Learn where to find traders, what each one specializes in, how quest progression works, how to sell smarter, and how to stack discounts for better prices.
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This page combines beginner trader progression, selling mechanics, Trader Stage, quest reward strategy, and dukes-making methods into one practical reference.
Trader Basics
Traders are more than shops. They are quest hubs, money sources, progression markers, and safe stops during your run.
Traders can sell food, medicine, ammo, tools, magazines, vehicle parts, armor, weapons, and rare utility items.
Turn duplicate gear, old cash, parts, mods, and high-value loot into dukes.
Trader quests give XP, dukes, rewards, route progress, and a reason to clear POIs.
Trader compounds are safe places to visit, loot, shop, use vending machines, and plan your next run.
The Five Traders
Each trader can sell many kinds of items, but their specialty gives better odds or extra stock in a specific category.
Pine Forest
Specialty: Food and seeds
Best For
Starter quests, early food, farming supplies, seeds, and first trader progression.
Compound Loot
Workstations, food pile, small buildings, ladder/upper containers, and useful starter loot.
Navezgane
566 W, 469 N
Burnt Forest
Specialty: Medical supplies and possible acid
Best For
Bandages, medicine, cures, healing supplies, and checking for acid.
Compound Loot
Tents, church rooms, magazine spawns, bird nests, shack loot, and possible rafter bag.
Navezgane
278 E, 244 S
Desert
Specialty: Vehicles and tools
Best For
Vehicle parts, tools, wheels, engines, workstations, and progression toward faster travel.
Compound Loot
Workstations, shipping containers, roof room, scattered loot, and an ATM near Bob.
Navezgane
476 E, 1033 S
Snow
Specialty: Weapons and ammo
Best For
Guns, ammo, explosives, weapon upgrades, and gearing for tougher quests or Blood Moons.
Compound Loot
Side room loot, ammo crate, tents, workstations, medical piles, and ammo piles.
Navezgane
957 W, 1717 N
Wasteland
Specialty: Armor and armor mods
Best For
Armor pieces, armor mods, late-game trader checks, and Wasteland progression.
Compound Loot
Workstations, magazine piles, fireplace hidden room, and extra containers.
Navezgane
987 W, 1148 S
Free Value
Before leaving a trader, check the compound. Workstations, piles, bags, rooftops, rafters, side rooms, and vending machines can all be useful.
Trader compounds often have workstations that can contain useful magazines like Forge Ahead.
Small buildings, tents, rooftops, rafters, and side rooms can hide bags, piles, or containers.
Trader compound containers are worth checking. Looting them does not punish you.
Trader vending machines can sell useful candies and drinks for looting, salvaging, or better trader prices.
Timing
Traders are not always open, and trade cycles matter when buying, selling, and checking for new stock.
Plan quest turn-ins, buying, and selling before traders close late in the evening.
The shop menu shows when the next trade cycle resets, which refreshes stock and repeat-item selling limits.
Traders may refuse more of the same item until the next cycle, even though they can still buy other item types.
Finding Traders
On fixed maps, locations are known. On random gen, follow the beginner challenge, route quests, and city outskirts.
The early challenge path points you toward your first Trader Rekt location.
On random gen worlds, traders are often near the edges of larger towns and cities.
Route-opening quests lead you through the intended trader progression chain.
The normal route chain moves from Rekt to Jen, then Bob, Hugh, and Joel.
Quest Progression
Trader progression is based on tier points. Route missions unlock as you pass the major thresholds.
10 points
Complete enough Tier 1 jobs to unlock the next mission tier and the route toward Jen.
30 total points
After more trader work, the next route mission points you toward Bob.
60 total points
Mid-progression route unlocks push you toward higher-tier jobs and Hugh.
100 total points
Later route progression sends you toward Joel and the Wasteland path.
150 total points
This represents deeper trader progression after the main route chain is established.
Jobs from different traders can still contribute to your overall tier progress.
The special route mission comes from the newest trader you unlocked, not always the trader you just quested for.
When a bicycle is offered as a progression reward, it is usually one of the best choices.
Trader Stage
Trader Stage is the hidden progression value that helps determine what items appear in trader inventory.
Trader Stage affects which items are visible in trader stock.
As your character level rises, trader inventories can improve.
Progressing trader quest tiers can improve what traders are able to show you.
Daring Adventurer can improve trader-focused progression, rewards, and inventory quality.
Two players may see different items from the same trader if their Trader Stage differs.
Specialty traders have better odds or extra category stock, but other traders may still sell similar items.
Quest Rewards
Not every quest type pays equally. Pick harder jobs when you can handle them, but do not ignore quick jobs when you need fast progress.
Usually one of the strongest quest types for rewards, but also more dangerous.
A strong balance of POI clearing, objective completion, and reward value.
Straightforward and useful if you already planned to clear the POI.
Can be rewarding, but usually requires dealing with night-time or powered-objective pressure.
Often quicker and simpler, but usually not as rewarding as harder quest types.
Useful early, but generally weaker for reward farming compared to stronger quest types.
