ARC Raiders Trader Guide — Who to Buy From & Daily Stock Tips
Trader System Quick Reference
| Element | Details |
|---|---|
| Primary Currency | Credits — earned by selling loot to traders |
| Special Currency | Seeds — earned from challenges, daily missions, and specific activities |
| Stock Reset | Trader stock rotates daily; check before every session |
| General Vendors | Accept Credits; sell common-to-mid-tier gear, ammo, consumables |
| Specialized Vendors | Accept Seeds; sell premium items, rare blueprints, specialized equipment |
| Vendor Reputation | Some vendors unlock more stock or discounts as reputation grows through consistent purchases |
| Limited Stock | High-value items are limited per reset — first come, first served |
| Sell Prices | Traders buy loot at fixed prices; recycling may yield more value for craft materials |
The Stella Montis Trader Ecosystem
Stella Montis houses a diverse network of traders, each with distinct inventories, currencies, and specializations. Rather than one central store, the hub features individual vendors who represent different factions or specialties within the survivor community. A weapons dealer carries arms and attachments. A medical vendor stocks healing consumables and stims. A materials broker buys and sells crafting components. Understanding each vendor's specialty allows you to efficiently route your post-raid activities without wasting time browsing irrelevant inventories.
Trader relationships in ARC Raiders go beyond simple transactions. Regular purchasing from specific vendors builds reputation, which can unlock additional stock tiers, improved prices, or exclusive items not available to new customers. This reputation system rewards consistent engagement with specific traders rather than spreading Credits across all vendors equally. Identify which traders align with your playstyle and progression priorities, and build those relationships deliberately.
The competitive element of trader stock is important to understand: limited-stock items operate on a first-come-first-served basis across all players in your server instance. If a desirable blueprint or rare item appears in a trader's stock, other players can buy it before you do. This is another reason to check traders early in each session rather than after completing your loot runs for the day.
Credits vs Seeds — How to Use Each
Credits are the workhorse currency of Stella Montis. Every general vendor transaction, most gear replacements, and the bulk of your daily economic activity runs on Credits. You earn Credits primarily by selling extracted loot — any item you don't need for crafting or personal use generates Credits when sold to appropriate vendors. Credit management is straightforward: maintain a reserve for emergency gear replacement (losing your loadout and having no Credits to re-kit is painful), spend the rest on needed supplies and stock items.
Seeds are a premium currency earned through non-selling activities: completing daily missions, finishing challenges, achieving specific milestones, and engaging with the game's broader objective systems. Seeds are intentionally scarce — you earn them in smaller quantities than Credits, and the items they purchase are correspondingly more valuable. Blueprints for endgame recipes, rare crafting components in limited quantities, and exclusive equipment that cannot be found by other means are the Seeds economy's domain.
The strategic question with Seeds is timing and prioritization. Because Seeds are limited, spending them on consumable items that you'll replace quickly is wasteful. Reserve Seeds for blueprint purchases — particularly blueprints that unlock crafting recipes you've been waiting on for significant progression upgrades. A blueprint bought with Seeds today may fuel your crafting progression for weeks, making it far better value than Seeds spent on a one-time gear purchase.
Daily Trader Routine
- Start each session by visiting all traders before deploying — stock resets happen on a daily schedule
- Check the specialized Seeds vendor first: limited blueprint stock goes fast and has the highest value
- Note any limited-stock mid-tier gear you need and buy immediately if it's available at a fair price
- Review the materials broker: sometimes it's cheaper to buy specific crafting components than to farm them
- Check ammo and consumable vendors for restocking any depleted supplies
- Sell your previous session's extracted loot to appropriate vendors before deploying again
- Note total Credits earned from selling to calibrate your spending for the day
When to Buy vs When to Farm or Craft
Traders are most valuable for items that are annoying to farm specifically — mid-tier components that require long routes through contested zones, specific ammo types, and consumable items that cost more time to gather than their Credits purchase price. When a trader sells a crafting component you need for less Credits than the time cost of farming it, buying from the trader is the correct economic decision. Treat your time as a resource alongside your materials and Credits.
