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A trade is when two nations exchange a natural or man-made resource for money.
Description[]
Trade Requests[]
When initiating a trade request, the sender can choose to either sell or buy the resource with either a consistent payment or a one-time payment (bulk). The sender can also adjust the number of units for the requested resource and modify the buying or selling price using a multiplier. For example, the selling or buying price for 
Titanium can be doubled (2x) to $163,200 or $204,000, respectively. Once the trade is accepted, the nation that bought the resource will have their balance deducted every five days/seconds (one tick), while the seller will start receiving money. However, no charges or payments will occur if the trade cost was set to zero via the multiplier.
A.I. Trading[]
Typically, AI-controlled nations are the best and most popular trade partners because they are almost guaranteed to accept if you are buying a resource from them. However, they will not accept trade deals if you modify the resource cost to less than 1x value or if you cannot afford the trade cost. AI nations will also refuse trades if they no longer produce the desired resource due to other countries buying and depleting it or if they have been conquered. In terms of selling, AI nations will only accept trades if they can afford the resource without going into debt or deficit. Additionally, they will not accept trades if they already possess the particular resource being sold or if you are attempting to bulk sell to them.
If they do not have the resource that you are selling, they can only accept up to 5 units, with the exception of 
Consumer Goods, since all nations start with a consumer shortage at the beginning of the game. Furthermore, AI nations will not accept any trade if their resource slot or income is already occupied by another country's selling trades, particularly for high-demand resources like electronics and consumer goods. Therefore, it is extremely important to acquire and sell your resources as quickly as possible during the early game before other countries occupy the trade slots first.
Profit Through Trades[]
Trading is highly popular during the early game as it serves as the main method for acquiring the necessary resources to power factories or expand your economy (such as by selling resources like consumer goods to AI-controlled nations). However, trading is not always guaranteed to be reliable or profitable for economic growth, resource acquisition, or powering factories. By the late months of 2019, most consumer goods trade slots with regional or major powers may already be occupied. If you fail to secure consumer goods by then, you might be forced to sell to smaller nations, which is often inefficient and sometimes unprofitable compared to trading with major countries. In some cases, you may not be able to sell at all.
Additionally, resource-rich nations may lose their valuable resources if two or more player-controlled nations keep buying and depleting a specific resource from them (a situation known as "trade wars"). Player-controlled nations may also refuse to sell their ample resources without an absurd price multiplier or under specific conditions (referred to as "resource-hogging"), or a resource-rich nation could be conquered by another nation, affecting the availability of resources.
Trade Progression[]
As the game progresses, particularly around 2025 or 2027 and beyond, trading becomes increasingly obsolete. Most nations will have acquired resource-rich cities or expanded their economies without relying on trading, making buying through trades less popular. Additionally, other major sources of income, such as tax collection or resource income, become more prominent, reducing the profitability and viability of selling through trades. However, trading will not become entirely obsolete, as nations may still need specific resources they lack, such as 
Uranium for powering uranium enrichers.
Buy and Sell Chart[]
All natural and man-made resources have a fixed cost for buying and selling, with buying being more expensive than selling. However, the trade cost multiplier mechanic allows you to adjust these prices.
The charts below list resources from the cheapest to the most expensive, ranked in ascending order for both selling and buying prices.
| Buy and Sell Chart (Natural and Man-Made) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Natural Resources
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Man-Made Resources
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Strategies[]
[]
This guide is suited for beginners who are learning how to trade.
The interface that shows the real-time stockpile and production for all resources.
How To Access The Trade Panel[]
- Click on your flag in the bottom left corner.
- Upon opening the Economy tab, click 'Resources/Trade' on the bottom right next to 'City Overview'.
- You will be directed to the panel that shows your real-time national stockpile and production for all resources.
- Select which resource you want to trade then click the 'Trade' button on located on the right. This is will open the chosen resource's trade panel.
Trade Panel Guide[]
The interface used to manage trades with other nations. This image is color-coded as a diagram for the guide on the left.
- Light Green: Indicates the total amount of resource units a nation currently has in its stockpile.
- Lime: Represents the amount of resource units a nation is actively producing every five days/seconds (one tick).
