Trade and Progression

Trading is Starwind's economic foundation. Stations export goods they produce and import goods they need. Profit comes from carrying an export to a real importer while accounting for fuel, time, risk, cargo mass, and working capital.

Reading a market

An export market sells a good below its reference value. An importer pays a premium for the same good. Prices drift with the game day, stock is finite, and stock replenishes over time.

The market shows the information needed to make a decision:

• Unit price and available stock
• Cargo weight and the hold space a purchase will consume
• Known export and import locations
• Expected profit when the destination market is known
• Reputation restrictions on advanced goods

Buying without a reachable importer is speculation, not a route.

Six economic tiers

Goods are arranged into six tiers. Early goods are inexpensive and forgiving; late goods require much more capital and offer narrower percentage margins. Each tier contains three trade-good archetypes, preserving a consistent bulk/standard/premium structure.

Higher tiers are not automatically better. A narrow-margin cargo can lose its advantage to fuel, tolls, repairs, or an under-filled capital hold. Progress is about increasing reliable profit per trip, not merely unlocking expensive stock.

Contracts

Station job boards generate deterministic work that remains stable for the current refresh period:

• Outward haul contracts carry goods toward the Outer Rim.
• Homeward haul contracts bring needed cargo back toward the inner Agri-Guild systems and may pay a premium.
• Survey contracts pay for reaching and docking at a destination without consuming cargo capacity.

Accepted contracts appear in the mission area and can become the current directive. Check destination, deadline, cargo requirements, and payment before accepting.

Reputation and access

Trade, story decisions, contracts, and events change faction standing. Reputation can affect:

• Docking permission
• Service prices
• Goods, modules, ships, and crew availability
• Contracts and authored conversations
• Access through reputation-controlled lanes

Standing with one power can influence its rivals. Treat reputation as a route resource, not just a score.

A practical progression path

1. Run low-risk starter exports and protect a fuel reserve.
2. Add cargo capacity only when the engine and hull can carry the extra mass.
3. Use contracts to combine guaranteed payment with useful travel.
4. Upgrade scanners, protection, and repair capability before pushing into harsher regions.
5. Move into higher trade tiers when you can fill the hold without emptying the wallet.
6. Choose late-game hulls and capital modules for a purpose; their economics assume repeated high-tier routes.

The progression audit protects the intended runway, but individual market drift and events still make each captain's path different.