Also, the hat can be obtained without the Bazzar, thus not worth buying. Kind of like the four card lodgings in that sense(still in consideration)
As a note, this list was not considering:
Ambition related storylets
Fate-locked activities
Just wanting to have said item for no particular reason.
In about a week or two, I was using the rattus faber rifle from the making your name. I do agree that it does have a funny description, though.
If there is one thing that this has made me notice, it is that new Newgate spends 1.69 on each prisoner’s apparel. I find that oddly surprising.
[quote=GamerGallade]If this does not prove that bottled oblivion is superior to ridiculous hats, I don’t know what will. I was doing a small bit of research into the bottled oblivion, and I found that a RARE success can give One eyeless skull and one searing enigma, along with a memory of light and a tale of terror. Eyeless skulls are not easy to come by, and the searing enigma is a good sixty-two echoes, plus the tale of terror and the memory of light.I would not reccomend attempting to grind it unless you are willing to lose stats and actions or have just stopped caring, but this does make it better than the hats. Thus, the oblivion is off the list for having some use.
edited by GamerGallade on 1/11/2016[/quote]
Unfortunately, that Wiki entry is outdated. The Rare success provides MoL and ToT!! (which the normal success does not). If anything, I’d say the hat is more essential because it’s necessary to unlock an entire area of London and is otherwise unobtainable outside of that area.
I suppose it depends on what purpose you want this list to serve. As many posts above have demonstrated virtually anything can be put to good use by someone. although many of those uses are restricted to end-game grinds and various exclusive plotlines. Do you, perhaps, want to aim it at beginner players?
I like to walk the street wearing my iron manacles and my dirty rags. Definitely useful for those of us who like te be stylish. :)
edited by Emain Ablach on 1/11/2016
Amber-Topped Walking-Stick
Ah, yeah, I spoke all about that rare success in my post, I guess you mustn’t have seen it. Anyways, I’m not sure if you know, there’s an edit button next to ‘report to moderator’ so you can avoid posting twice in a row.
EDIT: sorry, was mistaken. It’s odd that a lot of others are unlocked by making your name, but mohagony hall isn’t.
edited by Grenem on 1/12/2016
In about a week or two, I was using the rattus faber rifle from the making your name. I do agree that it does have a funny description, though.[/quote]
You gave up a free +5 Dangerous pet to get that +2 Dangerous weapon. The blunderbuss is a much better deal!
(Heck, springing for the skyglass knife is a much better deal. Not that I object to any kind of choice resulting from roleplaying! This is mostly tongue-in-cheek.)
Also, can confirm that Mahogany Hall does need to be specially unlocked, unless I missed something huge on my recent character. (Wilmot’s End also needs to be specially unlocked.)
I just checked said item. Were you trying to say that it is useless because of the irresistible drum?(+6 to persuasive, -1 to shadowy and dangerous, about 10 echoes less)
I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.
[quote=GamerGallade]I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.[/quote]
Some of those were useful at Hallowmas to raise menaces that you needed to give confessions to other players.
[li]
[quote=GamerGallade]I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.[/quote]
They are VERY useful on Hallowmas. Also when wanting to increase scandal for that Vice City card which gives MW based on your scandal.
AND if one wishes to arrive to a menace zone but exit it more quickly, one can wear those and remove them at the zone itself.
[quote=Gonen][quote=GamerGallade]I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.[/quote]
They are VERY useful on Hallowmas. Also when wanting to increase scandal for that Vice City card which gives MW based on your scandal.
AND if one wishes to arrive to a menace zone but exit it more quickly, one can wear those and remove them at the zone itself.[/quote]
In addition, the auctions of Mementos of Passion very much benefit from them. And some are useful when shroom-hopping
[quote=Gonen]
AND if one wishes to arrive to a menace zone but exit it more quickly, one can wear those and remove them at the zone itself.[/quote]
Also the opposite can be very useful if you are waiting to draw a particular card. Say the Forger in New Newgate. You won’t get kicked out prematurely from a menace zone if you are wearing the right hat/stockings as your menace will never reach 0.
[quote=GamerGallade]I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.[/quote]
If you’re writing it for low level players, you might actually want to include the oblivion and the hat, regardless- just leave a footnote about how it won’t be useful for a while, and when it will be worth having.
The talkative fabber is pretty consistently useful, including multiple usable item-locked oppurtunity cards early on involving rats. he’s usually less effective than the other options…but what do you expect for .8 echoes? He means you can use those cards without buying the other, quite pricey, rat companions.
The menace hats, even if you don’t want to go to menace areas, are usually far cheaper for their stat boosts than the menace-free ones for the same slot, which could make it worthwhile. especially of note are the odd ones. if it doesn’t actually affect the relevant menace, it’s even more worthwhile, so don’t hesitate to buy the sporing bonnet, which is 2 whole echoes more, so you can boost your persuasive while at scandal 7 without winding up taking a long boat ride to the tomb colonies, and another back. The next dangerous hat is 24.8 echoes more for 3 more points dangerous without a menace, the next persuasive hat from the modish bonnet is 8.8 echoes more with no improvements, save the loss of the menace.
The same is true for the scarlet stockings- the next boots are 12.8 echoes.
The menaces can be a nuisance, but in the same time period they’re rarest is when these will actually be worth using, because you need to hoard your money, and menaces aren’t exactly common in the low levels.
EDIT: also, if the edited by x at time x messages are piling up too high in your guide, you can delete all of them except the one applied when you edit the rest out. just delete them from the text!
edited by Grenem on 1/12/2016
[quote=GamerGallade]I am starting to think that maybe the low-level clothes that give menace should go on the list. Anyone else agree?
