The Master Merchant skill line in Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) is all about increasing your gold income through various percentage-based bonuses. Understanding these percentages is crucial for maximizing your profits from selling items. This guide breaks down the key percentages and how they interact to boost your gold earnings.
Key Percentages in Master Merchant
The Master Merchant skill line provides several percentage-based bonuses that stack additively (meaning they simply add together). These include:
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Increased Gold Earned from Selling Items: This is the core benefit. Each rank in the skill line grants a percentage increase to the gold you receive when selling items to merchants. The total percentage increase is the sum of the percentage from each rank you've acquired. For example, if you have all five ranks, you'll receive a significant percentage bonus.
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Increased Gold from Guild Trader Sales: While not directly part of the skill line's individual ranks, the overall effect of increased gold earned extends to your guild trader sales. This means the higher percentage earned from regular merchants also applies to sales made via guild traders. This is a significant boost to profits for players who frequently utilize guild traders.
How the Percentages Stack
Let's illustrate how these percentages stack. Assume you have all five ranks in Master Merchant, resulting in a total bonus of X%. (The exact percentage depends on the rank of each skill within the skill line. This information is readily available in the game itself.)
If you sell an item worth 100 gold to a merchant, with a X% bonus from Master Merchant, you'll receive 100 + (100 * X%) gold. This applies equally to selling through guild traders.
It's important to note that these percentages are applied after any other modifiers that affect item value. For instance, if you have an item worth 100 gold before any enchantment or other bonuses, and you have a 20% increase from Master Merchant, you would receive 120 gold upon selling it. However, if you get an enchantment that increases its value by 20%, then it becomes 120 gold before the Master Merchant bonus is applied. Then, your final payout would be 120 + (120 * X%) gold.
Maximizing Your Profits with Master Merchant
To maximize your profits, consider these strategies:
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Prioritize Ranking Up: The higher your Master Merchant skill line ranks, the greater your percentage bonus. Prioritize this skill line, especially if you plan on doing significant trading.
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Combine with Other Skills and Buffs: Use other skills and traits that increase profits (if any are relevant to your specific build) for further multiplicative bonus.
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Strategic Selling: Understand merchant price fluctuations. Some items fetch more gold at specific merchants or during particular events.
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Guild Trader Optimization: Utilize guild traders effectively. List your items strategically, setting prices that account for both competition and your Master Merchant bonus.
Conclusion
The percentages in the ESO Master Merchant skill line are crucial for increasing your gold income. By understanding how these percentages stack and using effective trading strategies, you can significantly boost your wealth and success in Tamriel. Remember to always consult in-game information for the most up-to-date percentage values.
