Older guides often describe pre-1.3 corpse rewards and item quality. Treat exact numbers from those guides as outdated unless they match your current build.
Fast answer
The answer before the background
For reliable income, build toward Gold Mines and upgrade their production before investing heavily in optional buildings. Use Scavenger Camps when walls, gates and defenses are your bottleneck. During each day, assign leftover workers to the best available ruin or corpse pile, then sell unwanted equipment rather than hoarding it. Corpse farming works by concentrating kills near the Haven and on the same tiles, but it is a bonus loop, not a replacement for a stable mine-and-camp economy. Tainted Essence comes primarily from killing enemies and completing achievements; it is spent on permanent progression. The game does not currently use a verified standalone diamonds, gems or crystals currency.
Know the resources
Coins, materials and the currency names that matter
The main run resources are Gold, Materials and Workers. Gold pays for buildings, upgrades, heroes, equipment and several other day-phase purchases. Materials build and repair walls, gates and defenses, and they also support some construction and production choices. Workers are not currency, but they are the action budget that converts buildings, ruins and corpses into resources.
Tainted Essence is different. It persists as meta-progression currency between runs and is collected mainly from enemy kills, with additional gains from achievements and certain effects. It is spent in the Oraculum for permanent improvements and unlocks. Do not confuse it with the Gold and Materials used inside a single Haven.
Searches for diamonds, gems or crystals usually come from terminology borrowed from another game or from an outdated explanation. The current resource system has no verified separate spendable currency with those names. If a guide says “purple or gold,” it is probably discussing item quality, not an extra currency. Check the item panel before spending resources.
- Gold: flexible economy resource for the current run.
- Materials: construction and defensive resource for the current run.
- Tainted Essence: persistent meta-progression resource.
- Mana and health: important hero resources, but not farmable currencies.
- Diamonds, gems and crystals: no verified standalone currency in the current system.
| Resource | Best repeatable sources | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | Gold Mines, houses, gold-focused scavenging, selling spare gear | Buildings, workers, heroes and equipment |
| Materials | Scavenger Camps, material-focused scavenging, corpse resource actions | Walls, gates, defenses and construction |
| Tainted Essence | Enemy kills, achievements and relevant hero effects | Permanent Oraculum progression |
The resource categories are consistent across official game material and current references. Exact worker efficiency and corpse values are balance-sensitive, so the recommendations below are practical priorities rather than universal mathematical laws.
Build the economy
The safest gold and material route
Start by protecting the economy you already have. A Gold Mine is most valuable when its production upgrades are active and you can staff it consistently. Build more mines only when you can afford the construction cost without weakening the next night. Houses increase your worker pool and usually make the rest of the economy scale better, but an extra worker is only valuable if you have productive assignments available.
Use Scavenger Camps when Materials are limiting your defenses. A common mistake is to chase Gold long after the Haven is already solvent while leaving too few Materials for walls, gates, traps or repairs. Your correct ratio changes by map, night and difficulty: early runs often need Gold to unlock the economy, while later nights can demand a large material stockpile.
Ruins are immediate, low-investment income. Scavenge them when a worker would otherwise be idle, when you need a small amount of Gold to complete a purchase, or when clearing the tile creates a useful building position. Do not delay a Mine or Camp upgrade just to harvest a low-value ruin if that worker can produce more over several nights.
- Early priority: secure enough Gold for workers, the first economy building and essential equipment.
- Mid-run priority: add production upgrades and balance Gold against Materials.
- Late priority: spend surplus Gold on strong equipment and defenses instead of saving indefinitely.
- Sell obsolete or unusable equipment when the money changes the next night’s outcome.
| Situation | Preferred action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Gold shortage | Gold Mine or gold-focused scavenging | Gold unlocks more economy and equipment options. |
| Material shortage | Scavenger Camp or material-focused scavenging | Materials directly preserve the Haven and its defenses. |
| Idle worker | Ruins or a corpse action | A small immediate return is better than unused labor. |
| Strong economy | Production buildings and equipment | Scaling production usually beats repeatedly clearing tiny rewards. |
Do not copy a fixed build order blindly. The best farm is the one that solves the resource currently preventing you from surviving the next night.
Corpse farming
How the corpse loop works now
Enemies killed close to the Haven and multiple enemies killed on the same tile are more likely to produce larger corpse formations. During the day, workers can scavenge those formations for Gold, Materials, Tainted Essence or equipment, depending on the corpse type and available action. Larger formations can also remain as obstacles, so harvesting them is not always mandatory.
To create a corpse-focused route, let enemies approach a controlled kill zone near the Haven, concentrate kills where possible, and preserve enough movement and damage to finish the night safely. Place the zone where corpses will not block a critical wall, building or escape route. On the next day, compare each corpse action with the best Mine, Camp or ruin assignment before committing workers.
The important current adjustment is economic. Older strategies treated large corpse piles as an overwhelmingly efficient gold and item farm. Post-1.3 discussions and patch coverage describe reduced or rebalanced corpse rewards and lower average item value. Large piles can still be excellent for mixed resources or emergency Materials, but a stable Mine or Camp is usually the better foundation.
- Farm corpses only when the kill zone is safe and repeatable.
- Prefer large piles when you need several resource types at once.
- Use small corpses for immediate Gold or Materials when a worker has no better assignment.
- Keep elite corpse rewards separate in your calculations because they can include stronger mixed rewards.
