Menx demonstrates an efficient method to trade gold in Star Citizen using the Caterpillar ship, highlighting strategies for maximizing cargo space, selecting optimal selling locations, and managing logistics to achieve profits of over a million credits per hour. Despite challenges like navigating busy stations and heavy ship handling, his approach offers a lucrative and practical guide for players seeking to make substantial in-game currency through large-scale gold trading.
In this video, Menx shares a detailed guide on how to efficiently trade gold in Star Citizen using a Caterpillar ship, which is a large cargo vessel suitable for transporting significant amounts of gold. He explains that this method requires a substantial investment upfront, around 2.5 million credits, but can yield a profit of approximately 1.2 million credits per hour. Menx outlines his strategy of buying gold in varying box sizes to optimize cargo space and manage selling logistics, aiming to gradually work up to a full load of gold for maximum profit.
Menx begins his run by purchasing gold from ARL1, carefully selecting quantities of gold in different box sizes — 24, 16, 4, and 2 units — to fill the Caterpillar as much as possible given his current funds. Although he falls short of a full load on this initial run, he anticipates that subsequent runs will allow him to afford a full load, increasing profit margins. He emphasizes that selling locations and prices fluctuate, so he checks the best current selling points using the UEX system, ultimately choosing Area 18 at Orison for its balance between price and the ability to sell the entire cargo in one go.
The video also covers some practical challenges Menx encounters, such as navigating and landing the Caterpillar at busy or obstructed locations like Area 18. He shares tips on how to find the space station by following green flashing dots and discusses potential issues with landing gear affecting his approach. Despite these difficulties, he successfully lands and sells his cargo, making a solid profit of about 600,000 credits from this partial load in roughly half an hour.
Menx further explains the logistics of managing large cargo runs, including the need to sometimes use a second ship to retrieve the Caterpillar after unloading, since it can be difficult to take off from planetary atmospheres with such a heavy ship. He highlights the advantage of the ship claim system, which allows players to claim and buy items to their ship even while waiting for transfer timers, thus minimizing downtime between runs and maximizing efficiency.
In conclusion, Menx demonstrates that trading gold with a Caterpillar is a highly profitable activity in Star Citizen, capable of generating over a million credits per hour once fully optimized. He encourages viewers to try this method, share their experiences, and offers ongoing tips for improving trading runs. The video serves as a practical and informative guide for players looking to make substantial in-game currency through trading while navigating the challenges of large cargo transport.