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For a cross-game overview of this skill, see Barter. |
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“Trading and trade-related tasks. The ability to get better prices for items you sell, and lower prices for items you buy.”— In-game description
Barter is a skill in Fallout: New Vegas.
Description
The Barter skill is primarily used in the buying and selling of items, such as trading with a merchant or scavenger. In general, purchase prices will be lowered and selling price will be higher. It is the primary factor in price determination, and is also offset by the Barter skill of the non-player character in question. The skill is also used in certain dialogue options with non-player characters, where certain responses require Barter checks.
Initial level
Example: A starting Charisma of 5 and Luck of 5.
Barter affects the prices gotten when trading with merchants. There are also many Barter skill checks in the game that can help advancing in quests by displaying a good sense with money, talking down costs, and talking up rewards. The Barter skill is governed by the Charisma attribute.
General price (before application of reputational fees or discounts) is counted with the same formula as in Fallout 3. Note that reputation does not affect prices unless that particular merchant is scripted to modify worth based on the Courier's reputation. For example, Chet will only use the PC's barter skill value to determine prices even if they are Idolized with Goodsprings, but with a mixed reputation (regardless of how good or bad it is), he will offer at 1:1 prices.
| Barter | Sell % | Buy % |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 45 | 155 |
| 20 | 54 | 146 |
| 40 | 63 | 137 |
| 60 | 72 | 128 |
| 80 | 81 | 119 |
| 100 | 90 | 110 |
Barter in quests and exploration
While hard to tell in the abstract from the following list, in many cases Barter is offered as an alternative dialogue skill check to Speech (though generally involving paying money) or other skill checks. This may be to help compensate for the fact that Barter on its own may not be as useful as other skills.
- 20 to convince Trudy for an additional 25 caps for repairing her radio.
- 20 to convince Major Knight to send a squad of NCR troops to Primm in order to protect the town and its trade route.
- 25 to convince Chet to assist in the quest Ghost Town Gunfight or Run Goodsprings Run.
- 25 to convince Dr. Klein to have Dr. 0 give 250 bottle caps to the Courier instead of 50.
- 30 to convince Johnson Nash to give up information about the NCR attack on NCR Correctional Facility for just 50 caps in the quest I Fought the Law.
- 35 to convince Aurelius of Phoenix to allow trade with Decanus Severus. (NCR Dog-tags for food, ammunition, explosives, firearms or armor.)
- 35 to convince Beatrix Russell in Wang Dang Atomic Tango.
- 35 to convince Crandon to allow the start of the quest Someone to Watch Over Me.
- 35 to convince Francine Garret paying 300 caps from Debt Collector quest.
- 35 to convince Ralph to make holotape for 100 caps instead of 150 caps in Wang Dang Atomic Tango.
- 35 to convince Tyrone to give up the chemical ingredients in the quest Don't Make a Beggar of Me.
- 40 Barter or 40 Speech to convince James Garret to pay more when recruited Fisto in Wang Dang Atomic Tango.
- 40 to get medical supplies from Emily Ortal during The Moon Comes Over the Tower.
- 40 to convince George outside the Boomers minefield to sell the secrets of navigating the minefield for 200 instead of 300.
- 40 Barter or 40 Speech to convince Lady Jane in Freeside to give something else of value towards her debt in quest Debt Collector.
- 45 to trick Max into giving the player Euclid's C-Finder for only 20 caps.
- 45 to notice that the Happy Trails Caravan Company is not in best financial shape when talking with Jed Masterson.
- 45 to convince Squatter Bill (and the other Squatters) to leave for 50 caps in the quest Someone to Watch Over Me.
- 45 to convince Big Sal to release Troike from his contract in How Little We Know
- 45 to convince Private Renolds to give a monetary "encouragement" in the quest Anywhere I Wander.
- 50 to convince Mr. House to pay an additional 250 caps for the platinum chip, bringing the Courier's final payment to 1250 caps.
- 50 to convince Old Lady Gibson to give the Courier the thrust controllers for 250 caps instead of 500 for the quest Come Fly With Me.
- 50 to extort 300 caps from Orris in G.I. Blues after an Intelligence check of 6.
- 50 to convince Dr. Hildern for an additional 600 caps from in There Stands the Grass.
- 50 to convince The Lonesome Drifter to give up the Mysterious Magnum during the quest Talent Pool.
- 50 to convince Ralph to craft a counterfeit passport for the Strip at a reduced price of 375 caps (originally 500).
- 50 to convince Ricky to carry some of your loot if carrying more than allowed and failing survival check with Jed Masterson. Also next barter check determines how much is paid to Ricky to carry part of gear.
- 50 to convince Red Lucy for an additional 100 caps after bringing her mantis eggs in the Bleed Me Dry.
- 50 to convince Tommy Torini to give the Courier a 5% cut in Talent Pool.
- 50 to more easily convince Dean Domino to cooperate in Find Collar 14: Dean Domino.
- 50 to convince Dr. Klein to have Dr. 0 give an additional 250 caps to the Courier.
- 50 to convince Greasy Johnny (and the other greasers) to stop causing trouble for 50 caps in the quest Someone to Watch Over Me.
- 50 to convince Jack to start creating medicinal chems in Aba Daba Honeymoon.
- 55 to get Cachino's room key from the receptionist for 200 caps instead of 300 in How Little We Know.
- 60 to convince Red Lucy for an additional 100 caps after bringing her radscorpion eggs in the Bleed Me Dry.
