All Blogs / Analytics & Forecasts / Trading Systems

The Impossible Gold — Optimisation Settings

22 March 2026, 02:23

3 003

The Impossible Gold — Optimisation Settings

The Impossible Gold works out of the box — attach to XAUUSD M5 and trade. The v2.0 defaults are the genetically optimised values (36,375+ passes, Jan 2023 – Apr 2026, Every tick based on real ticks). No separate .set file is needed for standard accounts.

For questions or .set file requests, leave a comment below or send a private message.

The Impossible Gold has been tested across multiple broker conditions. For live raw-ECN execution on XAUUSD, we recommend RoboForex for tighter pricing and cleaner fills with this strategy profile.

Gold vs Bullion

The Impossible Gold is the stable/free baseline for XAUUSD M5.

The Impossible Bullion is the advanced edition focused on tighter trade selection and expanded control, including:

Progressive TP management to improve profit capture in trending phases
9-factor scoring for higher-quality entry filtering versus the Gold baseline
Advanced trend-direction control for trade entries
Enhanced Discord reporting and improved on-chart UI/monitoring features

See The Impossible Bullion on MQL5 Market.

⚠️ IMPORTANT

These settings are optimised for standard accounts. Always validate on your broker conditions before going live.

Always test on a demo account for at least 2–4 weeks before running on any live account
Past performance and backtest results do not guarantee future results
The developer is not responsible for any losses incurred on live or personal accounts

Links

The Impossible Gold — FREE on MQL5 Market

The Impossible Bullion — on MQL5 Market

MQL5 Seller Profile

Discord Community — signals and trader chat

Default Parameters

All v2.0 defaults listed below. These are the production values — optimised and validated on Every Tick with realistic spreads.

Strategy

Parameter	Default
LookbackBars	36
BufferPips	2.5
MinRangePips	20.0
MaxRangePips	1500.0
MinScoreToTrade	60

Session

Parameter	Default
SessionStart	2 GMT
SessionEnd	19 GMT
ExcludeStart	12
ExcludeEnd	15
BlockWednesday	true

Risk and Trade Management

Parameter	Default
RiskPerTrade	1.5%
CompoundAggressive	true
TP_Pips	300
SL_Pips	55
MaxSpread	50
SpreadMultiplier	5
MaxOpenTrades	1
MaxTradesPerDay	10
MagicNumber	778899

Trailing Stop

Parameter	Default
UseTrailingStop	true
TrailingStart	15
TrailingStep	20

Regime Filter

Parameter	Default
EnableRegimeFilter	true
RegimeEMAPeriod	50
RegimeLookback	4
RegimeMinSlope	0.30

Optimised Set File

v2.0 is a full genetic re-optimisation. The v1 defaults used SL=25 which was too tight for Gold's intraday volatility — normal noise frequently hit the stop before the trade could develop. v2 widens SL to 55, giving trades room to survive volatility while the trailing stop (TrailingStart=15, TrailingStep=20) locks partial profits as price moves.

What changed from v1 to v2.0 (11 parameters):

Parameter	v1	v2	Why
LookbackBars	16	36	Wider consolidation window (3 hours vs 80 min) — catches higher-quality breakouts
BufferPips	1.5	2.5	More buffer above/below range — fewer false breakouts
MinRangePips	5	20	Only trades ranges ≥$2.00 on Gold — filters noise
MinScoreToTrade	50	60	Higher confidence threshold — fewer but higher conviction entries
SessionStart	10	2	Catches Asian session breakouts (02:00 GMT)
SessionEnd	20	19	Stops 1 hour earlier — avoids thin late-session liquidity
BlockWednesday	false	true	Wednesday net-losing across ALL top 8 optimisation results
SL_Pips	25	55	Wider SL gives trades breathing room — DD and Sharpe both improve
SpreadMultiplier	3	5	Wider spread buffer for EnforceMinStops at order placement
TrailingStep	2	20	Genetically optimised — SL trails 20 pips behind price once trailing starts
MaxTradesPerDay	5	10	More opportunities during high-volatility sessions

SpreadMultiplier and Trailing Stop: SpreadMultiplier=5 only affects the EnforceMinStops() function at initial order placement — it ensures SL/TP are far enough from entry to satisfy broker minimum distance requirements. It does not affect the trailing stop. The trailing stop function uses the broker's SYMBOL_TRADE_STOPS_LEVEL (typically 0 on Gold), so trailing works identically on backtest and live.

Every trade has three possible outcomes:

Outcome	When	Result (0.01 lot)
Full SL	Price reverses before trailing starts	-$5.50 (55 pips)
Trailing Exit	Trailing engages, then price reverses	Variable partial win
Full TP	Price reaches 300 pips	+$30.00

Every Tick validation (Q1 2026): +$109,486 on $100K with only 3.6% gap from OHLC backtests. 63.2% win rate, PF 1.18. Trailing stop engages consistently on both backtest and live.

How to Load a Set File

Download the .set file (request via comment or PM)
Open MT5 and attach the EA to XAUUSD M5
In the EA inputs tab, click Load and browse to the downloaded file
Click OK — all parameters are applied

To return to defaults at any time, click Reset in the inputs tab.

Version History

Date	Set File	Changes
Apr 2026	v2.0 (current)	Full genetic re-optimisation — 36,375+ passes. 11 parameters changed. SL widened 25→55, SpreadMultiplier 3→5, TrailingStep 2→20, SessionStart 10→2, BlockWednesday enabled. Defaults are now the optimised values — no separate .set file needed.
Feb 2026	v1.0	Initial release. Default parameters. SL=25, TP=300, SessionStart=10, SpreadMultiplier=3.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Trading involves significant risk. Only trade with capital you can afford to lose.

