost. If you are close to it you are saving for too long.
Workshops: payback calculation
A workshop gives +3 gold per second. Payback time is the price divided by 3:
| Workshop | Price | Pays back in | Total spent |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | 200 | 67 s | 200 |
| #2 | 350 | 117 s | 550 |
| #3 | 550 | 183 s | 1100 |
| #4 | 800 | 267 s | 1900 |
All four workshops cost 1900 gold and give +12 per second. Built by minute 4, over the rest of a 10-minute battle they bring about 4320 gold compared with 11400 of base income: that is +38% on top of the base income, and the net profit after the 1900 cost is about 2420. The longer the battle, the better each next workshop is.
The mine
The mine stands in the center of the field. To get it, your army must be nearby and the enemy army must not. Then you get +4 per second, about 21% of the base income. If both armies are nearby the mine is contested and gives gold to nobody. The mine is also a landmark: the fight for the mine decides the tempo of the whole clash.
What to spend on
Gold goes into three streams. Do not forget any of them:
- The army. New waves to win the fight for the field.
- The castle. Unlocks higher-tier units and enlarges the wave: more.
- Development. Workshops and attack (+10% per level) and armor (+1 per level) upgrades that cost 60, 130, 240, 400, 650 gold.
The surcharge on old units
A unit's price grows by 25% for every castle level above its tier. Example: a militia (30 gold, tier 1) costs 30, 38, 45, 53, 60 at castle levels 1–5. At high levels it is better to build the army from higher-tier units. Each unit's price by level is on its page: the unit reference.
Kill bounties
For a killed unit you get 10% of its price: killing a Gryphon rider (620) gives 62 gold, a Scamp (25) only 2–3. So expensive units must be protected: losing them hands gold to the enemy. The Call of the pack spell summons units that give no bounty.
Three tips
- Do not spend money too early: if you are about to upgrade the castle, do not buy “just in case”.
- The castle is often more important than a workshop: a strong unit evens a fight faster than +3 gold per second.
- In mirror matches the winner built workshops in time and holds the mine.
FAQ
When should I build the first workshop?
As soon as there is no urgent need for units after the first wave, usually in the first 1–2 minutes. It pays back in 67 seconds and works for the whole match.
Is it worth building all four workshops?
If the match lasts more than 8–9 minutes, yes: the fourth pays back in 267 seconds (about 4 min 27 s). In a short, hard fight money is more useful in the army.