The "Sea Trails" DLC for Red Desert adds a gorgeous new pirate ship with a price tag steep enough to buy protagonist Cliff's soul. I've long accepted reality and know I'll never afford it. When I first learned it cost 6 million camp funds, I gave up immediately. But other players are flocking to this largest, most imposing vessel in the game, eagerly seeking advice from those who can casually drop 6 million on how to make money fast.
It's worth noting that players have much more affordable options than the 6-million-price-tag ship if they want to get a vessel from this DLC. Small boats cost just 40,000 camp funds, while medium-sized ships are priced at 1.2 million. As a casual player, I'm perfectly happy with a humble little rowboat I bought for 2,000. But on Reddit, reactions to this grandiose flagship were split between shock and envy.
A popular post on Reddit was titled "No way, 6 million?!" The poster was shocked by the price and commented, "Guys, I won't be getting this ship anytime soon." Of course, being Reddit, some commenters acted cool, claiming 6 million was nothing, while many others genuinely asked for money-making tips in the game. I'm no financial expert for Red Desert, but here's a roundup of practical tips shared in the thread:
One player suggested: "Every church has a donation box where you can contribute camp funds. The higher the donation, the greater the bonus to camp resource gathering in that area, up to a maximum of 200%. Note that bonuses are independent per region, so maxing out donations in Hernand won't affect your income in Perun or Deminis. There are also a series of side quests—I can't recall all the details, so feel free to look them up yourself. Completing them rewards you with Golden Beer, which doubles camp resource income across all regions. Combined with higher-paying dispatch missions available in different areas, you can eventually earn over 20,000–30,000 camp funds from a single dispatch."
Another player shared their unconventional method: "I'm a newbie, so I'm not sure if this is the optimal strategy... but I've been stealing gold bars from wealthy orcs in the Deminis Wildlife Park. I spent about 25 minutes in that quirky zoo and successfully stole six bars. I plan to deposit one in the bank to see what benefits it brings."
Another money-making pro shared: "Take on the leased sawmill quest... When I accepted the mission, I only had 30,000 camp funds. I hired a few workers to run it, raised prices to the highest level that wouldn't hurt my 'Good' reputation, and then went off to do other things. A few hours later, I returned to find nearly 10 million camp funds in my account. I guess most of it came from the sawmill, since I didn't do anything else directly to earn money."
Currently, players generally agree that the best way to generate passive income in Red Desert is through The Facilty system introduced in the new DLC, combined with dispatch missions. One hardcore player claimed they could reliably earn 1 million camp funds per day from just a single shop. If that efficiency is real, the largest ship in the game might not be so out of reach after all. Looks like I might not have to settle for just a tiny rowboat.