Best Ashes of Creation Money Making Guide

Making Ashes of Creation gold efficiently in Ashes of Creation Early Access is one of the most important factors for progression, freedom of play, and long-term success. While many players casually say “just run crates,” that advice glosses over how the system actually works, what the risks are, and what alternatives exist if you prefer safer or more market-oriented playstyles.

This guide breaks down crate running from the ground up, explains common mistakes, and then expands into commissions, crafting, processing, and regional trading strategies that can generate consistent gold for solo players, crafters, and guild members alike.

Understanding Crates and the Commodity System

What Are Crates?

Crates are trade goods created at Market Commodity Stations and transported to other settlements for profit. These stations are marked by a basket icon, visible both in the world and on your minimap. Interacting with the Market Commodity Vendor allows you to purchase Commodity Certificates, which are required to craft crates.

However, not all crates reward gold.

• Market Commodity Crates → Reward gold

• Construction Crates → Reward reputation, not gold

Early on, before settlements have mayors, construction projects are often the only available option. Once mayoral commissions and buy orders are active, gold-based crate routes become more accessible. Always use Shift + Left Click at the station to view pricing and ensure you are crafting crates that actually pay out gold.

Commodity Certificates, Rarity, and Pricing

Crate payouts depend on multiple factors:

• Distance traveled

• Current server supply and demand

• Crate rarity (common, uncommon, rare, etc.)

While the listed payout provides an estimate, final delivery prices fluctuate based on how many players are running that route. Importantly:

• Market saturation affects price

• Rarity does not decrease, even if prices drop

• Higher rarity crates always pay more on delivery

This makes crates an excellent way to convert excess uncommon or rare materials—such as lumber or stone—into stored value instead of vendoring them cheaply. Crates can also be stored, freeing inventory space until you decide to run them later or load them onto a caravan.

Glint: The Hidden Cost of Crate Crafting

Crates do not use gold to craft. Instead, they require Glint. If you ever insert all materials but cannot complete the craft, it usually means you lack enough glint. Because of this:

• Do not immediately vendor all glint for silver

• Keep a reserve if you plan to run crates

• Glint becomes a leverage currency rather than pocket change

This interaction also explains why some AoC items tied to glint access hold high market value.

Crate Mules: The Key to Scaling Profit

Why You Need a Crate Mule

Running on foot is inefficient. The Daystrider Crate Mule changes everything:

• Crate penalties do not reduce movement speed

• Can carry two crates at once

• Maintains 100% movement speed

This effectively doubles income per run and dramatically improves safety and efficiency on long-distance routes.

How to Avoid Getting Scammed

The trainable Daystrider Crate Mule is purchased from the Herbalism Vendor and has a specific icon. Many players attempt to resell it at inflated prices.

Key points:

• It costs roughly 50 silver before taxes

• Do not buy overpriced versions from the market

• Ensure the listing shows the trainable mule icon

If your local settlement lacks an herbalism station, this mule itself becomes a profitable trade item. Buying them cheaply in starter zones like Aven’s End and reselling locally can generate steady silver, especially when taxes are low.

Risk vs Reward: Why Crates Pay So Well

Crates are not free money. While transporting crates, you are visibly carrying high-value goods. PvP-oriented players, mercenary groups, and opportunists know this. The system is intentionally designed to create:

• Player conflict

• PvP friction

• Meaningful risk-reward decisions

Guilds provide protection, escorts, and safer routing options, but solo players can still profit by running shorter, safer routes early on. If your goal is quick startup capital, a few safe crate runs are often enough to secure your first several gold.

Commissions: Consistent Gold with Zero Risk

One of the most reliable money-making methods is running commissions. Benefits include:

• Glint rewards

• Strong player experience gains

• Commissioner Caches and Coffers

After extensive testing, selling these containers is almost always more profitable than opening them.

Market Value of Commission Rewards

• Commissioner Caches: Often sell for 3–5 silver

• Commissioner Coffers: Can sell for 8–15 silver depending on market conditions

Since commissions stack easily (e.g., killing wolves or undead), completing multiple objectives simultaneously can generate several gold over time with minimal effort.

Because glint is otherwise difficult to acquire in bulk, these items often spike in value when players need tax vouchers or crate funding.

Merchandising and Crafting for Gold

Experience Scroll Crafting. Crafting adventuring and gathering experience scrolls is highly profitable:

• Ruby → Ruby Dust → Red Ink → Scroll

• Higher-tier rubies dramatically increase value

• Commission scrolls outperform crafting scrolls

Because scroll effects apply during processing startup, these remain in constant demand.

Tailoring: Shirts That Sell

Tailoring offers one of the best low-cost, high-margin crafts in the game.

Examples: Lumberjack shirts/Miner shirts/Combat-stat shirts

These items:

• Use minimal materials (linen thread)

• Scale heavily with rarity

• Are required for crafting optimization

Rare or uncommon shirts can easily sell for 30–50 silver, even when material costs are negligible.

Regional Arbitrage: Cinderouch Jewelry Strategy

One of the strongest cross-region strategies involves Cinderouch jewelry.

• Crafted cheaply in The Anvils

• Uses minimal materials (Tindonite + Ruffron)

• Highly desirable stats (power on rings and earrings)

By transporting these items into the Riverlands, players can sell each piece for 15–20 silver, even though production costs are minimal.

Advanced optimization includes:

• Buying cheap, rare Tindonite in Riverlands

• Farming Ruffron locally

• Combining crate runs with jewelry transport for double profit

Processing and Armor Mold Profits

Weapon and armor smithing materials offer hidden profit margins:

• Rare timber sells well due to weapon crafting demand

• Basalt armor molds require any wood type

• Using oak or underused woods like hemlock can increase margins

Buying rare materials cheaply, processing them into molds, and selling finished products allows you to: Earn processing XP, Earn player XP, Flip materials for several silver per craft. If the market lacks listings, pricing is flexible—early adopters often set the standard.

Final Thoughts

Ashes of Creation’s economy rewards players who understand systems, not just activities. Crates and commissions provide accessible income, while crafting, processing, and regional trading open the door to long-term wealth.

None of these strategies requires insider knowledge or extreme optimization—only awareness, observation, and willingness to engage with the economy. If you are willing to experiment, watch market trends, and adapt, Ashes of Creation offers one of the most player-driven gold ecosystems in modern MMOs.

MMOexp AoC Team