I’m surprised there aren’t more threads about the difficulties of this ambition. I’m not look for huge spoilers, more just general ideas. First off, did I pick the hardest ambition, or do the other selections also involve this level of difficulty? At the rate I’m currently going, it will be about another 50 hours of play before I manage to accrue 77 memories of distant shores for instance. Am I missing something (besides going to Irem and purchasing thing with straight echos) that actually makes this easier to obtain that it looks like at the start? A simple yes/no answer would suffice, or a vague hint.
My second question/problem is that up until now, I’ve been spending my secrets on upping stats, thinking I only needed to save 7, not 77. If I’ve already explored 2/3s of the map or so, and I’ve spent all those secrets, am I pretty much doomed unless I want to save up 77,000 echos to buy more? I guess what I’m asking for is a yes/no answer if there’s semi-repeatable ways to earn secrets so I can work my way back up to 77.
Dissecting zee-beasts gives Fragments, as do some repeatable options at different ports! So, fear not - it’s a bit of a long, slow Ambition, but you’ll get there in the end.
I didn’t find the Memories, Tales, or Ztories to be difficult; however, the Secrets are grindy and the Live Specimens very difficult for any captain who is the first of their dynasty.
There are interactions that will continue to give you fragments, which you can turn into secrets. It’s slow, of course.
Personally, I’ve managed to complete it in a couple of weeks(I’ve started in Early Access and finished recently). My biggest gripe was how it felt like a bad ending in the final.
My last hope was that it would console me with some mechanical effects, but the first edition publication had no consolation benefits…
It was like when I ended the game in Kingeater’s Castle - disappointing
I guess I really enjoyed the journey, but not the end. edited by Uruloki on 2/11/2015
You can also hunt Lorn-Flukes; if you have good Pages, you can get a few secrets of their corpses. with lower pages, the chance of actually getting secrets from this isn’t so hot.
If nothing else is working, start selling sunlight to the isle of cats, it’s probably the fastest way to earn that 77k.
[li]Dewar still has a point. Zong of the Zee is, for whatever reason, far more expensive, lengthy and difficult than the other ambitions so far. Personally, I’d just like to see more ambitions, but even if the Zong were a legacy item that would help balance things. There are other ways to fix this, too.
I started hunting larger fish now and I see that I’m getting multiple fragments from each kill now, so that’s good. I was under the impression that most of the events and kills gave only one fragment at a time.
I agree, though, the requirements (especially Secrets) are awfully punishing. Particularly if you’re a newer player and picked a Correspondent legacy: you’re just screwed.
Wait! What?! I thought the Zong was a legacy item that did what Christian suggested and stopped you taking that as the next legacy. I think I just assumed that because 77 secrets + is a lot for something that only increases each attribute by 3 (3X5 = 15 secrets, although most officers won’t increase past 100, is that right?) that it would carry over to my Scion. Oh well, I do agree with Rocket Heeled Jack, although i’m starting to think it makes more sense to head North with this Captain than to retire now i’ve completed my ambition. I feel like that would be more exciting as well.
Zong is definitely the Grinder’s Choice, and I would support a friendly message to this effect during captain creation. (although I suppose the internet is here to help as well)
Secrets and such, you mean? Well, yes, I might be able to do that at this point, but since I was never profit-focused, getting to “this point” took a lot of time. I’m not complaining about it, since it was not my goal to make it to a certain level of wealth or to reach “this point”, but pointing out that relying on money to solve it isn’t necessarily a panacea.
Also, if Fulfilment relies on cash, then it’s just Wealth reskinned, and that’s boring and repetitive. IMO all of Wind-Come-Calling’s wares should trade stories for stories, rather than anything being buyable with Echoes.
you can also get many of the things in other ways, mostly by monster hunting. The hardest ones being the 77x and the dread surmise. Doing it without wealth-
77x Memory/Terror/Zee story - trade for them with the monks of the Godfall. 1 of each story for each monster tooth. Also can get 10x stories from the gardens on Cat Isle in an event, and can trade memory stories for zee stories with the ransomed prisoner from wisdom (from the mechanic storyline).
77x secret - you have a chance to earn +3 secrets from killing flukes.
Dread Surmise - Searing Enigmas are tough. You can buy them with Implications which can be bought for money or gained through an event at Grand Geode (at the cost of a crewman).
I just never sell off my stories and eventually I look at my inventory and have 50-60 of everything. :P I also tend to forget to spend my secrets until I have a ton of them. I haven’t done the ZotZ yet though. I’m playing through Father’s Bones this captain and may try for Boke of Sharps as well, then next time I’m going to try for Manual of Miracles and I might do ZotZ then.
[quote=delta_angelfire]
Dread Surmise - Searing Enigmas are tough. You can buy them with Implications which can be bought for money or gained through an event at Grand Geode (at the cost of a crewman).[/quote]
You can sell the heart of mount nomad for an enigma at the chelonate.
Another question: I’ve completed all three ambitions, but the Zong of the Zee is the only one that doesn’t give you a persisting trophy? Father’s bones seems to give two, and wealth gives one as well, but you literally get nothing to show that you’ve completed Zong of the Zee?