I still can’t figure out if this list should be more for the high or low level players.[/quote]
Well, it’s a list of bazaar items not to buy, right?
If the item is useful even once, it shouldn’t be on that list, because you’ll want to buy it once, and buying it once is generally going to be all you need (or buying X quantity once). So the Ridiculous Hat shouldn’t still be on there, and there’s little reason to include the Blunderbuss except personal opinion (given that it’s more optimal to purchase it early-game if you’re low on echoes; the prison shiv is better and makes it redundant, but requires going [back] to prison early in the game).
That makes your list two items long, three if you include the blunderbuss on account of the shiv being available. And two incredibly cheap items at that.
You could make a beneficial list by adding clarifications and making comparisons: Don’t buy X thing until / unless Y, or don’t buy it at all because it’s redundant with XYZ other thing. This list would be much longer, too.
An example, off the top of my head, would be:
[quote=Example]Don’t buy an Extraordinary Hat, because the item currently has no uses, and all its functions are covered by other items which are either cheaper, or have actual uses.
[ul][li]+8 Watchful can be found for only 20 echoes more on the Semiotic Monocle (trivial if you can afford to the initial 330 echoes already), which is incredibly valuable at Christmas-time for increasing Taste of Lacre.[/li][li]-1 Shadowy can be gotten from the Exceptional Hat, which is a third of the price and has several in-game uses.[/li][li]+2 Dangerous can be acquired from the Pirate Hat, which is very cheap, and useful long-term for increasing your Suspicion, either at Hallowmas, or to stay in prison for reasons such as finding the Repentant Forger as an Acquaintance. If you play Fate stories, you can also get the Blemmigan Hat for +2 Dangerous.[/li][/ul][This section optional.] You might consider buying the Extraordinary Hat if:
[ul][li]Suspicion is a serious problem for you, and[/li][li]You don’t have the Fate-locked Blemmigan Hat, and
[/li][li]You really want +2 Dangerous in the Hat slot.[/li][/ul][/quote]
Overly wordy, but you get the idea.
This can be verified (or even discovered fresh) by wiki trawling – http://fallenlondon.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Hat – and a list of such items is also non-trivial to assemble.
EDIT: Fun fact! I did find an extremely niche use for the Extraordinary Hat outside of what I listed. Turns out that it’s useful for replacing the Semiotic Monocle with for your Watchful outfit (if you do that sort of thing with outfits). Why? Because it has max Watchful (+8) and Shadowy -1, which combines with the max Watchful Insatiable Glove for a total of -2 Shadowy.
Now, let’s say you’re a character with Shadowy 200, who hits the Nadir and gets your Shadowy dropped to 199. Let’s say you want to get it back to 200 fast. Well, Shadowy -2 is just perfect to get an exactly 90% challenge on the Affair of the Box carousel, which will grant you 2CP Shadowy per success.
This way you don’t have to rearrange your outfits; just put on the Watchful outfit to grind Shadowy.
Note this only works if you don’t have other Shadowy bonuses active with your Watchful outfit… and the Watchful +8 - +10 items all boost Shadowy, except for Profession items. (The Overgoat/Ubergoat does not.) So it’s even more niche than it sounds. But it’s a possibility!
edited by thedeadlymoose on 2/6/2016
Can I recommend that you aim the list at lower levels? Let’s say, pre-POSI as an obvious marker. I appreciate the thought - and some of the frustration behind it - as someone who, ahem, bought those boots :)
But a lot of the uses here are either 1) decreasing stats for higher players for skill profession or 2) decreasing limits to draw cards you’ve grown out of, which requires you to know what those cards are 3) unlocks for areas outside of the main four parts of the board or 4) are useful at particular times of year. And that’s not information newer players need as much as when to save your money and wait a day to buy better gear (and don’t worry about going barefooted for an hour!). Perhaps 5) costs less than 30 echoes or some amount would be helpful.
For example, a Rat of Glory should absolutely be used for the Scuttering Squad if your pre POSI. It’s a great deal - and then you can avoid any less than 5+ companion (except for that one stat it doesn’t cover). But on this forum, lots and lots of people used it for the Enigmas - and I wonder if anyone saw that and tried on their almost impossible chance to do it since it was the popular advice.
This is a brilliant idea! A list of thing to buy (as much as things not to), when just starting and echos are scare, I think would be a fantastic help to an awful lot of new players :)
[quote=Parelle]Can I recommend that you aim the list at lower levels? Let’s say, pre-POSI as an obvious marker. I appreciate the thought - and some of the frustration behind it - as someone who, ahem, bought those boots :)
But a lot of the uses here are either 1) decreasing stats for higher players for skill profession or 2) decreasing limits to draw cards you’ve grown out of, which requires you to know what those cards are 3) unlocks for areas outside of the main four parts of the board or 4) are useful at particular times of year. And that’s not information newer players need as much as when to save your money and wait a day to buy better gear (and don’t worry about going barefooted for an hour!). Perhaps 5) costs less than 30 echoes or some amount would be helpful.
For example, a Rat of Glory should absolutely be used for the Scuttering Squad if your pre POSI. It’s a great deal - and then you can avoid any less than 5+ companion (except for that one stat it doesn’t cover). But on this forum, lots and lots of people used it for the Enigmas - and I wonder if anyone saw that and tried on their almost impossible chance to do it since it was the popular advice.[/quote]