- Red: The button to cancel an active trade—self-explanatory.
- Yellow: Buttons that allow you to continuously buy or sell a resource from or to another nation every five days/seconds (one tick).
- Brown: Buttons for bulk buying or selling (a one-time trade unless another trade is requested) a resource from or to another nation.
- Light Blue: Displays the amount of resource units you are buying or selling from or to another nation.
- Pink: The number multiplier used to modify the resource price for buying or selling.
A.I. Manipulation[]
A.I. Trading is one of the most fundamental aspects of your game during the first three years. Engaging in trade with the AI is important for rapidly building a massive economy. With increased income, you can afford more tanks, conquer additional cities, and generate more taxes in the later stages of the game.
While A.I. Trading is a vital early-game strategy, it becomes less critical in the later stages of the game. As your income shifts predominantly to taxes, focusing on trade will be less beneficial.
Skill Levels[]
- A player who trades with a few AI can earn about $500,000 by 2020.
- An efficient player who trades with several AI can earn approximately $1 million by 2020.
- An experienced player who fully understands the AI trading system and trades with most of the AI can earn over $5 million before 2020.
Beginner Understanding[]
Resources can be classified into two categories: natural and man-made. Raw resources like 
Oil, 
Iron, and 
Copper are extracted from certain cities. Man-made resources, such as 
Motor Parts, 
Steel, and 
Electronics, are processed in factories that continuously consume natural resources. All resources are automatically added to a nation's stockpile.
Factories, such as the Steel Manufactory and the Civilian Factory, are buildings that a player can construct in a city. Once built, they will automatically produce finished goods if the required raw materials are available. Often, your country will not extract the raw resources needed to keep your factories running, so you may need to import these resources through trading.
Trading is accessed through the economy tab. On this screen, you can buy resources from other countries for your factories or sell finished goods to the AI for income.
Other Tips[]
- In most cases, it is not worth buying man-made resources like electronics, steel, and motor parts. You will actually gain money by producing these resources yourself rather than purchasing them.
- Focus on producing finished goods and then selling them to the AI (at a high markup).
- Consumer Goods are the best and most universal resource to sell to AI nations. Build all the necessary factories for producing Consumer Goods and mass-export them to nations that need and can afford them.
- Continue building factories to produce more Consumer Goods for export, and you will easily achieve substantial trade income.
Advanced Understanding[]
You may have already spent a significant amount of time learning how to trade and have likely encountered trade deals that were declined by the AI.
Having your trade deals declined, especially when selling, can be frustrating and mysterious. Often, you might have opted for smaller trade deals to ensure acceptance, but this approach is inefficient. By accepting less than you could have sold, you end up with lower income, fewer tanks, fewer cities, and thus reduced tax revenue.
One advanced concept in strategy games is that money earned early in the game is more valuable than money earned later. In 2019, you can invest your money in building factories. Once these factories are operational, they will quickly repay your investment and continue to generate additional income throughout the game. This income can then be reinvested in building more factories.
By 2025, your factories will contribute less to your income because the 2019 factories have had a 6-year head start. Additionally, by 2025, your game is nearing its end, and your server may be experiencing decreased activity. As a result, money may no longer be a significant concern due to reduced competition.
This concept of early-game value also applies to tanks. Tanks acquired in 2019 will help you capture cities and will pay back your investment through tax revenue throughout the game. Tanks acquired in 2025 will be less valuable because the 2019 tanks have already provided a 6-year advantage.
Rushing Trades[]
As stated in the upper paragraphs, it is extremely important to rush trades as soon as possible before other countries occupy the slots (mostly Consumer Goods since they are the most profitable resource for trading). You can find the strategy on how to rush trades here.
Trading System[]
Believe it or not, when the AI receives a trade deal from you, the decline is not a matter of chance or because the AI doesn't want to buy certain resources.
When you offer trade deals for required goods to AI countries, they assess only one thing: their balance. [Balance = Revenue - Expenses]
The AI will only accept trade deals for resources if they are in deficit!
