The Dreadful Surmise was released with the X-mas update, or the Feast of the Rose (15 masquing at the shuttered palace)
Is there a handy reference somewhere for the best ways to grind for certain items, such as prisonerās honey or jade?
The optimum options depend on your current level, but this is generally useful for mid to high level players:
http://echobazaar.wikidot.com/end-game-grinding
Blatant paste job of Tesujiās advice on obtaining Tier 1-3 items:
As with a lot of the Tier 1 items, Unfinished Business is your best bet. Itās not universally true: go to Mahogany Hall for Glim, Nevercold Brass and Deep Amber, Hunterās Keep for Silk Scraps and Cryptic Clues, and Coil 1 of the Labyrinth of Tigers for Whispered Secrets. For the rest, however, Unfinished Business is usually going to be your go-to source.
For Tier 2 items, converting upward from a Tier 1 item is usually the way to go.
For Tier 3 items, using Thefts or the Iron Box to get the closest item and converting sideways is usually your best option. (Building up Tier 1 items and then converting upwards to Tier 3 is almost never your best bet.)
As a very new player, stats 2-10ā¦ any advice on what items to keep for later use, and what to sell for Echo pence? I feel incompletely adorned without any gloves at all, but donāt have enough pence for the Magicianās Gloves.
Edit, now that I have stats in the 30s-60s: The advice that would have helped me, when I first asked, is to sell anything which you can renew. If you have an option in Spite, Veilgarden, Watchmaker, Ladybones or Lodging., which practices a statistic and gives you a sellable item, then grind that option repeatedly and sell the item for Echoes. If, later on, you draw a card which requires that item, then you can back out with "Perhaps Not", then go gather the needed item, then return to the card. (The best grinding options get you items, practice a stat AND raise a Connected quality.)
As revurciel says, Rostygold, nevercold brass, and moon-pearls donāt transform into higher-tier items, so they are the simplest candidates for selling off. (Also: rat-on-string.) Eventually thereās an option to spend an action at Lodgings which practices Watchful and when successful gains a Tale of Terror worth 50 pence, which is about as good a pence-per-action ratio as youāll find in the early game. If you take that action twenty times, and succeed thirteen times, then youāll have 6.50 echoes, and there are several equippable items which cost 6.40 and which give +2 to a stat.
Revurciel says to keep items which can be combined upwards. Rather: when choosing what to sell, remember that you convert upwards and not downwards. For example, if you have some Cryptic Clues and Whispered Secrets, first sell off your Cryptic Clues. If, later, you need Clues for some quest, you can turn your Whispers into Cluesā¦ but if you sell off your Whispers, and later on need more Whispers, you canāt turn Clues into Whispers. (And on yet another hand, those conversions do cost Actions.)
edited by Riley37 on 9/11/2013
edited by Riley37 on 9/11/2013
edited by Riley37 on 9/18/2013
Honestly, youāre going to need almost everything you come across at one point or another. The Magnificent Diamond you start with is alright to sell, but youāll probably have a Terrible Time if you sell all of something only to find out you need it for a storyline.
In that case - is there a recommended way to get pence? or do I ever get Echos/pence as a story reward? or do I go penceless, never buy anything in Bazaar, and thus gloveless until a storyline rewards me with gloves? (I havenāt yet seen an equippable item as a story reward.)
Edit, having played and learned a bit more: At stats 30-60, I still have not seen an action which directly rewards with Echoes. Every Echo I have spent at Bazaar, is an Echo that I gained by selling items from my inventory. But there ARE a few actions/storylets which can reward you with equippable items, such as pets, weapons, hats and shoes! I still havenāt found a story reward with gloves, though, so if thereās a Persuasive action for which youād like a higher success rate, then sell off enough items to buy those Magicianās Gloves. (Much later on, when youāre approaching "Person of Some Importance", youāll want to upgrade to more expensive Persuasive gloves.)
edited by Riley37 on 8/10/2013
edited by Riley37 on 9/11/2013
[quote=Riley37]In that case - is there a recommended way to get pence? or do I ever get Echos/pence as a story reward? or do I go penceless, never buy anything in Bazaar, and thus gloveless until a storyline rewards me with gloves? (I havenāt yet seen an equippable item as a story reward.)
edited by Riley37 on 8/10/2013[/quote]
[li]
I would just say donāt sell everything
There are three sorts of items - goods, convertible items and curiosities. Of the goods moonpearls, rostygold and nevercold brass are reasonably easy to find at most levels. So you are probably safe selling most of them - though some stories do ask for these later so just sell enough to get what you want.
