Merchant Trading Guide
The trading system in Going Medieval unlocks a powerful economy layer for your colony. By building a Cartography Table and establishing diplomatic relationships with regional factions, you can acquire rare goods, offload excess resources, and gain access to exotic weapons and structures not yet researched. Whether you choose honest barter or caravan theft, mastering trade is essential for mid-to-late game colony prosperity. This guide covers every aspect of the merchant system — from unlocking trade to maximizing profit margins.
How to Unlock Trading
Trading is not available at the start of the game. You must progress through the research tree and construct the Cartography Table — the cornerstone building that enables all diplomatic and trade interactions with regional factions.
Research Architecture
Unlock the basic research prerequisite. Architecture is one of the early-game tech branches and should be prioritized early on.
Research Cartography (30 Chronicles)
After Architecture, allocate 30 additional chronicles to unlock Cartography. This unlocks the Cartography Table build option in the furniture menu.
Build the Cartography Table
Requires 90 wood and a settler with Construction skill of 15+. The table is 4x1x2 in size and classified as furniture — it does not degrade when placed outdoors, though it can be damaged by raids and lightning storms.
Access the Region Map
Once the Cartography Table is built, the Region tab becomes available. This map shows nearby settlements and their basic information. From here, you can send settler caravans to trade actively or wait for merchant visits as random events.
Building a Trade Lobby
When merchants conclude a trade, they simply dump purchased items at their feet — items that will slowly decay if left on bare ground outdoors. Building a proper trade lobby near your settlement entrance is critical for protecting your investments.
Design a large foyer with ample flooring and a roof. If buying food, maintain temperature-controlled storage nearby to prevent spoilage. Merchant NPCs will path towards rooms with doors located near campfires or hearths — keep the entrance simple and unobstructed. The more complex your stronghold layout, the longer merchants take to reach the trade area. Only items currently in stockpiles (including weapon racks, bookshelves, and chests) are available for outgoing trade, so maintain dedicated haulers to keep your trade goods organized.
Regional Factions & Merchant Types
Each map spawns a selection of up to 8 possible factions, though factions sharing similar philosophies are unlikely to appear together in the same region. Each faction has unique trade preferences, favored goods, and diplomatic dispositions. Building faction alignment through profitable trades unlocks better deals and access to exclusive items.
| Faction | Type | Trades | Visit Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faithful Sons of England | Royalist Loyalists | Protection gear, combat equipment, armor | Moderate (8-12 days) |
| Band of the She-Wolf | French Nobility | Refined items, production facilities, luxury goods | Rare (12-16 days) |
| Kingdom of York | Peasant Rebellion | Everyday items, simple tools, food supplies | Frequent (5-8 days) |
| Heresy of the Rose | Anti-Religion Group | Random grab bag, mixed quality goods | Moderate (8-12 days) |
| Philosophers of the Natural | Scholars | Textbooks, research materials, chronicles | Rare (12-16 days) |
| Circle of Avalon | Oak Brethren Devout | Temple goods, religious decorations | Moderate (8-12 days) |
| Ancrene Disciples | Restitution Cult | Chapel goods, religious items, ritual materials | Moderate (8-12 days) |
| Church of the Third Coming | Restitution Zealots | Weapons, chapel decorations, rare arms | Rare (12-16 days) |
Visit frequency estimates based on community data. Actual frequency varies by settlement location and faction proximity.
Trade Value & Speechcraft
Going Medieval uses a barter system — there is no currency. Each item's value is dynamically determined by the faction's supply and demand, item durability, and quality tier. Perceived value when buying from merchants is always higher than when selling, even if you already have a huge surplus.
The settler conducting the trade is critical. Assign a settler with high Speechcraft to handle all merchant interactions. At baseline, merchants will only accept trades at a minimum 5% loss (you must give more value than you receive). With high enough speechcraft skill, merchants will tolerate up to a 20% loss — meaning you can effectively profit 20% per transaction. Each profitable trade increases your alignment with the associated faction, unlocking friendlier relations and eventually access to weapons and armor from neutral merchants.
Speechcraft Trade Benefits
- • Low Speechcraft (0-5): 5% maximum loss tolerance — barely break even
- • Medium Speechcraft (6-10): 10-12% loss tolerance — moderate profit margins
- • High Speechcraft (11-15): 15-18% loss tolerance — strong profits
- • Expert Speechcraft (16+): 20% maximum loss tolerance — best possible deals
Active vs. Passive Trading
The trading system operates through two distinct mechanics. Passive trading occurs when merchant caravans randomly arrive at your settlement — these are event-driven and cannot be directly controlled. Merchants arrive with armed escorts but will not attack unless provoked. Neutral parties can even walk through locked doors like settlers.
Active trading becomes available after building the Cartography Table. You can dispatch settler caravans to nearby towns shown on the region map. This lets you choose when and where to trade, targeting specific factions for desirable goods. Use active trading to fill supply gaps when random merchant visits are infrequent, especially for factions with rare visit schedules like the Philosophers of the Natural (research materials) or the Church of the Third Coming (weapons).
Merchant Theft: High Risk, High Reward
If a merchant dies, they drop all carried items — opening the door to caravan theft as an alternative acquisition strategy. Merchants do not eat or sleep, so you cannot trap them by removing doors. You must actively assault the caravan.
Alignment loss is calculated per individual hit, not total damage. Use expert two-handed swordsmen or heavy crossbowmen to minimize the number of hits needed for a kill. Guards do not fight back unless the faction drops to hostile status. A clever strategy: gift items to raise faction standing to friendly, then assassinate the merchant while falling back to neutral. If the faction becomes hostile, guards launch an incursion identical to a raid — they'll prioritize destroying production facilities and knocking settlers unconscious before leaving.
Best Trades by Game Stage
Early Game: Food & Basic Tools
Trade excess raw food and wood for items you haven't researched yet. The Kingdom of York offers the most frequent visits and best early-game deals on food supplies and simple tools. Use this faction to bridge resource gaps during the first year.
Mid Game: Production Facilities & Research
Target the Band of the She-Wolf for production facilities you haven't unlocked yet, and the Philosophers of the Natural for chronicles and research materials to accelerate your tech tree. The Faithful Sons provide quality combat gear for defense.
Late Game: Exotic Weapons & Steel
The Church of the Third Coming sells rare weapons including the falchion. The Circle of Avalon and Ancrene Disciples offer high-end decoration items for settler mood management. Trade excess iron, gold, and silver ingots for maximum profit.
FAQ
How do I start trading in Going Medieval?
Research Architecture first, then allocate 30 chronicles to research Cartography. Build a Cartography Table (90 wood, Construction skill 15+). Once built, the Region tab unlocks, allowing you to send caravans to nearby settlements. Merchant caravans will also begin randomly visiting your colony as events.
Which settler should handle trades?
Always use a settler with the highest Speechcraft skill. Speechcraft determines how favorable the barter terms are — at low skill merchants demand a 5% value loss, while expert speechcraft (16+) allows up to 20% profit per trade. A dedicated trader with high speechcraft is one of the most valuable colonists in your settlement.
Can I attack merchants to steal their goods?
Yes, but with significant risk. Killing a merchant drops all carried items. Guards only fight back if the faction becomes hostile. Use heavy crossbowmen to minimize hits (alignment loss is per-hit). If hostility triggers, guards launch a raid-like incursion targeting production facilities. Gifting items to reach friendly status before assassination can mitigate diplomatic damage.