So, after reading the forums, I think I have a problem. My first captain still hasn’t died. And apparently this is bad, because some stories can only be accessed by later captains and a legacy results in better stats. I got the Satisfied Magician and the Serpentine, I saw the Presbyterate Adventuress’ death (speaking of, does she have a reaction if I have the Fathomking bring her back to life?) and I have explored most of the map, save the Avid Horizon and the Dawn Machine.
I very much like the spot I am, and I am progressed heavily down most of my officers’ storylines (if not completed), so I am wary of suiciding, especially because I might be bored by the sheer amount of stories I have already played through and gotten my desired outcome.
Are the stories for later captains really worth suiciding for? Or should I just beat the game with my first captain and call it a job well done?
There’s nothing saying you can’t beat the game with your first captain, then come back around and beat it EVEN BETTER with a second character who starts with some advantages inherited from your first captain. Though, I would recommend putting some energy into actually earning some legacies, and maybe having a kid so you can make a new character with two legacies, rather than just one.
Your captain doesn’t have to die to continue their legacy! Winning the game allows you to pass on a legacy too. There is one area that can only be unlocked by having a captain die, but it’s really quite minor - you’re not missing much.
H-uh. Alright. I’ve been avoiding most of the “what you do to get legacies” because of spoilers, but now I suppose I should take a look. My only worry is losing the Satisfied Magician and the Serpentine. I’ve grown attached to him.
To sum up super-quickly - every time you finish a game with one captain (because they died, or won, or got some sort of alternate ending), you can choose a bonus for your next captain. One possible bonus is, in fact, inheriting one of your officers, so you can start with the Satisfied Magician if you want to! The other legacy-related achievements are a Will and Heirlooms, Scions (which lets you take two legacy bonuses instead of one for future captains), and five bonus legacy items hidden throughout the game (which each raise one of your future captains’ starting stats.)
The minor area for having died is the Labyrinth of Tigers, a bonus shop in London that trades in Live Specimens. Generally, legacies mean "starting with more stats/gear/money" rather than "unlocking extra stories", though the bonus items do have some cool lore involved in finding and using them.
The Satisfied Magician is one of the easier officers to get back, and if you have a few captivating treasures to pass on in heirloom format, it shouldn’t take long at all to get a Serpentine back up and running. That being said, don’t worry about not dying - that’s awesome!
THe minor thing you’re missing is the Labyrinth of Tigers. You can sell Harlot-Frys (I don’t think they’re used for anything else), and buy/sell live specimens.
About the only other things you’re missing, besides legacies and the labyrinth, are a few background dependent quests and alternate outcomes for those quests with branching paths. It’s also possible that your map might not contain certain beasties (see the Eater of Names thread).
I have not seen any unique beasties. Why might that be? Do they not pop up with every captain? That’s a pain! As for the labyrinth of Tigers… Now I’m tempted, because I can’t find any live specimens!
…If you don’t mind losing your Invictus token, theoretically you might could manually save this captain, go out and kill him somehow, make a legacy, and then be able to access both?
theoretically, that is, I haven’t actually done this.