Buying gear directly from traders is justified when you need a specific piece quickly — for example, replacing a lost item before a planned squad raid session. However, as a long-term strategy, crafting almost always produces better gear per Credits spent. Trader-bought items are rarely as customized or upgradeable as crafted versions of the same tier. Buy from traders for speed and convenience; craft for optimal results.
Credits Economy Tips
- Always keep a minimum Credits reserve equal to two full basic loadout replacements — this is your safety net after bad raids
- Sell to traders who specialize in your loot type — weapons to weapons dealers, materials to materials brokers — for potentially better prices
- Don't hoard Credits: unspent Credits don't grow; invest them in useful stock or save for known upcoming purchases
- Industrial crafting components often have better sell prices at materials brokers than general vendors — compare prices
- Buying consumables from traders in bulk when stock is available saves Credits compared to buying individual units in emergency situations
- Seeds from daily missions accumulate fast enough to buy most blueprints within a few sessions — check mission objectives every day
Frequently asked questions
How often do trader stocks reset in ARC Raiders?
Trader stocks reset on a daily schedule. The exact reset time varies, but checking traders at the start of each play session ensures you see the freshest stock. Limited-stock items can be purchased by any player first, so early session checks give you the best selection.
What is the best thing to spend Seeds on in ARC Raiders?
Blueprints are almost always the best Seeds investment. They unlock crafting recipes that compound in value over many raid sessions. After blueprints, Seeds are well-spent on rare components that are bottlenecks in your current crafting queue. Avoid spending Seeds on common consumables or low-tier items.
How do you earn Seeds in ARC Raiders?
Seeds are earned through completing daily missions, finishing challenges, achieving game milestones, and engaging with specific activity systems built into the game. They are not earned by simply selling loot — that generates Credits. Check your mission and challenge log daily to ensure you're completing Seeds-earning activities.
Can you trade with other players in ARC Raiders?
Player-to-player direct trading is limited in ARC Raiders. The primary trading interface is through Stella Montis vendors. Squad members can share items in the field, but there is no player marketplace or auction system — all currency transactions go through the established vendor network.
Is it better to sell loot to traders or recycle it?
It depends on the item. Industrial junk, wire scraps, and spring cushions almost always recycle for more value than their trader sell prices. Consumables and found weapons often sell better than their recycling output. For each item category, compare what the recycler gives versus the trader offers and make the decision based on what you currently need more: Credits or crafting components.
Sources & verification
Coloured pills follow our four-tier source policy.
- ARC Raiders Community Wiki — Economy
- ARC Raiders fact-check pass — guide step re-tested in-game
Continue this guide path
- ›ARC Raiders Currency Guide — Credits, Seeds & the Stella Montis EconomyARC Raiders has two distinct currencies that serve very different roles in the Stella Montis economy. Learn how Credits and Seeds are earned, what each is best spent on, and how to balance selling versus recycling for long-term economic health.
- ›ARC Raiders Recycling Guide — What to Recycle vs Sell vs KeepThe recycler at Stella Montis is one of the most underutilized tools for new Raiders. Learn which items to recycle for maximum crafting component value, which to sell to traders for Credits, and which to keep for your own use.
- ›ARC Raiders Blueprint Guide — How to Get Every Blueprint TypeBlueprints unlock all crafting recipes in ARC Raiders. This guide covers every source — traders, supply drops, loot containers, expedition rewards — and breaks down which blueprints to prioritize early versus late game.
- ›ARC Raiders Expedition Projects Guide — All Milestones & RewardsExpedition Projects are the long-term progression backbone of ARC Raiders, unlocking hub upgrades, blueprints, and permanent bonuses through material milestones. This guide covers what every project track does, what materials it needs, and the right completion order.
- ›ARC Raiders Looting Strategy — How to Fill Your Bag Fast & SmartEfficient looting is what separates consistent Raiders from players who struggle to progress. Learn how to triage loot, understand container types, manage inventory space, and route through zones for maximum value per raid.