Intricacies of gold

In this article, we’ll explore the intricacies of gold in Dota 2. Many players might not realize that there are two distinct types of gold in the game, each serving a different purpose.

The two types of gold in Dota are:

• Reliable Gold
• Unreliable Gold

For convenience, these two types are combined in the game’s interface, so you only see a total gold count in the corner of the screen. However, if you hover your mouse over this amount, you can view the breakdown of your reliable and unreliable gold.

Reliable Gold is earned through significant actions, such as:

• Killing enemy heroes or being within a 1300 radius of their death
• Destroying buildings
• Defeating Roshan (the most powerful neutral creep)
• Using the item “Hand of Midas”

Unreliable Gold, on the other hand, is acquired through other means, including:

• Starting gold
• Gold gained every second
• Killing creeps on the map
• Rewards for eliminating summoned units, such as Necronomicon minions or the Lone Druid’s bear

From this, we can infer that reliable gold is primarily obtained through active gameplay—specifically through hunting down enemies and destroying towers—while unreliable gold is generated through farming on lanes or in the jungle.

The most crucial difference between these two types of gold lies in how they are impacted by death. Only unreliable gold is lost upon dying; reliable gold remains intact. For instance, if you have 700 gold, consisting of 200 unreliable and 500 reliable, dying would result in losing only the 200 unreliable gold, while the 500 reliable gold stays with you.

Given this information, it’s wise to minimize your unreliable gold before entering a fight. Spend it on parts for items or consumables like wards and teleport scrolls that will be useful in the game. By doing so, if you happen to die during the battle, your gold loss will be minimized.