20 Ways to Make Silver - A book never published

[Argentis]

As you all know I've stopped playing early in June as I was working on my dissertation and too much **** kept happening. As a result I never had time to publish in Salem a book that I had written when the book mechanics were added to the game. To be honest I was waiting for a revamp on the formatting so I could arrange it nicely (never happened). I will now give it for free in the hope that someone will publish it in game after a few tweaks to adjust to all the changes in game (I wrote it in February so I guess the game economy has changed a bit if not drastically).

Title: 20 Ways to make Silver (I got the idea from Darworth 'best-seller' which was full of crap and I wanted a real guide on how to make silver).

This book aims to index the best ways to make silver in Salem. The ways are classified by an increasing difficulty, from the easiest but perhaps not so effective way of finding silver to the hardest that may challenge even the hardiest of pilgrims. Please not that it does not index or endorse any criminal activity whatsoever. For more information on the prices that I describe – which may or may not be outdated – check the forums.

1\ Finding Savage Charms

Savage Charms are perhaps the most well-known method to gather silver in Salem. The merchants in Providence Harbor will happily buy them for 30s/u. Moreover they are very easy to gather even for the lowest of pilgrims. Just unlock the skill “Indian Tracking” for more chance of finding feathers and go forage! Explore your environment; don’t forget to look into stumps and logs. If you are in lack of Indian Arrowheads you can also dig and flatten your homestead for a chance to find these treasures. Don’t forget that you can sell the Arrowheads and Feathers separately but doing so will result in a net loss. Depending on your luck you may manage to gather

2\ Pelts

Gathering animal pelts is another easy method to get silver. While squirrels pelts are worthless and sell for only a meager silver coin, Beaver or Bear pelts sell very well! Be wary pilgrims that hunting around Providence, while not being considered a crime by the King, may attract the wrath of some. Exercise with caution and be extremely careful while hunting close by Providence. If you are a proficient hunter you can easily gather a thousand silver worth of pelt in less than one hour. Selling Leather is also an option but can prove to render little profit (See 7\ Manufactured Goods).

3\ Forageable Goods
As a newcomer to Salem you will forage a lot for food and materials. During your travels you may stumble upon some treasures of nature. These items can be recognized by the number displayed in their icon (7,10,13 is the number of uses). They can be sold for a hefty price to more advanced settlers who use them to improve their craft. You will fetch a higher some if the item is untouched. 7 uses inspirationals, which are different from biome to biome and are collected randomly when gathering another item, can be sold for 200s and more. The 10 uses or 13 uses can be found randomly on your minimap and are sold for a lower price. For more information on how to trade see 4\Trade.

4\Trade: Safety

Trade can be one of the most rewarding activities that one may find. It can also be one of the most dangerous for your purse. Many pilgrims have been victims of thieves and scammers and lost their precious capital. In Salem pilgrims may trade with each other with what is called a “barrel trade” mechanic. The seller put the item in a barrel. The buyer puts silver and take the item. Simple enough if everyone were honest merchants. However many criminals endorse the activity known as “barrel thieving” or simply ask you to trade but never fulfill their engagement of paying the price you asked. Your best bet as a new merchant is to open a thread on the forums indicating your prices as well as your condition of sell. After many sells you will be consider a “trusted trader” which will give you the right to ask for silver/item first. Before earning that distinction you should only trade with other trusted trader.

5\ Hunting Goods

We already mentioned that selling animal pelts or hides is a very lucrative activity if any. Not only that but you also have a chance to gather essential material that no pilgrim would deny not need. For this part you will need to be a proficient hunter and have unlocked the secret of Viscera and Bits for maximum revenue. While hunting Beavers you may find some Lard which can be sold to other pilgrims for 25s/u, this activity becomes even more profitable when harvesting during the cold snap season as Beavers have fatten up for the winter and selling during the everbloom season. Lard, as an essential material for the construction of the most resilient of walls, is always needed and can be sold almost instantly providing you find a buyer. When hunting Deer you may also find Hooves which can be boiled into Glue which is used in many constructions. This material can be sold for 60s/u. I would recommend trading in bulks as it will greatly be appreciated by your client.

