TL;DR: Gold is the lifeblood of Vampires vs. Werewolves, and how you spend it matters far more than how fast you earn it. This guide ranks the 10 best gold investments by return on investment, with estimated costs and expected payoff for each. We also cover 5 common gold traps that drain your wallet with minimal benefit. Whether you have 5,000g or 500,000g, this list tells you exactly where your next gold piece should go.
"A fool spends gold on what looks powerful. A veteran spends gold on what compounds power over time."
The 10 Best Gold Investments
Every gold piece you spend in VvW is either an investment or a waste. Investments return more value than they cost — through increased farming speed, higher DPS, better survivability, or passive income. The following 10 purchases are ranked from highest to lowest ROI, factoring in how quickly each investment pays for itself.
Tier 5+ Crafting Materials (Bulk)
Crafting materials at Tier 5 and above are the foundation of endgame gear. Buying them in bulk during price dips — particularly on Sunday evenings when casual farmers dump inventory — lets you either craft high-value gear for sale or stockpile for future patches that historically spike T5+ mat prices by 40-60%.
Estimated cost: 8,000–15,000g for a meaningful stockpile of T5 Shadowsteel Ore, Moonweave Cloth, or Duskwood Planks.
Expected return: Crafted T5 gear sells for 2,500–6,000g per piece. A 15,000g mat investment typically yields 25,000–40,000g in finished goods. That is a 60–170% return before AH fees.
When to buy: Sunday evening through Monday morning, or the week after a major event when players liquidate surplus.
Skill Respec at Key Level Thresholds
Respeccing your skill tree is not cheap — 2,500g at level 40, 5,000g at level 60, and 10,000g at level 80. Many players avoid respeccing because of the sticker shock. This is a mistake. A properly optimized build at level 40 farms 30-50% faster than a leveling build dragged into midgame. The respec pays for itself within two days of improved farming efficiency.
Estimated cost: 2,500g (level 40), 5,000g (level 60), 10,000g (level 80).
Expected return: A 35% farming speed increase at level 40 means earning an extra 400–600g per hour. The 2,500g respec cost is recovered in 4–6 hours of play. At level 60, the math is even better — 800g/hour improvement recovers the 5,000g cost in roughly 6 hours.
Key levels to respec: Level 40 (midgame build transition), level 60 (dungeon optimization), level 80 (endgame PvP or PvE specialization).
Socket Gems for Weapons
Socket gems permanently add stats to your weapons. Unlike enchantments, which can be overwritten, socketed gems remain until you choose to remove them — and removal preserves the gem. This makes gems a permanent, transferable investment. A weapon with three Crimson Fury gems (+15 ATK each) is worth 3,000–5,000g more on the AH than the same weapon without sockets filled.
Estimated cost: 500–2,000g per gem depending on rarity. Common gems (Ruby of Strength, Sapphire of Wisdom) run 500–800g. Rare gems (Crimson Fury, Moonstone Focus) cost 1,200–2,000g.
Expected return: Each gem adds 1–3% effective DPS or survivability. For farming, that translates to measurably faster kill times. A fully socketed weapon (3 gems) adds roughly 5–8% overall efficiency — recovering the 3,000–6,000g gem cost within a week of regular play.
Targeted AH Gear Upgrades
Not all gear upgrades are equal. The best AH gear purchases target your single weakest equipment slot — the piece with the largest gap between its item level and the rest of your loadout. Upgrading your worst slot gives disproportionately more power than upgrading an already-strong slot by the same gold amount.
Estimated cost: 3,000–12,000g depending on slot and item level.
Expected return: A 10-item-level upgrade in your weakest slot typically adds 4–7% total Gear Score. In dungeons, this translates to qualifying for higher-tier content, which drops better loot and more gold. One well-timed weapon upgrade can unlock an entire new dungeon tier.
Strategy: Use the Gear Score calculator on your character sheet. Identify which slot has the lowest individual score. Search the AH specifically for that slot with "Rare" quality minimum. Sort by price-per-Gear-Score-point for optimal value.
Black Market Weekly Rotation Items
The Black Market vendor rotates inventory every Monday at server reset. Each week features 3–5 items unavailable anywhere else — unique consumables, exclusive cosmetic recipes, rare companion treats, and occasionally discounted Legendary crafting blueprints. The Black Market accepts only gold (no gems), and items are limited to one per player per week.
