Youāll pick up so many items playing Baldurās Gate 3 that youāll regularly need to offload them. But when you make your way to a shopkeeper, youāll be confronted by a ābarterā screen instead of a ātradeā one. If thatās got you a little confused, hereās the difference between barter and trade in Baldurās Gate 3 (BG3) explained.
This Is the Difference Between Barter and Trade In BG 3
When you speak to a shopkeeper and ask to see their wares, you can choose to trade or barter. However, for some inexplicable reason, youāll always be presented by the barter window first. To switch to the trade window, you have to click on the button on the top of the screen or, on a controller, tap the top bumper buttons.
Trade lets you buy and sell items using gold. There are two windows, your item window (showing your items and, further down, other NPCs items) and the shopkeeperās item window. Click on any of your items and youāll sell it for gold, which is added to your partyās gold pool. Click on any of the shopkeeperās items and youāll buy it with money from your gold pool. Nice and easy.
Barter mode looks similar but there are two extra vertical windows, your offer and traderās offer. This mode lets you trade items for other items, instead of using gold. You drag an item or items from the traderās inventory to the trader’s offer. Then, you drag items from your inventory and when both your offer and the traderās offer are of equal value, you can complete the deal.
Hang on. Equal value? So thereās no haggling? None whatsoever. If the items youāre trying to offload are worth even a gold coin less, the trader will refuse your offer.
If Thereās No Haggling, Whatās the Point of BG3ās Barter?
This is where it gets kind of daft. What you can do is add items to your offer, so that what you’re offering is worth more than what youāre getting in return. If you do that, the merchantās approval will increase and itāll lower the price of the items he trades and barters.
Itās a very strange way of doing things, though the one consolation is that you can throw a few skulls into the deal. They wonāt be shifting those in a hurry, unless a coach trip of necromancers passes through. But itās only worth it if you’re doing a lot of business with the trader, or youāre going to buy some big price items.
Iāve rarely actually used barter. Itās far more unwieldy than trade mode which lets you sell items in a matter of seconds. And thatās the difference between barter and trade in Baldurās Gate 3 explained.
For more on BG3,Ā check out our guides onĀ how to respec your party members,Ā as well asĀ fixing any save bugs that might pop up. And if youāre just starting out,Ā watch Destructoidās excellent beginnerās guide toĀ Baldurās Gate 3.
Published: Aug 10, 2023 02:20 pm