6\ Manufactured Goods
If you have access to large production facilities it may be time to mass produce stocks for sale. I would again recommend trading in bulks. Metal goods are always wanted on the market with Pig Iron selling from 30s/u, Wrought Iron 80s/u. Leather can also be profitable for 20s/u. Timber Piles and the trade of boards of all sort can be extremely profitable in the case you can both mass produce and mass sell them (See 10/Trade: Stalls). A dry board sells for 5s/u, planed board 15s/u and oiled board 30s/u. Sales are however restricted by the amount of boards you can carry. Selling Glass Panes is also an option for a hefty price of 250s/u. Cooking can also be rewarding if you find a dedicated buyer to whom you can prepare gluttony sessions. Bagjels for example can be sold for 12s/u.

7\ Farming
If done right farming can prove to be extremely lucrative providing you with an income of a few thousands silver every 3 days for a minimum time investment if done right. You will need basic farming skill and knowledge as well as a lot of arable lands. Planting T1 Cotton raising the plenty of your fields is a good idea as Cotton can be sold to the stalls. The advantage of this method is that it’s a minimum time investment (preparing and planting the fields) for a very good reward. With 80 fields of T1 cotton I can earn 6ks every 3 days for a meager 2-3 hours of work. Farming T2 and T3 products can also earn you big money. I find cereals to be very easy to sell.

8\ Rare Manufactured Goods
Providing you want to take the time to craft something rare you may manage to earn a lot of money. Sifting rubble may not only provide you with Glass Panes for sale but also with time and dedication allow you to craft Gold Bars which can be sold for 1100s/u. Other rare goods include but are not limited to Fine Leather (800s/u), Fruits (500s/u), Queen Bees (250s/u), Squids (200s/u) and Royal Jelly (100s/u). You may notice that some of these goods are randomly acquired. Sometimes in life hard work is not enough and luck is needed.

9\ Rare Goods
Sometimes during your hunting trips or your daily life you may stumble upon an item that is so rare that it is valued at exorbitant prices. It may be sheer luck that you find that item or dedicated farming but selling it will make you rich. Rare good include but are not limited to Bear Paws (over 5ks+), Lobster Claw (Invaluable: 7ks+), Black pearls (2ks+), Spider Eggs (2ks), Whispering Snake Skull or WSS (1ks), Needles (5k+). Farming Spider Eggs or Black Pearls can be rewarding but inconsistent. For the rest you may find one or two in your life never to find any again.

10\Trade: Retailing
A method of trading renowned to be quite profitable for the people willing to invest the time and money in it is retailing. The method is simple, you buy at low prices and you sell at high. Basic marketing isn’t it? Yet this method requires a few things; a trusted trader distinction, a well-defended base (or the spoils will attract unwelcomed guests) and a deep knowledge of Salem’s economy. Entire guide could be written on this method but in the end your social skills, your audacity and your luck will determine if you become successful in this endeavor.

11\Trade: Stalls
As we’ve seen previously, trade is the bread and butter of earning silver. It is however hard work and requires a strong presence in Salem and in the forums. If you are lazy however, or want a consistent income of silver, you may choose to invest in a Stall. Pilgrim-owned stalls provide with you with a way to sell your wares without you being present for the trade and without the possibility for you to be scammed. What’s the catch you may think? First of all buying a stall isn’t cheap, an auction takes place every Sunday and the best bidder gets the stall. They can go for as high as 20k if it is located to a prime location. Second of all buying a stall involves paying a weekly rent of 150s. If you fail to pay your rent then your stall will be put for sale and you will lose your investment and your wares. Finally any stall transaction is taxed 35%. 10% for the King and 25% for the top 10 towns (see 15\ Towns). I would recommend selling mass produced goods.

