Gold is a between-battle currency
You collect gold during a run and spend it at shops and services between battles. Unlike cards, gold does not stay in your deck. It buys the pieces that make the deck work.
Because the spend happens between fights, every purchase is a choice about the next battle, not the last one. Spend for the fights ahead.
Where gold comes from
Gold arrives from winning battles and from specific nodes on the map. The amounts shift with your route and covenant, so we describe the flow rather than quote fixed totals. The habit is what matters: notice which nodes pay.
Plan your route around the nodes that fund your plan. A route with no gold leaves you unable to upgrade when it counts.
Spend on the gap first
The best shop buy is the card your deck is missing. If your front line is thin, buy defense. If your scaling is slow, buy a scaler. The gap defines the purchase, not the rarity tag.
Removal is the second priority when your deck carries filler. The card removal guide explains why a smaller deck draws better. Spend gold there without guilt.
Relics are conditional
Relics in shops are tempting, but only take one that fits. A relic that needs a plan you are not running is a dead buy. The artifact priorities page ranks what to value.
When in doubt, the card that completes your plan beats the relic that might. Certainty outperforms potential.
Saving is a valid move
You do not have to spend at every shop. If the offers miss your plan, keep the gold for a node that hits. Forced spending into bad fits is the quieter way runs waste their economy.
The skill is patience. Hold gold until a buy clearly strengthens the deck, then commit without hesitation.
One rule for the shop
Before buying, name the gap the purchase fills. If you cannot name it, do not buy. That rule keeps gold aimed at the next battle instead of the display case.
Next: Upgrade strategy.