This guide separates verified mechanics from recommendations. Community references describe some additional relic interactions and Tower rewards, but exact drop rates and an official fastest route are not published.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For the best general farming loop, start a realm on the highest difficulty you can clear consistently, break every seed plant you see, collect all nearby gold, and finish the run whenever possible. Use gold during the run for relics, runes, refreshes or shrines instead of trying to bank it. Convert surplus seeds into leaves through Yggdrasil, but keep enough seeds for the Relic Exchanger or any seed-based features you actively use. If you are searching for diamonds, gems or premium crystals, those names do not match the core currencies verified for Nordic Ashes; the relevant crystal is the Ascension Crystal, used for relic ascension.
Currency basics
What each resource does
Gold is the temporary currency used inside a run. You obtain it mainly by picking up dropped coins, and it can be spent in the shop, on shop refreshes, at gold-cost shrines and on other run-based purchases. The important limitation is that gold is lost when the run ends, so it is not a permanent account balance. Treat it as a resource to convert into power before the next boss, not as money to save for later.
Seeds and leaves are the main long-term progression resources. Seeds are gathered during runs and can be exchanged for leaves in Yggdrasil. Leaves unlock permanent upgrades, so a seed-to-leaf conversion is the normal way to turn repeated runs into account progress. Seeds can also be used in the Relic Exchanger, which means converting every seed immediately is not always optimal.
Ascension Crystals are upgrade materials rather than general-purpose money. They are used to ascend eligible relics after the required level condition is met. In the base-game progression, crystal shrines and certain Tower rooms are the relevant places to look for them. The game does not have a verified standard currency called diamonds or gems in the sources checked for this guide.
- Gold: temporary run currency.
- Seeds: repeatable run resource with Yggdrasil and exchanger uses.
- Leaves: permanent progression currency.
- Ascension Crystals: relic-upgrade material.
- Diamonds and gems: not verified as core currencies.
| Resource | Best use | Can you keep it after a run? | Main farming action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | Buy relics, runes, refreshes and gold-cost rewards | No | Collect coins and convert them into run power |
| Seeds | Yggdrasil leaves or Relic Exchanger purchases | Yes | Break seed plants and collect drops |
| Leaves | Permanent Yggdrasil upgrades | Yes | Complete realm milestones and convert seeds |
| Ascension Crystal | Ascend eligible relics | Yes, when earned as progression | Take crystal rewards from shrines or Tower rooms |
Searches for “gold,” “coins” and “money” generally refer to the same run currency. “Crystals” usually refers to Ascension Crystals, while “diamonds” and “gems” may come from searches for other games or unofficial terminology.
Repeatable route
The best seed and leaf loop
Choose a realm and difficulty that you can clear without repeatedly losing runs. A theoretically harder route is worse for farming if it causes deaths before you collect plants, bosses or end-of-run rewards. Once inside, use the minimap and sweep the full playable area rather than following only the combat path. Seed plants appear across the realms and must be hit several times to release their seeds.
Break seed plants whenever you encounter them, then collect the drops before moving on. Prioritize item attraction or pickup improvements when they appear, because missed seeds are lost value and a wide pickup radius makes the route safer. The official seed update added these plants specifically to provide more seeds per run, making plant collection the most dependable repeatable seed farm documented by the developer.
At the end of each run, compare your seed balance with your next Yggdrasil purchase. Convert enough to unlock a useful permanent node, but retain a reserve if you are saving for the Relic Exchanger. Leaves also come from first-time realm and difficulty completions and from achievements, so progression clears are normally better than endlessly repeating the easiest realm once you can safely push higher difficulties.
- Pick a difficulty with a high clear rate, not merely the highest unlocked setting.
- Use the minimap to sweep for seed plants and unopened rewards.
- Collect plants before leaving their area; do not assume drops will follow you.
- Spend leaves on upgrades that improve pickup, starting power or future resource collection.
- Use first-clear rewards and achievements as a second leaf income stream.
| Goal | Recommended route | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Early permanent upgrades | Clear manageable realms, collect plants, convert seeds | Reliable progress without depending on rare drops |
| Large seed stockpile | Run a familiar realm and sweep every side area | Less time is lost searching, so more plants are collected per attempt |
| Leaves from progression | Push new realms and higher difficulties when survivable | First-time completion rewards add to seed conversions |
| Relic ascension | Target crystal shrines or Tower crystal rooms | These rewards are separate from the ordinary seed loop |
The game developer confirms seed plants and seed-to-leaf progression, but does not publish a single fastest realm or a universal seeds-per-minute ranking. The route above is a practical consistency recommendation, not an official drop-rate claim.
