Crimson Desert: How to Get Gold Ore (Gold Vein Map Location & All Gold Mines)

TL;DR

Gold Ore is found exclusively inside caves called Gold Mines — it does not spawn on surface cliffs like Iron or Copper.
Get the Gold Vein Map by defeating Marni’s Excavatron boss at Karin Quarry — it reveals all 9 Gold Mine locations on your map.
The earliest and best farming cave is Anvil Hill Cave in the Demeniss region — yields 15 to 20 Gold Ore per run.
A golden boulder blocks every mine entrance — smash it with Force Palm to get inside.
Each Gold Ore deposit can be struck 2 to 4 times before it crumbles, so don’t stop after one hit.
Gold Ore is used to refine accessories at the Blacksmith and craft Gold Bars for banking and profit.
You can also unlock mine locations via the Gold Vein Research project at Urdavah Palace for 130 Silver.

Gold Ore is the rarest minable material in Crimson Desert. Unlike Iron or Copper which you find scattered across cliff faces and riverbeds, Gold Ore sits deep inside dedicated caves called Gold Mines. The game marks none of them on your map by default. You have to find them yourself — or get the Gold Vein Map first.

This guide covers exactly how to get that map, where every Gold Mine is located, and how to farm Gold Ore as efficiently as possible from the start.

Table of Contents

What Is Gold Ore Used For in Crimson Desert?

Gold Ore has two primary uses.

The first is accessory refinement at the Blacksmith. It upgrades rings, necklaces, and other jewelry to higher tiers, similar to how Azurite works for lower-tier jewelry upgrades. Check out our Azurite farming guide to stock both materials at once since you will need them together as you push jewelry upgrades further.

The second use is crafting Gold Bars. Gold Bars are one of the most valuable items in the game. Do not sell them to vendors for 190 Silver — that is a terrible return. Instead, take them to any Bank in Pywel, open a Personal Strongbox for 100 Silver, and deposit Gold Bars as investments worth 500 Silver each. Medium-Risk investment is the best option for most players in the long run.

For everything related to Gold Bars specifically, check out our dedicated guide on how to get Gold Bars in Crimson Desert.

How to Mine Gold Ore: Tools and Mechanics

Before heading to any Gold Mine, make sure you have the right setup.

You need a Pickaxe in your inventory to mine Gold Ore. Buy one from the Provisioner’s Shop in Hernand, or get one for free by completing Rhett’s early request. Alternatively, you can use Force Palm to shatter deposits without a pickaxe. Force Palm is actually faster for bulk farming since it skips the pickaxe swing animation.

There is also the Force Current ability, found just below Force Palm in Kliff’s skill tree. This conducts energy through your grapple to detonate ore deposits at range, letting you collect materials without manually striking each one. It is the fastest method of all for clearing a full cave quickly.

One thing unique to Gold Ore: each deposit can be struck 2 to 4 times before it fully crumbles into pieces. Do not stop after the first hit. Keep swinging or using Force Palm until the deposit fully breaks apart to get every piece.

Also, every Gold Mine entrance is blocked by a large golden boulder. You cannot enter any cave without smashing it first. Use Force Palm to destroy it and clear the way in.

How to Get the Gold Vein Map

Gold Mine caves do not appear on your map by default. There are two ways to reveal all of them.

Method 1: Defeat Marni’s Excavatron at Karin Quarry (Recommended)

This is the fastest and most rewarding method. Head to Karin Quarry, which sits north of Rocca’s Hill in the Hernand region. Complete the Stolen Quarry side quest from the Estate in Dismay arc under House Roberts. During this quest, you liberate Karin Quarry from bandits and fight the boss — Marni’s Excavatron.

Defeating the Excavatron drops two rewards: the Gold Vein Map and the Mining Knuckledrill weapon. Open your inventory, select the Gold Vein Map, and use it to permanently reveal all Gold Mine locations on your world map at once.

The Mining Knuckledrill is a bonus worth keeping. It gives a 10% chance to mine additional Gold Ore from every deposit you strike, which adds up significantly over multiple farming runs. Our full walkthrough on how to beat Marni’s Excavatron in Crimson Desert has everything you need to clear this boss.

Method 2: Gold Vein Research at Urdavah Palace

If you reach the Crimson Desert region before completing the House Roberts questline, you have a second option. Visit the palace of Urdavah in the desert region and commission the Gold Vein Research project. It costs 130 Silver and takes eight in-game hours to complete.

This method is slower and costs money, but it is available if you are already in that region. Our Urdavah Research guide covers what is available at that palace.

All Gold Mine Locations (Gold Vein Map Caves)

Once you use the Gold Vein Map, nine Gold Mine caves are revealed across four regions of Pywel. Here is every location.

gold vein location in hernand crimson desert

Demeniss Region

Anvil Hill Cave — Located in the Anvil Hill territory, southwest of Demeniss. This is the closest Gold Mine to Hernand and the best early farming spot in the game. The entrance sits at the bottom of a canyon, slightly east of the Gold Ore map icon. Drop into the chasm, find the golden boulder at the cave mouth, and smash it with Force Palm to enter. Inside you will find several Stoneback Crabs — clear them first before mining. A single run here yields 15 to 20 Gold Ore and takes about five minutes with Force Palm equipped.