The Most Optimized Number[]
To maximize your income from the AI, you should aim to send trade deals for Consumer Goods that are worth as close to 80% of the AI country's balance as possible. This is known as the most optimized number.
- For example: If you want to extract the maximum amount of money from the
United States, you need to determine 80% of the US's balance. Then, calculate how many Consumer Goods are equivalent to that amount to find the most optimized number.
- Once you find this number, input it into your trade deal and sell. The US will accept the deal, and you will earn 80% of the US's income!**
- Apply the same approach to Japan and India to receive 80% of their respective incomes.
Extra Strategies[]
Trading might seem challenging, but this guide will simplify it for you. During the early game, trading can appear difficult due to world and regional powers monopolizing resources. However, there are several strategies to secure favorable trade deals.
Form Alliances[]
Forming alliances with players who control the resources you need can significantly improve your trading opportunities. Being allied with a global power can influence other countries when you request to buy their resources, as your alliance status may sway their decisions in your favor.
Regional Power[]
Instead of targeting global powers directly, focus on growing your influence within your region. By becoming a regional power, your opinion will carry more weight in the game. With this increased influence, you can persuade other countries to sell you their resources.
Bulk vs. Small Portion Purchases[]
- Bulk Purchases: Buying resources in bulk is effective in the early game. For example, acquiring 40 units of Titanium can be extremely valuable. Secure resources from vulnerable nations like Kazakhstan before they are invaded, allowing you to build tanks and expand your capabilities.
- Small Portion Purchases: For smaller countries like Montenegro or Albania, buying in small portions can be more economical. This approach saves money and supports long-term sustainability.
Strategic Resource Acquisition[]
To obtain valuable resources like Titanium or 
Tungsten, especially when they are being monopolized by AI or players who reject trades, try the following tactic:
Trade Documents (OUTDATED)[]
Don't worry though, all the math is already done. You're not expected to have a calculator ready while you play RON, in fact, you won't even know the actual balance of the AI country during your game.
The main alternative to this is using the Trade Document. The document gathers the starting balance for every country, finding 80% of that, and calculates the most optimized number by finding how many units of resources that it is worth.
It shows a list of how much electronics you need to trade in order to get 80% of any country's income, so now you can rest assured knowing the correct number to trade with the AI while not getting declined and getting as much money as you can.
[LINK]: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MrbjiSLGOpvLWo9iUSgC7l4t2KlKTzKo3VxRifKRTVA
A text file version of the trade notes is also available. DM nueva#9562 on Discord for a .txt file download.Trivia[]
- The most expensive natural resource is Uranium, with a selling cost of $420,000 and a buying cost of $525,000. The most expensive man-made resource is Enriched Uranium, which has a staggering selling cost of $96,000,000 and a buying cost of $120,000,000. This makes Enriched Uranium the most expensive resource overall.
- The old trading system has been permanently removed. The new trade system is now divided into a GUI displaying all your resources, and the global stockpile has been eliminated. Trading now involves selling resources to a selected country, rather than the previous global trading system. Additionally, trade prices no longer fluctuate as they did before.
- Before the 10/06/2022 Update (October 6, 2022), AI nations could accept any amount of resources (even above the maximum five-unit threshold), as long as they could afford it. This feature made Electronics the most popular trading resource. For example, even a small nation like Cook Islands could generate over $20,000,000 in income at the start of the game by selling more than 150 electronics to major powers such as the United States, India, Brazil, Japan, and more. However, following this update, Consumer Goods became the primary resource for economic growth through selling, as nations now accept only up to five units of any resource if they do not reserve any.
- The 10/06/2022 Update is considered one of the most controversial updates in Rise of Nations history. In the Official Discord, Hyperant received over 4,000 downvotes compared to 2,000 upvotes on the message that announced the update. Despite the backlash, the update remains polarized. Proponents argue that it improved the game by preventing small nations from amassing $20,000,000 in income through electronics before 2020, thus adding more challenge. Opponents feel it significantly harmed the gameplay for small nations, as they can no longer sustain a profitable economy and expand as quickly as before due to their strained economies.
- Electronics are still viable for small nations that cannot acquire consumer goods as fast as larger nations, since electronics are still somewhat profitable.
