Water Merchant: build a profitable water business

The start and the network are different

Water Merchant is a starting scenario. Retired Water Merchant, Gutterflow on Tap and Rustwater on Tap are Wild Network upgrades; the original announcement explicitly says they are not the starting scenario. Check the equipment and unlocks that your run actually provides.

Build one working cycle

Source a modest volume, test it, process it and check the result. Include filter wear, power, lost volume and the container in your cost estimate. Find a reliable buyer before expanding capacity. A more expensive grade is not useful when it cannot move before the next bill.

Launch balance changes

Hotfix 1.0.0.2 reduced the Moisture Farm price from 650 to 350 and Water Filters from 50 to 25. Dr. Jackson’s Normal-difficulty markup fell from 25% to 15%, and Water Purifier logic changed. These are patch values, not promises for every future build or difficulty.

Choose the next upgrade

If you run out of input, evaluate supply. If input accumulates, evaluate processing. If output accumulates, work on demand instead of buying another machine. Use observed sales in the profit planner to compare the purchase with holding cash.

Moisture Farm: container, cell, output

Install the farm, attach a suitable empty container and provide a charged energy cell. Check its output and energy tooltip with the modules actually fitted. End one night, collect and scan the result, then filter or purify it before relabeling. Add capacity only after confirming you can store and sell that batch.

Read a modified tooltip correctly

The independent Wiki documents one official screenshot: 6150 mL Pure Water per night, 12 energy/day, Performance +515%, Efficiency -200%, Quality +170%; base energy is 4/day. It is a modified example, not a stock machine’s output or maximum. Its 191 purchase quote cannot replace later official balance prices. Use output, energy and installed modules together when comparing screenshots.

On Tap and emergency supplies

Use Wild’s phone/network to review Gutterflow On Tap and Rustwater On Tap, purchase the available upgrade, collect liquid into a suitable vessel, and inspect it before choosing treatment. These are continuing supply upgrades rather than the Water Merchant opening scenario. The independent screenshot also lists a Sealed Water Ration at the Commissary for 30 Tokens; Tokens and Credits are separate, and shown stock is not a restock guarantee.

Sources & version scope

Sources reviewed November 01, 2026. Official patches establish the changes they describe; earlier community reports are not independently tested in 1.0 here.

Your run checklist

The start and the network are differentCheck current build and item detailsKeep the next rent payment covered