Estimated cost: 5,000–25,000g per item. The weekly Legendary blueprint, when it appears, costs 20,000–25,000g but sells for 40,000–60,000g on the AH because many players lack the gold or awareness to buy it.
Expected return: Varies wildly. Companion treats (+10% companion XP for 7 days) cost 5,000g and accelerate companion leveling significantly. Legendary blueprints offer a 100%+ flip margin. Unique consumables provide buffs unavailable from any other source.
Rune Scrolls
Rune Scrolls teach you permanent rune words — recipes for combining specific rune stones into powerful enchantments. Once learned, a rune word can be applied unlimited times (provided you have the component runes). A single Rune Scroll purchase at 3,000–8,000g unlocks a permanent crafting capability that generates income indefinitely through the AH.
Estimated cost: 3,000–8,000g per scroll. Rune Word Scrolls for popular enchantments (Scroll of Ferocity, Scroll of Resilience) tend toward the higher end due to demand.
Expected return: Each completed rune word enchantment can be applied to gear and sold on the AH for 2,000–5,000g profit over raw rune costs. A single scroll pays for itself within 2–4 applications.
Companion Training Manuals
Companions provide passive bonuses during combat, gathering, and even AH trading (the Merchant Fox companion reduces AH fees by 0.5%). Training manuals accelerate companion leveling and unlock advanced abilities. A max-level combat companion adds 8–12% effective DPS through its active and passive abilities combined.
Estimated cost: 2,000–4,000g per training manual. Each companion needs 3–5 manuals to reach max rank depending on rarity.
Expected return: A max-rank Shadowcat (Vampire) or Ironpaw Wolf (Werewolf) adds sustained DPS equivalent to a full gear tier upgrade. The 10,000–20,000g total training cost is recovered through months of improved farming output.
Bank Vault Expansion Slots
Your starting bank holds 20 item stacks. Each expansion adds 10 more slots, up to a maximum of 80 total. More bank slots means more AH inventory capacity, more crafting material storage, and less time wasted managing limited space. Serious AH traders consider 60+ bank slots a requirement, not a luxury.
Estimated cost: 1,000g (first expansion), 2,500g (second), 5,000g (third), 10,000g (fourth), 20,000g (fifth), 40,000g (sixth, max). Total for all expansions: 78,500g.
Expected return: Difficult to quantify directly, but indirect value is enormous. Each additional 10 slots means 10 more AH listings, 10 more crafting mat stacks, and dramatically less time vendor-trashing items during farming sessions.
PvP Respawn Scrolls (Bulk)
In Clan Wars and Eclipse War PvP events, dying costs 2 minutes of respawn time by default. Respawn Scrolls reduce this to 15 seconds. During a 60-minute Clan War, the difference between 5 deaths at 2 minutes each (10 minutes lost) and 5 deaths at 15 seconds each (75 seconds lost) is massive. That extra 8+ minutes of uptime directly translates to more kills, more event currency, and better clan rankings.
Estimated cost: 200–400g each. Buy in bulk (20–50 scrolls) before event weekends for 150–250g each from farmers who don't PvP.
Expected return: Event currency rewards from top-tier Clan War performance easily exceed 10,000g equivalent value. A 5,000g scroll investment can double your event rewards.
Gathering Tool Upgrades
Mining picks, herbalism sickles, and skinning knives all have quality tiers from Common to Legendary. Higher-tier tools increase gather speed, yield per node, and rare drop chance. A Rare mining pick gathers 40% faster than a Common one and has double the chance of yielding bonus gems from ore nodes.
Estimated cost: Uncommon tools: 800–1,500g. Rare tools: 3,000–6,000g. Epic tools: 12,000–20,000g.
Expected return: A Rare tool upgrade from Common pays for itself within 8–12 hours of gathering through increased yield and speed. The Epic upgrade takes longer (20–30 hours) but the rare drop chance bonus adds significant passive income from gems and reagents.