- Never allow enemies into the Haven merely to improve a corpse roll.
| Corpse choice | Use when | Avoid when |
|---|---|---|
| Gold focus | You need a precise amount to buy an upgrade or item | A Mine upgrade would produce more over future nights |
| Material focus | Defenses or repairs are the immediate bottleneck | Your Haven is already short on Gold for essential gear |
| Item focus | You need a chance at equipment and can sell or use the result | You need guaranteed resources to survive tonight |
| Leave in place | The corpse blocks enemies or provides useful cover | It occupies a building tile or will decay before it helps |
Corpse farming remains a valid flexible loop, but it is no longer safe to assume that every large corpse pile is the best gold or item action. Compare it against your production buildings and the next-night threat.
Meta progression
The best way to farm Tainted Essence
Tainted Essence is earned by playing through nights and killing enemies, then supplemented by achievement-style milestones. The most dependable approach is therefore to improve clear speed and survival rather than repeatedly resetting for a narrow trick. A run that survives more nights and defeats more enemies usually provides more useful progression than a greedy attempt that collapses early.
Some heroes, perks or effects can add Essence-related rewards. Treat those bonuses as an enhancement to a successful combat plan, not as a reason to choose a weak build. If a Soul Reaper-style effect is available in your run, use it when the hero can safely secure kills without compromising the defense.
After a run, spend Essence on permanent upgrades that improve future consistency. Economy bonuses, starting resources and production-related unlocks can make later farming easier, but exact priorities depend on what the Oraculum has already unlocked in your profile.
- Kill enemies safely rather than ending nights early without a reason.
- Complete achievable milestones naturally during normal runs.
- Use Essence bonuses only when they fit a reliable combat build.
- Spend persistent currency on upgrades that improve repeatability, not just one spectacular run.
| Goal | Reliable method | Risky method |
|---|---|---|
| More Essence per run | Survive additional nights and secure kills | Delaying victory while the Haven is exposed |
| Better economy | Unlock and upgrade production buildings | Relying only on random corpse outcomes |
| More equipment | Use corpse item actions, shops and production buildings | Choosing item loot when defenses are failing |
The existence of kill-based Essence collection and permanent Oraculum spending is well established. Exact returns from individual kills, achievements or hero effects should be checked in the current in-game collection screen.
Repeatable route
A practical day-to-night farming loop
At the start of the day, check the next wave and identify the resource that can actually prevent survival: Gold for a weapon or worker, Materials for a wall or defense, or equipment for a damage breakpoint. Assign workers to upgraded production first, then use remaining workers on the highest-value ruin or corpse action.
During deployment and the night, keep the economy safe. Kill enemies in controlled lanes, avoid unnecessary panic and preserve a central fallback position. If you are intentionally building corpses, concentrate kills without sacrificing the Haven’s defensive geometry.
Before ending the day, spend enough Gold to fix immediate combat weaknesses and enough Materials to repair or reinforce the threatened side. A resource left unspent is not automatically wasted, but a missing wall, weapon or worker can erase several nights of future income.
- Check the next wave before choosing between Gold and Materials.
- Staff upgraded buildings before low-value scavenging.
- Use corpses as flexible bonus income, not guaranteed passive wealth.
- Convert spare equipment into Gold when it funds an immediate power spike.
- Review the next night before committing to a greedy economy turn.
| Phase | Action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Morning | Read threats and count available workers | Prevents farming the wrong resource. |
| Production | Staff upgraded Mines and Camps | Buildings provide repeatable income. |
| Scavenging | Use ruins and corpses with leftover workers | Turns spare labor into immediate value. |
| Preparation | Buy key gear and repair defenses | Survival protects all future income. |
| Night | Concentrate safe kills and preserve the Haven | Supports both victory and Essence collection. |
The strongest repeatable loop is production first, scavenging second, corpse farming when favorable, and combat survival throughout. Treat any exact gold-per-worker claim from an older guide as a historical snapshot unless the current game confirms it.
FAQ
Common questions
How do I get coins in The Last Spell?
The game calls its main run currency Gold. Get it from Gold Mines, houses, Gold-focused scavenging, corpse actions and selling equipment. The most reliable long-term route is upgraded production supported by enough workers.
How do I get diamonds or gems in The Last Spell?
There is no verified separate diamonds or gems currency in the current resource system. You may be seeing a guide that uses informal wording for Gold, Tainted Essence or item rarity. Check the exact icon and label in the game before following the advice.
Is corpse farming still the best gold farm?
Not as a universal rule. Corpse piles are excellent when they provide the mix of Gold, Materials, Essence or items that your Haven needs, but current post-1.3 balance makes mines and camps a safer foundation for repeatable income.
What is the best use of a large corpse pile?
Choose the action that solves your immediate bottleneck. Take resources when defenses need Materials or a purchase needs Gold; take items when your roster is weak and the risk is acceptable. Compare the worker cost with your production buildings before deciding.
What is the difference between Gold and Tainted Essence?
Gold is spent during the current map. Tainted Essence persists between runs and funds Oraculum progression. Killing enemies can contribute to Essence collection, but corpse-scavenging rewards should not be confused with the main meta-progression total.
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 community page listing current 1.3.x announcements and patches
- OfficialOfficial Steam patch notes for Apocalypse 2.0, Essence Rerolls and balance changes
- OfficialOfficial developer announcement describing ruins, shops, production buildings and core resources
- ReferenceCommunity reference for corpse types, actions and resource rewards
- CommunityCommunity discussion documenting post-1.3 corpse-farming changes and current strategy opinions
- ReferenceCommunity reference for Tainted Essence collection and Oraculum progression