Items that can be converted up to higher tier items are probably better to keep .
In other words donāt sell everything just enough to buy what you want when you want it. It is a matter of working out what is the best strategy for you but you are probably safe selling something when you have found a regular source.
So, iāve been really curious about somethingā¦ 95% of players on this forum, whos profile i saw, use Premises at The Bazaar as their lodgings. No hotels, no brass embassy lodgingsā¦ Is there a specific reason?
Th Premises are usually easier to obtain. At least they used to be and changing Premises costs an action while gaining nothing. You will notice, however, that I am comfortably lodged at the Royal Beth.[li]
I just stayed in the last 4 card lodging that I acquired and am very comfortable staying at the Royal Bethlehem.
I actually found the Brass Embassy fastest, as I already had a lot of the Infernal requirements. Iām on the verge of getting the Bazaar lodgings too, but I probably wonāt swap from the Royal Beth, I just want it for the locked stuff on the opportunity card.
Th Premises are usually easier to obtain. At least they used to be and changing Premises costs an action while gaining nothing. You will notice, however, that I am comfortably lodged at the Royal Beth.[li][/quote][/li][li]So does this mean that the Storylets donāt vary with the lodgings you are in, or the opportunity cards? Iāve been wondering about that.[/li][li]
[/li][li]Glorion
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The only difference between living in different lodgings is the number of cards you can keep on hand (depending on the tier of lodging) and the thing on your profile page saying which lodgings you live in.
Thanks for the information, Spacemarine9
[li]
Is there a good way to gain Prisonerās Honey in large amounts, at sub-60 stats?
I can, of course, grind for rostygold etc., sell rostygold at Bazaar for echoes, and buy honey with echoes. Is there a better way?
Would I be wise to put Nemesis on hold until I reach higher Persuasive and unlock superior honey sources?
- Edit - at Shadowy 32, there is a repeatable mission in Spite with honey reward. Took me about 20 actions to get the 350 honey, and I gained Shadowy CP.
[i]edited by Riley37 on 8/28/2013
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edited by Riley37 on 8/29/2013
edited by Riley37 on 8/30/2013
Depends on how much honey you require. If itās just a few hundred, itās quite doable in the 60ās. If itās a few thousandā¦still doable but itāll be quite a chore! Iām guessing youāre referring to the Nemesis option which requires 350 honey drops.
At Persuasive 57, you unlock the āEntry to the Duchessā salonā storylet at the Shuttered Palace. Publish poetry in honor of the Duchess successfully and youāll boost your Bohemian connections greatly. When your Connected: Bohemian reaches level 15, call in their favours at the Palace for 120 honey drops. Do it thrice and youāll be ready for your Ambition.
Any advice on picking an ambition? I am leaning toward Light Fingers because of the free switch, but that just seems like kicking the hard choice down the road.
It is an entirely personal preference, but, having chosen Heartās Desire myself, I found it a-OK, but not exceptional. Light Fingers, on the other hand, had a compelling storyline and allowed you to explore a place of London not accessible any other way, so, if you liked it already, Iād go for it. Nemesis looked good too. Personally I often thought about changing Ambition, but Iād hate if next part of Heartās Desire proved to be very good instead - hints are to an investigating storyline in Spite, so it does sport a good premise for the continuation.
Hm, I wish I had started with Light Fingers, if thatās the only way to see some content! Anyways, I went with Nemesis largely because that seemed a storyline I would enjoy; I like a protagonist with a grimly compelling motivation. So far, so good, but it seems a very long-term project. I wonder if Iāll reach PoSI before I finish Ambition? - The reward might be the key factor for some people, and I gather that Nemesis may get me a great weapon, but by then I dunno if Iāll have use for it.
You almost certainly will. I donāt think any of the ambitions are completable yet.