Mistshard Cave — Located in the Deadfire Mountain territory of Demeniss. This cave sits at a higher elevation than Anvil Hill and contains a comparable yield of gold deposits. A solid secondary stop on a Demeniss mining route.

Pailune Region

Second Finger Cave — Located in the Five-Finger Mountain territory of Pailune. The entrance is partway up one of the distinctive finger-shaped rock formations in the area. Pailune is a colder, more remote region, so come prepared with recovery items.

Silver Wolf Cave — Located in the Wayward Woods territory of Pailune. Despite the name, this cave contains Gold Ore rather than Silver Ore. It is one of the more remote mines and better suited for mid-to-late game exploration. If you want to explore Wayward Woods while you are there, check our guide on how to enter the Wayward Woods Witch Hideout in Crimson Desert.

Crimson Desert Region (Late Game)

Two Sandpeak Gold Mines — Both mines are located in the Tashkalp territory, positioned among the sandstone formations near Tashkalp town. The arid landscape makes the cave entrances easier to spot once you know the area.

Cliffside Gold Mine — Located in the Crimson Mountain area of the Crimson Desert region. Sits along the cliff edges and is accessible during exploration of that part of the map.

Desert Lake Gold Mine — Located in the Varnia territory, near a desert oasis. This is the most remote Gold Mine in the game and is best visited after unlocking fast travel points across the desert region.

Delesyia Region

Guardian’s Cave — Located in the Snaketail Wall territory of Delesyia. This is one of the more far-flung mines and is best tackled after progressing further through the main story and having upgraded gear.

Best Gold Ore Farming Spot: Anvil Hill Cave

For most players, Anvil Hill Cave will be the go-to farming location from the moment you unlock the Gold Vein Map all the way through mid-game. It is the closest mine to Hernand, requires no advanced story progress to access, and consistently yields 15 to 20 Gold Ore per visit.

The routine is simple. Fast travel to Anvil Hill, drop into the canyon, smash the boulder with Force Palm, clear the Stoneback Crabs inside, then mine every deposit until the cave is empty. With Force Current unlocked, you can detonate deposits from range and clear the cave even faster.

Gold deposits respawn over time just like other ores in the game. After clearing Anvil Hill, move on to other quests or explore Demeniss while the cave refills, then come back for another haul.

What to Do With Gold Ore: Crafting Gold Bars

Raw Gold Ore is used in three Gold Bar crafting recipes. You need the Gold Bar alchemical formula first — pick it up from the top floor of the Spire of Insight, located directly south of Pororin Village in Hernand. Our Spire of Insight puzzle guide walks you through getting there.

Once you have the formula, three crafting options open up at any Blacksmith:

Recipe 1 (Least efficient) — Blacksmith Smelting: 100 Gold Ore = 1 Gold Bar. This costs a huge amount of ore. Only use it as a last resort if the other recipes are not available.

Recipe 2 (Mid-game reliable) — Witch Recipe: 3x Brimstone + 3x Mercury + 10x Silver Ore = 1 Gold Bar. Brimstone comes from Brimstone Springs in Hernand. Mercury drops from freezing pools in Silver Wolf Mountain and Hexe Sanctuary. Silver Ore is plentiful across Hernand. See our Silver Ore farming guide for the best locations.

Recipe 3 (Most efficient but rare) — Witch Recipe: 3x Gold Ore + 1x Golden Apple = 1 Gold Bar. This is extremely ore-efficient, but Golden Apples are the bottleneck. According to the in-game Knowledge database, Golden Apples can only be discovered by hedgehogs — watch for a sparkle on the ground and follow it to the source. Treat Golden Apples as a bonus when you find them rather than a primary farming target.

Gold Ore Farming Tips

Prioritize the Gold Vein Map early. Completing the Stolen Quarry quest at Karin Quarry gives you the map plus the Mining Knuckledrill in one run. Getting it done early opens up all nine mine locations at once instead of stumbling across them one by one.

Use Force Palm instead of the Pickaxe. Force Palm destroys boulders, shatters deposits, and skips animation time. A full Anvil Hill run takes five minutes with Force Palm. It takes significantly longer with a Pickaxe. Unlocking Force Current makes bulk farming even faster.

Equip the Mining Knuckledrill. The 10% bonus ore chance per strike adds up across an entire cave. At Rank 6, it also unlocks Expert Mining for refined materials and better drop quantities.

Hit each deposit multiple times. Unlike Iron or Copper, gold deposits require 2 to 4 strikes each. Always keep hitting until the deposit fully crumbles.

Never sell Gold Bars to vendors. Vendors pay 190 Silver. The Bank pays 500 Silver for the same bar. Always bank your Gold Bars. Always.

Related Guides

Crimson Desert is available on PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation, and Xbox. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for more from Pearl Abyss.