October 17, 1999
Money; You want it, you need it, and you probably will go to great lengths to obtain it. Medievia boasts a very impressive trade system that provides a great way to obtain money, but it is not always easy and certainly is not lacking ways to lose your money and much much more along with it if you're not careful. This guide I have written should hopefully assist veteran and newbie traders alike in dealing with the dangers trade runs pose and coming out alive and with freight intact, as well as ways to make even more money out of their runs or trade to places they never knew existed.
Before any trade run starts, there are a few basic things that need to be considered, and each one of them can determine whether your run will fail or work.
The first most important step, is to know the route from your intended starting point to the destination. While some trade stores are easy to find on the map or via direction givers on medievia's intersections, some are not so obvious or require special procedures to get to. Check the maps of the medievia wilderness and find the route your trade run will take. You will get a good idea of how long it will take, as well as knowledge of what risks may be involved, as the farther you get from the city of Medievia, the harder the wilderness mobs become. If you can't figure out how to get to/run some trade routes, ask fellow players or clan/townies.
After you have an idea of where you want to go to and from and how to go about it, you should try to find an item you wish to transport and get a price on it. For example, lets say we are starting a run from Riverton to New Ashton. I fly to Ashton (or i could portal to a nearby CT) and buy a pack horse and start checking the prices of Riverton items. I then try 'value metals' and find that I will be paid 32828 gold for every metal bar I bring to New Ashton. Since a maximum of 28 bars can fit in a covered wagon, a simple 28*32 828 equation means I would receive about 900k gold for this run. Obviously not a lot for a run of this distance but at least I would know how much each item nets and not have to find out after the run was over and I was cashing in.
Another important question is are you going to solo this trade run or go with a formation? There are many things to consider about this choice. If you go in a formation, you will be a stronger force and wilderness mobs won't be so threatening, same for trade mobs, however you will have to make sure you can ensure everyone a good profit to make it worth their while and deal with the spam and generic problems formations present. On the other hand, if you solo you don't have to pace yourself with a form or worry about keeping everyone mounted, refreshed, and not whisking off, but you will lose strength against mobs.
Now that you have freight, your next job is to get a mount. Remember you don' t need mounts to trade, but it makes things a lot easier and quicker. Most towns have a stables, and if they don't, you can always use dragons. A word of caution however, dragons are the best mounts, but they cost, and at higher levels, they cost _LOTS_. If you know the spell refresh, grab a mount with high stamina, disregard mv's. If you don't know refresh, you will proaby want to go with a high mv mount so you don't have to tether it as much (note, this is assuming you don't know refresh AND aren't in a form with someone with refresh).
Now that you are (hopefully) mounted and ready to go, let the run begin:
The majority of the trade run will be simply running through the wilderness following roads to your destination, not a whole lot to cover here. If you can, try to always stay invisible via the spell, wands, or glass staves. This will keep many of the lower level mobs from getting in your way and becoming pests. If you are a caster or are in a form with casters, be sure they keep the group invisible and refreshed. Mass Invis and Mass Refresh are invaluable in trade formations. If you can't get a refresh on your mount, then simply tether it for a minute or two and it will regenerate back to full movement. A tethered mount regains strength much faster than a untethered one (this doesn't apply to dragons, of course they have such high stamina and moves I doubt you will be needing to tether them even if you could). This brings us to the section, evil dragons.
If you value your life: To quote Monty Python 'Run away! Run Away!'. Try to put as much distance between you are the evil dragon as possible and if possible, cross a stream or river which will cause the dragon to lose the trail if he is tracking you.
If you are insane: If you feel like being the predator, you can intentionally try to bait the dragon with your scent, back up a ways to get some distance, and then when it lands, call a good dragon to attack it and rush in for the kill and occasionaly, a bunch of green potions, a orb, or if your real lucky, a dragon brain which can fetch around one to two million gold or with the right item combination, an amulet of telepathy.
And there is the chance the dragon might not notice you at all and hunt someone else. When you see a dragon circling, check 'who -z' and see who is nearby. If you and your group are the only ones there and if any of you are level 13 or higher, it will probably be after someone in your group, or maybe even YOU! The chance of dragon encounters seems to be raised if your group is large or carrying around a lot of money or treasure, another reason you might want to solo sometimes.
The farther away from med you get, the more dangerous the generic wilderness mobs will be. Around med, you will most often run into Kobolds, Goblins, Bandits, Stirges, and Owls. These mobs are real easy kills for just about anyone and proably best left alone as they pose no threat and will just slow you down. Farther away from med, you will start seeing Gnashers, Jackals, Acid Slugs, Ettercaps, and Wombats. These guys are a bit tougher than the previous string of mobs, but still pretty easy and just a slow down.
