A couple Noob questions.

Sunless Sea
1

First question: Are there any good trade routes left? I’ve been perusing the forums and keep coming across posts that say how this or that trade route was nerfed, I can’t seem to find anything that gives more than a 1 echo profit. My sources of income are pretty much tomb colonists, pirate ships, port reports and the occasional bit of strategic info. Most of my money goes back into fuel and reducing terror. Zee-bat swarms are at least an infinite source of supplies which I’ve found you can sell at Abbey Rock and… Port Cecil I think? for decent money.

I also keep hearing about the Genial Magician’s story and how you can get an awesome upgrade out of it. Where/How do you get the Live Specimen for this? Is it something you buy or does it involve fighting zee-beasts and luck?

Thanks!

2

Let’s see if I can help…

  1. Godfall with groups of 5 Wine gives decent profit until your Time The Healer gets above 200.

  2. The upgrade is awesome but you don’t need a live specimen. Just talk to him once on your ship then keep going to Venderbright until a rare events pops up that will let you continue his story. Just make sure to look carefully as I think you have to scroll to see the option with the magician.

3

Trading at the moment isn’t worth it. There’s a lot more content to be added still so at the moment making echoes is very grindy - otherwise it would be ridiculously easy when there’s more content.

As for the genial magician, you do not at any point need a live specimen. You’re probably trying to “Dispel the Darkness”, which is not part of the storyline. You’ll instead want to have dinner with him, or make your way to Venderbight, Khan’s Heart, or the Forgotten Quarter depending on where in the story you are.

4

Okay this helps thanks! I was under the impression that I needed to gather all of the items listed under a locked conversation to unlock it? Is this true or is it just any of them? I might be too impatient to keep running tomb colonists ;)

edit: Oh! Also where do you get harpoons? (are they in the game yet?) and if you can defeat a ship by killing off the crew is it worth more when you get it back to London?
edited by Rilauven on 7/9/2014
edited by Rilauven on 7/9/2014

5

That’s the wrong conversation, the ‘Dispel the Darkness’ as Kerine said. If that and the Mirrors option is the only one you see then keep going to Venderbright until the right event pops up. It can take a while depending on your luck.

Also Harpoon Weapons are available in London. Look through all the shops and the weapons that have +1 Harpoon in their description have harpoons.

6

You do need all of them for a choice in order to unlock it. However, “Dispel the Darkness” is actually a Terror Reduction action, and not part of the Genial Magician’s main storyline.

Harpoon weapons come with their own harpoons and do not need replenishing. In the weapon shops, if you read the descriptions, some will note if they are cannon, harpoon, or torpedo guns.

Clearing out the crew doesn’t change the salvage value, but it is often much faster. Also Flensing attacks do notably more damage to most zee-monsters.

7

You do need to gather all of the items under a locked conversation to unlock it. Playing that option, though, won’t progress you in the story. You just have to hope the event shows up for you and keep waiting. (I got mine JUST after I got a new engine)

Harpoons can be gotten from any weapon purchased with Harpoons+1 in the description. They let you use flensing salvoes and are already implemented. Flensing gets you no bonus in reward, just tends to let you kill it quicker.

Edit: Guys stop ninjaing me
edited by Kerine on 7/9/2014

8

I’ve been making most of my money doing the same kind of routes you are. What is really raking in the cash is the occasional judgement egg thingy from Mutton Island that your college buddy will buy for 500 echoes.
edited by Funkslayer on 7/10/2014

9

This is what I’ve been doing in the early game so far:

Pick up news and tomb colonists in Fallen London. Make sure you have about 11-12 fuel, 6-7 supplies, and then buy as much mushroom wine as you can carry – in lots of 5. So 5, 10, or 15 wine, depending on how much seed money you have.

Sail north to Venderbight. Hug the coastline in any place that isn’t lit by buoys – this is essential to control terror. I didn’t realize this for my first couple of trips and ended up having to burn off a lot of terror. Event if it is just a rock in the middle of the Zea, sailing close to land will prevent terror buildup. Kill any bat swarms and pirate pinnacles that show up. Try to send back one pinnacle as a prize and scuttle the rest. Bats can be used to refresh food or bleed off some terror.

When you reach Venderbight, drop off your colonists. Grab some gossip for a report to the Admiralty. Explore the island for an event. Consider holding on to your Fallen London news for a later port stop.

Sail east to the Iron and Misery Company Island. Have tea with the factor for a terror reduction, some fragments, and some free food or take on a new crew member if you failed when sending back a prize pinnacle.

Sail south through the Bleaks to Shepard Island. You may need to dawdle a little bit for &quotsomething awaits you&quot to refresh. When you get there gather gossip for a port report and choose one of the two cheaper storytelling options.

