Every contract sets a treasure quota, and the fastest way to fail one is to fill your pack with the wrong things. The economy has a clean shape once you see the numbers: a Legendary idol is exactly seven times a Basic one for the same slot, and a slot of wine — it stacks to two — beats every idol tier below Epic outright, and overlaps Epic itself. Overfill a quota by 20% and 50% and each pays an achievement — greed is literally rewarded.
Metal Idols — the five tiers
Tulu-metal idols are the backbone of the haul economy. They all take one slot and weigh the same to carry, so the tier is the entire difference.
| Idol tier | Sells for | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Idol (Legendary) | 560–840c | The ceiling. One of these clears a Basic contract's quota on its own. |
| Metal Idol (Epic) | 360–540c | Roughly 4.5× a Basic idol for the same inventory slot. |
| Metal Idol (Advanced) | 240–360c | Three times a Basic idol, same slot, same weight to carry. |
| Metal Idol (Mid) | 144–216c | The workhorse tier — common enough at shrines to plan around. |
| Metal Idol (Basic) | 80–120c | The floor. Still worth more than most of what else fits in a slot. |
Valuables
Everything that isn't an idol. Per item the wine beats Basic and Mid outright and matches Advanced; the generic "Treasure" pays like an Epic idol. And the wine is the only high-value object in the game that stacks, which is what actually makes it competitive.
| Valuable | Sells for | Stack | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Treasure | 360–540c | 1 | A generic 'valuable metal object' that pays like an Epic idol. |
| Bottle of Wine | 240–360c | 2 | The only high-value item that stacks. Two bottles fill one slot with up to 720 coin — second only to a Legendary idol's 840, and far more reliable to find. |
| Huemul hide | 60–90c | 1 | Taken from a deer. Hide plus meat turns one huemul into 140–210 coin. |
| Tulu Metal Coin | 12–18c | 10 | K'n-yani currency. Low individually, but ten to a slot makes a full stack worth 120–180. |
| Quila Wood | 1–4c | 2 | Elastic bamboo-like wood. Near worthless — leave it unless a contract asks. |
Coin per slot — the only maths that matters
Value ranges are per item, but your pack is priced in slots. Run the numbers on the top of each stack and the ranking changes:
- Legendary idol — up to 840 per slot.The highest single-slot value in the game. The catch is that you don't choose: shrine contents roll randomly across all five tiers, so you can't plan a run around finding one.
- Bottle of Wine — up to 720 per slot. Second by the numbers (240–360, stacking to two), but it is the best thing you can rely on. Wine turns up far more often than a Legendary roll, and two bottles in a slot (480–720) can beat an Epic idol, whose own range tops out at 540.
- Tulu Metal Coin — up to 180 per slot. Individually worth 12–18, but ten to a stack. Never leave coins because they look small.
- A butchered huemul — 140–210 across two slots. The meat is 80–120 and the hide 60–90. Per slot that's 70–105, which is actually below a Basic idol — but the deer is standing on your route and the idol needs a shrine detour, so it costs you nothing but a bullet.
The practical rule: take every idol you find, then fill the slots that are left with wine and coins rather than a second Basic idol. And shoot the huemul on the way back to the wagon — free coin is still coin.
Where treasure comes from
Four sources, and only two of them produce idols. Knowing which is which decides whether a detour is worth the noise.
Occult Shrine
The primary idol source, and the reason shrines are worth the detour. Contents are randomised across the Basic-to-Legendary ladder, so a shrine can pay 80 coin or 840.
Dig Spot (Buried Treasure)
Invisible without the Divining Rod of Yig. Locations change from run to run, which is why the rod never stops paying for itself.
Chest
Randomised support loot — bolts, charge cases and the occasional crucifix. Free kit, not treasure.
Weapon Crate
A single weapon, and Aged-tier pieces show up here often. Free feedstock for the Anvil — check a crate before you buy a weapon you're only going to upgrade anyway.
The Divining Rod of Yig (40c) is the only way to see dig spots, and the Medallion (15c) pings Tulu metal — which is what idols and coins are made of. Both pay for themselves inside one good run.
Carrying it home is the hard part
Treasure only counts once it reaches the ox-wagon and the wagon reaches the coast. Moving a treasure also puts the Hound of Tindalos on the carrier — it hunts whoever disturbed the haul, and it takes ten times normal damage, so the crew should decide who carries and who shoots before the first idol comes off its altar. The launch update removed the mandatory end-of-mission timer, so there is no longer a clock forcing a bad extraction — see the patch notes.
Where to next
The full economy guide — routes, quotas and what to buy first.
Quotas, tiers and payouts — what the treasure is for.
The rod and medallion that find this stuff, and what else fills a slot.
Where shrines and dig spots sit in the run.
What comes for you once the treasure moves.
Overfilling a quota by 20% and 50% each pays out.
Treasure questions
What is the most valuable treasure in The Mound?
A Legendary Metal Idol at 560–840 coin, and it also holds the per-slot record at 840. The Bottle of Wine is the runner-up and the more practical target: 240–360 each, stacking to two, so a single slot carries up to 720 — less than a Legendary roll, but wine turns up far more reliably than the top idol tier does.
How much are Metal Idols worth?
Five tiers: Basic 80–120, Mid 144–216, Advanced 240–360, Epic 360–540, Legendary 560–840 coin. Every tier takes one inventory slot, so tier is the whole difference.
Where do you find Metal Idols?
Two sources. Occult Shrines are the primary one and roll randomly across all five tiers. Buried treasure dig spots are the other, and they're invisible without the Divining Rod of Yig — dig locations change from run to run.
Is hunting worth it in The Mound?
Yes, but not because the rate is good. A butchered huemul yields meat worth 80–120 and hide worth 60–90 — 140–210 coin across two inventory slots, which works out to 70–105 per slot, slightly below a Basic idol. It wins on convenience rather than value: the deer is on your route and costs one bullet, where an idol costs a shrine detour. The carcass also upgrades the galleon once the Cook survivor is rescued.
What does the appraiser pay for gear?
Almost nothing. Tools and armour sell for 1–3 coin regardless of what they cost you — a 30-coin Breastplate returns 1–3. Gear is for using, not flipping. The exceptions are the consumables and lights: Bandages (3 → 16–24), Oil Lamps and the Cthulhu Lantern (5 → 16–24), and Ammonia Salts (20 → 40–60).