Inventory Management / Black Market Use

[Poobah]

I feel like this is a fairly big and important topic but I couldn't find a thread on it. Though I searched around a bit.

(note: the forum will not allow you to search for "Black Market" because: "The following words in your search query were ignored because they are too common words: market black." I feel like maybe that needs looking in to; I got around it by getting google to search this site for me.)

In Long War 1 once I learned how to sell to the grey market effectively and what (and how much of what) I needed to keep I found I was able to vastly improve my economy and gain a hell of a lot of relative power much faster because I could afford that much more, effecting a very positive snowball. So I think it's probably going to be important to learn this stuff for LW2 too if I want to play effectively especially when I move away from normal and into the higher difficulties. So, experienced players/devs -

- What corpses are most useful?
- What are they used for?
- And how many are needed for each of the most important things?
- When are these things typically needed by?
- What can I sell most frequently to top up my economy?
- How sellable are elerium/cores/alloys?

Any other tips on economy / resource management that I haven't considered to ask about would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

[The Boz]

There is a mod that displays what Black Market goods are useful. I think it's even called "Black Market Use". It is pulls info from the .inis, so it works with whatever mods you have.

[Devon_v]

They're all situationally useful. Almost everything requires corpses to build, so it's more down to how difficult they are to acquire. ADVENT troops are pretty safe to sell, while drones and Mutons are generally worth much more than cash. All corpses are also alloys and elerium via the render mechanic, so it seems that you don't generally want to sell them unless the market is looking for them.

[Sorbicol]

There is a mod that displays what Black Market goods are useful. I think it's even called "Black Market Use". It is pulls info from the .inis, so it works with whatever mods you have.

Sorry to jump in - is that mod compatible with LW2? I have it disabled as I wasn't sure if it was ready.

[trihero]

It's hard to answer this question because the value you put on building certain items is probably different than anyone else's. I will say I don't think there's any "mandatory" corpse to keep before mutons, and that anything muton and up should be kept. I do keep faceless corpses out of habit, but there's nothing in the early game as powerful as vanilla plasma grenades/mimic beacons.

My rules for selling are:

- if the black market is interested in a body (or pcs, other items) I don't have a use for, I will sell it
- if I really badly need to start research and I don't foresee any money coming in right now, I will sell whatever I can even if it's not "very interested" to the black market
- otherwise I hold on to things until the black market is interested or I need the money right now

Trooper corpses make Alloy Plating (+3 ablative), which is nice but you don't have money for everything and I prefer to save money for weapons/armor. So I sell these for a ton of cash when the market is interested.

Viper corpses make venom rounds/nano medkits, and I don't get much use out of these, so I sell viper corpses.

Officer corpses make skulljacks, and incendiary grenades. I will make 3 skulljacks and 2 incendiary grenades, so anything over 5 I sell officer corpses.

Drone wrecks very early on don't sell them because you need 3 to research the mech stuff. Drone corpses are also used to make gremlin MKIIs, which I plan to make 3 of. So I sell anything in excess of 6.

Mec wrecks is needed to research bluescreen protocol (I don't like it), and also to build a holotarget MKII (I only like to keep 1 of these, but you might want 2 or 3 depending on your sharpshooter count).

Sectoid corpses are for mind whips and mind shields. Maybe a couple mind whips if you build psis, sell rest.

Faceless corpses make stiletto rounds and cham suits, both are good so keep faceless corpses.

Shieldbearer corpses make needle rounds, I don't like it so I sell these.

Stun lancer corpses make arc blades which are fun but you shouldn't need more than 1 or 2.

Muton+ should keep them because they are hard to come by and are needed for many advanced projects.


For the elerium/alloy/core question: don't sell elerium or alloys ever. You will run short eventually. Cores are generally scarce in the early game, and you might have to render 1 or 2 of these to get your laser weapons started, but try not to sell them either. You can decide whether to sell them when you're floating 20+ cores, but even then probably just render them for elerium in the late game. The vast majority of proving grounds projects require a core (or three) to start, and there are a ton of useful projects like the weapon mods.

[The Boz]

There is a mod that displays what Black Market goods are useful. I think it's even called "Black Market Use". It is pulls info from the .inis, so it works with whatever mods you have.

Sorry to jump in - is that mod compatible with LW2? I have it disabled as I wasn't sure if it was ready.

Yes, I use it, it works, hasn't failed me so far.

[Tuhalu]

There is a mod that displays what Black Market goods are useful. I think it's even called "Black Market Use". It is pulls info from the .inis, so it works with whatever mods you have.

Sorry to jump in - is that mod compatible with LW2? I have it disabled as I wasn't sure if it was ready.

Yes, I use it, it works, hasn't failed me so far.

It doesn't work as well as it should. I haven't even done the Trooper Autopsy or Proving Grounds yet, so all it tells me is that I can use Trooper Corpse for Trooper Autopsy and Render Trooper Corpse. It isn't showing future usage for items right now

Edit: I'm silly. There is an ini edit you have to make to enable showing all future usage... Would have thought that would be the default.

[Zyxpsilon]

I would have to agree that the "BlackMarket Use" mod is an essential device to determine what to do with overloads of certain items.. beyond the bonuses given for three different choices every month, the actual value of things stands more on your strategic patterns of choice.

To me..
-- Any corpses idling in Inventory (above required or predicted as necessary by BMKU) are a waste of precious immediately available resources or supplies.
-- PCS & WUP have three levels.. the first can rapidly (by May or less) become obsolete. Thus they can be sold without regrets unless you'd prefer being caught by the PG trio trap project to gain the ability to BUY/BUILD them (Weapon Upgrades) later... if you do the Maths involved, you'll soon realize the costs are far higher than simply relying on Loot gathering of any -- to sell.
-- DataPads are weird.. small enough Intel outputs are somewhat limited under various conditions you happen to be facing. Sell them at your own risks instead of looping through their inherent Research time/costs.
-- Leading to.. Intel is yet another important factor. You'll probably need MUCH more than the LW2 cycles have to offer, randomly. It's a tricky amount based on luck most of the time that you end-up spending often for as many important "gameplay twists" as you should get automatically.. speaking of which;

GET this, right now; http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =706956593
It might strike a sensitive balance issue somehow.. but i really don't care -- it works fine. Selling stuff for --Intel-- is dependant on whatever circumstances -- alone. It gives me the option to decide between supplies or INTEL. Very useful.

To conclude..
-- What you hold is equal to better odds of enhancing many aspects of optimal growth(s) in Research & PG projects including what your soldiers bring into battles -- after all, LW2 enforces almost everything as purchases rather than XC2 "Automatic Squad/Upgrades" for some Weapons, Items & Armors.. visit the BMKU as often as possible & make THE deals -- without ever looking back.