Dungeons & Dragons Online™: Stormreach™

The Stormreach Economics Series

[01-Jul-2008]

The citizens of Stormreach are facing hard economic times. Signs of trouble are everywhere, with vendors running out of merchandise and panhandlers freely roaming the city streets. In the wake of the attacks from Shavarath on the once beautiful Marketplace tent, the Coin Lords have commissioned a public education project to help citizens with financial hardship.

During the next four weeks, we will be discussing such valuable topics as:

Managing your inventory
Dealing with vendors and brokers
Sales and purchases using the Auction House
Reducing the expenses of adventuring

Learn valuable tips for money management in this public service announcement, brought to you in part by the House Kundarak Bank!

Inventory Management

One of the easiest ways to save money is through inventory management. When you take charge of your inventory, you can regain countless funds that would have otherwise been wasted! The first step to good inventory management is to understand the value of the things you pick up in your travels.

Almost all items you happen upon in your journeys through Xen'drik have monetary value, no matter how great or small. As the space in your packs becomes smaller, however, you should be conscious of how your treasures are filling your backpacks in order to get the most money for the best use of your bag space.

Stacking items together saves space, and maximizes your profits. Bags and special containers help to organize items, as well as reduce the amount of space those items take up in your backpacks.

There are several types of bags available:

Gem bags
Collectible bags
Ingredient bags
Bounty bags
Quivers and more!

Gem bags will store and stack precious stones you find, while ingredient bags can store crafting components. Collectible bags will store items that NPC collectors seek. These bags come in small, medium, as well as large sizes. You can even carry one of each size. Be on the look out for other special containers in Stormreach!

There are also ways to expand your banking and backpack space. Remember that both the House Kundarak and the Coin Lords provide the opportunity for extra storage through the favor reward system. Gaining favor with the House Kundarak can give you the opportunity to purchase an extra bank slot. Earning favor with the Coin Lords unlocks the chance to acquire extra backpack space.

Still running out of room? Here are more tips for making the most of your Inventory:

When making room for more treasure, always compare the value of your findings. You can evaluate the worth of your items by looking at the value on the item description at the bottom.
When you run out of room and need space, destroy the item that is worth the least amount of money.
When looting items of similar worth, go for treasure that stacks, rather than treasure that doesn't. The value of a heavy mace might be similar to the single scroll you find in a chest, but a pile of those scrolls can add up to more money for the same amount of space as the mace.
Whenever you can, find ways to stack or condense your belongings. Carry resist energy wands instead of resist energy potions if you have the Use Magic Device skill. Those resist potions might not require any skill checks, but they can take up four times the space of the resist wand.
Use the inventory lock feature on your prized possessions to prevent accidental trades, destroying, or sales of things that matter most to you!

A well organized inventory isn't the only place you can save coppers. Next week, we show you tips for smart savings with your local vendors and brokers!

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