Maximizing Your Coin: The Witcher 3’s Definitive Selling Guide
So, you’ve slain a griffin, plundered a bandit camp, and your saddlebags are overflowing with loot. Now comes the crucial question: Where can you sell your hard-earned items in The Witcher 3 to maximize your profit? The answer isn’t a simple one-stop shop, but rather a strategic approach to vendors and their specific interests. Generally, the best approach is to sell armor to armorers, weapons to blacksmiths, herbs and alchemy ingredients to herbalists, and unwanted food to innkeepers. By targeting the vendors who specialize in each type of item, you’ll receive significantly better prices than simply dumping everything on the first merchant you see. Novigrad and Oxenfurt, being larger cities, typically offer vendors with the most coin and the best prices.
Understanding Vendor Economics in The Witcher 3
The economy of The Witcher 3 is built upon a few core principles that every aspiring wealthy witcher should understand:
- Vendor Specialization: Merchants pay more for goods related to their trade. An armorer knows the value of a masterfully crafted breastplate, while a blacksmith appreciates the intricacies of a well-forged blade. Innkeepers always need to keep their stock of food up, so selling food items is the best way to get rid of it.
- Vendor Coin Availability: Each vendor has a limited amount of crowns. Once they’re out, you’ll have to meditate (fast travel away and back sometimes helps), or return at a later time to refresh their stock. Larger cities like Novigrad and Oxenfurt generally have vendors with more coin.
- Item Scarcity: Some items, especially crafting components, are rarer than others. While tempting to sell early on, holding onto these for crafting can save you a lot of time and money later.
- Dismantling vs. Selling: Generally, selling is more profitable. However, dismantling specific items (especially junk items with valuable components like dimeritium) can sometimes yield a higher return if you need those components for crafting.
Specific Vendor Recommendations
While specialization is key, some vendors stand out due to their location, availability of coin, or unique circumstances:
- The Armorer in Hierarch Square (Novigrad): This vendor, often exclaimed about his “top notch swords”, is an excellent choice for selling armor, even though he doesn’t forge swords himself.
- Hattori the Master Blacksmith (Novigrad): Completing Hattori’s questline unlocks a blacksmith with a high amount of coin and generally good prices for weapons. He’s particularly valuable for selling relic swords.
- Herbalists: Various herbalists scattered throughout the world offer the best prices for herbs, alchemy ingredients, and mutagens. Check in the villages and the towns for them.
- Innkeepers: The local Innkeepers will be more than happy to buy unwanted foods that you do not want to consume.
- General Merchants: A general merchant in Novigrad on the main square is useful for selling pelts and other junk.
The Dismantling Dilemma
While generally selling is more profitable than dismantling, there are exceptions. Pay attention to the components you receive from dismantling. Is it a rare crafting material you need? If so, dismantling might be worth it. Otherwise, selling is usually the better option. Selling relic weapons is almost always better than dismantling.
Exploiting Vendor Mechanics for Profit
While not necessary to enjoy The Witcher 3, some players seek to exploit vendor mechanics for a quick infusion of cash. One popular method involves:
- Purchasing shells or jewelry from a vendor.
- Dismantling them into valuable materials like pearls.
- Selling the pearls back to the vendor or another vendor who buys crafting materials.
This method works best with vendors who have a low amount of coin, allowing you to quickly cycle through their stock. Remember that exploiting game mechanics can impact your overall experience, so consider whether it aligns with your preferred playstyle. There is also an unlimited money exploit, which may have been patched in more recent editions of the game:
- Go to the merchant at Hierarch Square in Novigrad.
- Go to the armorer right next to the merchant.
- Sell the pearls to the armorer until he runs out of money.
- Meditate for 5 days and the armorer will have roughly 1000 coins again.
- Repeat.
This is a useful method to get quick cash.
The Value of Contracts and Treasure Hunts
While optimizing vendor prices is important, remember that the most reliable sources of income in The Witcher 3 are witcher contracts and treasure hunts. Contracts offer substantial rewards for monster slaying, while treasure hunts often lead to valuable gear and crafting diagrams. Don’t neglect these opportunities in your pursuit of wealth.
Final Thoughts
Becoming a wealthy witcher in The Witcher 3 requires a combination of shrewd trading, savvy resource management, and a willingness to explore the world. By understanding vendor specializations, managing your inventory, and taking advantage of contracts and treasure hunts, you’ll have more coin than you know what to do with, allowing you to purchase the best gear, craft powerful potions, and truly experience all that the game has to offer. As you delve deeper into the world of The Witcher 3, remember that gaming can also offer insights into problem solving and strategic thinking, skills that can be applied to various aspects of life. Learn more about the cognitive and social benefits of gaming on websites such as the Games Learning Society at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about selling items for the most money in The Witcher 3, designed to further enhance your understanding and optimize your in-game finances:
1. Is it better to dismantle or sell weapons and armor in The Witcher 3?
Generally, selling is better for weapons and armor. Dismantling rarely yields materials that are more valuable than the item’s sale price. The exception is if you urgently need a specific crafting component and dismantling is the only way to obtain it.
2. Where is the best place to sell junk items in The Witcher 3?
A general merchant in Novigrad on the main square is a great place to sell junk. They’ll buy things like ladders, chandeliers, and other miscellaneous items.
3. Does the difficulty level affect vendor prices?
No, the difficulty level in The Witcher 3 does not directly affect vendor prices. Prices are consistent across all difficulty settings.
4. Should I sell crafting ingredients early in the game?
It depends. Some common ingredients like albedo are easy to come by and can be sold for quick coin. However, rarer ingredients should be saved for crafting higher-level potions, oils, and bombs.
5. How do I increase a vendor’s coin supply?
You can increase a vendor’s coin supply by meditating for several days (usually 5 days works). This resets their inventory and replenishes their coin. Fast traveling away and back is often helpful.
6. Are there any merchants who offer exceptionally high prices for specific items?
Hattori, the master blacksmith in Novigrad, offers good prices for weapons after completing his questline. Also, targeting vendors who specialize in the kind of item you are selling is best practice.
7. Is it worth investing in the ” торговли ( торговли )” skill?
The ” торговли ( торговли )” skill increases the amount of coin you earn from selling items. It can be beneficial, especially early in the game when you’re struggling for money.
8. What should I do with monster trophies?
Monster trophies provide passive bonuses when equipped. Choose the trophy that best suits your playstyle, and sell the rest.
9. Should I sell or dismantle shells and jewelry?
This depends on the current market and your needs. You can often purchase shells and jewelry, dismantle them for pearls, and sell the pearls for a profit.
10. Do vendors in different regions offer different prices?
Yes, vendors in larger cities like Novigrad and Oxenfurt tend to offer better prices than those in smaller villages.
11. What is the most valuable item to sell in The Witcher 3?
Relic weapons and armor generally fetch the highest prices. Focus on obtaining these through treasure hunts and contracts.
12. How can I quickly earn money in The Witcher 3?
Focus on completing witcher contracts and treasure hunts. These offer significant rewards and valuable loot to sell.
13. Should I keep duplicate crafting diagrams?
No, once you’ve learned a crafting diagram, you can sell any duplicates.
14. What is the purpose of dismantling items?
Dismantling allows you to obtain crafting components. Use it strategically to acquire specific materials you need for crafting.
15. Are there any items that are completely useless and should always be sold?
Ash has no use and should always be sold. Also, early in the game, you can consider selling runes if you need quick cash, as they don’t make a significant difference at lower levels.