Bartering

Learn how to make thousands in Wasteland 3 by selling junk with the Antiques Appraiser perk and a bartering specialist.

The best source of money in Wasteland 3 is the perk Antiques Appraiser. Throughout the game, you will acquire numerous junk items. As soon as your squad reaches level 4, shortly after the Prologue, you can create a Ranger focused on bartering. This Ranger should have the Moneybags background, 10 points in Intelligence, 10 points in Barter, and the Antiques Appraiser perk. By temporarily adding this character to your squad solely for barter sessions, you can sell junk items for thousands of dollars. Junk looted from the Prologue, Ranger HQ, and Colorado Springs Downtown, even before entering The Garden of the Gods, can be sold for $1500-$3000, which is sufficient to purchase your initial equipment. Following this strategy can result in finishing the game with $20000-$40000, with little left to spend it on.

Specialized Rangers can be created at Ranger HQ for all tasks related to bartering, armor (protective clothing), and weapons modding (customization). This allows you to avoid having your combat-focused Rangers manage these skills. Additionally, some high skill checks can be passed early on by creating a temporary Ranger specifically for that purpose. For example, you can lockpick (open without a key) a level 10 safe in Liberty's room within the Patriarch Palace. This safe contains a level 21 weapon, which is typically found later in the game.