How to unlock the Merchant in Lightyear Frontier

While playing Lightyear Frontier, you may have wondered why so many items in your inventory are paired with a price. Well, it’s because you can sell them for a sum. Lightyear Frontier has a Merchant and offers a means to unlock them for your shopping needs.

The Merchant is unlocked in Lightyear Frontier via a landing pad recipe you earn after completing some early requirements. I was able to get access to the Merchant quest right after I completed the mission ‘Restore Pine Heights’. Lola, the merchant in question, contacts you and transmits a blueprint for the ‘Merchant Landing’ construct. Lightyear Frontier is a crafting game, so you know what to do next.

How to build the Merchant Landing construct in Lightyear Frontier

Once you unlock the Merchant Landing construct in Lightyear Frontier, you can find its blueprint in your ‘Constructs’ menu under ‘Essentials’ — the one with the star symbol.

You need to gather these materials to build the construct:

• 10 Aluminum Rod
• 8 Red Crystal
• 10 Stone

The list of materials isn’t too challenging to gather, aside from one resource. Stone is easy enough to find. Look for rocks gathered on the ground and smash them with your Saw Spike. The Aluminum Rods are a bit harder to track down, but we have a guide for it. Red Crystal is even tougher to gather. It requires you to not only clear Pine Heights but also upgrade your Saw Spike at least once. Read more about how to get Red Crystal via our guide.

After you gathered all the materials, the next step is to place the construct in a good location. Like with the mech’s Upgrade Depot, the Merchant Landing demands a good chunk of space on your Lightyear Frontier homestead. Pick a good spot for the merchant to land and do business. The best area is near your homestead, but not so close as to get in the way of things.

What is the Merchant’s schedule in Lightyear Frontier?

Now that you have access to the Merchant, you have a place to dump off excess garbage and purchase new goodies. But the Merchant won’t always be around. Lola has other customers, ya know?

The Merchant in Lightyear Frontier is available early in the morning and leaves at around noon. She doesn’t show immediately as the sun graces your toothy smile, mind. Typically, Lola drops in after the first tick in the clock on your screen.

Her announcement and departure are both broadcast to you.

What does the Merchant sell in Lightyear Frontier?

The Merchant sells three types of items in Lightyear Frontier: Resources, Mech Parts, and Blueprints. The first two items are fairly self-explanatory. You can buy items like seeds or sprouts. Mech Parts are optional and cosmetic items. Any Mech Parts you purchase can be equipped via the Upgrade Depot. Blueprints are recipes that, so far, seem to be mostly comprised of decorations.

Once you purchase a blueprint, you unlock it permanently. But where do you get the cash?

You can sell items to the Merchant. Yes, Lightyear Frontier has an economy… of sorts. Items will go up or down in value daily, and you can check by opening up the menu and looking in the ‘Economics’ tab.