Platform differences are important. The Steam and mobile editions do not have identical hero, shop, monetization, or mode arrangements. If a shop or Endless button is missing, check the edition before assuming the feature is locked.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For battle gold, defeat enemies, call waves early when your defense is ready, and avoid spending on towers that will not cover multiple waves. For permanent progression, complete campaign stages for stars and replay later stages with an underleveled hero for better XP efficiency. For gems, finish one-time achievements and challenges, then use Endless mode as the repeatable loop on editions that support it. Save gems for difficult Endless runs or high-impact consumables rather than ordinary campaign attempts.
Resource map
What each currency actually does
The most common search terms are coins, money, gold, gems, diamonds, and crystals, but Frontiers uses these ideas differently. Gold is the live battlefield economy: it appears during a stage, rises when enemies are defeated or waves are called, and disappears when the stage ends. You cannot permanently stockpile it between missions.
Stars are the permanent upgrade currency. Campaign clears award stars based on performance, while Heroic and Iron challenges add further stars. These unlock the global tower and spell upgrade trees, so replaying a mission for a better clear can improve future farming efficiency.
Gems are the persistent shop currency on supported versions. They buy consumable battlefield items through the item or gnome shop. Some mobile editions also sell gem packs and individual heroes, while Steam uses a different ownership model and does not use the same microtransaction setup.
There is no well-supported evidence of a separate crafting-material system in Frontiers. Searches for crystals usually refer to gems, stars, or another Kingdom Rush game. Treat any guide promising a crystal mine, material conversion, or a permanent gold bank as unreliable unless it clearly identifies a different title.
- Gold: temporary stage economy.
- Stars: permanent tower and spell upgrades.
- Gems: persistent shop currency where supported.
- Hero XP: permanent level progression for the selected hero.
- Crystals and crafting materials: not verified as standard Frontiers resources.
| Resource | Best source | Best use | Can it be stockpiled? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Enemy kills and early wave calls | Build and upgrade the current defense | No; it resets between stages |
| Stars | Campaign, Heroic, and Iron clears | Permanent upgrades | Yes |
| Gems | Achievements, challenges, and Endless rewards where available | Shop consumables | Yes, on supported editions |
| Hero XP | Using a hero in completed stages | Hero levels and ability points | Progress persists per hero |
If someone asks how to get diamonds in Kingdom Rush Frontiers, they almost certainly mean gems. The game does not present diamonds as a separate standard currency.
Battle loop
How to earn more gold inside a stage
The best gold farm is not a particular map with a permanent payout. Gold is generated by the current wave schedule, so efficient play matters more than repeating a supposedly rich mission. Enemies provide the normal income, and calling a wave before the timer expires gives an additional early-call bonus. The earlier the call, the more valuable the bonus can be, but only call early when the defense can handle the next group.
Use this loop whenever a stage allows it. First, inspect the next wave so you know whether it contains flying, armored, fast, or swarm enemies. Second, spend only enough to stop the immediate threat. Third, call the next wave once the current enemies are under control. Finally, direct the saved gold into a shared choke point rather than scattering expensive upgrades across empty build spots.
Do not confuse more gold with better income. A tower that kills enemies quickly can pay for itself through survival and wave bonuses, while an expensive specialist placed too early may leave the rest of the map uncovered. Sell or rebuild only when the replacement meaningfully improves coverage; otherwise, the lost investment slows the next wave.
Assassins and other abilities that steal or generate extra gold can improve a run when the map and mode permit them, but their value depends on surviving long enough to use them. They are an optimization, not a universal farming requirement.
- Call waves early after checking their enemy composition.
- Build a reliable first defense before chasing bonus income.
- Concentrate upgrades around high-traffic choke points.
- Keep enough gold for the next counter, especially anti-air coverage.
- Do not expect campaign gold to carry into the next stage.
| Goal | Recommended route | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Fast campaign progress | Call safe waves early and spend on coverage | You gain bonus income without sacrificing lives |
| Reliable three-star clears | Prioritize survival, then call waves early | A clean defense creates more opportunities for safe bonuses |
| Endless preparation | Save for a stable core before aggressive calls | Later waves punish fragile defenses more than slow spending does |
There is no universally best gold map. Enemy composition, difficulty, tower access, and your ability to call waves safely matter more than a nominal starting-gold number.
