Ready to maximize your profits? Let’s uncover the trade secrets that’ll have you swimming in ducats!
The Basics of Trading: Buy Low, Sell High
At its core, trading in Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is all about buying goods at a low price in one port and selling them for a higher price in another.
Sounds simple, right? But here’s the catch: prices fluctuate based on supply and demand, and every port has its own specialties and market rates. If you flood a port with too much of one good, the price tanks.
Buy too much, and you’ll jack up the cost for yourself. The key is to plan smart routes and focus on specialty goods—items that a port produces cheaply but sell for a premium elsewhere.
Before we get to the juicy trade routes, here’s a pro tip: hire a bookkeeper. A mate with high accounting skills can give you discounts when buying goods and help you track market prices for ports you’ve visited.
Check the lodge in any port to view the market rate and plan your moves. Oh, and don’t forget to haggle—especially if you’re playing as Joao or Ali, who have a knack for it.
Top Trade Route for Early Game Riches
Athens to Istanbul (Art and Carpets): This is the stuff of legends. Athens sells art at a steal, and Istanbul’s merchants will pay through the nose for it. Then, load up on carpets in Istanbul and sell them back in Athens. The ports are close, the goods are pricey, and the profits are obscene. This route’s so good it’s practically cheating. Just watch out for pirates—they love lurking in the Mediterranean.
Another mid-game trick is to manipulate the market. Buy small quantities (of the same product type) like carpet in Instanbul to drive the index up. Then sell all your art at once.
Late-Game Power Moves: Gold and Beyond
In the late game, you’re not just trading—you’re dominating the global economy. By now, you’ve probably invested in ports to boost their economy and industry (pro tip: invest in ports like Madeira to unlock better goods). Here’s a high-stakes route for the big leagues:
Madeira to Genoa (Gold and Silver): Buy gold in African ports. Sail to European ports like Genoa. To maximize profits manipulate the market (as silver and gold are of the same type). This route’s tedious but can net you millions in a single trip. You’ll need a beefy fleet and plenty of capital to pull it off, but it’s worth it.
One thing to watch out for: at a price index of 140% or higher, specialty goods might disappear from the market until prices drop. If that happens, sell some cheap goods to lower the index or wait for the month to change.
Port Specialties: Your Cheat Sheet
Knowing which ports specialize in what goods is half the battle. Here’s a quick rundown of some key ports and their specialty goods, based on the game’s trading system:
| Port | Specialty |
|---|---|
| Abidjan | Musk |
| Aden | Amber |
| Alexandria | Cotton Cloth |
| Algiers | None |
| Amboa | Nutmeg |
| Amsterdam | Glass Beads |
| Antwerp | Wool Cloth |
| Argin | None |
| Athens | Art |
| Azov | None |
| Banda | Nutmeg |
| Bankao | None |
| Barcelona | Rock Salt |
| Basra | Cheese |
| Bathurst | None |
| Beirut | Carpet |
| Belgrade | None |
| Bergen | None |
| Bissau | None |
| Bordeaux | Raisins |
| Bristol | Tin Ore |
| Cairo | Art |
| Calicut | Nutmeg |
| Callao | None |
| Candia | None |
| Cape Cod | None |
| Cape Town | None |
| Caracas | Vanilla |
| Cartegena | None |
| Cayenne | Wood |
| Ceuta | None |
| Ceylon | Cinnamon |
| Changan | Silk Cloth |
| Churchill | None |
| Cochin | None |
| Copenhagen | Glassware |
| Coppermine | None |
| Danzig | None |
| Dikson | None |
| Dili | Clove |
| Diu | None |
| Dublin | None |
| Ezo | None |
| Forel | None |
| Geelong | None |
| Genoa | Silver |
| Goa | Ginger |
| Guam | None |
| Guatemala | Grain |
| Hamburg | Dye |
| Hanoi | Coral |
| Havana | Vanilla |
| Hekla | None |
| Hormuz | Ginger |
| Istanbul | Carpet |
| Jaffa | None |
| Jamaica | Sugar |
| Juneau | None |
| Kaffa | Iron Ore |
| Korf | None |
| Leveque | None |
| Lisbon | Rock Salt |
| London | Wool |
| Luanda | Coral |
| Lubeck | Silver |
| Lushun | None |
| Macao | None |
| Madeira | Sugar |
| Malacca | Cinnamon |
| Malindi | Musk |
| Maracaibo | None |
| Margarita | None |
| Marseille | Perfume |
| Massawa | Pimento |
| Mecca | Musk |
| Mindanao | None |
| Mogadishu | Ivory |
| Mollendo | None |
| Mombasa | None |
| Montevideo | None |
| Moresby | None |
| Mozambique | None |
| Muscat | None |
| Naalehu | None |
| Nagasaki | Silver |
| Nantes | None |
| Naples | Wool Cloth |
| Narvik | None |
| Nicosia | Copper Ore |
| Nome | None |
| Oslo | Wood |
| Palma | None |
| Panama | None |
| Pasei | None |
| Pernambuco | Dye |
| Pisa | Silk Cloth |
| Porto Velho | None |
| Quatar | Tortoise Shell |
| Quelimane | Tortoise Shell |
| Ragusa | Dye |
| Riga | Wood |
| Rio de Janeiro | Gold |
| Sakai | Silk Cloth |
| Salonika | None |
| San Jorge | Ivory |
| Santa Barbara | None |
| Santa Cruz | None |
| Santiago | None |
| Santo Domingo | Sugar |
| Seville | Porcelain |
| Shiraz | None |
| Sofala | Ivory |
| Stockholm | Copper Ore |
| Sunda | None |
| Suva | None |
| Syracuse | None |
| Tahiti | None |
| Tamatave | None |
| Ternate | Clove |
| Tiksi | None |
| Timbuktu | Ivory |
| Trebizond | Cotton Cloth |
| Tripoli | None |
| Tunis | Iron Ore |
| Valencia | Wool Cloth |
| Valparaiso | None |
| Venice | Glassware |
| Veracruz | Gold |
| Wanganui | None |
| Zeiton | Silk |
Want the full list? Check out the trading data on the Koei Wiki for a detailed breakdown of buy and sell prices across regions. It’s a lifesaver for planning long-distance routes.
Pro Tips for Trading Like a Tycoon
Before you set sail, here are a few extra tips to keep your coffers full:
- Invest in Ports: Pump gold into a port’s economy to increase the availability of goods and unlock rare items like gold or silver. Ports with 1000 industry (like Nagasaki for Tekkousen ships) are prime targets.
- Avoid Taxes: Trading in neutral or foreign ports slaps you with a 20% tax. Get a tax-free permit from your nation to skip it, or stick to allied ports.
- Watch the Market: The price index (50% to 150%) dictates your profits.
- Upgrade Your Fleet: Bigger ships like Galleons or Tekkousens can carry more cargo, boosting your profits per trip. Nagasaki and Sakai sell Tekkousens with steel hulls for max durability—just make sure the port’s industry is at 1000.
- Stay Safe: Pirates and storms can ruin your day. Always carry balms (item).
Uncharted Waters Online
Did you know that Uncharted Waters Online is the spiritual successor to Uncharted Waters New Horizons?
Why not download and try it? Here is how to start to play the smart way.
Here are some reviews.
And if you need help I'm here to help!
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