Mid-game9 min read
Player Trading Guide (Preludes 15)
Hotfix 15: inventory capacity exemptions · Circade fix
Quick answer — How to trade in Soulframe
Three steps — full details below:
- Meet at an Enclave / World Tree and perform the Trade emote (Equipment wheel, PC default X + RMB) — same instance.
- The other Envoy interacts to open the window; both add items and confirm.
- The trade completes — Scutage (a Dracs value tax) is deducted.
Trade not working? Usual causes: Trading Policy not accepted, different instances, or account-bound items.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Where to trade? | Enclave or World Tree social hub — must be same instance |
| How to initiate? | Equipment wheel Trade emote (PC default X + RMB) |
| How much tax? | Scutage — Dracs based on item value; test with cheap items first |
| Can I mail items? | Use Dispatches account mail — has delivery delay |
How trading works in Soulframe
Preludes 15 adds face-to-face trading at Enclaves and World Trees, plus Dispatches (in-game mail). This is separate from Zenith Arc purchases and the Dracs economy — trading uses no premium currency.
Face-to-face trading costs Dracs (Scutage), while buying recipes at Zenith costs Arcs — two separate economies. Buy recipes at Zenith; acquire crafted weapons with good Tempers via trading. See Preludes 15 notes for trading policy changes.
Step-by-step trading guide
Per community catalog Multiplayer / Trading:
- Meet at an Enclave or World Tree social hub — both players must be in the same instance.
- Perform the Trade emote from the Equipment wheel / radial menu (PC default X + RMB — keybind label Consumables).
- Another Envoy interacts with you to open the window; both add items and confirm.
- Each completed trade costs Scutage — a Dracs tax based on traded item value. Higher-value items incur higher tax.
Requirements
- Accept the Trading Policy if the client prompts on first use.
- Enable EnvoyGuard / 2FA only if your account or Settings → Social requires it — not mandated by default.
- Both players must be in the same Enclave or World Tree zone (you cannot trade across instances).
- The trade window has a time limit; if either player exits the emote, the trade cancels.
Preparation checklist
- Both players in the same Enclave / World Tree instance
- Accept Trading Policy on first use; enable EnvoyGuard if prompted
- Stock enough Dracs for Scutage — test with cheap items for high-value weapons
- Trade during off-peak hours to avoid hub lag causing window timeouts
Trading restrictions & tips
What you cannot trade
Arcs, Founders-exclusive items, and other account-bound rewards (see Preludes 15 notes and official patch notes). Quest items and fable progression keys are also trade-locked.
Arc trading — future: trading Arcs is currently disabled, but DE has officially confirmed it will be enabled at some point in the future. Until then, Arcs stay account-bound and Zenith purchases remain the only Arc sink.
Limits
Any trade caps or cooldowns appear in the in-game trade UI — verify after hotfixes (community catalog documents Scutage only, not a daily cap). Community reports suggest a per-session trade limit but no confirmed maximum.
Dispatches
Account menu mail for messages and attached items — useful when you are not co-located. Dispatches have a delivery delay (~real-world hours per community reports) and require the recipient to check their mailbox.
Hotfix 14 (Jul 29, 2026): Dispatches mail date display bug fixed — timestamps should now show correctly in account mail.
Trading strategy
- Use trading to acquire crafted weapons with good Tempers from other players rather than farming fragments and refining yourself.
- Scutage tax scales with item value — test with a cheap item first to understand the tax formula before trading high-value weapons.
- Trade during off-peak hours if the Enclave instance is crowded — social hub lag can cause trade window timeouts.
EnvoyGuard / 2FA & first-trade failures
EnvoyGuard (2FA) is not mandatory by default — most accounts can trade without it. However, some accounts are flagged to require 2FA before trading; follow the in-client prompt if so.
First-trade failure checklist
- Accepted the Trading Policy? — The client prompts on first use; without accepting, trading is blocked. Check Settings → Social for policy status.
- Same instance? — Both players must be in the same Enclave or World Tree instance. If you cannot see the other player's character, you are in different instances.
- EnvoyGuard / 2FA required? — If the client reports "Account protection required," enable EnvoyGuard in Settings → Social.
- Item on the allow-list? — Account-bound items (Arcs, Founders exclusives, quest keys) cannot be traded; greyed-out items in the trade window are restricted.
- Enough Dracs for Scutage? — High-value items incur high Scutage; check the tax preview before confirming. Insufficient balance prevents completion.
- Weapon preview missing after Enclave? — Hotfix 14 (Jul 29) fixed dropped-weapon previews disappearing after entering or exiting Enclave hubs; update to the latest patch if previews still fail after hub transitions. See Preludes 15 patch notes.
Tip: The trade window has a countdown — if troubleshooting takes too long, the window closes and you must re-initiate the trade emote.
