Morrowind:Making Money

Making money is an important aspect of gameplay. Whether you are a novice adventurer in need of training and supplies, a seasoned adventurer looking for a new house, planning on enchanting items, or creating your own spells, a stable source of income is essential.

The amount of money you can make is unlimited and you can make it fairly quickly, so do not be miserly! Spend your money freely to get the items you want or need. The objective of this guide is to make significant amounts of gold using methods that are not immediately obvious. Players just starting out should refer here.

Basic Principles
The following generally improves vendor-selling-to-player prices:
Raise a merchant's Disposition (100 is best); Fortify Personality helps raise it temporarily and automatically, and Fortify Speechcraft helps efforts raise it lastingly through Persuasion.
Use the Fortify Mercantile spell effect, which strongly influences prices. Stacking this effect with multiple spells and items may not always reduce the opening price but is likely to have a marked impact on the price the merchant will accept.
Ensure your Fatigue bar is 100% full (so maybe do not run to the merchant but walk or teleport with Recall; see detailed tip about that below).
There are two creature merchants who will buy and sell items at their listed value; they have no Disposition or Personality of their own, so Personality, Mercantile, Speechcraft, Persuasion, and Fatigue have no effect on them, pro or con. The only variance from list price will be due to weapon or armor damage. These creature merchants are:
Creeper in Caldera, Ghorak Manor
Mudcrab merchant in the Azura's Coast region
:Both creatures buy weapons, armor, and drinks. Creeper buys Soul Gems, clothing, and jewelry. Neither buy alchemical equipment, ingredients, books, or scrolls.

A lot of loot and many monsters are randomly determined and depend on your level when you open the container or enter the dungeon, due to the Leveled Loot system. High-level characters will find high-end equipment and monsters everywhere, and may get valuable container loot.

Low-level characters are better off with quest rewards, easily obtainable placed items, pearl diving, and similar money-making activities where the profit is fixed and the risk low, saving most caves for later.

It's a mistake to use tricks like Invisibility and Chameleon to "take peeks" inside every encountered cave, shrine, and tomb and their containers, and then come back for them later; you'll get foes and loot appropriate to the level at which you first did this there, not your current one. Another mistake is to set aside quests and go on a "bandit and smuggler extermination" rampage across the island when you're level 12 or so and think you can pull it off; this will shut you out of better loot in these places when you are around level 40. For one thing, these places are the primary sources (without the Tribunal expansion, anyway) of Grand Soul Gems.

NOTE: UNLIKE Skyrim, Morrowind loot in leveled loot containers becomes fixed once anything is removed or placed inside the container, not upon first entering an area. Going into bandit caves at low level will not shut you out of obtaining better gear as long as you do not loot the containers themselves. However, bandits, smugglers, and daedra worshippers that carry leveled loot WILL be negatively impacted by a "bandit and smuggler extermination" because once they are dead, they can't provide you with higher-end items (like grandmaster picks and probes, and in some cases grand soul gems from the NPC themselves). In addition to the crates in various smuggler caves that contain soul gems, scrolls, treasure, and illicit drugs, There are many level-dependent chests throughout Vvardenfell that can potentially be a source for any daedric melee weapon in the game, and looting these chests at low level can definitely be a mistake. Please see the leveled loot page for additional details on how leveled loot works and spawns.

Selling Valuable Items
This section lists methods of acquiring items with limited availability.



Daedric Weapon
Quick Explanation: Receive a Daedric weapon as reward.

Detailed Explanation:
#Travel to Vassir-Didanat Cave south of Balmora.
#Find Dram Bero in Vivec's St. Olms Plaza, Haunted Manor.
#Reveal to him the location of the mine. Use/sell your reward.
This quest can be completed very early on and can grant the player either a large injection of gold OR a very useful end-game weapon in the early stages of the game.

Ebony Cuirass
Quick Explanation: Steal an Ebony Cuirass from the Dren Plantation.

Detailed Explanation:
#Travel to Dren Plantation, Dren's Villa.
#Hide behind a pole in the room.
#Sneak slowly towards the cuirass and take it. You might need 15 or more levels of Sneak. Telekinesis for a few seconds, chameleon, or invisibilty can be used more safely.
There is also a pair of Daedric Greaves on this same shelf, one of only two that occur as unworn loot on Vvardenfell (a third pair is worn by Divayth Fyr). This piece of armor is not available from any source of random loot.

NOTE: There are many noteworthy pieces of loot located on Dren's Plantation. for a more complete list, please visit the Dren Plantation page. 

Glass Armor
Quick explanation:
Travel to The Fighter's Guild in Ald-ruhn and steal glass armor from Percius' chest

Detailed Explanation:
#Percius Mercius keeps several pieces of Glass Armor in his quarters on the lower level of the Ald-ruhn Fighters Guild.
#His quarters are secured by an 80-point locked door. However, there is generally no one within line of sight of the door, meaning that while mid-level security or alteration will be necessary, stealth has little importance.
#The chest at the foot of the bed is not locked and contains Glass Boots, Cuirass, Greaves, and Helm with a total value of 65,600 septims.
#There is a 100-point locked chest that contains a partial set of Orcish armor with a total value of 7,500 septims.
#The desk is secured with a 30-point lock, but only contains paper, Flin, and 50 gold.

