New mod transforms Skyrim trading into full economy with supply and demand system

If you've always felt that the economy in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim lacks complexity, the new Gilded Road mod was created specifically for you. Developer Vuszu introduced a dynamic trading system where item prices depend on location and merchant type.

The concept behind Gilded Road makes perfect sense – Skyrim's economy is static and absurd. The mod description notes that a common potato costs the same in the fertile fields of Whiterun as it does on a distant frozen shore. To address this, Gilded Road implements a multi-layered supply and demand system that feels far more logical and allows players to earn significantly more gold – if they're willing to put in the work.

Players need to buy cheap where goods are plentiful, then travel to other regions to resell at a profit. In Whiterun, for instance, food is extremely cheap, so grabbing a batch of potatoes and cheese wheels to frozen Winterhold can result in swimming in gold. Location isn't the only factor. Who you sell to matters – certain merchants pay premium prices for specific goods, like blacksmiths for ore, while selling to more experienced shopkeepers yields higher profits.

Vuszu notes that he "didn't design this as a cheaty get-rich-quick mod," instead balancing the system for mid-to-late game. Players won't be able to simply walk into any shop and leave loaded with gold – the real advantages of the system only become apparent after reaching Speech level 50.

The mod includes a difficulty modifier, and the creator added nine new in-game guidebooks covering Skyrim's economy.