Permanent progress
The best routes for gems, stars, and hero XP
For stars, the efficient route is simple: clear each campaign stage, then return for missing stars when your upgrades or hero levels make the attempt easier. Heroic and Iron modes are worthwhile because each completed challenge contributes a star, but they are not a gold-farming mode and should not be treated as repeatable income.
For gems, clear one-time achievements and exploration objectives while progressing normally. They are better treated as a completion reward than as a resource to grind in the opening campaign. Once Endless mode is unlocked, it becomes the most useful repeatable route on supported editions. Ironhide's PC and Mac update specifically describes gems being won in-game and exchanged in the gnome shop. The exact reward schedule is not consistently documented across platforms, so do not rely on a fixed gems-per-wave number.
For hero XP, replay a later stage that you can finish consistently with the hero you want to level. Frontiers gives heroes persistent levels, and community reference data identifies higher expected hero levels in later campaign areas. That means a weak hero can gain better progress in a late stage than in the opening tutorial, provided the defense can keep the hero active and alive.
A practical XP loop is to select one hero, use them in every safe engagement, replay the latest reliable campaign or challenge stage, and stop once the hero reaches level 10. Do not sacrifice a clear merely to make the hero land more kills; completing the stage is usually the better progression result.
- Stars: finish campaign stages, then add Heroic and Iron clears.
- Gems: complete achievements first; use Endless for repeatable farming where available.
- Hero XP: replay the latest stage you can clear consistently.
- Use lower difficulty for XP practice if it lets the hero participate more safely, but verify that your edition awards progress as expected.
- No verified crystal or crafting-material loop exists in the standard economy.
| Resource target | Early route | Endgame route |
|---|---|---|
| Stars | Campaign clears with as many lives as possible | Heroic and Iron challenges |
| Gems | Achievements and hidden objectives | Endless mode and its repeatable rewards |
| Hero XP | Latest safe campaign stage | Late campaign or post-campaign stage with active hero use |
Ironhide confirms the PC and Mac Endless gem shop, but official pages do not publish a universal reward table. Gem income and shop availability can differ between mobile, Steam, and other ports.
Spending plan
How to avoid wasting your resources
Spend stars on upgrades that improve several tower types or core spells before chasing narrow bonuses. This makes every later stage easier and increases the number of waves you can safely call early. Resetting or changing upgrade choices is useful when a map has a very different enemy mix, so do not treat an early build as permanent.
Spend gems on items that solve a specific failure point. A revive, area attack, or emergency reinforcement is most valuable when it turns a near-clear into a completed Endless run or difficult campaign victory. Using consumables automatically on ordinary early stages gives less value because those missions can usually be solved through placement and timing.
On mobile, check whether a hero or gem purchase is available before planning around it. On Steam, the hero and shop arrangement differs from mobile, and Ironhide's official PC update added Endless content and a gnome shop rather than simply copying the mobile store.
- Upgrade broadly before specializing.
- Reserve gems for hard clears and Endless attempts.
- Do not buy a resource pack expecting permanent battlefield gold.
- Check platform-specific shop and hero rules before following a mobile farming guide.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I get coins in Kingdom Rush Frontiers?
The game generally calls this resource gold. Defeat enemies, call safe waves early for the bonus, and spend the income on towers and upgrades during that stage. Gold does not carry between missions.
How do I get gems in Kingdom Rush Frontiers?
Earn them through achievements, challenges, and supported Endless-mode rewards. Mobile editions may also sell gem packs. The exact sources and shop behavior depend on the platform.
What is the best gold farm?
There is no permanent gold farm. The strongest repeatable method is to replay a stage you can clear comfortably, call waves early after checking their composition, and keep spending focused around high-traffic areas.
Can I farm crystals or crafting materials?
No standard crystal or crafting-material system is verified for Frontiers. Those terms are usually confusion with gems, stars, or another Kingdom Rush game.
What is the best XP farm for heroes?
Use the latest campaign or challenge stage that you can clear consistently with the selected hero. Later stages generally provide better hero-XP conditions, but a reliable clear is more valuable than repeatedly failing a harder map.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialIronhide PC and Mac Endless update
- OfficialOfficial Steam Endless announcement
- OfficialKingdom Rush Frontiers official strategy guide
- OfficialKingdom Rush Frontiers App Store listing
- ReferenceFrontiers Steam achievements list
- CommunityFrontiers hero progression reference
- ReferenceFrontiers strategy and early-wave income tips