Is Bartering worth it? - Divinity: Orignal Sin 2
Another civic ability which I think can be of great benefit. It may not be the best at gold making, but it still allows you to maximize the gold you have.
What does it do?
Bartering allows you to get better prices when buying and selling items. The effect is very simple and the level of impact is straightforward and is based on two formulas:
Buying price for you = base item price * (1 - x)
Selling price for you = base item price / (1 - x)
Where x is the discount amount and it increases the higher your bartering is
You have 0 attitude with NPC (attitude also affects the prices) this would be sample prices for buying an item from seller:
Level 1 - 3.7%
Level 2 - 7.4%
Level 3 - 11.1%
etc...
So as you see there is a passive benefit in having bartering. Ant the different prices can be seen instantly:
Issues with the ability
Unfortunately, it comes with a big drawback. It only works on the character which has this skill. So for example if you main, has 0 bartering and Lohse has 3 and you want to trade with your main, you will get 0 discount. In this case you would have to use Lohse to do all your trading.
One of the solutions is to use mods, which would solve these issues, or use one of Gift of Bags mod - Hagglers
Things to consider
Bartering goes well with increased NPC attitude, because the bonuses are additive you gain discount based on your bartering skill + the attitude the NPC has on you. So a good thing to consider is using it on the character which also has option to be liked by traders
How to increase bartering
The obvious option is to level it when you have Civic ability points, but you only can put 5 of them. However, there are some ways which may help you and you find on your journeys:
Use human character which gets talent: "Thrifty"
Use mask of shapeshifter on human character (or any other) turn yourself tyo elf and eat Garvan's head
Justinia's Favor gloves obtained in Act 2
Captain's Jaunty Hat which can be obtained doing "Threads of a Curse" quest
Discussion