The quickest way to stop worrying about coins in Necesse isn’t combat, and it isn’t mining. It’s planting trees and letting your settlers do the rest — forestry. Set it up once, and chopping and replanting run on their own until logs are piling up faster than you can spend them. Selling those logs alone clears up most of your early-game money problems.
This guide is built around Necesse v1.2.0, with forestry farming as the headline method for earning coins the easy, efficient way. It still covers the basic income everyone uses, but it leads with the “do just this and you’re set” route.
The bottom line: turn trees into a “forestry zone” and logs pile up while you’re away
The shortest path to never being broke from the early game on is forestry farming. The setup is simple, and it’s only a one-time bit of effort.
- Plant trees (saplings) together near your base
- Mark that area as a forestry zone
- Leave it to your settlers
That’s it. Settlers chop the trees and replant fresh saplings where they fell. Logs keep stacking up without you lifting a finger — all that’s left is to sell them to the pawnbroker. A single log isn’t worth much, but they multiply automatically in bulk, so those small amounts add up and cover your early expenses. No combat, no mining required — the biggest strength is that your stockpile is bigger every time you return to base.
Why forestry is the “easiest” method
Boss runs and mining earn more per attempt. So why push forestry as the main method? Because it doesn’t tie you down.
| Method | Income per run | Effort / commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Forestry (auto-chopping) | Small (logs are cheap) | Just the initial setup. Then leave it. |
| Boss runs | Large | Prep and fight every single time |
| Mining / exploring | Medium | Dig in each time you go |
Once you’ve built a forestry zone, chopping and replanting cycle forever. While you’re doing something else — beating a boss, building your base — logs stack up on their own. Not having to spend time in order to earn is the value nothing else here offers.
How to set up forestry farming
1. Gather saplings and plant them near your base
When you chop a tree, you get a sapling along with the logs. Plant those together around your base. The wider you plant, the more logs you harvest at once, so don’t be shy about claiming a generous area early on.
If there’s already a forest near your base, you can just use that as-is.
2. Mark the area as a “forestry zone”
From the settlement menu, create a zone and designate your planted area as a forestry zone. Turn on these two settings:
| Setting | Role |
|---|---|
| Allow chopping trees | Settlers cut trees inside the zone |
| Replant chopped down trees | Automatically plant a new sapling where one was cut, keeping the cycle going forever |
Keeping “replant” on instead of switching it off is the key. It stops your forest from running dry and keeps the log supply flowing.
3. Leave it to settlers and sell the logs you’ve stockpiled
As long as you have settlers, the chopping and replanting loop runs automatically. Logs are waiting every time you return to base, so sell them to the pawnbroker. The pawnbroker is a visiting merchant who shows up at your base now and then and buys almost anything.
The only early-game chore is “sell whenever the pawnbroker visits.” Do just that, and you’ll have a steady stream of coins for your early shopping needs.
Cut out the selling too: full automation with a shipping chest (mid-game onward)
Even the small chore of “selling to a merchant” can be automated from the mid-game on. The key is the trader and the shipping chest.
The trader is a merchant you can recruit on the condition that a shipping chest is placed in your settlement. Drop the items you want to sell into the shipping chest, and the trader hauls them out, sells them automatically, and turns them into coins.
In other words, if you funnel the logs from your forestry farm into a shipping chest, you’ve built a money machine that runs everything from chopping to selling completely hands-off. Surplus crops, livestock products, and other leftover materials can be offloaded through the same chest.
| Setting | Details |
|---|---|
| What to set up | A shipping chest (placed in the settlement) + a trader living there |
| Behavior | The trader automatically sells the chest’s contents for coins |
| Minimum stock threshold | You can set a per-chest line of “sell once it builds up to this amount” |
For how to build a settlement and recruit a trader in the first place, see the Settlement Guide. From the mid-game on, “forestry + shipping chest” becomes the core of your steady income.
Other ways to earn | pick what suits your playstyle
If forestry isn’t clicking for you, or you want to earn more aggressively, add a method that fits how you like to play. All of these stack with forestry.
If you like combat: boss runs + Incursion perks
Coins drop mainly from humanoid enemies, raiders, and bosses; slimes and animals drop materials instead. Bosses in particular drop a solid chunk each, so running them while updating your gear nets coins alongside the loot. When you repel a raid on your settlement, the raiders drop coins too (so defense and income go hand in hand).
In the late game, progressing through Incursions lets you boost your combat income itself through the perk tree. There’s a perk that increases the coins you earn and a perk that gives a luck-based 5x coin chance — both are high priority if you plan to earn through combat. For which bosses to take on and in what order, see the Complete Boss Guide.
If you like exploring: chests and the pirate island
Chests in the Underground, Deep Underground, and dungeons don’t contain coins directly, but they’re packed with sellable gear, potions, and bars. Collect and sell them for coins. The pirate island where the Pirate Captain waits is also dotted with Coin Stacks that drop coins when broken.
If you like fishing: sell fish and treasure
Fish you catch are ingredients for food and potions, but the surplus can be sold. You’ll also occasionally reel in treasure like accessories and treasure chests while fishing. For how to get a fishing rod and where each fish spawns, see the Fishing Guide.
If you’re growing a settlement: send farm & ranch surplus to the shipping chest
Just like with forestry, drop your farm crops and livestock products into the shipping chest and the trader sells them automatically. The more material production you automate, the more passive income stacks up.
Tips so you don’t lose out when selling
If you’re going to sell those hard-earned logs and unwanted items, you may as well get the best price you can.
- Sell to the pawnbroker: The pawnbroker is a visiting merchant who buys almost anything regardless of profession. It’s the easiest place to offload junk. Note that there’s a cap on the coins they can pay at once, so a large sale can run them dry. For high-quantity items like logs, sell in small batches each time the pawnbroker visits, or offload them gradually through a shipping chest.
- Raise your settlers’ happiness: Trading with merchants who live in your settlement gets you better sell prices and cheaper buys the happier that settler is. Set up beds, rooms, and meals, and you’ll receive more coins for the same items (detailed in the Settlement Guide).
- Buy on cheap days: Trade prices shift day to day. Bundling your shopping into cheap days saves money.
Note that coins stack up to 5,000 per slot, and anything beyond that spills into the next slot. Once you’re carrying a lot, put them in a Coin Pouch to manage them in a single slot without worrying about the count.
Summary: forestry for easy income, combat + perks for big income
- If you just want to clear up money trouble the easy way, go forestry farming. Plant trees and set a forestry zone, and settlers chop and replant on a loop while logs pile up passively. In the mid-game, pair it with a shipping chest to automate selling too.
- If you want to earn big, go combat. Run bosses for solid chunks, then in the late game boost your per-run haul with Incursion perks.
- Exploring, fishing, and selling off junk are “income on the side” that builds up naturally as you progress.
Put the coins you earn toward enchanting or gear upgrades, and your run gets a whole lot easier.
Tested on Necesse v1.2.0 (Steam PC version).