I’m (slowly) approaching 75 in all stats, and am currently deciding which 3rd tier area to tackle first (probably the University/Labyrinth, but they all look so good. . . .) I was interested in asking the community which path you took when leveling. Did you get each quality up to 100 in turn? Did you split your time evenly between 2? Did a particular area captivate you to finish it quickly? This is less about which one gives the most gameplay advantage (although I’m interested in opinions on that) but why you chose your particular path.
I myself everyday chose my lowest stat to focus on, but once I opened up the Forgotten Quarter I immediately stayed there till the end (I loved the dueling archaeologists), and then switched to the Palace/Docks/Flit, finishing each in turn.
Just from folloiwng the stories I liked, I ended up with my Watchful and Dangerous quite close to PoSI level when I decided to push for it, but with a dreadfully low level of Shadowy, and a somewhat less dreadul Persuassive level. I decided to look for ways advance things other than my stats while I was working on stats. I ground in Flit for Antique Mysteries for my room at the Bethlehem, I liked the idea of getting kicked out of Court for my wanton ways, so I seduced until I found out that it was par for the Court (which made me laugh), so I wrote novels until I was done. Both times, I had things that distracted me from what I was focusing on grinding, and allowed me to move forward on multiple fronts. I think that’s the secret to surviving the grind, really. Don’t be afraid to focus on a storyline (like the University Lectures) and play it through, even if you will max out a a single stat faster.
I folowed my Ambition up to when I had to go to the Zee, so I found myself with much higher Watchful and Persuasive than Shadowy and Dangerous, and had to grind them afterwards, as I’m still doing for Polythreme T.T
All in all, I’d say - just follow up interesting storylets, and when you don’t know what to grind, do a bit of everything - maybe with a little focus of hoarding a good quantity of Economy items (that is, goods that can be used to exchange them with higher tier items) in the meantime.
I leveled pretty evenly through the 50’s but then my shadowy went through the roof. I adore the Flit. So now I’m low 60’s in the Persuasive and Watchful - (too low to take advantage of much in the way of new storylines in the Forgotten Quarter and Shuttered Palace), almost at 60 in Dangerous and 95+ in Shadowy. I’m trying to ration the the Flit right now and work on Watchful. (BTW, do I lose access to the Flit robberies at some point?)
So I guess now I’m going by story line and whatever opportunity cards come my way. Last night I finished (?) the Cheesemonger story because the opportunity arose. I try to keep the grinding for the quick hits, on my smart phone, late at night before I go to bed, etc. That’s when I try to get my turns in on the grindy stuff so that when I have some time to spend on the site, I can focus on the stories.
I followed my ambition up to the 80s in both dangerous and watchful, at which point I got to the level cap. The University wasn’t out yet, nor was the Labyrinth…Then I played through Shadowy and Persuasive, and then played new areas as they appeared.
(I haven’t yet and my skills are all between 110 and 120 without gear).
I tended to work all skills up equally. My Watchful was slightly higher for a while as I pursued my Nemesis and then my Shadowy followed by Persuasive as my made why way through the Flit and the Court storylines. My Dangerous still lags a bit, the Labyrinth was fun the first time through and I have gained 2 interesting companions (one with spots, one just stubborn) but I find myself wondering what the point of it is.
I have just started to venture into Wilmot’s End and The Sidestreets. I’m beginning work on my ship but haven’t bothered to venture to Polythreme yet.
I tended to do it in batches of about 5-10levels, following certain storylines, because there’s nothing so dreadful as going “oh goodness, look at how low [Shadowy] is compared to [Watchful]” and then having the fun taken out of their stories in an effort to bring it up to the others.
I found it was best to do it in a way that menaces could be smoothly put out. So naturally I did my persuasive first as it could be put out with just a few sermons. Then I spent a long time stealing and playing the game before deciding that my education was in order. As sleeping can fix nightmares sometimes a few bouts is a good way of recovering lost sleep.
Well, I’m currently in the 90’s of Watchful/Persuasive, 80 in shadowy and in the middle 60’s of Dangerous. My dangerous has always been low, but my other stats used to be more even before the flit. My problem was that I saw no point in making further robberies after becoming Master thief light-fingered. Thus I focused on the University stories(which are awfully fun) and grinding at court for finishing off that area. Since I’m now in the middle of becoming PoSI, I’ve decided to focus more on the dangerous parts though.