With the release of Chapter 3, Raft introduces a wave of new mechanics—none more impactful than Trading Posts and their surprising link to Fishing. Whether you’re returning to the game or diving in for the first time, these features offer powerful rewards, decorative items, and quality-of-life upgrades if you know how to use them properly. Let’s break down everything you need to know about unlocking and maximizing trading posts, currencies, and the specialized fishing system introduced in the final chapter.

The Recycler: Your Currency Engine

Everything begins with the Recycler, a machine that unlocks after you complete the first story location. Its sole purpose is to convert surplus materials into Trash Cubes, one of the two trading currencies.

To build a Recycler, you’ll need:

• 6 Plastic
• 4 Metal Ingots
• 2 Bolts or Hinges
• 1 Circuit Board

It requires a battery to operate. After inserting 30 items, it compresses them into a Trash Cube. You’ll need a lot of these.

The best materials to recycle include:

• Leaves & Plastic – Easily gathered and usually in excess
• Planks & Scrap – Viable, but more valuable for crafting
• Barrel/Crate Junk – Seaweed, nails, vine goo, etc.
• Animal Products – Clams and feathers
• Smelted Materials – Metal ingots, titanium (possible but not advised)

Efficient players will find themselves creating dedicated “recycle bins” to stockpile extra leaves and plastic. It’s a sustainable and high-yield approach for currency generation.

Where to Find Trading Posts

Trading Posts now spawn on all Large Islands, across every biome—Evergreen, Desert, or otherwise. Every post carries the same inventory structure but offers a tiered progression system.

When you first interact with a post, you’ll notice two key things:

• Reputation Bar (Top-right corner): You start at Tier 1
• Two Tabs: Buy and Sell

Tier 1 initially allows access to:

• Simple Fishing Bait (key to progression)
• Planks and Plastic (not worth purchasing)

The Link Between Fishing and Trading

Fishing and trading are deeply intertwined. To unlock better tiers at the Trading Post, you’ll need to fish special trade-only fish—and not just any fish will do.

You’ll need:

• A Metal Fishing Rod
• Simple Bait (purchased at Tier 1)

Right-click with the rod to select bait. Once active, it overrides normal fishing—standard fish will not appear while bait is active.

Tier 1 Bait Fish:

• Glow Shrimp
• Net Nibbler
• Sharp Carp

Each fish nets:

• 1 Trade Coin
• 10 Reputation Points

You need 300 reputation to unlock Tier 2, which means selling at least 30 fish. Since each post only sells 20 bait, you’ll need to visit multiple large islands to continue progressing.

Tier 1 Trades – What’s Worth It?

With your first trade coins, you can pick up:

• Chili and Turmeric – Used in advanced cooking
• Recipe Cards – One-time buys; unlock new cooking options
• Air Horn – Purely fun (and loud!)
• Wardrobe – Change outfits, decorate your raft
• Compass – Decorative, always points north

Unlocking Tier 2

Once you’ve sold enough fish and reached Tier 2, new trades open up:

New Bait:

• Advanced Fishing Bait – Unlocks a better set of fish

Tier 2 Bait Fish:

• Foam Splitter
• Pufferlisk
• Trap Snapper

Each fish sells for:

• 1 Trade Coin
• 100 Reputation Points

Tier 2 Unlocks:

• Juniper and Hardy Stew Recipe (more cooking options)
• Tic-Tac-Toe Board – Playable raft decoration
• Foundation Counter – See raft size
• Honk Horn – Even louder than the air horn
• Advanced Crop Plots – Better food yields
• Hats – Chef’s Hat, Disguise Glasses, Sailor’s Hat (unique cosmetics)

Tier 3 – The Real Rewards

Tier 3 unlocks after reaching 3,000 reputation, requiring many fish or several island visits. You’ll now get access to the most valuable items in the game.

Expert Fishing Bait Fish:

• Lionfish
• Lunar Fish
• Pentapus
• Pink Pike
• Rainbow Lobster
• Shark Eater

Each Tier 3 fish sells for:

• 2 Trade Coins
• 100 Reputation Points

Tier 3 Trades:

• Advanced Scarecrow – Durable bird deterrent
• Fridge – Storage for 25 stacks
• Drawbridges – Comes in short (2-tile) and long (4-tile) versions
• Surfboard – Decorative only
• Viking Horn – Loudest of all instruments
• New Cassette – Expands your music library
• Canteen Blueprint – Holds 10 gulps of water (double Water Bottle)
• Detail Plank Blueprint – Allows precision decorative plank placement
• Titanium – Buy up to 15 pieces; saves time farming
• New Hats – Diving Helmet, Fishing Hat, Sunglasses, Pirate Hat

Final Thoughts

Trading posts completely change the mid and late game experience. Not only do they give new purpose to old materials through trash cubes, they also offer cosmetic rewards, better storage, powerful tools, and entirely new building elements.

If you’ve been hoarding leaves, stacking seaweed, or skipping fishing, now’s the time to make use of those systems. The update rewards preparation, efficiency, and exploration. Make the rounds, build your reputation, and enjoy the vast world of Raft in a brand-new way.

Stay tuned for the next guide covering juicer recipes, advanced cooking, and more building possibilities!