Currency names and values can change with patches. The sources confirm the systems below, but they do not provide a complete current drop-rate table for every map and Corruption level.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
To farm efficiently, start a run on the highest Corruption level you can clear consistently. Keep moving through enemy groups, collect all gold, nightshards, bloodgems, experience, and material drops, and search for Gold Altars and Nightshard Altars. Visit Vendors for useful upgrades and currency bundles, but spend Hunter Points before the run ends because they are temporary. In Endless mode, convert spare permanent currencies into Shining Coins and use the Smuggler for permanent stat upgrades. There is no verified current system specifically called diamonds; player references to gems generally correspond to nightshards, while bloodgems are a separate currency.
Verified currency guide
What each currency does
Scarlet Tower has five documented currency types: gold, nightshards, bloodgems, Hunter Points, and Shining Coins. The permanent currencies support different progression systems, so farming one resource does not automatically replace another.
Gold is used for hero passive upgrades, familiar ability upgrades, lesser rune enchants, hero stats, talents, and gear enchantment or reforging. Nightshards are used for hero glyph upgrades, level-two familiar abilities, medium rune enchants, and offensive or defensive talent-row unlocks. Bloodgems support hero ultimate upgrades, level-three familiar abilities, and greater rune enchants.
Hunter Points are earned by killing enemies during a run. They can buy Vendor weapons, potions, and gold or nightshard bundles, but the balance disappears after the run. Shining Coins are created by exchanging gold, nightshards, or bloodgems and are spent on permanent stat upgrades from the Smuggler, who appears only in Endless mode.
- Treat gold as the general-purpose upgrade currency.
- Save nightshards and bloodgems for the progression system you are actively building.
- Do not leave a run with unspent Hunter Points if the Vendor has something useful.
| Resource | Main sources | Main uses |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Enemy kills, achievements, Gold Altars | Hero, talent, rune, familiar, and gear upgrades |
| Nightshards | Enemy kills, achievements, Nightshard Altars | Glyphs, talent rows, familiars, and rune enchants |
| Bloodgems | Enemy kills and achievements | Ultimates, familiars, and greater rune enchants |
| Hunter Points | Enemy kills during a run | Vendor weapons, potions, and currency bundles |
| Shining Coins | Currency exchange | Endless-mode Smuggler upgrades |
The verified guide uses nightshards and bloodgems, not diamonds. If a community guide says gems, crystals, or diamonds, check its date and context before assuming it describes a separate permanent currency.
Best repeatable route
How to farm gold and permanent currencies
The safest repeatable loop is a complete combat run at the highest difficulty you can finish reliably. Enemy kills are the shared source for gold, nightshards, bloodgems, and temporary Hunter Points, so a build that kills quickly while collecting drops will usually outperform a risky difficulty increase that causes an early death.
Search the map for Gold Altars and Nightshard Altars. The documented guide describes these altars as spawning the corresponding drops in a circle around the shrine. Pick up the entire area before moving on. Air Totems are particularly valuable when available because they pull dropped and spawned items toward you, including currency and other pickups.
Torches are also worth checking. The documented map-interactable list says orange and purple light torches can drop food and currency when destroyed. They are not a replacement for enemy farming, but clearing them during normal movement adds income without requiring a separate detour.
For a practical route, begin by clearing nearby enemies, collect the first wave of drops, inspect nearby points of interest, then continue in a wide loop rather than crossing the same empty ground repeatedly. Return to an altar or dense drop area only when your build can do so without losing too much time or health.
- Raise Corruption only when your clear speed and survival remain stable.
- Prioritize pickup range, movement speed, and damage if they let you collect more drops per minute.
- Use a full-run comparison: record currency gained and run time over three attempts instead of trusting one lucky result.
| Goal | Recommended approach | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Kill density plus Gold Altars and normal pickups | A slow build that survives but clears few enemies |
| Nightshards | Kill continuously and detour for Nightshard Altars | Spending all of them on convenience before planned glyph or talent upgrades |
| Bloodgems | Complete runs and claim achievement rewards | Assuming a separate gem shop exists without current evidence |
| Hunter Points | Spend them at the Vendor before extraction or death | Saving them for the next run |
The sources confirm where currencies come from, but they do not establish one universally best map, character, or Corruption level for every account. Your best farm is the route with the highest consistent currency per minute.
Materials and progression
Farming upgrade materials without wasting runs
Gear enhancement uses gold plus green, blue, and purple materials. The documented enhancement table shows that early levels consume mostly green materials, mid-level upgrades add blue materials, and the later levels require substantial blue and purple materials. This makes it inefficient to spend every run only on gold when your next bottleneck is a higher-tier material.
