Come, my son. Pour your pater some more vino and we will continue our discussion on war. I saw and experienced many things in my years as a legionairre, but I still enjoy good vino above all other things. Ah, yes. This is good, even though it does cost a lot of gold. Gold, my son, is precious, but it will buy precious things. Mother Rome gives us many things, but to reach our full potential we must give back what it demands, which is gold. I once heard of a saying by a young Jewish man who said "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Those are wise words, for gold well spent will return many dividends.

Summary: Among Travian players, there can be some controversy over gold usage. Some players proudly state that they do not use gold, but let's be honest about it. Any serious player buys gold and uses it regularly. Just the resource production boost alone is worth the price.

One benefit of boosting production with gold may not be noticed by many players. The 25% bonus happens after all other bonuses are calculated.

Example: A level 10 clay pit produces 200 clay/hour. If you have a Level 5 Brickyard, the clay pit will produce 250 clay per hour. Turning on the 25% gold bonus will add another 25% bonus after the bonuses for the Brickyard are calculated. So instead of producing 200 * 1.5 = 300 clay/hour, the level 10 clay pit produces 300 * 1.25 * 1.25 = 312.5 clay/hour.

So keep the 25% production on all resources turned on at all times. Don't be a cheap skate. 20 gold a week is only going to cost you a few bucks a month, and it helps out the folks who brought us this great game. Ignore the poor Eastern European teenagers who will try to make you feel bad about it. Let their crys of anguish fuel your blood lust as your maxxed out villages reap the benefits of the gold that you've spent well.