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In Conquest Dark, strategy goes well beyond combat and exploration—it's fundamentally anchored in a complex economy woven through multiple currencies. Understanding these currencies—their sources, uses, and interdependencies—is key to unlocking efficient character builds, equipment upgrades, and long-term progression. This guide delves into how to master the four currencies of Conquest Dark, combining insights from the system, Reddit feedback, and gameplay mechanics to help you optimize your journey to legendary power.
1. Overview of the Four Currencies System
Conquest Dark features four primary currencies: Gold, Soul Fragments, Obsidian, and Dark Essence. Each resource plays a distinct role in progression and strategy
Gold functions as a universal resource—used for purchasing equipment, unlocking basic upgrades, and recruiting crew members during ritual runs. Soul Fragments serve as mid-tier materials for upgrading gear and unlocking passive bonuses. Obsidian is the core crafting material reserved for high-tier weaponizations and rune enhancements, while Dark Essence is the rarest, powering advanced rituals, endgame character enhancements, and meta progression.
As you journey through ritual runs, understanding where these currencies accumulate—and where they should be directed—is crucial for making consistent gains in power and specialization.
2. Gold: The Foundation of Early Build Progress
Gold is accessible from the outset. You accumulate it by defeating enemies, completing early-stage ritual runs, and selling low-tier loot. It's critical for purchasing consumables, repairing gear, and preparing for subsequent runs.
Spending priorities early include cost-effective gear, healing items, and Tarot upgrades—all paid in Gold. Avoid overspending on short-term boosts at the expense of later-grade currencies.
Quick Gold Optimization Tips:
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Sell duplicate gear immediately.
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Pick up every dropped coin—small amounts add up quickly during farming.
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Use Tarot orbs strategically to maximize loot returns during runs.
Gold is the anchor that sustains your progression loop—fueling higher-tier currency acquisition.
3. Soul Fragments: The Core of Gear Reinforcement
Soul Fragments surface in mid-runs and are unlocked after you start upgrading at altars. They are essential for upgrading weapon and armor tiers.
Crafting effective builds means balancing early fragment consumption (which boosts survivability) against keeping enough to feed explosive progression when you unlock powerful passives or runes.
Reddit feedback confirms this fragile balance:
"Thief as a whole feels lackluster… stashes like Barbarian crush mid-game if you don't invest fragments"
Fragment usage becomes a critical mid-term resource decision—invest early for steady power, or hoard for late-game purchases.
4. Obsidian: The Wild Card Currency for Critical Upgrades
Obsidian is rarer and obtained primarily from elite bosses, obelisks, or high-difficulty ritual rewards. These items unlock powerful weapon runes and high-tier artifacts.
Because Obsidians are rare, each decision to spend them can define your build. Typical obsidian investments include:
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Unlocking high-damage runes (e.g. explosive or area-of-effect bonuses)
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Infusing armor with elemental resistances or bonus effects
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Unlocking alternate passive trees
There’s strong consensus from top players that obsidian spending differentiates casual and competitive strategies. See section 8 for optimal obsidian usage suggested by the community.
5. Dark Essence: Meta-Progression and Ritual Power
Dark Essence is slow but powerful. It's acquired through completing entire ritual runs, especially at higher difficulty tiers. This currency is used for meta upgrades: unlocking new classes, origins, and powerful augmentations transferable between runs.
Think of Dark Essence as the "prestige currency." Unlocking Metas unlocks:
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New origins (e.g., Lunar, Death-Touched)
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Obelisk powers
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Auto-progress healing bonuses between runs
Dark Essence drives long-term progression—don't waste it on frivolous items.
6. Currency Interdependency: How the System Fits Together
Rather than independent pools, the in-game economy is a ladder:
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Gold leads to gear and basic progression.
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Gear progression through Soul Fragments sustains you through harder encounters.
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Clearing tough encounters rewards Obsidian for build-defining investments.
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Daily ritual runs with upgraded builds generate Dark Essence, unlocking new long-term meta content.
Managing currency flow along these ladders is essential. Rough goals for a smooth run:
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Early game: spend Gold and Fragments to clear stages 1–3
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Mid game: invest Obsidians to push further
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Game completion: reward with Dark Essence to reset stronger
7. Best Practices for Currency Farming
Effective farming strategies revolve around balancing speed, difficulty, and return:
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Optimize Gold and Fragments by focusing early runs on survival and enemy kill speed.
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Farm Obsidian on Ritual difficulties 4–6; target elite bosses and obelisk stages.
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Maximize Dark Essence gains by completing full runs—not abandoning halfway.
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Use Tarot Orbs tactically: any orb that increases currency drop should be prioritized and activated early in a run.
Clear run-through example:
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Start with easy difficulty: accumulate Gold/Fragments.
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Use boosted runes for speed farming.
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Transition mid-run to Obsidian-farm difficulty.
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On boss stage, use consumables to maximize chance drops.
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Finish run fully to claim Essence.
8. Community Wisdom on Currency Allocation
Reddit users offer valuable advice on where best to apply these currencies:
“Gold currency is a slog, but tolerable. Probably another 30‑40 hours to max everything out”
Regarding obsidian investment:
“Aura builds with obsidian runes are INSANE”
Community consensus suggests:
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Prioritize obsidian on key rune enabling AoE or crowd control.
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Delay expensive rune combinations until you understand scaling.
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Gold and fragment hoards should fund aggressive gear spending for missed stages.
9. Managing Inflation: Preventing Currency Overaccumulation
As you progress, chest drops, Tarot upgrades, and survivor stats can inflate currency earnings. While Nice, this can diminish challenge and efficiency.
Nine tips to control inflation:
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Increase difficulty stages when surplus occurs.
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Save obsidian for select builds instead of random spending.
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Convert fragment/Gold surplus into consumables during run.
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Complete rituals fully rather than abandoning early.
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Upgrade altar relics that increase drop chances.
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Adjust AI difficulty settings if speed-running more equipment is needed.
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Trade tarot points for currency-boost or shrine effects.
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Use off-run days to farm specific currencies through optional events.
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Reset builds if stalling—reroll to farm fresh runs with new challenge.
10. Integrating Currency into Build Design
Currencies aren't just resources—they define builds. If you're aiming for:
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Melee build: invest fragments and obsidian into damage-boost runes.
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Aura build: prioritize obsidian to unlock aura intensifiers.
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Barbarian/Berserker: use fragments for durability changes early; obsidian to get bleed procs late.
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Thief/Stargazer: invest Dark Essence for stealth/crit upgrades and rare origins.
Adjust currency investment dynamically. A focused obsidian spend on aura or elemental runes can elevate a mid-run build to brutal late-game force.
Conclusion
Mastering Conquest Dark requires more than combat skill—it demands strategic currency management across Gold, Fragments, Obsidian, and Dark Essence. Each currency interacts with gameplay pacing, difficulty curve, and build viability. By understanding acquisition channels, optimizing farming tactics, and prioritizing spending based on your long-term goals, you can maximize each run's effectiveness. Ongoing community insights highlight that smart obsidian investments in rune and aura systems can reshape gameplay more than raw gold wealth ever will. Ultimately, mastering these currencies unlocks the hard-hitting, satisfying build synergy that Conquest Dark promises—and why players rave for 30+ hours of immersive strategy each session.
