X3 Profit Guild Guide to Opportunities for Profitssss

[Torias]

[jlehtone]

NPC Stations do die ... both accidentally or by the enemy.

[illum_inati]

[Cucumber King]

[Radio Star]

The best mid/late game complex I've set up so far is a Nostrop Oil complex in Empire's Edge. There's a ready supply of energy to be had for cheap and you will never, ever, ever run out of places to sell to. I've found that larger complexes tend to saturate the market pretty quickly forcing you to spread out and making defense harder, but my 10 L Nostrop Oil refineries in the complex have not even begun to dent the local market as of yet.

I eventually added a SPP loop to the complex (very easy since you've already got the nostrop lying around - just tack on the crystal fabs and set a transport to pick up silicon from Emperor Mines)

It also goes a long way to speeding your access to the beauty that is the GPSG.

[Augustini]

I set up a Rastar Oil producing complex in Argon Prime. It makes me millions! Plenty of Ecells nearby.

[Dclark]

Much thanks for the work. I am having good luck with the wheat farm in Home of Light. I just spotted another opportuinity. There is currently a group of pirates taking out an ore mine in the Ore Belt so I am going to set one up of my own and it should be in operation by the time they get the other blown up.

EDIT
It's in operation and I placed it right where the old one was. Might be something to keep in mind. If you see one being taken out you can place your own to make up for the supply. Could work for all those NPC SPPs that come up being destroyed.

[foxd0nut]

Alpha PBE Forge in Kingdom End. Can't go too far wrong with one of those.
Also, Beta FAA Forge. Beta FAA's are in short supply everywhere. Put it in a good sector, like Family Njy or a border Argon sector and you will do well.

[targetdrone]

nice guide there, good work everyone contributing...


noticed you might give a warning in your pirate hunting/policing section..

if you capture pirate ships and send them to the dock for selling, you might check their cargo bay... personally i lost quite some standing and ships to customs until i discovered why they didnt make it past presidents end

on the complex/factory locations... made some nice profit with a pleasure hub (space fuel distillery + space weed production) in both ore belt and rhys desire ..
(in ore belt near the west gate and in rhys desire near the south gate you can find both a ore and a silicon roid each with more than 50 yield... nice basis for a closed loop complex later on)

also, if you dont destroy the pirate base in ore belt, youll have a thankful buyer for your stuff , and, with a police licence, you can check the freighters leaving your station for illegal goods... -> more profitss for confiscated ships you get the idea

[Torias]

[darkcyde]

Ok, forgive me but I'm new to X3, but I have played the original games quite a bit.

I'm trying to get started with Trading but it seems that everything I want to buy, I can only sell at a loss. I've got started with the usuals (E.Cells, Ore, Silicon Wafers) which I've made some money at, but I want to move up to higher margin sales (weapons, ammo, etc) but can't seem to find anything to buy/sell at profit.

Also, I've been reading the guide at the start of this thread regarding the SatNav factory in CloudBase South West, and the Space Fuel factory in Herons Nebula, but I can't see either of these even after I place a Sat Nav in the sectors. So I got the Vision Enhancment goggles and started scanning the sky but still can't find it.

Is the universe slightly different for each player, or have the patches removed these stations, or am I just missing them completely??

I would be grateful for any assistance on any of these points as I'm getting close to the point of giving up as I'm fed up roaming around not being able to buy/sell anything!

Thanks,

DC

[jlehtone]

The AI actively removes NPC stations and adds new ones. Therefore the guides written before 1.3 patch are too static. One cannot rely any more on specific stations being in particular sectors. The universe is much more 'dynamic'.

That is a response to the complaints about the lack of exploration. Pre-1.3 you mapped the universe and then the exploration was over. Nothing new among the stars. Now the exploration continues and what was mapped a minute ago may already be "old news".

The 'mobile' market has placed new demands on both trading and factory building. You cannot rely any more that a particular profit-hole is in specific spot. You have to keep a network of satellites to "see" the universe outside your current sector. You have haul your load for longer distances.

Some things have remained constant. One can sell energy anywhere. EQ docks tend to stay in one place. Secondary resources have buyers. The more there are customers for a ware, the better chance to find a good price. High end products can be sold manually to foreign EQ docks. When you see a good deal, take it. It may be gone forever after a blink. Do not be choosy, you'll end up chasing a dream.

[Kakurate]

A few that are still profitable post 1.3 patch are the silicon mine in orebelt and biogas in bluish snout area. I've made 15 mil off them so far, MORE than a good start. And if you want, use mercs to destroy the competition. If you have JTP i recommend hiring the full fleet

[qkphkr]

I found that a BoGas factory in The Hole was good with all the wheat farms around. There are wheat farms in Power Circle, Antigone Memorial, The Wall and Three Worlds all needing BoGas as a secondary. You can usually sell it at top price.

[Tsar_of_Cows]

BUMPAGE!

Woops, been neglecting this a bit.

Yes, 1.3 creates a bit of a problem in that the economy does have a have bit of changing a bit, but most of the oppertunities mentioned in the guide are relatively stable, and there are several tips for good trading.

Obviously, a guide can only take you so far, it is a Guide after all, it doesnt tell you exactly how you should play your game, and can't in a game like X3.



Anyhow, I received a suggestion via email so I thought I better add it.