Prices differ between cities, and a player willing to carry goods from the cheap one to the expensive one can earn the gap. The skill is in picking routes where that gap is still there after fees, trips and the chance of losing the load.
How a haul makes money
You buy in city A, ride to city B and sell. Profit is what you sell for, minus what you paid, minus fees and tax, minus the cost of getting there. The Transport calculator does that sum for a whole load.
Raw resources, refined materials, food and gear all move between cities. Each royal city refines one resource with a bonus, so raw materials often sell for more in their refining city. Martlock pays for hide, Lymhurst for fiber, Fort Sterling for wood, Bridgewatch for stone and Thetford for ore. Check current prices before you assume it.
Know the zones on your route
Your risk depends on where the road goes:
- Blue zones have no PvP.
- Yellow zones allow PvP between flagged players, but a death there does not drop your gear or cargo.
- Red zones are full loot. A player who kills you takes what you carry.
- Black zones in the Outlands are full loot with no restrictions.
You can ride between the five outer royal cities without entering a red zone. Caerleon sits in the middle of the continent, and the roads into it cross red zones. Caerleon is also home to the Black Market, which buys gear for instant sale.
Size the load to the mount
Every item has a weight. Carry more than your limit and you slow down, which makes you easier to catch and longer on the road.
- Look up the weight per item. The Transport calculator fills it in from game data.
- Pick your mount. The calculator has presets for each mount's carry weight by quality.
- Read the number of trips it takes: total weight divided by capacity, rounded up.
A transport ox carries far more than a riding horse but rides slower. On a safe route, capacity usually wins. On a dangerous one, speed and a cheaper mount can matter more.