12\ Silver Ore
When mining, you may find a Silver vein. Smelting the silver will allow you to make Bars which can be turned into 250s. In addition you can sell silver ore to other pilgrims for them to make more bars (as they might have more efficient sets or techniques that you are not aware of) or sell them the bars directly as they might have other use for them. Finding silver is a rare occurrence in your mine but can prove to be extremely profitable. A small vein may earn you as high as 2ks while a very large vein may earn you 20ks+.

13\ Cash shop
Salem features a Cash Shop where you can buy, using real money, silver and other powerful items to help you. When in dire need of silver, many buy silver directly using 100$ to gain 10ks. However this is a very ineffective way of using your hard earned $. Indeed for 100$ you can buy 5 Store Packs 20$ each. Each of those store packs can be sold for at least 4ks, sometimes more. By buying them you earn twice as much silver as you would have buying silver directly. However there is the risk of getting scammed to be taken into consideration. Also you may choose to sell each item individually for maximum benefits. For example in the Metallurgist’s Pack you can easily sell the Tongs for 2k, the Eternal Flame for 2k.5, the inspirational for 1k and the Steel for 500s/u. Nonetheless this method is not for everyone as it requires a financially stable life.

14\ Raiding
Remember when I said that I wouldn’t talk about criminal activities? Well I didn’t lie. Raiding can be down in such a way that it won’t leave a single scent and can still earn you some goodies. I do not endorse in any way this method but I wish my book to be as complete as possible. An unprotected Leanto can be used to see the items of a player to whom that Leanto belongs to. It won’t leave a scent and if the rewards are good enough for you, you may build a Claimstone over the Leanto and destroy it without leaving ANY scents. All the items will drop on the ground including equipped items. Another method of “raiding” is more of a scavenger approach. Some towns or claims have already been raided and their owners have left for greener pastures. Sometimes you may find rare goods that the previous raiders did not deem good enough or couldn’t take.

15\ Domaining
On another note of a crime that isn’t a crime is “domaining”. Domaining is the method of building a Town Bell near a PClaim in order to buy off the plot and take everything inside. It is not technically a crime as the land now belongs to you. However it will piss off the owner of the claim. Moreover it is a costly method as you need to build a town bell and buy off the land. For a medium sized claim it will cost you more than 10ks to do so. Thus you need to be sure that the rewards are well worth the risks and the costs. Let me remind my readers that this not a method that I endorse in any way.

16\ Rangering
Rangering is the act of following a criminal scent to get revenge on the criminal. Some people have made this activity their full-time job, following scents to kill the criminal and loot them or simply to deliver their scalp for a bounty. This activity sometimes involves leaving scents but is not, in my opinion, criminal as it serves a higher purpose. However not all people would agree and thus this is a very dangerous activity that should only be pursued by your little cousin for whose life you do not care (read alt). Rangering is a lucrative activity if you follow bounties or simply enjoy the spoils of war.

17\ Information Broker
You can sell information on the forums. This is a dangerous job as you may suffer retaliations. You should always be careful on your dealings. Moreover there is only so much information to be sold in the game: the locations of the Top 10 Towns, the location of a specific annoying player, faction relationship reports, etc. While sometimes it can prove lucrative, it is not consistent enough and proves too much of a risk to be considered a good way to earn silver.

18\Publishing.
I will not hide that writing and publishing a book can be lucrative. My desire to help pilgrims is only rewarded by a consistent cash inflow with each sale. Making a book is an investment. You will need to make ink and paper and ink can be quite expensive to produce. If bought from the merchant, each page costs 100s in ink alone. Also considering that you are as a writer taxed at 55% over each sale, this is not a job for everyone. First of all you need a good topic, something that will sale. It can be a guide book, a cooking book, a short story, a novel, anything really. The most important aspect of your book should be the title and the content. Without a good title your book won’t sale. Without a good content you’ll lose credibility. Also Salem only has so much inhabitant so each book you publish can only be sold so many times as each Pilgrim only need to read it once. Keep in mind that aspect of all time. Overall, writing books is an investment, both in terms of money and time, with little reward at the end but the satisfaction of a job well done.

