In this post, I'd like to share a new, straightforward strategy for accumulating Dark and darker gold and explain how it's gradually impacting the game in a negative way. To provide some context, I began playing Dark and Darker shortly after its early access launch and quickly became intrigued by the trading system. My primary approach to enjoying the game involves experimenting with unconventional builds when playing with friends. When I play solo, my objective is to amass as much wealth as possible through trade. I often fill my stash with gold or keys and distribute the wealth to my more dedicated friends.

However, with the most recent patch, I have abandoned all of my previous strategies in favor of a new one. I would like to present this new strategy, which has the potential to disrupt the game's balance if the current system remains unchanged (I'm sure others are employing this strategy as well; I'm not the first to figure it out).

Here's the new strategy:

1, Create at least five characters dedicated to trading. While I use more, five is a sufficient starting point.

2, Accumulate at least 300 DAD gold on each of these characters.

3, Identify key attributes that you believe are highly valuable to players. Currently, attributes like +all, +weapon damage, and true damage are in high demand.

4, For each character, cycle through all the vendors and search for items with these valuable attributes, preferably for rogue or fighter classes. Only purchase items that are exceptionally good, and across all your characters, there should be at least 2-3 such items.

5, Once you find a valuable item, list it on the trade market with a minimum profit margin of 100%.

6, Repeat steps 3-5.

If you've ever engaged in item flipping on the market, you'll understand how simple this process is. The issue now lies in the fact that previously, you needed sellers who were impatient or inexperienced, and you had to act swiftly to secure a deal before someone else did.

Now, with one character dedicated to each class, I can continuously flip items without interruption. Occasionally, I'm fortunate enough to discover great items on each character. Sometimes, the items are so exceptional that I earn more than anticipated. With the wealth acquired, I can even purchase costly crafting materials to create high-quality orange items for resale.

Here's the problem: As this strategy gains popularity, more players are obtaining items with valuable attributes, particularly +weapon damage, causing them to dominate matches with powerful gear. Items that were once rare and sold for around 800 gold are now consistently available for an average price of 200-300 gold. Even excellent items with non-BiS stats are selling for as low as 100 gold. In essence, this new system is flooding the market with extremely potent gear at significantly reduced prices.

In conclusion, it has never been easier or cheaper to accumulate wealth and acquire top-tier gear in the entire time I've played this game. The game now has an abundance of best-in-slot gear circulating, and it's more common than ever to encounter fully optimized gear on well-coordinated teams. This situation is less enjoyable for average players, especially if they are economically disadvantaged, as they consistently face well-geared squads. Furthermore, it's less enjoyable for traders like me, as we are no longer actively participating in the market; instead, we're simply purchasing items from vendors because any other strategy is less efficient. I'll never find gear in even the most challenging content that surpasses these incredibly optimized blue items. For the game to maintain a healthy balance and player experience, this trend needs to be addressed.