- 60 to convince various merchants to sell food at a discount to Farber in the Camp McCarran concourse.
- 60 to earn 200 caps and Cachino's "friendship" after confronting him about his journal in How Little We Know.
- 65 to convince Alice McLafferty to let Janet get out of debt in Young Hearts, explaining to her the possible profit from future trade possibilities with the Boomers.
- 65 to convince Becky Hostetler to pay more caps in the end of Someone to Watch Over Me, if Alice Hostetler stays with family.
- 65 to convince Motor-Runner to increase price from 20 to 22 caps when selling chems to him.
- 70 to convince Red Lucy for an additional 200 caps after bringing her fire gecko eggs in the side quest, Bleed Me Dry.
- 70 to convince Old Lady Gibson to obtain Rey's brain for free in Nothin' But a Hound Dog.
- 75 to convince Dr. Klein to have Dr. 0 give an additional 250 bottle caps to the player.
- 80 to convince Red Lucy for an additional 300 caps after bringing her nightstalker eggs in the side quest, Bleed Me Dry.
- 80 to bribe the missionary involved with the quest G.I. Blues.
- 90 to convince Red Lucy for an additional 500 caps after bringing her cazador eggs in Bleed Me Dry.
- 90 to convince Dr. Klein to give the Courier: Fixin' Things, Programmer's Digest, Patriot's Cookbook, 250 additional bottle caps, 2 doctor's bag, 3 stimpaks and one super stimpak.
- 100 to convince Legate Lanius to retreat during Eureka!, All or Nothing or No Gods, No Masters, by pointing out that Legion's sabotage of the West has left its forward advance near impossible to supply and maintain.
- 100 to persuade General Oliver to order an NCR military withdrawal from Hoover Dam during All or Nothing, by promising protection for NCR merchant caravans in the area.
Available discounts
- Goodsprings: Trudy will give the Courier a discount for saving the Goodsprings settler during Back in the Saddle, repairing her radio or helping the town during Ghost Town Gunfight. The discount is tied to becoming "Accepted" in the town, not any one specific act. The discount will be lost upon gaining infamy.
- Goodsprings: Chet will give a discount with a mixed reputation in Goodsprings, but doing so will void the discount with Trudy. However, Chet has a much wider inventory and more caps than Trudy, making him arguably better for trading.
- Goodsprings: Chet will give a discount after passing a Barter check of 25 if accepted the offer to help Joe Cobb take over the town.
- Primm: Johnson Nash will give the Courier a discount for making Meyers sheriff.
- Novac: Cliff Briscoe will give the Courier a discount only after speaking to Jeannie May Crawford about the Dino Bite gift shop and then telling him she sent the Courier. The discount will not be lost even if he finds out they helped kill her.
- Old Mormon Fort: Julie Farkas will give the Courier a discount when they become "Accepted" with the Followers of the Apocalypse, further discounts resulting in 1:1 ratio when they join the Followers.
- New Vegas medical clinic: 1:1 ratio when the Courier joins or becomes "Accepted" by the Followers.
- Great Khan armory: the Great Khan armorer will give a 1:1 price ratio when Great Khan reputation becomes "Accepted."
- Camp McCarran concourse: Dr. Kemp will give the Courier a discount if they help during A Final Plan for Esteban. The discount will be bigger if Christina is not asked for a reward.
- Camp McCarran concourse: William Farber will offer the Courier a discount after repairing the food processor during Not Worth a Hill of Corn and Beans.
- Hidden Valley bunker: When the Courier's reputation with the Mojave Brotherhood becomes Mixed, a paladin should approach them and inform them of a discount. This is currently bugged, however, so only the reputation discount is available.
Ways to increase Barter
- Permanent
- Leveling up (up to +15 or +17 with Educated)
- Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor (+3 or 4 with Comprehension)
- Empathy Synthesizer (+2 depending on current Charisma, a perfect Charisma of 10 will see no benefit.)
- Tag! (+15)
- Good Natured (+5)
- Skilled (+5)
- Temporary
- Salesman Weekly (+10 or 20 with Comprehension)
- Mentats (+2 depending on current Charisma, a perfect Charisma of 10 will see no benefit.)
- Party Time Mentats (+2-10 depending on current Charisma, a perfect Charisma of 10 will see no benefit, can be stacked with Mentats.)
- Absinthe/Beer/Irradiated beer/Irradiated whiskey/Jake Juice/Scotch/Wine (+2 depending on current Charisma, a perfect Charisma of 10 will see no benefit.)
- Moonshine (+2-4 depending on current Charisma, a perfect Charisma of 10 will no benefit, can be stacked with other alcohol.)
- Benny's suit (+5)
- Roving trader hat (+5, earliest acquisition is from Malcolm Holmes.)
- Roving trader outfit (+5, earliest acquisition is from Malcolm Holmes.)
- Vera's outfit from Dead Money (+5 and another +2 depending on current Charisma.)
- Daniel's outfit from Honest Hearts (+5)
- "Mood Light" (+5-9 (depending on current Charisma) for 12 hours or until the player uses the "Smart Lights")
Barter-based perks
| Perk | Requirement | Level | Additional Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pack Rat | 70 | 8 | Intelligence 5 |
| Long Haul | 70 | 12 | Endurance 6 |
Notable Barter experts
- Elizabeth Kieran (98) - NCR Major providing aid to NCR squatters living in Freeside.
- Lady Jane (98) - a caravan merchant living in Freeside.