Selling
Selling is simple, but repeat item limits and trade cycles explain why a trader may suddenly refuse an item.
Open the trader inventory, select an item, choose the amount, and sell it for dukes.
Traders may stop buying the same item after a few stacks during the current trade cycle.
Wait for the next trade cycle or try another trader if one trader refuses an item.
The main limitation is repeat item limits, not the trader running out of money overall.
Better Prices
Before a major buy or sell session, stack your barter gear, consumables, and perks. Do not waste temporary buffs on tiny trades.
Improves buy and sell prices. Best for trader-focused or economy-heavy playstyles.
Improves quest rewards, dukes, trader progression, and inventory quality rather than direct prices.
Use items like Enforcer Glasses, Ranger Hat, or other barter gear before major trading.
Attach it to headgear for a trader-price boost and keep it ready for buying or selling sessions.
A vending-machine consumable that improves trader prices temporarily. Save it for big trades.
Another strong temporary trader-price consumable for major buying or selling sessions.
Useful for buying discounts, but not a selling boost.
After reading the right book, holding a .44 weapon can improve trader deals.
Keep barter gear and consumables in a chest near the trader so you remember to use them.
Trader discounts do not apply to vending machines. Buy useful candy and consumables when you see them, but do not expect Better Barter or barter gear to lower vending-machine prices.
Dukes
Trader quests are reliable, but the biggest money usually comes from selling valuable loot, salvaged parts, crafted sellables, or renewable farm goods.
Beginner friendly
Quests give dukes, XP, rewards, trader tier progress, and POI loot. They are not always the fastest money, but they are reliable.
Pick harder quest types when you can handle them.
Use Daring Adventurer for better quest money and rewards.
Loot the POI while completing the job.
Good while questing
High-quality weapons, tools, armor, and valuables found while looting can sell for more than the quest payout itself.
Repair valuable gear before selling.
Sell mods separately instead of using old mod-stacking tricks.
Do not sell ammo blindly if you will need it later.
Strong active method
Use a wrench, ratchet, or impact driver to salvage cars, then sell extra parts after keeping a reserve for crafting.
Use Salvage Operations if you want to specialize.
Hacker’s Candy and scavenging gear improve returns.
Keep useful parts before selling the overflow.
Advanced money loop
Later, salvaged vehicle parts can be crafted into minibike handlebars that sell for more than the raw parts.
Requires vehicle crafting progress and a workbench.
Grease Monkey can reduce crafting costs.
Good for turning salvage into higher-value sellables.
Renewable method
Once unlocked, Super Corn can become a repeatable money source because it can be grown again and again.
Pairs well with a large farm setup.
Can be harvested faster with a chainsaw.
Less explosive than salvage loops, but renewable.
Shopping List
Use traders to fill gaps in your run. Buy what speeds up progression, and sell what you do not need after applying barter bonuses.
A great early purchase if you cannot find one quickly.
Useful for workstation progression and crafting unlocks.
Worth buying when hunger or thirst would slow your progress.
Bandages, cures, and healing items can save a run.
A good wrench, pickaxe, axe, or upgrade tool can be worth the dukes.
Check Bob and trader inventories for wheels, engines, batteries, and vehicle parts.
Buy ammo when survival depends on it, especially before hard quests or Blood Moon.
Sugar Butts, Grandpa’s Awesome Sauce, Eye Candy, and Hacker’s Candy are all worth watching for.
Easy sell item, but traders may stop buying repeat stacks until restock.
Sell extra weapons, tools, armor, and mods you do not plan to use.
Repair valuable weapons, armor, and tools before selling for better value.
Sell overflow mechanical parts, electrical parts, engines, batteries, and other car salvage.
Advanced crafted sellable made from salvaged parts once your progression supports it.
Renewable sell item once your farm and recipe progression are online.
Avoid These
These mistakes waste dukes, slow progression, or make trader routes more confusing than they need to be.
Trader compounds can contain workstations, magazines, piles, bags, and hidden loot.
Plan quest turn-ins, buying, and selling before traders shut their doors.
Save big sell sessions for when you have barter gear, perks, or consumables ready.
Trader consumables are temporary. Use them for large purchases or big batches of sellables.
The trader may have bought enough of that item this cycle. Try another trader or wait for restock.
Tier points can come from any trader, but route missions come from the newest trader in the chain.
The bicycle is usually one of the best early progression rewards because it improves travel and storage.
Trader inventory depends on level, quest tier, and Daring Adventurer. Better items appear as you progress.
Some salvage can become more valuable if crafted into items like minibike handlebars later.
Ammo can sell well, but brass and ammunition are valuable later. Sell only what you can spare.
Next Guides
Trader progression connects naturally to looting, builds, vehicles, crafting, and money-making.
Learn loot stage, high-value containers, police cars, and best POIs by loot type.
Compare Better Barter, Daring Adventurer, Salvage Operations, and other perk choices.
Understand vehicle parts, progression, and why Bob is useful for travel upgrades.
Pair trader magazines and workstation unlocks with crafting progression.
