Shadows of Chernarus runs a fully player-driven economy. The server currency is US Dollars ($) — physical bills you carry in your inventory, deposit at ATMs, and spend at trader NPCs and vending machines. Everything in the economy flows through four systems:
Physical cash bills. Found as loot, earned by selling items to traders.
Press F near any TraderPlus NPC, ATM, or Paragon vending machine to open their menu.
Cash exists as physical items in your inventory. You need bills in your hands or pockets to spend at traders — your bank balance cannot be spent directly. Denominations available:
Higher denomination bills take less inventory space. Always carry some cash withdrawn from your ATM before heading to a trader. Cash on your body is lost on death — your bank account is not.
ATMs are located at every Trader City. Press F to open the banking interface. Your bank account is permanent — you never lose it on death. Use the ATM to:
TraderPlus NPCs are stationed at Trader Cities across the map — dedicated safe zones where PvP is disabled. Each NPC specialises in a category: weapons, clothing, vehicles, medical, food, building supplies, and more.
See the full TraderPlus Guide for detailed buying and selling instructions.
The Black Market is a Paragon vending machine located deep in PvP territory. It specialises in rare and high-value items not found at regular traders:
Rare Paragon items found at military loot zones. Sell here for full market value.
Found at NWAF & Tisy military buildings. Ultra-rares pay out the most.
Radios, media, and accessories. Purchase equipment or sell surplus.
Special items only available here. Bring cash — no bank withdrawals on-site.
The Green Mountain Collectables Machine lets you sell the same Pokemon Cards and Paragon Collectables as the Black Market — but at 10% of Black Market value. It is located in the PvE zone, meaning no PvP risk.
of Black Market sell price. Safe, no risk.
Full value. Requires entering PvP territory.
Collectables are rare items that spawn exclusively at NWAF and Tisy (Tier 4 military loot zones, PvP territory). They have no combat use — their value is entirely economic.
6 cards. Highest Black Market payout. Very low spawn rate.
12 cards. Mid-tier payout. Uncommon spawn.
89 cards. Lower value but most frequently found.
Paragon Collectables (Gold Bars, Bitcoin, Intel, Silver) also spawn at Tier 4 military buildings and sell at the Black Market. Gold and Bitcoin items command the highest prices.
Almost every ATM on the server can be robbed. Walk up to a robbable ATM and press F — you will see a Rob option alongside the normal banking menu. Starting a robbery locks you into a timed action at the machine.
You must stay within 5m of the ATM the entire time or the robbery fails.
High-value targets in PvP territory. Faster rob, much higher max payout.
Payouts are based on deposited cash built up since the last robbery. ATMs accumulate $20 per minute passively — the longer an ATM goes unrobbed, the larger the payout.
of total deposited cash in the ATM at time of robbery.
Minimum $10,000 guaranteed. Cap of $20,000 per rob.
Highest cap on the server. 5 min rob in full PvP territory.
Before starting a robbery the interface shows a payout hint: Low ($7.5k–$15k), Medium ($15k–$30k), or High ($30k+). Use this to gauge whether the risk is worth it.
14 ATMs are placed across the map. Green Mountain ATMs are safe zone only (deposit/withdraw, cannot be robbed). All others are fair game.
Deposit and withdraw only. No robbery risk.
Fastest rob, highest payouts (up to $200k at BM). Deep PvP territory.
Town and city ATMs throughout the map.
Less contested than BM/NWAF but still in dangerous or isolated areas.
The currency says Rubles in the trader menu — is that right?
No — all currency on this server is US Dollars ($). The TraderPlus mod displays a generic currency label in some menus. Ignore references to Rubles; the actual bills in your inventory are US Dollar denominations ($1 through $500).
I died and lost all my cash. Is it gone?
Yes, cash on your body is dropped with your gear and can be looted by other players. This is why banking after every sell run is critical. Your bank account balance is always safe and never lost on death.
Can I send money to a friend?
Yes. At any ATM, use the Transfer function and enter the player's Steam name. The transfer is instant and goes directly into their bank account.
What sells for the most at traders?
High-tier military weapons, Paragon Arsenal weapons, suppressors, and night-vision optics typically have the highest sell prices. Collectable items sold at the Black Market can exceed regular trader prices significantly for ultra-rare items.
Do I need cash in hand to use the Black Market or Green Mountain machine?
For selling collectables at either machine, no — you receive cash directly into your inventory when you sell. For buying items (FoXyRadio equipment at Black Market), yes — you need cash on hand.