Gold
(Auratus; Ubi Forums)

Basic Information:

Mine gold ore (not sulphur) and coal from mountains (use prospectors to find it). Build a gold smelter building. Watch the gold bars get made (gold ore and coal should be carried over to the gold smelter building if you have enough settlers). Use fish to feed the gold miners. Use bread to feed the coal miners. Either food will do for either miner category, but optimum is as I said.Build a store house (corral) to store the gold bars. The gold will be used at a barracks to higher soldiers of the level 2 category (1 bar cost each) and level 3 category (2 bars cost each). Level 1 recruiting is free, but these soldiers are weaker. Level 3 soldiers are the best. Gold is also needed for eye catcher decoration construction. Eye catchers improve soldier "moral" which results in helping all of your soldiers "get stronger" when off their land.Is gold always present on a map?

This depends on the creator of the map! It is possible that the creator of the map chose not to place gold ore in the mountains and chose not to place gold bars (as treasure).

Most map DO have gold ore in the mountains(thankfully).

Many maps often have gold bars hidden as treasure as well.

Also, if you crush an eye catcher or large temple, you should get some gold bars on the ground near the crushed item.

Remember, you do NOT need gold bars (as in Settlers III) in order to recruit soldiers of the level 1 category at a barracks.