Files:

TheImpossibleGold_Optimised_v2.set 3 kb

samiawwad 2026.04.17 10:59 #1

just download the ea to test it wish me luck

Paul Raymond Heckles 2026.04.17 11:02 #2

samiawwad #:
just download the ea to test it wish me luck

If you need any help please feel free to reach out!

samiawwad 2026.04.20 12:46 #3

Paul Raymond Heckles #:
If you need any help please feel free to reach o

dear i would like to ask if there any new set file for the ea - or any recommendation regarding to use the ea on my personal account

Vutivi Clyde 2026.04.20 19:45 #4

Hi Paul i have downloaded the ea and loaded it onto two different prop firm accounts but it seems to be doing good on a 10k than on a 5k account what can i do to get good trades on 5k account too

Paul Raymond Heckles 2026.04.20 21:46 #5

Vutivi Clyde #:
Hi Paul i have downloaded the ea and loaded it onto two different prop firm accounts but it seems to be doing good on a 10k than on a 5k account what can i do to get good trades on 5k account too

Hi Vutivi which Prop firms? The amounts shouldnt make too much of a sifference it's just generally the prop dirms the riules and the configuration, select from the attached prop firm files the one that closest matches your prop firm .

samiawwad 2026.04.21 09:25 #6

Paul Raymond Heckles #:
If you need any help please feel free to reach out!

I am experiencing an issue with the EA. A trade is being closed almost immediately—about one second after it is opened. Could you please help me understand the reason for this and how to fix it?

Paul Raymond Heckles 2026.04.21 10:47 #7

samiawwad #:
I am experiencing an issue with the EA. A trade is being closed almost immediately—about one second after it is opened. Could you please help me understand the reason for this and how to fix it?

Hi samiawwad instead of trailing start and step 15 / 20 try trailing start 80 then step (distance) 40

we set v2 to 15/20 it was supposed to lock partial profits but what seemed to happen on some brokers depending upon the spread it hit the SL immediately and took the partial profit rather than attempt a run to the TP so the larger trailing should help your trades run out of the spread firther but still lock profits if they run far enough

Muh Syahrul Maulana R 2026.05.11 06:33 #8

To the EA Developer,

Based on my experience backtesting this EA:

'Every tick' mode (normal): growth is decent, looks promising.

'Every tick based on real ticks' mode: equity and balance immediately drop drastically.

I haven't tried it on a real account, only backtesting. Could you please provide any corrections or suggestions from the developer? Is this EA not suitable for real tick modeling mode, or are there any special settings that need to be adjusted?

Paul Raymond Heckles 2026.05.11 06:42 #9

Hi, Thanks for the feedback. What you’re seeing is normal:

Every tick uses synthetic/smoothed ticks, so results often look better than reality.
Every tick based on real ticks uses real broker spread + noise, so it is much stricter and more realistic.

So yes, this EA should be evaluated with real ticks.

If real-tick results drop fast, usually these settings need adjustment for your broker:

MaxSpread : set to your average spread × 1.5
SL_Pips : increase from 25 to around 55 for Gold
Trailing: avoid very tight trailing; try TrailingStart=40 , TrailingStep=25

If you share your broker/account type, I can try and suggest more appropriate values.

TomStack 2026.05.12 15:58 #10

i managed to test the impossible gold on mt5 with impressive resuts but it doesn't run in real . how can i do ? do i need the set files? thanks

M.Younas 2026.05.13 15:20 #11

I NEE FOR MT4

Jaroslavs Terjohins 2026.05.14 05:32 #12

Hello. I have just downloaded the EA, may I get the .setfile please? Thank you ever so much.

Krisna Darmawan 2026.05.19 09:11 #13

Paul Raymond Heckles #:

Hi, Thanks for the feedback. What you’re seeing is normal:

Every tick uses synthetic/smoothed ticks, so results often look better than reality.
Every tick based on real ticks uses real broker spread + noise, so it is much stricter and more realistic.

So yes, this EA should be evaluated with real ticks.

If real-tick results drop fast, usually these settings need adjustment for your broker:

MaxSpread : set to your average spread × 1.5
SL_Pips : increase from 25 to around 55 for Gold
Trailing: avoid very tight trailing; try TrailingStart=40 , TrailingStep=25

If you share your broker/account type, I can try and suggest more appropriate values.

i use exness broker with pro account, is that okay?

Paul Raymond Heckles 2026.05.19 10:30 #14

Krisna Darmawan #:
i use exness broker with pro account, is that okay?

Exness Pro can work but Gold spreads on that account type typically run 20–35 points — wider than the raw/ECN environment the set files are tuned for. You'll want to set MaxSpread to match your average spread (check it during your intended trading hours — Asian session is usually tighter).

If Exness offers a Raw Spread account type, that would be a significantly better fit and you'd likely need fewer parameter changes.

Share a screenshot of your EA inputs and your typical Gold spread and I can suggest specific values for your setup.

Vutivi Clyde 2026.06.02 13:24 #15

Paul Raymond Heckles #:
Hi Vutivi which Prop firms? The amounts shouldnt make too much of a sifference it's just generally the prop dirms the riules and the configuration, select from the attached prop firm files the one that closest matches your prop firm .

Hi Paul it 5k blue guardian which i loaded the set for blue guardian, the other one was a Quant Tekel 10k which i used optimized settings but ended up losing both accounts.