Fast answer
The answer before the background
To farm bad north coins, defend islands with the largest number of houses that you can protect reliably. Keep houses from burning, because destroyed houses reduce your payout. On the campaign map, compare the Gold value and enemy types before committing, then take multiple manageable islands on the same turn when the route allows it. Save the shared Gold Bank for squad-class upgrades and essential unit improvements rather than spreading small purchases across every commander. There are no verified bad north diamonds, bad north gems or bad north crystals used as separate currencies in Jotunn Edition; the resource you are farming is Gold.
Verified economy
What currencies and materials exist?
Bad North: Jotunn Edition is built around Gold rather than a multi-currency system. The developer’s Jotunn Edition patch notes specifically describe Gold being deposited into a shared Gold Bank instead of being tracked separately for each commander. That means an island’s payout can be spent on any eligible squad or commander in the campaign, not only the units that fought there. (badnorth.com )
Gold is awarded after a successful defence according to the houses left standing. Community reference material identifies small, medium and large houses as worth 1, 2 and 3 coins respectively. Treat those values as a practical reference rather than a guaranteed payout table for every platform or difficulty, because the developer does not publish a complete current island-value list. (bad-north.fandom.com )
Items, commanders and traits are progression rewards, not separate currencies or crafting materials. In particular, searches of the official Jotunn Edition notes and store information do not verify any spendable diamonds, gems or crystals. If a guide labels Gold as ‘money’, ‘coins’ or ‘gold’, it is referring to the same campaign resource.
- Gold: the campaign currency used for upgrades.
- Items: found on Item Islands and assigned to commanders.
- Traits: passive commander bonuses and meta-progression unlocks.
- Materials, diamonds, gems and crystals: no separate verified Jotunn Edition resource system.
Players often search for ‘bad north currency guide’, ‘bad north gold’ or ‘how to get coins in Bad North’. These terms all point to the shared Gold Bank. ‘Bad North crystals’ and similar searches do not match a documented in-game currency.
Best repeatable method
The best Gold farm is a safe island route
There is no confirmed endless farm where one island respawns unlimited Gold. A normal campaign presents a finite sequence of islands, while the Viking Frontier and mist progressively remove options. Community rules references state that when the mist overtakes a turn-line, the islands inside it can no longer be replayed and their resources are lost. (bad-north.fandom.com )
The practical repeatable loop is therefore strategic: inspect the map, select a profitable island, defend it with minimal losses, spend Gold efficiently, and repeat on the next available turn. Jotunn Edition helps this process by showing upcoming enemy types and making multiple islands per turn a more viable choice. (badnorth.com )
- At the map, compare house count, displayed Gold and enemy composition.
- Prefer several medium-value islands that match your roster over one high-threat island.
- If two islands are available before the next mist movement, clear both only when your commanders can survive the fatigue and unit losses.
- Do not chase a high-Gold island if losing houses, a commander or a key squad would cost more than the payout.
| Route choice | Recommendation | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Many houses, manageable enemies | Best farming target | High payout with a strong chance of preserving the buildings. |
| Rare high-Gold island | Situational | The official patch notes warn that high-Gold islands have corresponding threat levels. |
| Checkpoint island | Safety choice | Useful for securing a reset point, but not a dedicated Gold farm. |
| Item or commander island | Progression choice | Take it for the reward when needed; do not assume it is the best coin-per-risk option. |
Island generation and your available commanders change the correct route. The safest reliable Gold per attempt is usually better than the highest number shown on the map.
Battle procedure
How to maximise each island payout
1. Read the enemy preview before starting. Choose units that counter the incoming threats so you can preserve houses and avoid emergency losses. Jotunn Edition added enemy-type previews specifically to support more informed campaign decisions. (badnorth.com )
2. Protect the houses first. Vikings can damage or burn buildings, and a house that is destroyed no longer contributes its value to the end-of-island payout. Keep a reserve unit near vulnerable buildings rather than committing every squad to the first landing.
3. Use terrain and retreats to prevent avoidable casualties. A technically successful defence can still be a poor farming result if it leaves squads understrength and forces expensive replenishment or delays the next island.
4. Finish the defence cleanly, then check the shared Gold Bank before buying. Because Gold is shared, upgrade the squad that improves your next few battles rather than automatically upgrading the commander who just fought.
5. If you have Philosopher’s Stone, equip it before future defences. The official patch notes confirm that it adds additional Gold to the economy; the exact contribution and best upgrade timing should be treated as version- and item-level dependent rather than guessed. (badnorth.com )
- Keep buildings alive; killing every Viking is not the only measure of a good result.
- Avoid spending all Gold immediately before a dangerous route branch.
- Use replayable levels only as a safety or practice option, not as a verified infinite-money exploit. The feature must be enabled when starting a new campaign. (badnorth.com )
Prioritise upgrades that let you defend more houses and survive more enemy types. A stronger core squad usually produces more future Gold than several unfinished upgrades.
Progression loop
A practical resource route for a full campaign
Early campaign: buy the minimum class and squad upgrades needed to cover the enemy types shown on nearby islands. Avoid over-investing in one commander if another unit is required for archers, shields or armoured threats.
Middle campaign: build a route around reliable house preservation. Take an Item Island when its reward solves a specific weakness, and consider a high-Gold island only if your roster has the counters required for its previewed enemies. The official patch notes confirm that Item Islands can contain the Jotunn Edition additions, including Mines, Jabena, Philosopher’s Stone and Holy Grail. (badnorth.com )
Late campaign: spend the shared bank on proven upgrades rather than saving for a theoretical jackpot. The mist makes delay costly, and a skipped island’s resources may be lost when its turn-line is overtaken. If a checkpoint is available, weigh its safety value against the Gold you could earn from another route; the checkpoint is primarily a reset point, not a currency node. (bad-north.fandom.com )
- Choose routes by Gold gained per risk, not Gold shown alone.
- Defend more houses before seeking more expensive upgrades.
- Treat items as ways to improve future income and survival, not as materials to sell.
- Restarting a failed battle can protect a good campaign route when that option was enabled at campaign creation.
The developer documents the economy’s rules but does not provide a complete public payout formula for every island, difficulty and platform. Exact ‘best gold farm’ rankings should therefore be presented as recommendations, not fixed facts.
FAQ
Common questions
How do you get coins in Bad North?
Defend islands and preserve their houses. The surviving buildings determine the Gold payout, which is added to the shared Gold Bank after the battle. Small, medium and large houses are commonly documented as worth 1, 2 and 3 coins respectively, but exact island totals can vary. (bad-north.fandom.com )
What are the best bad north coins farming targets?
The best targets are islands with many houses and enemy types your current roster can counter. Rare high-Gold islands can pay more, but the official patch notes warn that they also carry higher threat levels. (badnorth.com )
How do you get diamonds or gems in Bad North?
There is no verified diamond or gem currency in the standard Bad North: Jotunn Edition economy. Gold is the documented spendable campaign resource; items and traits are progression rewards rather than gems or crafting materials.
Are bad north crystals a real resource?
No separate crystal resource is documented for Jotunn Edition. If you are following a guide that mentions crystals, diamonds or gems, it may be confusing Bad North with another game or using unofficial terminology.
Can you farm the same island forever?
No verified infinite Gold loop is documented. Campaign islands are finite, and the mist can remove unplayed islands and their resources. Replayable Levels is an optional campaign setting for replaying or restarting levels, but the official notes do not describe it as an unlimited currency exploit. (badnorth.com )
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.