Gold, Knobs, and Stardust: Why Can’t I Buy Anything?

Compare the three currencies in this table

Before you buy anything, check which shop you’re looking at. The table has the rest of the details.

Knobs and Stardust are sold for Robux in the Store tab in the Lobby, where you can also enter codes. I’d check the codes first: some currency is free.

You can’t buy Gold; you can only find it

It’s not in the Store. The only things on the Robux purchase list are Knobs, Revives, Stardust, and Boosts. Want more Gold? Open containers and closets.

Check why the purchase button isn’t working

First, the answer: most of the time, you’re using the wrong currency. If that’s not it, check this list.

Jeff only accepts Gold

You could have a thousand Knobs, but Jeff’s shop during a run only takes Gold. If you’re short, look for Gold in containers or ask a friend to put some on the plate.

The Pre-Run Shop closed or didn’t show up

• 30 seconds passed: the shop in the elevator closes on its own.
• You continued a run from the previous floor: the shop won’t appear. You only get it when you enter from the Lobby.
• You’re going to The Archives through The Hotel: its Pre-Run Shop is only visible to players who came there straight from the Lobby.
• You came from The Backdoor to the Reception: the Pre-Run Shop isn’t available there.

It’s not the item you wanted

Each elevator has its own selection. In The Hotel, for example, it’s a Lighter, Vitamins, a Flashlight, and Lockpicks. You can’t buy a Key or Crucifix in The Hotel’s elevator. Look for them at Jeff’s.

The Stardust boost button won’t work

Only some items can be boosted, and it costs an extra 5 Stardust. If an item can’t be boosted, Stardust isn’t the problem.

Spend your Gold before the run ends

Having Gold left at the finish isn’t a loss, but it’s not a win either. Every 20 Gold at the end gets you 1 Knob. And every 20 Gold you spend is subtracted from your total, as if you hadn’t collected it.

That sounds like a reason not to spend it. I see it the other way: 1 Knob for 20 Gold is barely anything, but a Crucifix from Jeff can save your run. A Crucifix bought at the right time is worth more than a pile of Knobs.

Other places to use Gold

• In The Archives, you can pay to skip one or more sectors.
• There’s also a vending machine with a Shakelight for Gold.
• If Ransom encrypts your items, you can pay him with Gold.
• Cobbler trades on The Stairwell at Landing 99.

In The Hotel, the shop is at 53–59, and in The Mines it’s at 153–162. Save your Gold until you reach it, then spend what’s left in The Archives or at Cobbler’s if you’re going there. For prices and the full selection, visit the Jeff Shop.

Save Knobs for your run, not for skins

Knobs are the game’s main currency. You can spend them in the Pre-Run Shop or on item skins. I’d save some for the start: a flashlight from the elevator can save you more often than a cool skin.

Where Knobs come from

• 1 for each room you clear and 50 for each floor you beat.
• From Gold, but only up to a limit: Gold can’t give you more than 500 Knobs, even if you collected more than 10,000.
• For friends: +0.1× for each one, up to +0.3× for three friends. If they leave before you, you don’t get the bonus.
• A boost multiplies the Gold-to-Knobs conversion by 5.
• 25 Knobs for escaping in Daily Runs.
• From codes.

Dupe’s doors don’t give you Knobs. So a fake door hurts your health and your wallet. For more on farming, visit the Knobs page.

Collect Stardust in the subfloors

Stardust is the hardest currency to find. It’s rare on regular floors and more common in subfloors. In The Archives, look for it on the floor and in containers.

Four more ways to get it

• Once from some badges.
• 3 Stardust for each escape in Daily Runs.
• Grind a Small, Big, or Barrel of Starlight Potion in the Depot.
• Buy it with Robux.

It’s more rewarding to collect it as a team: all living players get what one player picks up.

What to spend it on

Chromas for skins are an expensive collection. All 296 chromas together cost 5,200 Stardust. Boosting an item in the elevator costs 5. I’d spend on boosts first: a chroma won’t save you from Rush. For more, visit the Stardust page.

Remember this one-line rule

Gold is for runs, Knobs are for the elevator, and Stardust is for boosts and looks. If you can’t buy something, first check where you are and what’s in your pocket.

Here’s the order I follow. I don’t hold back on Knobs at the start. I spend Gold at Jeff’s without hesitation because it converts to Knobs so poorly. I save Stardust for boosts. The rest is up to you.