Gold farming
How to get more gold in runs
For ordinary gold farming, collect every coin and spend the total before the run ends. Shop purchases that improve damage, area, cooldown, movement or pickup can indirectly increase future income by helping you survive longer and clear more enemies. If a gold shrine offers a strong relic at a reasonable cost, it can be worthwhile, but do not empty your wallet so early that you cannot buy a key upgrade later.
Relics can improve the return from coin drops. The community reference lists Lucky Coin, Gold Bag, Sack of Gold, Gold Hourglass, Greed and other gold-related effects. Talkor is especially associated with gold: his weapons and relics scale from current gold, and his constellation includes gold-focused upgrades. These effects are useful for a dedicated gold run, but they should not replace a reliable damage build on high difficulty.
Olga’s Blessing can turn an unwanted relic into gold during a run, according to the mechanics reference. This is a good way to recover value from a duplicate or unusable pickup, especially when you need one more purchase or a refresh. Gold can also come from some Yggdrasil effects and from converting experience in the shop, but the exact availability may depend on unlocked progression and current content.
- Collect coins immediately when safe.
- Use gold before the run ends because it is not banked.
- Choose gold relics only when your build can still kill enemies reliably.
- Sell genuinely useless relics through Olga’s Blessing when the extra gold matters.
- Do not chase a coin build if it causes failed clears on a higher difficulty.
| Situation | Best decision |
|---|---|
| You are learning a realm | Prioritize survival and ordinary upgrades over gold synergies. |
| You already clear comfortably | Add gold relics, pickup range and Talkor-related scaling if available. |
| The shop has a weak selection | Consider a refresh only if the remaining run justifies the cost. |
| You are about to finish | Spend remaining gold rather than carrying it into the result screen. |
“Lucky Coin” is documented by the community reference as a gold-related artifact, but exact effects and availability can change with updates. Check the in-game relic description before building around it.
Crystal farming
Where ascension materials fit
Do not treat Ascension Crystals as a replacement for seeds or gold. Their purpose is narrower: they let you ascend eligible relics, including ancestral relics after reaching the required maximum level. Because the reward is tied to specific shrines, rooms or progression nodes, the best route is to choose content that actually contains those rewards rather than repeating a standard realm solely for money.
The Skada Tower is the clearest repeatable crystal-focused route described by the available reference material. Its Ascension Room rewards a crystal, with additional crystal opportunities on deeper floors and possible extra rewards from corruption-related mechanics. This content is more demanding than a normal realm loop, so it is usually a progression target after your permanent upgrades are strong enough to survive it.
If a search asks how to get crystals, first identify which crystal is meant. Ascension Crystals are verified progression items. Crystal-themed relic effects and DLC-specific materials are not interchangeable with them, and no source checked for this guide verifies a general gem or diamond wallet.
- Use normal realm runs for gold, seeds and leaves.
- Use Tower or crystal-shrine content when you specifically need ascension materials.
- Ascend relics only after meeting the level requirement.
- Check the current in-game description because Tower rewards may vary by mode or DLC.
| Search term | Likely in-game meaning | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Crystals | Ascension Crystals | Verified |
| Diamonds | No standard core currency found | Unverified or terminology mismatch |
| Gems | No standard core currency found | Unverified or terminology mismatch |
| Gold or coins | Run currency | Verified |
The May 2026 updates added new realms and modes, but the official announcements do not provide a complete resource table for every DLC activity. Do not assume a new room uses the same rewards as the base-game shop or Tower.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I get coins in Nordic Ashes?
Pick up gold coins dropped during runs, then spend the total in the shop or on other run rewards before the run ends. Gold is temporary and is lost when the run finishes.
How do I get diamonds or gems in Nordic Ashes?
No standard diamond or gem currency is verified in the current sources checked. You may be looking for gold, Yggdrasil leaves, seeds or Ascension Crystals instead.
What is the best gold farm?
The most dependable approach is a safe full clear on the highest difficulty you can consistently finish, with every coin collected and gold-focused relics added only after your damage is secure. There is no officially published best realm or gold-per-minute ranking.
How do I farm seeds?
Run realms, search the whole map and hit every seed plant several times until it releases seeds. The developer added seed plants specifically to increase seed income during runs.
Should I convert all seeds into leaves?
No. Convert enough to reach useful Yggdrasil upgrades, but keep some seeds if you use the Relic Exchanger or another seed-cost feature. Your best split depends on whether permanent upgrades or immediate run power is the current bottleneck.
How do I get Ascension Crystals?
Look for crystal shrines and crystal-focused Tower rooms, then use the material to ascend eligible relics. The exact route can depend on the mode, progression and available DLC content.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement: Update v0.13.9 and seed plants
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement: Update v3.2.1 and current announcement archive
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement: Yggdrasil seed-to-leaf changes
- OfficialOfficial Steam announcement: Ascension Crystals
- CommunityNordic Ashes Wiki: Game Mechanics
- CommunityNordic Ashes Wiki: Relics and gold-related effects