ROI Summary Table
| Investment | Cost Range | Payback Period | ROI Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| T5+ Crafting Materials | 8,000–15,000g | 1–2 weeks | Excellent |
| Skill Respec (key levels) | 2,500–10,000g | 4–8 hours play | Excellent |
| Socket Gems (weapons) | 1,500–6,000g | 1 week | Excellent |
| Targeted AH Gear | 3,000–12,000g | 3–7 days | Very Good |
| Black Market Blueprints | 5,000–25,000g | Immediate (flip) | Very Good |
| Rune Scrolls | 3,000–8,000g | 2–4 crafts | Good |
| Companion Training | 10,000–20,000g | 2–4 weeks | Good |
| Bank Slot Expansion | 1,000–40,000g | Ongoing value | Good |
| PvP Respawn Scrolls | 3,000–5,000g bulk | Next event | Situational |
| Gathering Tool Upgrades | 800–20,000g | 8–30 hours | Good |
5 Gold Traps to Avoid
These five purchases look attractive but consistently deliver poor value relative to their cost. Avoid them until you have exhausted all 10 investments above.
- Overpriced consumables from NPC vendors: NPC vendors sell healing potions, mana flasks, and food buffs at 2–3x the price players list them on the AH. The vendor price for a Greater Healing Potion is 150g. The AH median is 60–80g. Never buy consumables from vendors unless the AH is completely sold out — and even then, consider whether you truly need them right now. Over a month of daily play, this habit saves 5,000–10,000g.
- Low-tier enchantments (Tier 1–3): Enchantment stones at Tiers 1 through 3 cost 500–2,000g each but provide marginal stat boosts (+3 to +8 per enchant) that become obsolete within 5–10 levels of play. You will replace the enchanted gear and lose the enchantment entirely. Wait until Tier 4+ enchantments at level 50+ when gear turnover slows dramatically and each enchant lasts 20+ levels of content.
- Cosmetics before reaching endgame: Cosmetic outfits, weapon skins, and mount appearances cost 5,000–30,000g. They provide zero gameplay benefit. Buying cosmetics before level 80 means diverting gold from investments that accelerate your progression. At endgame, gold flows fast enough that cosmetics become affordable without opportunity cost. During leveling, every gold piece spent on looks is a gold piece not spent on power.
- Random loot boxes from the Black Market: The Black Market occasionally sells "Mystery Crates" for 3,000–5,000g each. The expected value of their contents averages 1,800–2,500g. The math is clear: you lose 30–50% of your investment on average. The rare Legendary drop chance (estimated 2–4%) does not compensate for the consistent losses. Buy specific items, never gamble.
- Full gear sets before level 60: Pre-60 equipment sets are tempting because set bonuses sound powerful. However, leveling speed means you outlevel set gear within 1–2 weeks, losing the set bonus entirely. A full pre-60 set costs 15,000–25,000g and becomes vendor trash by level 65. Save set-building for level 60+ when sets remain relevant through endgame content.
Spending Priority by Player Stage
Your gold spending priorities should shift as you progress. Here is the recommended order for each stage of the game.
Early Game (Levels 1–39)
- Gathering tool upgrades (Uncommon tier) — 800–1,500g
- First bank expansion — 1,000g
- Targeted AH weapon upgrade at level 25 — 1,500–3,000g
- Save remaining gold for level 40 respec
Midgame (Levels 40–59)
- Skill respec at level 40 — 2,500g
- Socket gems for your main weapon — 1,500–4,000g
- Second and third bank expansions — 7,500g
- Begin stockpiling T5 crafting materials
- First companion training manuals — 6,000–12,000g
Endgame (Levels 60–100)
- Skill respec at level 60 — 5,000g
- Rune Scrolls for your primary build — 6,000–16,000g
- Targeted AH gear for weakest slots — 6,000–24,000g
- Black Market weekly rotation monitoring
- Max bank expansions for AH trading capacity
- PvP respawn scrolls if participating in events
- Gathering tool upgrade to Rare/Epic tier
- Cosmetics (finally guilt-free)
The Golden Rule of Spending
Before any purchase above 1,000g, ask yourself one question: "Will this purchase help me earn gold faster, survive longer, or unlock new content?" If the answer is yes, it is an investment. If the answer is no, it is consumption — and consumption should wait until your investment portfolio is complete.
The difference between a wealthy endgame player and a perpetually broke one is rarely income. Both farm the same dungeons and complete the same quests. The difference is spending discipline during levels 1–60, when every gold piece either compounds into future power or vanishes into vendor trash.
Spend wisely. The Auction House rewards those who invest, not those who consume.