Even a low-level player may have somewhat easy access to the majority of this loot, as master's lockpicks are readily purchasable from a number of vendors, and the lack of any NPCs in direct line of sight allows multiple uninterrupted attempts at picking the lock (although Ergnir will occasionally wander into line of sight, so be aware of where he is). Alternatively, a spell or scroll can be used if the player has obtained one. This is a low-risk source of good armor that can be sold or kept by the player even if they are unable to access the chest containing the orcish armor (it is ironic that it is the less valuable orcish armor secured by the harder-to-crack lock).



Glass Daggers
Quick Explanation: Repair broken glass daggers.

Detailed Explanation:
#Buy one badly damaged glass dagger, for a just a few coins, in each of the following locations:
#*Suran, sold by Goldyn Belaram
#*Vivec's Telvanni Waistworks, sold by Audenian Valius
#*Vivec's St. Delyn Plaza, sold by Lucretinaus Olcinius
#Repair them yourself or have them repaired; sell them for a profit.
 

Master's Alchemy Set
Quick Explanation: Steal Master alchemical apparatus.
#Travel to Caldera, Guild of Mages.
#Enter the tower near Ernand Thierry and close the door behind you.
#Steal the alchemical apparatus on the top of the tower.

More Master's Alchemy Pieces
Quick Explanation: Rob Nalcarya of White Haven.

Detailed Explanation:
#Enter the shop and push yourself up against the wall in front of you as you enter and shimmy so the guard in the corner can't see you.
#While crouched, open the crates in front of Nalcarya. Inside, you'll find a most of a master's alchemical set.
#Don't push your luck and try selling them to Nalcarya. She won't be happy about it, and will report your crime.



Orcish Armor
Quick Explanation: Steal a partial set of Orcish armor.

Detailed Explanation:
#Travel to Caldera, Ghorak Manor.
#Go to the top floor and take the Orcish armor from one of the crates around Duma gro-Lag, and the weapon and gold on the rafters above (use Jump or Levitate).

You may also steal any item in the manor with impunity; despite verbal complaints, all of its occupants have zero Alarm.
Although the Orcish armor is not very valuable when compared to many other items on this list, obtaining it requires no combat and it can be used to help juggle more valuable items when trading with Creeper.

Selling Large Quantities of Items
This section lists methods of acquiring items with unlimited availability.

Looting Assassins
Quick Explanation: Starting with a player level of 20, the Dark Brotherhood Assassins of the Tribunal expansion carry high-value loot which you can sell. Even the lower-level ones have valuable armor. Don't talk to Apelles Matius about them until ready to take on multiple Assassins.

Detailed Explanation:
You will be randomly attacked in your sleep (Rest, not Wait) by Dark Brotherhood Assassins. Their armor is valuable, and at a player level of 20 or higher, their weapons even more so. The attacks may begin as early as level 1 (6 in the Xbox version), and may occur when you sleep anywhere other than on the bedroll in the Seyda Neen Census and Excise Office.
Sell the items for quick money, but probably keep one set of the armor for your own use; it's the lightest in the game (great for loot-hauling forays), and at lower levels it's the best-protection light armor readily available for some time.
Rest on the Census bedroll to avoid attacks if you don't feel ready for them. Otherwise, when you want an attack, use Rest while standing between the bunkbeds in the Fighter's Guild bedroom (or somewhere with a similar layout); this causes the assassin (if he appears) to spawn trapped in a bed and an easy victim – you can kill him without him fighting back, netting you an extra item (A Carved Ebony Dart) worth 2000. Attacks are randomized, so you can trigger several of them by just resting an hour at a time over and over again. They go up in frequency as your level increases.
Avoid talking to Apelles Matius about the assassin attacks until you feel confident in tracking them down to their home turf. Mentioning the attacks to Matius will make them stop immediately, after he suggests you talk to Asciene Rane about going to Mournhold. (There's not much for low-level characters to do there anyway; the goblins and Gaenor will kill you like a gnat, and even the little bar-bouncer quest requires more punishment than you can dish out yet.) In the interim, "harvest" the assassins who'll unwisely come to you.
When you reach level 20, higher-rank Dark Brotherhood members will carry a Daedric weapon; together with the armor, this loot has a nominal value of over 50,000 gold. There is no point trying to delay your sleep-assassins until level 20 in hopes of getting the Daedric gear, as there's an unlimited supply of Dark Brotherhood thugs for you to kill in their own base. When you are already regularly looting Golden Saints and Dremora with ease, for similar weapon loot, you are ready to take the fight home to the DB base in Old Mournhold, accessible through Mournhold's sewers, even if you can't yet handle the Goblins elsewhere in the sewer system. Ranged attacks, along with Resist and Cure Poison and Paralysis, are your friends (also against the DBs' sewer neighbors, the Black Dart Gang).
The DB members hiding out down there will respawn like creatures and generic city Guards, even if you have found and killed their boss, Dandras Vules. Venture in and pick off a few when you're short of cash, or clear out the whole lot of them on a regular basis. If you always remove their corpses, you can get more loot than you can carry just by exiting and re-entering their cells (a cavern with some manorial ruins).
This exploit does not work on the XBOX GOTY edition.