A strong progression loop is to choose one gear target, run content you can clear consistently, and keep enough gold for the next enhancement while banking the material tier you lack. Upgrade a reliable core item first rather than spreading resources across every piece. Once gear reaches the documented enhancement cap of +20, reforging becomes available, but it also consumes gold and materials, so rerolling should wait until the item is worth keeping.
Vendor flasks can improve a farming route. Gathering Range, Luck, Greed, movement speed, and damage are sensible priorities when they directly increase pickup coverage or kill speed. However, these are recommendations rather than universal rankings; defensive flasks may be better if survival is the reason a run ends early.
- Farm the material tier that blocks your next meaningful upgrade.
- Do not reforge temporary or low-quality gear simply because you have spare materials.
- Compare completed-run gains, not the number of drops seen during the run.
| Bottleneck | What to prioritize | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Green materials | Frequent early and mid-level runs | Early enhancement levels use them heavily |
| Blue materials | Longer successful runs and gear-focused farming | They become important through the middle and late enhancement range |
| Purple materials | High-end progression and deliberate target farming | They are required for late enhancements and reforging |
| Gold | Kills, altars, and steady upgrades | It is needed alongside every material tier |
The available reference lists material costs but does not provide a complete, current material drop table by map or enemy. Do not treat an unverified map ranking as definitive.
Endless and vendor loop
When to use Vendors, exchanges, and the Smuggler
The Vendor appears across maps and accepts Hunter Points. Its documented inventory includes weapons, potions, flasks, and bundles containing gold or nightshards. The best purchase depends on your immediate objective: a build-enabling weapon can be worth more than a small currency bundle, while a gathering or movement flask can improve every later run.
Shining Coins are different from Hunter Points. They are made through the currency exchange menu using gold, nightshards, or bloodgems. The Smuggler appears only in Endless mode and sells permanent stat upgrades for Shining Coins. The available guide lists map-dependent upgrades, including attack speed and spell acceleration in Scarlet Tower, with each listed stat having a finite purchase limit.
Use Endless mode for long-term Smuggler progression only after you can survive long enough for the permanent upgrades to matter. For early progression, a normal successful run that pays for several direct upgrades is usually more practical than forcing Endless mode and losing the opportunity to spend temporary currency.
- Buy a Vendor weapon when it completes or substantially improves your build.
- Use currency bundles when they solve an immediate upgrade bottleneck, not automatically.
- Convert currencies into Shining Coins when you are actively saving for a Smuggler upgrade.
| Situation | Best action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Early progression | Spend Hunter Points on build power or useful flasks | Immediate combat strength improves later farming |
| Gold shortage | Keep clearing enemies and seek Gold Altars | Gold is a core cost across many systems |
| Nightshard shortage | Prioritize Nightshard Altars and avoid unnecessary exchanges | Nightshards support glyphs, talents, and familiars |
| Endless progression | Exchange surplus currencies and visit the Smuggler | Shining Coins buy permanent regional stat upgrades |
The sources do not verify that every shop inventory or exchange ratio remains unchanged after version 2.0.9. Check the in-game purchase screen before committing a large stockpile.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I get coins in Scarlet Tower?
The game uses several currency names. Gold, nightshards, and bloodgems mainly come from enemy kills and achievements, while Hunter Points come from kills during the current run. Gold and Nightshard Altars provide additional targeted pickups.
How do I get diamonds or gems in Scarlet Tower?
No separate current diamond currency is verified in the available references. Community wording may use gems for nightshards or may refer to bloodgems. Check the exact icon and in-game label before following a farming recommendation.
What is the best gold farm?
Run the highest Corruption level you can clear consistently, maximize enemy kills, collect every drop, and search for Gold Altars. A slightly easier run with better clear speed can beat a harder run that causes deaths or missed pickups.
Do Hunter Points carry over between runs?
The documented currency guide says Hunter Points disappear after each run. Spend them at the Vendor before the run ends.
Where do Shining Coins come from?
They come from exchanging gold, nightshards, or bloodgems in the currency exchange menu. They are used for permanent stat upgrades from the Endless-mode Smuggler.
What should I farm for gear upgrades?
Farm the material tier required by your next planned enhancement, while keeping enough gold for the upgrade itself. Green, blue, and purple materials become increasingly important at different enhancement ranges, so target the current bottleneck rather than farming one resource blindly.
Sources
What we checked
Official listings establish current availability and product facts. Community pages are used for mechanics and build history, then labeled separately.