The next wave of mobs can be annoying and sometimes fatal or challenging to solo traders or even some formations; Banelars, Sunsprites, Gnoll lords, and Troll Chieftans. Banelars and Sunsprites are infamous wilderness caster mobs that definatly can annoy or ruin any trader's day. They can see invisible players and can pack a punch if you are wounded or unprepared, so try to avoid these guys. Gnoll lords and the Troll Chiefs are not to much a problem but are still harder than previous wilderness mobs. The next wave consists of Plains Barbarians, Hill Giants, Illustavians, Phantoms, Rogue Elves, Demons, and renegade Wizards. If are are soloing and not of a high level, these guys can rip you to shreds, but if you're formed or are a high level, you can take these guys.
Medievia has a few trade outposts that can't be accessed via normal means, two of the more popular ones I can think of are described below
The Urvile trade store only buys items, and is in the northwestern part of the Medievian continent in the ruined temple of Thanos. No roads lead directly to it, so you will have to follow the road to Ruellia/hidden valley and north along the coast till you come to a trail intersection with a overgrown path south. From there, a littleways to the southwest is the Thanos temple and urvile trade store. You will need to abandon your covered wagon and use a pack horse to ferry your items across the NPK swamp areas and to the trade store. It is not a bad idea to have a 2nd char keep track of your covered so you don't have to keep it abandoned, but be sure you don't have both chars online at the same time, as that would violate the multiplay law. Consider asking clannies to help.
Mahn Tor is a very popular trade route that offers some of the best cash Medievia has to offer, on one little catch; you have to run through a CPK zone multiple times for that money. I haven't done this run much but both times I did run it, I never had any problems and didn't even get attacked in the CPK section, although I know plenty of people who weren't so fortunate. Before you even think of running Mahn Tor, it's best to make sure you know what you're doing and don't sit around in the dark woods looking for the portal while a hidden backstabber plunges their dagger into your back and quickly destroys your profit margin. First, you will want to acquire a covered wagon and take it east along the road to Trellor from Medievia (or Trilanisti, it's closer) till you come to a place right before a river and a bridge with a overgrown trail south of the main trail that doesen't quite connect to the road. That southern road leads to the dark woods. From here, you will want to go south following the trail towards the darkwoods. Enter the darkwoods from the southwestern or southeastern entrances and check 'where' quickly to see if anyone is visible (and in the dark woods) before entering. There is still the chance they could simply be hiding so it will be a good idea to have sense life on, as anything hiding in the dark woods likely is a player about to backstab you any second. If you enter the dark woods from the southwest, quickly go 2e2s, and, if from the southeast, 2w2s, and you will be in the Glacier Temple on the Mahn Tor arctic island. From the temple, go all the way east till you run into the mountain, then south all the way and you will run into the Minotaur trade store. You can use those routes to transport freight to and from Mahn Tor and your waiting wagon until you're done. Be especially on guard in the dark woods and some people might recommend going naked ( without any valuable items/eq) to minimize loss if you are CPK'ed, however this can be a problem if you run into any strong mobs or trade factions.
I never quite figured out why we even call them "Catastrophes" since to any Medievian with a lust for money, they are anything but that.
Always keep a eye on the mudslinger newspaper sold by those hard working little scribes. The catastrophe section will always keep you alert and up to date on where catastrophes are striking, when, and what types. The basic idea of catastrophes is simple and and pretty clever system for Medievia. Occasionally when trade store economies need a reset, a catastrophe is generated by the code. The surrounding areas will be devestated by chaos and nature's fury and conveniently, in dire need of supplies. Following the inital chaos, several traders and clans will set off into the wilderness hauling their freight full of precious valuables towards the devestated trade store hoping to make hueg profits. In this rush, the first to sell when the trade depot reopens will likely made tremendous amounts of money, payoffs in the millions or more. However, don't think a catastrophe is easy pickings just yet. With the huge rush in trading, you can expect the various trade mob factions to be very busy making trading a difficult task, so watch out for them.
There are currently four types of catastrophes:
As if mother nature wasn't bad enough to produce such nasty catastrophes, she still has plenty more tricks up her sleeves.
Medievia has a stunning weather system with multiple weather types and storms that move all across the lands. Knowing how to deal with different weather patterns is essential to surving in the wilderness, or doing a trade run for that matter. Always keep a eye on the weather command and forecast command.
With this many storms to consider, always keep track of the weather as you trade lest a unwary form leader should wander right into the gaping jaws of a tornado...