thumb|x130px|right|Falas Ancestral Tomb
Looting Daedra
Quick Explanation: Kill respawning Daedra for their item (and souls).

Detailed Example:
#Go to Falas Ancestral Tomb at Gnisis.
#Kill the three Daedra inhabitants.
#Loot and dispose of the corpses.
#Leave and reenter the tomb; the Daedra will have respawned once more.
#Repeat as needed.

Soultrapping them each time is also a good way to stock up on fairly powerful soul gems to use or (see below) sell.

This technique can be used at any location where non-unique Daedra spawn, including in and around most Daedric shrines. When you can handle it, the most efficient course is to find one with multiple Daedra outside (up to five at some shrines), plus more inside, and keep going in and out, disposing of corpses each time; you'll have a tremendous amount of loot in no time. Do a Mark so you can Recall back for what you had to leave behind, or pile it all up and use the next trick below, if you exercised some pre-planning.



Looting Guards/Ordinators
Quick Explanation: Kill respawning NPCs for their items.

Detailed Explanation:
#Go to one of the many villages, towns, cities, or forts in Vvardenfell.
#Commit a minor crime to earn a small Bounty.
#*Lockpicking, or sleeping in an owned bed, will safely earn you a Bounty of five gold.
#*Theft of low-value items, and pickpocketing attempts, carry the risk of increasing a witness NPC's Fight attribute. This might be a problem with some NPCs, unless it is a Guard.
#Talk to a Guard or Ordinator. Resist arrest. Kill. Loot. Repeat as needed.
#To clear your name, just pay off your Bounty. If you are a member of the Thieves Guild, you need only pay half your Bounty, when you finally decide to pay it off, if you go to right guild person to do so.


Notes:
You may have to temporarily drop items you have stolen before. Paying the fine removes all stolen and contraband items in your inventory. However, you can recover confiscated goods from the Evidence Chest in the closest Imperial facility or (in odd cases like Wolverine Hall) Fighters Guild.

Potion Making
Quick Explanation: Make potions and sell them.

Detailed Explanation:
#Buy ingredients from a merchant who restocks them.
#Using Alchemy, combine the ingredients into a potion. The following spell effects increases your chances of success: 
#*Fortify Intelligence
#*Fortify Luck
#*Fortify Alchemy
Tips:
The value of the potion is ONLY influenced by these 4 things: Alchemy, Luck, Intelligence and Mortar quality. Therefore:
Get the cheapest ingredients
For selling purposes you will only need Mortar and Pestle
The resulting effect does not matter, nor does the amount of effects
Skip the Apprentice's Mortar and Pestle and get the Journeyman's, as this will double the value of your potions and even in the very beginning you are able to get this much money (i.e. by scavenging all the containers in Balmora and selling all clutter and all ingredients with a value of 5 or higher)

Go to Ajira in the Mages Guild in Balmora with a Journeyman's Mortar and Pestle and 400 Gold and buy Crab Meat and Small Kwama Eggs for Restore Fatigue potions. You can use the guild guide behind you to move to Caldera to sell your potions to Creeper for even more profit. Once you make enough money, move over to Nalcarya of White Haven. She restocks Scales and Muck for a Drain Personality potion. The profit is smaller, but she restocks 10 of each ingredient, instead of 5. She also sells the Grandmaster's Mortar and Pestle.

Soul Hunting
Quick Explanation: Trap and sell souls.

Detailed Explanation:
#Acquire the Soultrap spell effect; then get a ranged (on-target) version of it from a Spellmaker.
#Capture the souls of creatures you kill in soul gems.

Soultrapping summoned creatures may prove to be a sustainable source of income, and is easier than harvesting wild ones, since summons can be struck up to three times before fighting back.  Just do it quickly.

It helps to get a weapon with the Soultrap effect on strike, either for long enough to consistently win the fight, or for shorter durations to use as a final-strike weapon. 

Be aware that Golden Saints hate being Soultrapped and will always stop attacking to try to Dispel the effect (or any other you place on them).  This can be used to your advantage: You can hit them again and again with a Soul Trap on strike weapon, probably without taking any damage from the GS yourself. The down side is that hitting them with a weak ST weapon then switching to a higher-damage regular one usually results in a failed ST attempt, because it will have been dispelled by the time you kill the GS.