Resources
What each resource is for, and how to get it.
Olden Era has 7 resources. Gold is the lifeblood of war: you spend it constantly. Wood and ore are used to build. Gemstones, crystals and mercury are rarer and unlock advanced buildings and powerful units. Finally, alchemical dust is a special resource.
| Resource | Type | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
 Gold | Vital | Recruit units and build, constantly. |
 Wood | Common | Build town structures. |
 Ore | Common | Build town structures. |
 Gemstones | Precious | Advanced buildings and powerful units. |
 Crystals | Precious | Advanced buildings and powerful units. |
 Mercury | Precious | Advanced buildings and powerful units. |
 Alchemical Dust | Special | Upgrade artifacts and spells, special buildings. |
The 6 basic resources
The game's main resource: almost every essential action consumes it, starting with recruiting units and constructing buildings.
Where to get it: Produced each day by your towns and gold mines, and picked up while exploring the map.
A basic construction resource, needed to build most of your town's structures.
Where to get it: Produced each day by sawmills, and picked up on the map.
The other basic construction resource, almost always required alongside wood.
Where to get it: Produced each day by ore mines, and picked up on the map.
A precious resource, required by more advanced buildings and by recruiting the most powerful units.
Where to get it: Produced each day by gemstone clusters (to be captured), and picked up on the map.
A precious resource, essential for advanced buildings and powerful units.
Where to get it: Produced each day by crystal veins, and picked up on the map.
A precious resource, needed for advanced buildings and powerful units.
Where to get it: Produced each day by mercury rifts, and picked up on the map.
Alchemical dust is a special resource: it isn't used to build your town day to day, but to make it stronger. It lets you upgrade your artifacts and spells, and construct certain special buildings. It's what turns good gear into formidable gear.
Why it matters
Upgrading an artifact directly increases its bonuses, and therefore your hero's power. The cost is in dust, and it climbs at each tier. For example, upgrading Excalibur costs 100 dust at the 1st level, then 200 at the 2nd. Since it stays limited, avoid wasting it: keep it for the artifacts you actually wear. You can test the effect of these upgrades in the Hero Simulator.
How to get it
- ›The warehouse (building) : produces 5 dust per day. It is built for 3 gemstones, 3 crystals and 3 mercury: it's your most reliable daily source.
- ›By exploring the map : piles of dust are scattered across the adventure map, to be picked up like other resources.
- ›At the alchemy lab : there you convert your gemstones, crystals and mercury into dust.
- ›By destroying artifacts and scrolls : the ones you don't use can be destroyed: they turn into dust.
- ›Certain law trees : a few faction laws grant dust or increase its yield.
The market: trading your resources
The Market (town building, 500 gold + 5 wood, unlocked after the Tavern) lets you trade one resource for another when you're short on one. The rate depends on how many markets you own: a 300% commission (markup) applies with a single market, and drops by 50% per additional market. The best rate (0% markup) is reached at 7 markets. The Economy talent counts as one extra market, and the Dungeon law removes markup entirely.
Exchange calculator
Base rates from the game files; the markup curve (−50% per additional market) was verified in game.