Graveyard Keeper 2 Gold Nuggets and Golden Ingots

Washing Sand at the Sluice Box only produces Gold Nuggets once the Gold Digger perk is active.

Gold Digger comes after the Miner perk, which is also what lets mining turn up rare drops such as gems.

Without Gold Digger you can wash sand all day and see no gold at all — the most common reason players think gold is bugged.

The Gold Digger bonus applies to the keeper, not to workers. Zombies washing sand at the Sluice Box do not drop gold, whatever their mastery.

Wash the sand yourself when you want nuggets, and leave zombies on jobs where their output does not depend on your perks.

One community test reported roughly 20 nuggets per 50 manual washes with the perk; treat that as a ballpark, not a guaranteed rate.

The Trademaster sells Golden Nuggets from the first trade level, which is the quick option if you have silver to spare.

Late game, the Formulation Bench can convert a Philosopher Stone and 1 Iron Ore into 1 nugget at mastery 6.

The same bench turns a Philosopher Stone and 1 Iron Ingot into a Golden Ingot directly at mastery 8.

At the Furnace II with its Bellows, 3 Golden Nuggets and 30 Fuel make 2 Golden Ingots before bonuses.

The Fireman talent raises that to 3 ingots per batch, so pick it up before smelting in bulk.

Fextralife lists this recipe under the Reanimation II technology (100 blue points), so check that unlock if the recipe is missing.

The Jeweler also sells Golden Ingots from the second trade level.

The most important use is the Golden Zombie Collar: 1 Golden Ingot, 1 Blue Crystal and 5 Faith at the Jewelry Table.

A golden collar supports corpses with up to 10 red skulls, against 5 for bronze — and every red skull is a perk slot on the zombie.

Gold also goes into the Golden Talisman and the Blank Hardcover Notebook.

Money in the game is counted in copper, silver and gold coins, which is not the same as Golden Nuggets or Ingots.

If you are after coins rather than metal, town orders are one of the better earners — urgent orders completed within the week pay above average.