While it’s not as much of a focal point of the game, Gold is a key resource for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in terms of expanding your collection of Spirits, getting Mii Costumes, and enjoying the vast variety of music that the game has to offer. That being said, it’s difficult to try and unlock everything in the game, especially due to its scope. So, here is a quick guide to help figure out the best way to garner gold. This will be organized in the order of the least effective modes to most effective modes based on gold averages and time spent.

Spirit Board

By far one of the more varied ways of getting gold, the Spirit Board can give you plenty of opportunities. While it is a good place to garner Spirits for other modes of play, its gold output isn’t the best. Quantities of gold received depends on the tier of spirit (Novice, Advanced, Ace and Legend), ramping up in difficulty the higher tier is. On average, players can accumulate about 58, 68, and 92 gold for grinding Novice, Advanced, and Ace spirits respectively. Grinding Novice and Advanced in particular aren’t worth it in regard to other strategies, due to both tiers having the lowest gold averages in the game. Because of this, if you’re going purely for gold intake, the Spirit Board isn’t for you. If you do want to grind for both Spirits and gold, however, it's recommended that you try to face Ace and Legend level spirits for the best of both worlds.

World of Light

Speaking of worlds, World of Light is another good place to grind for both gold and Spirits, but not nearly as worth it for the former. While it’s once again dependent on what tier of Spirit you face, I’ve found that the average gold intake is around 70 gold per fight. So, despite being a good place to find Spirits, World of Light is also not the best place for gold income due to its average being just above grinding for Advanced tier spirits.

Fighting Computers

While it may not be the most effective for other modes, fighting computers is a decent strategy in terms of getting gold. Simply practicing against random computers can average around 250 gold per match. So, simply spending a bunch of time labbing matchups against computers can also net you a decent amount of gold, thus I recommend this strategy if you want to try and get better at the game while also enjoying the content that gold provides.

Classic Mode

One of the mainstays of Smash Bros, Classic Mode is home to not only home to the nostalgia that if provides, but also some of the best gold gain in the game. Similar to how gold gain goes for Spirits, the higher the difficulty setting the higher the rewards, only this time the gold gain is incredible. Gold gain ranges from about 444 at a 0.0 run to as high as 900 for a run at 5.0. These rewards can be increased by utilizing Classic Tickets, but in my experience it’s better off being used to save your gold and progress when you make a mistake and die in your run. The best part is that you can gain additional Spirits and music tracks, but the Spirits gained from most runs aren’t that high in tier.

The only reason that this is not the best way of accumulating gold is because Classic Mode runs take about 5-10 minutes, two minutes in which is dedicated to the end credits sequence that functions as a shooter, (like in older entries) that’s vital in gaining the additional rewards. Despite the time drawback, Classic Mode is highly recommended. To be a bit more specific, doing 4.0 runs are the best way to accumulate gold while not being as difficult as 5.0 runs.

Online Battles

Another excellent place to get gold is grinding online. While most people are already doing this, it’s also a great source for gold. Players can garner about 500 gold on average, which is some of the best gold gain that can happen in the span of a regular match, which can range from around 3-5 minutes depending on what ruleset that you’re using. It’s due to the high average and shorter amount of time that this is the most efficient mode to grind for gold. The best part is that no matter the outcome of the match/win or lose, you will still be netting around 500 per match. That being said, if your internet isn’t the greatest and you want to wait and try and not lose a bunch of Global Smash Power (GSP), avoid this mode until you think you’re ready.

Results

Online battles are the best way to grind gold in terms of averages and time spent. If your internet is not the greatest or nonexistent, then Classic Mode is the best for you. Fighting computers are a solid option if you want to lab matchups and I would not recommend grinding World of Light or the Spirit Board if you primarily want gold.

Also, as proof of my work, here is the data I’ve collected:

Spirits

Novice/Advanced/Ace

95 63 131

66 30 38

74 110 33

25 66 54

81 65 160

41 81 54

66 49 122

54 80 156

31 97 124