Gold

Gold is a refined metal element used both for general construction and for several advanced late-game recipes. It can be found naturally in the Gilded Asteroid and in some Space Biome meteor showers, and it is also renewable through rocket missions to Gilded Asteroid Fields, where it can be harvested at a rate of 75–225 kg per cycle.

Gold Amalgam is the main raw material used to obtain Gold. A Metal Refinery converts Gold Amalgam into Gold at 100% efficiency, while a Rock Crusher produces Gold at 50% efficiency and leaves Sand as a byproduct. Smooth Hatches can also eat Gold Amalgam and excrete Gold at about 75% efficiency without requiring power or producing heat. Because of its availability and multiple processing routes, Gold is often used when a colony needs a convenient refined metal rather than maximum material efficiency.

Gold has several special crafting uses beyond ordinary metal-building applications:

• The Molecular Forge uses Gold to produce Super Coolant:
  • 1 kg Fullerene + 49.5 kg Gold + 49.5 kg Petroleum = 100 kg Super Coolant
• The Oxylite Refinery uses Gold to produce Oxylite:
  • 600 g/s Oxygen + 3 g/s Gold = 600 g/s Oxylite
• The Bleach Stone Hopper uses Gold to produce Bleach Stone:
  • 30 kg Salt + 500 g Gold = 10 kg Bleach Stone + 20 kg Sand

As a refined metal, Gold is especially valued for its decoration bonus and thermal properties. It provides a +50% decor bonus, making it a strong choice for advanced power infrastructure that would otherwise impose heavy decor penalties. Heavi-Watt Conductive Wire made from Gold has a reduced decor penalty of -10, while Conductive Wire does not gain a decor bonus from Gold because its default decor impact is already 0. Conductive Wire Bridges also benefit, with their penalty reduced from -5 to -2.5.

Gold can also be used to raise a building’s overheat temperature by 50 °C, which makes it useful for improving the safety margin of buildings that need to operate in hotter environments. This is particularly helpful when constructing power equipment or other advanced machinery in areas where heat management is a concern.

Gold Volcanoes are generally less troublesome than other metal volcanoes because molten Gold has a relatively low specific heat capacity and does not store as much heat as many other liquid metals. Freshly solidified Gold also cools quickly, so dupes carrying it are unlikely to be burned for long after pickup.

Overall, Gold is a versatile refined metal: it supports high-end production chains, improves decor-sensitive electrical networks, and serves as a practical thermal upgrade material for buildings that need a larger overheat buffer.