Sail south across the Wolf Abyss to visit Abbey Rock. You will pick up 2-3 terror making this crossing, so try to defray this with terror reductions elsewhere. Also try to sail past the lighthouse mid crossing. Mind the big old angler crabs. Haven’t fought them yet myself but they look formidable. Get a port report from Abbey Rock and trade Fallen London news to the Abbess for a -2 terror reduction.

Swing around the island and sail south to Godfall. Mind the Unfinished Pirates. You will pick up another 2-3 terror. Get a port report and unload every last bit of wine you are carrying. You should make a profit of 45 echos per 5 wine.

Sail northwest from Godfall to Mutton Island. If your fuel supply is holding up think about sailing around the island until &quotsomething awaits you&quot refreshes. Dock and pick up a port report. Carouse at the tavern. Explore the island.

If your fuel and supplies permit you can sail north, darting from island to seamount to island to visit Hunter’s Keep. Have lunch with the girls if they are there. The sweet one gives you -10 terror if you need it. Gather a port report and then sail back to Fallen London. If you still have the grass and gas, you can dawdle along the coast north of Wolfhead Harbor to wait for the &quotsomething awaits you&quot to refresh again and maybe knock off another bat/pirate pinnacle.

When you get back home: Read the newspaper. Collect your money for the prize ship your crew brought back. Turn in all your port reports to the Admiralty. Take a rest if you feel you need it. Carouse. Gather fuel, supplies, tomb colonists, and mushroom wine and repeat the whole process. In spite of the terror you will build up making the trips between Abbey Rock, Godfall, and Mutton Island I find that this circuit ends up slowly reducing your overall terror – event without Hunter’s Keep – provided you make sure to blow off steam when you get home.The more wine you take, the better the payoff gets in terms of terror/profit ratio.

Depending on how brave you’re feeling, you can take 2 extra fuel and mix in a trip to Wither as well. Maybe knock off a Lifeberg if one gets in your way – just keep the distance greater than 40 yards (retreat, retreat, retreat) and they can’t hit you.

Hope this helps.

10

Here’s how to get the Serpentine Engine. Genial magician storyline spoilers ahead!!!

There are 9 steps you need to fulfil to get the Serpentine Engine:

  • Recruit the Genial Magician in Fallen London[/li][li](Talk to the Genial Magician; I always asked him about why he became his magician, maybe asking about his hook works as well)[/li][li]Get the artifact quest in Venderbight[/li][li]Talk to the Genial Magician again, this time about the Khanate[/li][li]Go to the Port in Kahn’s Heart with 500 echoes (or some kind of item I think), activate the quest for the Genial Magician there[/li][li]Go back to Fallen London, allow the Genial Magician to go do his plan[/li][li]Then give him what he needs: 3 secrets and 1 scintillack I believe[/li][li]Once he returns, weary but unchanged, you can toast. If you ‘failed’ here, you now have the Urbane Magician[/li][li]Once you have celebrated his safe return, you can dock your ship and buy the serpentine engine for 800 echoes there
11

By the way; you can savescum the final result, ensure you always get the Satisfied Magician (and thus the Serpentine).

12

But then again you can savescum for many things.

13

Perfect chess in port cecil, hahaha

14

Is the story on Mutton Island that gives out judgment eggs the standard “explore” option, the hilltop one or the ritual one?

15

The explore one actually.

16

Don’t forget you can sell supplies at Abbey Rock for 11 each, or trade 15 supplies/2 casks of wine at Shepard’s Isle for a chance at a 250 echo revelatory chart (sometimes its only strategic info @ 150 echoes).

I’m not sure the terror gained from going too/from godfall is really worth the effort. You gain 2-3 terror coming and going, and you only gain about 40 echoes from the trade… less when you consider you can sel lthe same wine in Venderblight without the terror gain.

17

The profit margin is smaller and with a good hold the small terror gain is an acceptable loss. Not to mention that it is easy to get rid of that tiny terror by hunting lifebergs and waiting for them to drop peaches or zee-zoup.

18

[quote=Niddhog]Don’t forget you can sell supplies at Abbey Rock for 11 each, or trade 15 supplies/2 casks of wine at Shepard’s Isle for a chance at a 250 echo revelatory chart (sometimes its only strategic info @ 150 echoes).

I’m not sure the terror gained from going too/from godfall is really worth the effort. You gain 2-3 terror coming and going, and you only gain about 40 echoes from the trade… less when you consider you can sel lthe same wine in Venderblight without the terror gain.[/quote]

I will have to try asking about the rest of the Zea at Shepard’s Isle.

Regarding Godfall – the real trick to making the Godfall route work is to trade in volume. If you hand over 15 wine in a single trip the terror/profit ratio is much better. Ditto for the fuel and supplies consumed. The costs of the voyage are static; the size of your cargo is not. Snagging the Godfall and Abbey Rock port reports also helps – I think they’re 20 echos total.

19

So what’s in the Forgotten Quarter?

20

Not much in Sunless Sea but quite a lot in Fallen London.