Set Up Your First Trade Market (Step-by-Step)

Trade Quick Help Beginner v1.0
Updated for v1.0.x | Last updated: 2025-01-15

Goal

Build a dependable early income stream by focusing on one main market, raising capacity, and using short protected routes. This guide will help you establish your first profitable trade network without overwhelming complexity.

💡 Tip
Key principle: Start small, build capacity, then expand. One working market is better than three broken ones.

Steps

Step 1: Pick One Primary Market

Choose a primary market anchored by your capital or nearest coast hub. This should be a market where you have natural advantages: proximity, existing infrastructure, or strategic position.

Avoid splitting across markets in the first decades. Each market requires its own infrastructure and capacity. Focus on one market first, then expand to others when you have excess capacity and resources.

Common mistake: Trying to develop multiple markets simultaneously spreads your resources thin and prevents any market from working properly.

Step 2: Build Marketplaces to Raise Capacity

Build marketplaces in the hubs that actually belong to this market. Marketplaces are the primary way to increase trade capacity. Each marketplace adds capacity to its market.

Confirm capacity rises before adding routes. Check your market's capacity after building each marketplace. Only create trade routes once you have sufficient capacity (with headroom for growth).

💡 Tip
Priority: Build your first marketplace in your capital or primary trade hub. This is usually the most efficient location.

Step 3: Choose High-Margin Goods with Short Routes

Choose 1–2 high-margin goods with stable inputs. Focus on goods that generate high profit per capacity point. Examples include luxuries, finished products, and goods with stable supply.

Prefer short routes you can protect with roads/ports. Short routes are more efficient and easier to protect. Long routes require more infrastructure, protection, and maintenance. Start with nearby markets first.

Step 4: Monitor Access and Control

Build roads to lift proximity. Roads improve market access and control. Better access means higher trade efficiency and more reliable routes.

Build ports to secure overseas access. If you're trading across water, ports are essential. Without ports, coastal locations have reduced access and control.

Without infrastructure, trades underperform. Even with capacity and routes, poor access/control means your trades won't generate expected income. Build infrastructure first.

Quick Setup Checklist

  • 1 marketplace at capital hub: Build your first marketplace in your capital or primary trade hub.
  • 1 short export: Establish one short export route to a nearby market with good prices.
  • Staffed jobs in two profitable buildings: Ensure two profitable buildings are fully staffed before expanding.
  • Avoid new routes until capacity > 0 with headroom: Don't create routes until you have sufficient capacity (with room for growth).
📝 Note
Remember: Complete this checklist before expanding into complex trade networks. Stability first, growth second.

Common Pitfalls

Avoid these mistakes that stall trade development:

  • Building routes with zero capacity: You can't create routes if your market has no capacity. Build marketplaces first.
  • Overextending into two markets: Each market needs infrastructure. Focus on one market first, then expand to others when ready.
  • Unstaffed production that creates apparent but unrealized supply: Buildings that aren't staffed don't produce goods. Check employment before building routes that depend on those goods.
  • Ignoring access/control: Poor infrastructure means poor trade performance. Build roads and ports to maximize access and control.

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