How does NPC housing work?

[Dirty Wizard]

What do I have to do with the NPC's that I meet out in the wild? There's the option for them to follow you, but if you take them to a new location and leave them there, they'll have lost all their inventory the next time you see them. How do I set them up in my base so they'll be able to sell me items?

[Locklave]

They follow you between zones if you tell them. They are there so you can put them in your housing zone to act as merchants, they require nothing and will stay where you tell them.

Basically just a merchant for your home so you don't need towns.

[Dirty Wizard]

But why does all their inventory disappear?

[SumEdd]

Originally posted by Dirty Wizard:

But why does all their inventory disappear?

Pretty sure its a bug. It comes back. Maybe after resting/leaving/returning.

[Dirty Wizard]

Ok

[Reddy Aimfire]

I too am experiencing this with a single NPC/merchant in my housing area. The other two are fine.

[Reddy Aimfire]

Now all three of my NPCs' inventories are gone lol

[Makrel]

They are always gone when you zone in, but it loads within few minutes.

[PureOrionBelt]

Originally posted by Dirty Wizard:

But why does all their inventory disappear?

I find that asking them to follow you to another zone makes it so their inventory resets.

Best way to get around this bug. I personally do not abuse this bug to trade more than once per day but if you wish to it is your game. Might make up for days of not being able to trade with multiple merchants.

Also, you can place a signpost in each merchant "house" you make for them and just use it before you transfer zones. That way when you come back you don't have to escort them back into their "house".