Scutage tax & Dracs preparation
Scutage is a Dracs tax levied on each completed trade, calculated from the traded items' value. Higher-value items incur higher tax, but DE has not published a fixed rate or formula.
Hotfix 14 (Jul 29, 2026): Official changelog confirms Scutage trade-tax burden reduced by 90%. We still do not publish pre-change rates or formulas — rely on the in-client tax preview.
Decision guide
- Test first: Do a test trade with a low-value item (e.g., common resources) to observe the Scutage deduction before trading expensive weapons.
- No fabricated rates: Community reports indicate Scutage scales with value, but there is no confirmed percentage. We do not provide a specific rate — rely on the tax preview in your trade window.
- Stock up on Dracs: Confirm sufficient Dracs before trading; Scutage is deducted on completion, and insufficient balance fails the trade (items are returned, but you must re-initiate).
- Dracs sources: Daily activities, dismantling gear, and Chordstone refining by-products all provide Dracs.
Scutage vs Arcs
| Currency | Use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dracs | Scutage trade tax, everyday spending | In-game activities, dismantling |
| Arcs | Buy recipes at Zenith | Premium currency — not used for trade tax |
Trading only costs Dracs (Scutage); buying recipes with Arcs is a completely separate economy.
What can be traded
Crafted weapons, armour, talismans, Joineries, Runes, Totems, and many resources — the live allow-list is in-client; we do not mirror every restricted row here.
Disclaimer: The table below is a category summary, not a complete allow-list. Live tradeability is determined by the in-game trade window — hotfixes may change individual items.
| Category | Tradeable? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Crafted weapons | ✅ Yes | Includes Temper rolls — trading is a way to acquire good-roll weapons |
| Crafted armour | ✅ Yes | Same as above |
| Talismans | ✅ Yes | See Totems & Talismans (P15) |
| Joineries | ✅ Yes | Crafted Joinery items |
| Runes | ✅ Yes | Crafted runes |
| Totems | ✅ Yes | Still tradeable after P15 rework |
| Most resources / materials | ✅ Yes | Common crafting materials |
| Arcs | ❌ No | Premium currency, account-bound |
| Founders-exclusive items | ❌ No | See Founders Pack |
| Account-bound rewards | ❌ No | Event rewards, achievement items |
| Quest items / Fable keys | ❌ No | Progress-locked, not tradeable |
| Life Elixir | ❌ No | Character-bound — see Life Elixirs |
How to check: Try placing the item in the trade window — greyed-out means untradeable. The in-client allow-list is the only authoritative source; we do not mirror it row-by-row.
FAQ — Player trading
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does trading require 2FA? | Not by default; some accounts are flagged to require EnvoyGuard / 2FA in Settings → Social before trading. Follow the in-client prompt if it errors. |
| What is the Scutage tax rate? | Hotfix 14 (Jul 29): official burden reduced by 90%. DE has not published a fixed pre-change rate or formula — Scutage still scales with traded item value. Test with a cheap item first; rely on the tax preview in your trade window. |
| What can I trade? | Crafted weapons, armour, Talismans, Joineries, Runes, Totems, and most resources. The full allow-list is in-client — greyed-out items in the trade window are untradeable. |
| Can I trade Arcs? | No — Arcs are premium currency and account-bound. Trade tax only costs Dracs (Scutage), completely separate from Zenith Arc spending. |
| Can Founders Pack items be traded? | No — Founders-exclusive items are account-bound. See Founders Pack guide. |
| Can I trade across instances? | No — both players must be in the same Enclave or World Tree instance. If you can't see the other player, you're in different instances. |
| How long do Dispatches take? | Community reports a delivery delay (~real-world hours), and the recipient must manually check account mail. For urgent items, trade face-to-face. |
| Is there a daily trade limit? | Community reports suggest a per-session trade limit, but no confirmed maximum. Trade caps or cooldowns appear in the in-game trade UI — verify after hotfixes. |
| What if the trade window times out? | The window has a countdown; timing out or exiting the emote cancels the trade. Re-perform the trade emote to start again — items are returned. |
| What if I don't have enough Dracs for Scutage? | The trade cannot complete — check the tax preview before confirming. Insufficient balance returns items to both players; top up Dracs and re-initiate. |
| Can I trade while in a party? | Yes — but both players must be in the same Enclave / World Tree instance. Party drop rules are covered in the Multiplayer & co-op guide. |
Next steps
- Multiplayer & co-op guide — partying up, recruiting channels, and P15 social systems
- Preludes 15 patch notes — trading system launch and hotfix history
- Farming routes — resources and Dracs
- Weapon tier list — weapons to aim for
- Chordstone refining — Dracs source
- Totems & Talismans (P15) — tradeable Talisman details
- Founders Pack guide — untradeable Founders items
- Life Elixirs — untradeable bound consumables
- Zenith NPC — Arc purchases vs trading economy
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