How to trade in Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress contains many of the mechanics you would have grown to expect from a civilization builder game. Trading is one such mechanic, but it isn’t something that is always available. Trading may prove vital for your fortress as you try to make it through those harsh winter months, or try to get hold of stuff in short supply. Here is how to trade in Dwarf Fortress.

How trading works in Dwarf Fortress

When can you trade in Dwarf Fortress?

Trading isn’t something that you can do all the time. Trading will be something that is done on the trader’s term. They will travel the lands and trade with outposts and civilizations, yours included.

The traders will arrive to your outpost every autumn, and will stay for the month to commence trade. An alert will appear, letting you know that they’ve arrived. As long as you have traders, you will be able to trade. You will only have a moderate window before they leave and you’ll have to wait a whole year for them to return.

What you’ll need

The traders won’t just pop by, however, you’ll need to build a trade depot, available in the building menu on the first screen. Requiring just one resource of your choosing, you can set up the trading depot wherever you like as long as it is accessible.

You will also need to move goods to the trade depot ready for trading when the traders arrive. You will only be able to offer what is stored in the trade depot. When the traders arrive and populate the trade depot, you must also assign either a dwarf or your broker to the trade depot to trade with the traders.

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How to trade

When everything is set up, you can trade with the traders by selecting the ‘trade’ button in the trade depot. Every item has a value. As you select things you want to give up and things you want from them, the trade deal will only be accepted if they are making a profit. You will not be able to trade for equal value, as their trip must be profitable.

You can also request for specific items to be brought to you the next time they arrive, but they will cost double. Additionally, the traders will tell you what is in demand for next year so you can prepare a surplus to sell it at a higher value.

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