For your convenience, a chart of trade stores and their wares, as well as wagon capacities.
| Covered Wagon Capacity | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derah | Artifacts 11 | Candles 85 | Herbs 68 | Nuts 28 | Hemp 34 |
| Elven Marketplace (Trilanisti) | Flowers 47 | Arrows 56 | Bows 42 | Art 56 | Parchment 170 |
| Gdangus | Bananas 34 | Seed 42 | Beans 48 | Rice 42 | Tobacco 56 |
| Hidden Valley (Ruellia) | Emeralds 85 | Willowbark 280 | Cloaks 42 | Rope 42 | Waybread 85 |
| Lyryanoth | Venom 85 | Hides 48 | Eggs 31 | Glowworms 113 | Mushrooms 113 |
| Medievia | Ale 11 | Tar 8 | Salt 85 | Sugar 34 | Raisins 42 |
| Minotaur Outpost (Mahn-Tor)
(Pack horse amounts listed also) | Weapons 13, 1 | Chains 7, 1 | Pelts 46, 3 | Armor 18, 2 | Mead 11, 1 |
| New Ashton | Silver 10 | Jewels 20 | Silicate 21 | Nails 34 | Copper 6 |
| Dark Army (New Genesia) | Tools 25 | Adamantite 11 | Coal 21 | Opium 48 | Iron 7 |
| Quiet Temple Shop (Mythago) | Aloe 280 | Quills 170 | Balm 112 | ||
| Rangers Cabin | Sap 11 | Furs 68 | Timber 1 | Rations 34 | Ivory 37 |
| Riverton | Brandy 42 | Metals 28 | Honey 42 | Grapes 58 | Fertilizer 43 |
| Sea's End | Opals 68 | Ambergris 56 | Shells 56 | Nets 28 | Kelp 42 |
| Tanvisport (Cutter) | Pearls 85 | Teak 17 | Carpet 14 | Maps 42 | Fish 4 2 |
| Tar Valon | Silks 28 | Crystal 68 | Rum 11 | Figs 42 | Molasses 11 |
| Tear | Books 28 | Cloth 20 | Spices 68 | Beer 11 | Dates 42 |
| Trellor | Perfume 140 | Wine 11 | Oils 56 | Incense 56 | Ink 85 |
| Wizard's Cart (Wizard) | Nightshade 34 | Mandrake 26 | Spidersilk 68 | Slime 37 | Phosphorus 85 |
If a trade mob gets your freight and you die before they can finish destroying it, your freight will be safe as long as you are a undead corpse, and you can wait for the faction to leave.
If you get attacked near a intersection and you put the freight on a diffrent road from the one the trade faction was patrolling, they won't bother to go down that way. Excellent way to keep freight safe instead of using shield room, you can sometimes even avoid fighting trade mobs entirely this way.
If you get in a really bad spot of trouble and can't escape from the trade mobs, you can always start a camp fire and log back on in about 15 minutes or so, the faction will likely have left by then.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS check prices before running a trade route, never assume or your going to be in for quite a shock when you go on some route you think is worth millions only to discover such and such an item is worth nothing.
Always use a mount of some sort, it will save you time and get you to your destination quicker than afoot, and most mounts are free anyways.
If you're going to trade in a formation, its a good idea if they are clannies or townies so you can keep in contact with them in the event you get separated/unformed for whatever reasons via town and clan chat. It wil also help your clan's trade rating improve.
Take advantage of catastrophes, they are the best time to make quick cash. But beware, trade mobs will be very active during times off mass-trade.
Choose your battles and for that matter, trade runs. Balance profit with risk, distance, and time. If you know one run that nets 600k in 10 minutes, and another that nets 1 million in 30, do the math to figure out the best value.
Don't whisk during a run, the form leader may not wait for you if you do.
If the form leader is not spamming through twenty rooms a second, don't harass them over form talk, they want to get to the trade depot as much as you and make a hefty profit. With all the dangers a trade run sometimes possess, a extra couple of minutes may be worth the wait if it ensures the freight's safety.
Read the other trade and formation mudslinger articles for any tips or words of advice they offer.
Some great webpages I recommend that can help you (as well as me) with finding the value of items:
Guard your freight with your life and always keep a eye out for danger, nothing is worse than losing your freight in the last leg of a trade run.
If you do happen to lose your freight on the last leg of a trade run, don't express you feelings of displeasure with colorful adjectives or you will be in even more trouble if the gods get wind of it.
To quote a Mudslinger article I once read "Mass Invis, Mass Refresh, Mass Success" So true!
For a very easy, 200-300k average profit try running timber from Ranger's Cabin to Medievia. To get to the Rangers Cabin, call a dragon in med and fly east manually till you reach a large collection of rivers pouring into one river and follow it south, when you come across a dirt trail while following the river, fly south again and land near that $ sign on the wilderness maps, that is the Rangers Cabin. Once there, buy a wagon horse and 1 cord of timber and follow the road to Medievia city. For newbies, a very low risk and easy trade run that should help you fatten your pockets till you are ready to try more advanced runs.
For a even nicer 300-600k average profit, try trading between the Wizard's Cart (Wizard), Elven marketplace (Trilanisti), Riverton, and Ranger's Cabin. These runs don't run into any paticularly nasty mobs and can be done with relative ease.
Once these lower paying runs become easy, you will proably want to start seeking runs in the millions. Experiment around and find which runs work best and offer the most money for least effort.
- I hope this article can be helpful in making your trade run experince in Medievia a little bit easier and a whole lot more profitable. Always pay attention to the Mudslinger catastrophe and trading section for info on the latest trading opportunies, and happy trading!