Let’s be honest – when I first set sail in Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, I thought a sharp blade and a hot meal were all I’d need to survive the Shadow Isles. Boy, was I wrong. Four years later, in 2026, the economy of Bilgewater still hasn’t softened a bit, and those shiny upgrades won’t buy themselves. So if you’re like me, endlessly chasing that perfect build for Miss Fortune or Braum, you need two things: Gold and Black Marks. And trust me, you’ll want to squeeze every last coin out of every creaking crate and suspicious barrel.
Gold feels like the lifeblood of the adventure. It’s everywhere, yet somehow never enough. You can use it to grab new fishing rods, cook hearty meals, replace your scuffed-up pauldrons, or stock up on potions for those brutal boss fights. But Black Marks… oh, those are another beast entirely. They are the currency of secrets, of power, of mysterious treasure chests that practically scream “loot box” but without the real-money guilt. You’ll hoard them like a Bilgewater dragon hoards gold, because they buy the gear with the big numbers – and occasionally a Mysterious Chest that might just bless you with a legendary greatsword... or a ring for a pirate who already left the party. I’m not salty. Not at all.
Now, let me spill the beans about how I stopped being a penniless adventurer and started swimming in resources. It all begins with a very simple habit.
💰 The Glinting Gold Rush
Gold isn’t exactly rare, but if you play like a sleep-deprived poro, you’ll miss half of it. The world is literally littered with lootable containers – barrels, crates, vases, chests, even innocent-looking pots that a careless player would walk right past. Here’s the kicker: some of these blend into the murky backgrounds so perfectly that you might mistake them for decoration. I can’t count the times my frantic scanner saved me from ignoring a tiny glowing vase tucked behind a haunted rock.
So rule number one: scan like your wallet depends on it. Use that scanning ability constantly. It highlights every interactable object in a soft, comforting glow, revealing hidden coin stashes and overlooked trinkets. It’s free! It’s instant! And it kept me from leaving piles of gold just lying there, unloved.
Once you’ve mastered the art of not being blind, it’s time to boost your income from combat. See, every enemy you topple drops gold, but why settle for base pay? Head to Isobel in the Shadow Isles and buy the Wolfseal Platter. This delicious (probably?) meal increases gold earned from combat by 10%. I like to think of it as a polite kickback from the Shadow Isles treasury – they tried to kill me, so now they pay a little extra. Combine that with the Prospector's Ring, a rare accessory you can purchase with Black Marks, and you’ve got a consistent 10% gold boost from fights just by wearing it. Yes, it costs Black Marks upfront, but it pays for itself faster than you can say "Buhru."
And here’s my favorite, often-overlooked trick: sell your outdated gear. Don’t be a sentimental hoarder. That common cutlass Braum used three levels ago? It’s not coming back into fashion. Merchants will happily take it off your hands. Early game items might only fetch a handful of gold, but by mid-to-late game, a stash of obsolete armor can fund a whole new outfit for your entire party. I regularly clear out my inventory and feel instantly richer. It’s cathartic.
🖤 Chasing the Elusive Black Marks
Now we enter the deep, dark water. Black Marks are moody, precious, and guarded by the cruelest RNG. Earning them feels like convincing a cat to swim – possible, but you need patience and the right bait.
The simplest, most humbling method? Fishing and trading fish chunks. Specific vendors will trade them for Black Marks. But let me set expectations: you’ll be turning in 20 to 30 chunks for a single mark. That’s a lot of idle fishing. It’s reliable for a few easy marks early on, but if you try to fund an endgame weapon this way, you’ll spend more time with a fishing rod than in combat. It’s grindy, yet sometimes honest work is the only work.
A far more engaging approach is turning in Artifacts. As you explore, you’ll stumble upon glowing collectibles that whisper of ancient lore. Find the right NPC, hand them over, and you’ll be rewarded with a small handful of Black Marks. It’s not a torrent of currency, but every single one counts when that legendary weapon is just out of reach. Plus, it makes you feel like a cultured archaeologist instead of a desperate treasure hunter.
But the real champion method – my personal golden goose – is the Bounty Board. These are tough, satisfying fights against unique enemies that the game practically dares you to challenge. Each completed bounty drops a solid 10 Black Marks on average. Ten! After a good bounty session, I’d swagger back to town, slapping my coin purse. The bounty targets aren’t pushovers, mind you. They require sharp tactical play, especially on higher difficulties, but that just makes the reward taste sweeter. I’d queue up several bounties, brew some strong coffee, and treat it like a Saturday morning grind session.
And then there’s the endgame secret that made my jaw drop. Fishing at the Vault of Vesani. Not for fish chunks – no, no. For the rarest fish themselves. If you cast your line into the deep water there and your reel screams with a legendary catch, you can earn between 32 and 36 Black Marks in a single haul. I nearly dropped my controller the first time it happened. It’s not common, and the mini-game can be tense, but when that giant silhouette appears under the water… oh boy, the payout rewires your sense of economy.
I’ll let you in on a little personal routine I’ve settled into by 2026. I usually start a play session by scanning every corner of a new area for gold and artifacts, then I knock out a bounty or two for a quick Black Mark injection. When I’m winding down for the night, I’ll pop over to the Vault of Vesani, put on some ambient sea-shanty music, and fish until my inventory groans. It’s meditative, profitable, and every so often, I’ll pull out a fish that funds my next major upgrade.
So, whether you’re a fresh-faced captain or a seasoned island-hopper, remember: gold is everywhere if you just look, and Black Marks reward the bold and the patient. Keep that scanner warm, that fishing line wet, and those bounties hunted. Your future self – clad in the finest gear Bilgewater has ever seen – will thank you.
And hey, if that Mysterious Chest ever gives me a useful item instead of another duplicate ring, I’ll let you know. But for now, I’ve got a sea bass to reel in and a bounty to collect. Tight lines, my friends.