Trading is a great way to obtain a variety of useful items inDwarf Fortress, and players will have the opportunity to engage with the mechanic many times as they build their forts. That said, trading can prove to be confusing, and it is likely that many new players will struggle with the mechanic initially. Fortunately, it is not actually very difficult to trade inDwarf Fortress, and this guide is here to walk fans through the process.
Dwarf Fortress: Trading Guide
The first step toward engaging withDwarf Fortress’s trading mechanic is establishing aTrade Depot. This is done by clicking on theplace structures iconat the bottom of the screen, selecting trade depot, and then setting it down in a desirable position. Notably, it is recommended thatsimulation video gameplayers create an entrance to their fort in which the trade depot can be placed, and that there is a 3-tile wide path with no obstructions leading to it.
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After placing a Trade Depot,Dwarf Fortressfansshould assign a dwarf to act asBroker. While this is not strictly required, using a Broker will ultimately lead to more-favorable trades, and here is how to assign one:
With a Trade Depot established and a Broker ready to facilitate trades, players must now wait formerchantsto arrive. Fans will know that this has occurred when they receive a notification indicating as much, and they should jump into action promptly upon receipt of that notification. More specifically, players shouldclick on their Trade Depotand execute these actions:
Players will now be looking at the trade interface, which is split in half. On theleft side, fans will see the items that the merchants have to trade, and on therightthey will see the items that they have requested that their dwarves bring to the depot. Fans should now go through theDwarf Fortressitemson the left and put checkmarks next to anything that is of interest. The cumulative value of the selected items will then be displayed below the list, and players must select items of an appropriate value from the right side before clickingtradeat the bottom.
Trading inDwarf Fortressis not one-to-one, though, as merchants will expect to make a profit from the exchange. The amount of profit that merchants expect to receive is contingent upon two factors, their mood and the skill of the Broker, and they may refuse a trade outright if an unacceptable offer is made. Fans ofcity building video gamescan avoid this situation while they wait for their Brokers to improve by using this strategy, which looks to elevate the merchant’s mood over several small trades:
One final thing to mention is that players must pay some amount of attention to the race of the merchants with whom they are trading. More specifically,indie video gamefans should take care not to offer Elves any items that contain wood. Indeed, offering that type of item will cause great offense to an Elven merchant and bring the trading session to an immediate end.