19\ Specialization
On the long run as a settler of Salem you will want to specialize. You may want to become a dedicated farmer or a hunter. Specialization will allow you to make more money in the method you may choose as it will obviously make you more proficient, skilled and productive. You may also choose to become a tailor which is a very sought after profession in Salem. Only the most skilled and dedicated of pilgrims can be granted the title of tailor (750 Thread and Needle+). It will take you months if not more to reach that but the rewards can be well worth it. For crafting clothing to other players you may earn as much as 2ks every 30 minutes. Some tailors choose to live on donations which can prove to be significant as the grateful pilgrim happily opens his purse.

20\ Towns
Let’s be clear here, joining a town or founding a town will not make you rich. On the contrary it will drain your resources as you will be more dedicated towards the welfare of your village than yours. However, if you manage to become a large faction and reach the Top 10 Towns, you may rip the rewards that benefit such a position. As explainer in 10\ Trade: Stalls, 25% of the price of each stall transaction goes to the Top 10 Towns, the higher their position the higher the benefits. We are looking here at dozens of thousands of silver each week to be shared between the Top 10. Such wealth and position comes at a cost. Should you reach such a status, you will soon be preyed upon. Expect your town to be constantly under attack until you can prove your worth. To be perfectly honest, with the amount of time and resources that will need to be put to contribution I do not think that this method can be classified as the best way to earn silver.

[xsarfax]

Great job man ^_^ +111111111
But... prices xD
Iron 30s/ea ?, rather 50´-70
wrough 80s/ea ? near 200 xD
bear paws 5k.. last time even more i think ,d
dry boards only 5s/ea ?
Fruits 500s/ea ? lol, 50 in stalls, and no one want buy xD
queen bees 250s ? not even 80
jelly 100s ? maybe 30
black pearl not 2k, but 5+ xD
also spiders eggs, not 2k, but 3+

This is my opinion xD This is writed in older time ?

[Argentis]

Great job man ^_^ +111111111
But... prices xD
Iron 30s/ea ?, rather 50´-70
wrough 80s/ea ? near 200 xD
bear paws 5k.. last time even more i think ,d
dry boards only 5s/ea ?
Fruits 500s/ea ? lol, 50 in stalls, and no one want buy xD
queen bees 250s ? not even 80
jelly 100s ? maybe 30
black pearl not 2k, but 5+ xD
also spiders eggs, not 2k, but 3+

This is my opinion xD This is writed in older time ?

Around February. As I said I never published it ;p

[xsarfax]

Great job man ^_^ +111111111
But... prices xD
Iron 30s/ea ?, rather 50´-70
wrough 80s/ea ? near 200 xD
bear paws 5k.. last time even more i think ,d
dry boards only 5s/ea ?
Fruits 500s/ea ? lol, 50 in stalls, and no one want buy xD
queen bees 250s ? not even 80
jelly 100s ? maybe 30
black pearl not 2k, but 5+ xD
also spiders eggs, not 2k, but 3+

This is my opinion xD This is writed in older time ?

Around February. As I said I never published it ;p

If you will rework this a bit, with new prices(not so much time needed to spend), this can be so great help for newbies or not all knowed players
But even now its show so many possibilities how to earn silver ,D

[Judaism]

Yes, its fairly outdated due to a silver inflation.

[Argentis]

As I said I do not intend to publish it. I'm posting it there for anyone to see (it's still useful for newbies even outdated) and for anyone to publish ingame, modify etc.

[Rubberduckbandit]

Those prices are really bad the games changed much in scarcity and abundance of certain things i wouldnt advise anyone to sell or buy at these prices as most of it is outdated.

[Dallane]

Really bad advice

[jcwilk]

Even for things that presumably didn't inflate, 1000 silver in an hour from pelts would be pretty impressive, lol... like 15 bears and 20 beavers are all lined up awaiting their slaughter xD

Amounts aside, it's not a bad introduction to the various main avenues of silver acquisition for early to mid game.

[Darwoth]

Really bad advice

yep