Becoming a correspondent.

I’m currently at level 3 for it, and want to become a Correspondent. I would appreciate tips and such about how to become one. My notability is only one.[li]

I’m not sure what you mean by level 3 (tier 3 profession?), but to take up the violant ink you need to be an author and to increase your notability to 5, then wait for the ‘An unsigned message’ card.

You also need Scholar of the Correspondence 10.

I have notability 1, am an author, but is there a place I can grind up my scholar of the correspondence? I can get making waves by inviting some of my friends to Dantes Grill, is there a better way to get my making waves up quick?

If you Seek Curios in the Forgotten Quarter you can get it up to 6. After that you can raise it through an expensive option through Shadowy Dealings in the University. If you still have access to the Empress’ Court you can compose a Symphony, which might be your best bet if your Watchful is too low to get it all the way to 10 via Shadowy Dealings (the Watchful requirement is [10 * SoC Level] + 100).

You can also use Private Suppers to get Making Waves, which might be more reliable than Dante’s Grill if your non-POSI friends don’t keep a lot of Making Waves for you to steal. You may also write Poetry in the Singing Mandrake for some, and if you don’t mind investing in something a Salon or Orphanage are pretty good for Making Waves. The first few levels of Notability are really easy to get. If you find yourself needing a lot of Making Waves for those it’s better to just invest some resources into getting Bizarre/Dreaded/Respectable items.
edited by Sara Hysaro on 2/10/2014

There’s another way to raise SotC from 6 to 10 - a corresponding ocelot has a card, the top option of which will raise it by 1 CP for the price of 1CP of wounds. Of course the ocelot comes from fate-locked content, but it is probably the cheapest way to level it to 10.

Does seeking curios increase it to 7 or 6? The wiki seem to suggest I can grind that until it hits SotC 7

Ah, yes. It’ll raise it to 7.

If you like, you may also increase “Scholar of the correspondence” by using the card which comes along the Bifurcated Owl. You need to unlock 2 fate-locked stories (the one of the zoo and flute street) but the owl is also a really good way to increase notability, and gives +5 to all statistics. (And you can have the Owl AND the Ocelot, so to have two cards in your deck which increase Scholar.)

Also if you havent started your department of the ocrrespondence yet at the university, theres an option there that may or may not raise it under the cricket match.

Isn’t that a rare success? I gave up on the first term passing loop after 3 terms of normal successes.[li]
EDIT: ah wait, it’s a &quoteither way&quot luck challenge at term passing 12. The unfortunate outcome takes a chunk of connected. Now that I checked the wiki again, I’m miffed that I forgot to farm the prisoner’s honey. I was positive that there’s nothing in the term that I wanted…
edited by Lumyire on 2/10/2014

Also, partway through the University term, a rare success on “Do some actual research” increases SotC.

I sadly already made a department in the university. How many levels does the shadowy dealings give?

It gives 1 CP (3 on Rare Success), and how high you can bring it up using that depends on your Watchful stat.

My watchful is 106 with modifiers, base 85.

According to the wiki the formula is:

Watchful [10 * a Scholar of the Correspondence current level] + 100

Well now I face a dilemma. Should I be a correspondent, or would I do better as a crooked cross?

First things you should evaluate:

  • The rewards you’re more interested into: Professions give mostly equivalent rewards, but, for example, the Midnighter gives Favours in High Places that are particularly useful to those who have a Salon, to boost their Scheme. At a glance, Crooked Cross’ rewards seem to be more useful, unless you’re planning to become Closest to the Great Game, as you’d need Sworn Statements and Dubious Testimonies that, apart from that, have no specific use. They’re quite rare though, so you could think to become Correspondent just for the sake of making a stash of Statements and Testimonies in the event that they become important in the future (That’s why I never sold any of those I gained as a Watcher).

  • Which weapon you like more. I’d say this mostly depends on your character’s qualities and goals; the various equipments of the highest-tier Professions are mostly equivalent, except for the Midnighter’s Shrine that is probably the best Home Comfort currently available ^^

  • Your charact’ers goals and your personal tastes. Seriously, currently there’s no terrible difference between Professions, and I think it’s by design, to allow them to be felt as optional, so in case you really like one more than the other it could be fine just to choose the one you like more instead of the one giving the best rewards. Furthermore, there’s still another tier after this, so it’s really hard to fathom whether a Profession could open up an incredibly interesting next tier.

Well, Thanks for the help!

You’re welcome ^^