How to Unlock the Vendor (Legendary Judgment & Conviction Runes)

Marte is one of the merchants that you can unlock for your stronghold in Lost Ark. In this guide, you will learn how to get Marte (once South Vern is in the game!) and what this merchant has to offer.

Update May 19, 2022: Marte is now also selling the legendary Judgment rune!

Step 1: Adventurer’s Tome South Vern (70%)

First you need to reach 70% in South Vern Adventurer’s Tome. As a reward, you’ll get Candaria Trade Company’s Invitation. This item starts the quest Merchant Road.

Step 2: Quest Merchant Road

Prerequisite: In order to start the quest, you must have completed the quest Into the Chaos (Bellion Ruins/South Vern). This quest also has some prerequisites. You need to finish the following quests before you can accept this one:

• South Vern story (up and including An Invasion of Chaos)
• Kadan story (up and includingBlue-Blazing Blade at Whispering Islet)

Once you’ve completed Merchant Road, you can research Merchant Contract: Candaria Merchant Group in the stronghold lab.

Step 3: Research Candaria Merchant Group

You’ll find Merchant Contract: Candaria Merchant Group in the Trade Merchant Contract section of your stronghold lab.

• Duration: 6 Minutes
• Cost:
  • 72 Gold
  • 576 Action Energy
• Materials:
  • 6x Iron Ore
  • 6x Timber

After the research is finished, Marte will be added to the pool of merchants who can visit your stronghold. Have a look at our guide Lost Ark Stronghold Merchants: How to Unlock 10 Extra Trade Merchants to see what other merchants can be unlocked.

[Update] What Marte is Selling

Marte has the following items in the supply pool. You pay with Adventurer’s Seals.

Important: When Marte visits your stronghold, he only sells a selection of the listed items. So it may well be that you need several visits before you can get hold of a wealth rune, for example.

Update: Marte is not selling the legendary Judgment rune in the western version of Lost Ark. This rune is still only available as a reward for 44 masterpieces.

Is Stronghold Level 55 Required for the Legendary Rune?

Before Marte was added to the western version of Lost Ark there were some rumors that he will only sell legendary runes in strongholds that have at least level 55.

However, those requirements were removed in the KR version last year. As confirmed by Reddit user TeemoBestmo, they are not active in the western version either. TeemoBestmo’s stronghold is at level 41 and Marte was selling the legendary Conviction rune.

Why isn’t Marte Always in the Stronghold?

There are three permanent merchants in your stronghold who are always there. In addition, another merchant can visit you for a limited time. This merchant is randomly selected from a pool.

From the start, this pool includes the three merchants Rami, Tago, and Duekhyeon. By unlocking more merchants, you expand the pool. Therefore, if you want to buy something specifically from Marte, you’ll have to wait for his turn to visit your stronghold.

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