Wilderness merchants explained: Biomass, prices and stock
Four merchants wait inside the Forest Region, and each trades in Biomass rather than credits. They will buy almost anything you carry and sell a mix of supplies that is rolled at random. Because every price is counted in Biomass, it helps to know how much an item is worth and how much each merchant can afford.
The short version
- Everything is priced in Biomass. One Biomass is worth 100 of an item's sell price.
- Merchants buy any item except Biomass. They pay the item's sell price divided by 100, rounded down.
- Each merchant has a limited Biomass float. It starts at 600 or 1,000, falls as they buy from you and rises as you buy from them. When it runs out, they refuse to buy.
- Prices on their goods vary a little. Each listing is between 10% under and 10% over the item's normal buy price.
The four merchants
Alejandro
- Where: Abandoned Camp (show on the map)
- Starts with: 1,000 Biomass
- Chance a gear item is Corrupted: 5%
- Typical stock: Weapons, weapon attachments, rifle and pistol ammunition, backpacks and curios, grenades, Carbon Fiber Fabric, Key to the Military Outpost - Warehouse, Canned Caviar
- Full stock list
Benito
- Where: Near the Lab (show on the map)
- Starts with: 1,000 Biomass
- Chance a gear item is Corrupted: 20%
- Typical stock: Stabilizing Powder, rifle and pistol ammunition, backpacks, melee weapons, weapon crates, medicine, Radiated Banana
- Full stock list
Carlos
- Where: Near the forester's crash site (show on the map)
- Starts with: 600 Biomass
- Chance a gear item is Corrupted: None
- Typical stock: Food, pistol ammunition, backpacks, melee weapons, Biopharmaceutical Epinephrine Injection, Biopharmaceutical Meldonium Injection, Hemostatic Powder, Waterproof Tarp, Foam Dart
- Full stock list
Diego
- Where: Lima Lake Town crossroads (show on the map)
- Starts with: 600 Biomass
- Chance a gear item is Corrupted: None
- Typical stock: Lake Sucia Vodka, Match, snacks and drinks, clothing and masks, winter wear, "WarlBros" Cigarette, "Cosmos" Cigarette, Moonshine, Gold Ring, Antique Vase, Key to 1-2-201 Bathroom
- Full stock list
Burning Grove and the Tutorial Level have no merchants. Open the Forest Region map to see where each one stands.
How prices work
When you sell, the merchant pays the item's sell price divided by 100, rounded down. When you buy, you pay the listing's price divided by 100, rounded up. The listing price is the item's buy price, nudged up or down by up to 10%.
| Item | Buy price | Biomass to buy | Sell price | Biomass when sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hemostatic Powder | 400 | 4–5 | 200 | 2 |
| Stabilizing Powder | 1,000 | 9–11 | 100 | 1 |
| Waterproof Tarp | 3,000 | 27–33 | 600 | 6 |
| Biopharmaceutical Epinephrine Injection | 5,000 | 45–55 | 2,500 | 25 |
| Gold Ring | 20,000 | 180–220 | 18,000 | 180 |
| Antique Vase | 34,500 | 311–380 | 22,500 | 225 |
| Carbon Fiber Fabric | 80,000 | 720–880 | 50,000 | 500 |
The buy column is a range because each listing is nudged separately. Corrupted goods are worth double, both when you buy and when you sell. A stack is priced together before it is divided, so selling or buying many cheap items at once is more efficient than doing so one at a time.
Why a merchant may refuse
- Not enough Biomass. A merchant cannot pay more than the Biomass it has left. A single Gold Ring is worth 180, so Diego's 600 covers only three of them.
- No room. The merchant has to be able to hold what you hand over.
- It is Biomass. They will not trade Biomass for Biomass.
- It is worth too little. Anything with a sell price under 100 pays nothing on its own.
When you buy from a merchant, the Biomass you spend goes into its float, so selling to it again later becomes possible.
Getting the most from a merchant
- Sell your most valuable spare items to the merchant with the largest float first.
- Decide whether you want Biomass or credits. Antiques and data items can instead be recycled for credits equal to their full sell price, as explained in Selling items and earning credits.
- Keep Biomass you want to craft with. Five Biomass make one Pure Biomass, and ten Pure Biomass make one Pristine Biomass.
- Check the Corruption chance before you buy gear from Benito, and revert or stabilize anything you want to keep, as covered in Corrupted weapons and gear.