This AI-assisted content was systematically checked against the current game source code and corrected to match the implementation. It has not necessarily received an independent human editorial review, and it may become outdated as the game changes.
Marketplace & Trade
The Marketplace supplies one merchant per building level, accepts player offers, sends resources, performs Quartermaster exchanges, and manages trade routes.
Merchants
Carry capacity does not automatically scale with server speed. It is multiplied by the Trade Office, the alliance Trade Network bonus, and Loaded Caravans research. Merchant Requests adds 2 / 4 / 6 merchants, and Swift Caravans makes merchants 5% / 10% / 15% faster.
Travel uses the server’s movement-speed bracket: 1× movement on a 1× server, 2× on 2× through 5×, and 4× on 10×. A direct send may repeat up to 5 deliveries.
Quartermaster
The default NPC exchange rate is 3:1. Quartermaster Bargaining changes it to 2.85:1 / 2.65:1 / 2.5:1. A Watchfire Quartermaster’s Token provides 2 / 4 / 6 one-for-one exchanges.
Player offers
Offers may range from 1:2 through 2:1 by unweighted resource amount. Marketplace offers lock the seller’s required merchants until accepted or cancelled. Market Safekeeping can protect 15% / 30% / 50% of offered resources from village loot.
Trade Agreements, Treaties, Defensive Pacts, and same-alliance membership permit alliance-scope offers. War blocks trade.
Trade routes
The base limit is 3 routes per village. Trade Route Permits raises it by 2 / 4 / 6. Merchant Charter unlocks Smart Trade Routes, minimum source stocks, and routes to any eligible alliance village. Routes obey Beginner Protection, vacation, account-link, war, and support-limit rules.
Cross-player support limits
Direct sends, route deliveries, and the unequal part of an accepted offer are netted in daily and weekly windows. Food counts as half value. After a relationship has matured for 24 hours, the base daily cap is the higher of a production-based amount and a fixed amount scaled by server speed:
| Relationship | Production amount | Fixed amount | Weekly cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same alliance | 2 hours | 20,000 × speed | 5× daily |
| Treaty or Defensive Pact | 1.25 hours | 12,000 × speed | 3× daily |
| Personal pact | 1 hour | 10,000 × speed | 3× daily |
| Trade Agreement | 0.5 hour | 5,000 × speed | 3× daily |
| No relation | 0.25 hour | 2,500 × speed | 3× daily |
Before a friendly relationship is 24 hours old, the lower rather than higher base amount applies. Sending to a larger receiver also applies a population multiplier: 1× when the receiver is no larger, then 0.5×, 0.25×, or 0.1× as the size gap grows.
Fair-play-linked accounts cannot send direct resource gifts to each other. They may exchange through offers only at equal weighted value; because Food has half value, the fair Food rate is 2:1 against another resource. Combat between linked accounts does not award loot or leaderboard rewards unless the moderation link has been dismissed.
While Beginner Protection is active, cross-player direct sending and cross-player trade routes are blocked. Protected sellers cannot create storage offers, and a protected buyer below 200 population cannot accept an offer that gives them more than they pay.
Food sent to Ancient Stronghold/Wonder villages is exempt from support accounting before Plan release; once the Plan phase begins, all resources sent there are exempt.