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Barter
BarterBarter
Fallout
ModifiesPrices when trading.
Governed ByCharisma
Initial Value20% + 2 × Charisma
Related PerksMaster Trader, Negotiator, Salesman
Related TraitsGifted, Good Natured
Fallout 2, Fallout Tactics
ModifiesPrices when trading.
Governed ByCharisma
Initial Value4 × Charisma
Related PerksMaster Trader, Negotiator, Salesman
Related TraitsGifted, Good Natured
Fallout 3
ModifiesPrices when trading
Governed ByCharisma
Initial Value2 + 2 × Charisma + Luck/2
Related PerksMaster Trader, Scoundrel
Fallout: New Vegas
ModifiesPrices when trading
Various dialogue options
Governed ByCharisma
Initial Value2 + (Charisma x 2) + ceil (Luck / 2)
Related PerksPack Rat, Long Haul
Related Traitspositive: Good Natured
negative: none
Van Buren
ModifiesPrices when trading
Governed ByCharisma
Initial Value20% + (2% x Charisma)
 
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Gametitle-FO1Gametitle-FO2Gametitle-FO3Gametitle-FOTGametitle-FNVGametitle-VB

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 Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics, Fallout: New Vegas and Van Buren skill.

The Barter skill is primarily used in the buying and selling of items, such as trading with a merchant or scavenger. In general, the higher this skill level is, the lower prices will be when purchasing items. 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.

Fallout[]

The initial skill is determined as follows:

20% + 2 × Charisma

Example: A starting Charisma of 5.

20% + 2 × 5 = 30%

Barter can be useful with limited funds. With a low Barter skill, item prices may be as high as 700 for Rad-X and 32500 for combat armor.

Ways to increase[]

Related perks[]

Available discounts[]

Fallout 2[]

The initial skill is determined as follows:

4 × Charisma

Example: A starting Intelligence of 5.

4 × 5 = 20%

Again, the skill only determines the price of the vendor's goods. Items in the player's possession sell for a fixed price.

Ways to increase[]

Related perks[]

Available discounts[]

Fallout Tactics[]

The initial skill is determined as follows:

4 × Charisma

Example: A starting Intelligence of 5.

4 × 5 = 20%

Barter determines how much both the player's and the vendor's goods are worth, unlike the previous two Fallout games.

Ways to increase[]

Related perks[]

Fallout 3[]

Bobblehead Barter

"Never forget to walk away with more than you've brought."

The initial skill is determined as follows:

2 + 2 × Charisma + Luck/2

Example: A starting Charisma and Luck of 5.

2 + 2 × 5 + 5/2 = 15

The game derives two more modifiers from it:

Sale value
45% + (Barter × 0.45)% × Modifier
Buy value
:115% - (Barter × 0.45)% × Modifier

The modifier is usually set at 100%, but can be modified in 10% increments depending on the character's attitude. For example, if the player is nice to Gob, the modifier will be 120% for selling goods to him and 80% for buying from him.

Barter Sell % Buy %
0 45 155
20 54 146
40 63 137
80 81 119
100 90 110

A Barter skill of 11 allows the player to sell at 50% of the rated value of an item. Each 5 point increase in score only increases sale prices by approximately 2.25 percent. A barter skill of 86 is required to buy ammunition costing 3 caps at value from a normal merchant, while if you have a 10% discount (e.g. in Rivet City) only 57 skill is needed, or with a 20% discount (possible with Seagrave Holmes & Bannon) a measly 21 skill works. However, the Barter skill does not reduce the charge for having merchants repair items.

A high Barter is a good choice for players with low Strength, since they do not have much room to carry many items and, subsequently, have less things to sell. However, having a companion partially negates this, since you can put around 200 pounds of weight on him or her.

Related perks[]

Ways to increase Barter[]

Available discounts[]

Notes[]

  • The player will eventually have more bottle caps than is possible to spend, so deciding whether or not to put points into Barter during character development is a strategic decision. Barter is best taken early on to more effectively sell loot or acquire better equipment.

Fallout: New Vegas[]

The initial skill is determined as follows:

2 + 2 × Charisma + Luck/2

Example: A starting Charisma and Luck of 5.

2 + 2 × 5 + 5/2 = 15

Barter affects the prices you get when trading with merchants. There are also several barter skill checks in the game that can help you advance 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 reputation-based modifiers) is counted with the same formula as in Fallout 3.

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[]

Available Discounts[]

Ways to increase Barter[]

Barter-based Perks[]

Perk Requirement Level Additional Requirements
Pack Rat 70 8 Intelligence 5
Long Haul 70 12 Endurance 6


Van Buren[]

In Van Buren, as in Fallout and Fallout 2, Barter did indeed have an effect on store prices. However, it also represented a certain level of knowledge about the caravan houses and trading in general, giving it a small role in dialogue. The intended depth to Barter development came in the perks available at higher skill ranks.

Notable Barter experts[]

Fallout 3[]

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