I’ve started making enough Echoes to think about improving my boat. However, I’m a bit torn between better weaponry or saving up and buying a shiny new engine.
Advice from experienced captains very welcome!
edited by Tarantella de Pangolin on 8/19/2014
My tuppence - put it in weapons first. It makes it so much easier to kill beasties, which will in turn net you rewards that will help drive profits. Bigger engines, while they help you get from A to B faster (reducing terror) burn more fuel - so cost more money to run. When I upgraded my engine, I found myself worse off cash-wise, and grinding harder to keep afloat. Bigger guns, on the other hand, felt like Christmas.
Definitely weapons first, especially something that fires harpoons. Much easier to kill beasties that way which increases your chances of getting some very nice loot. Western Angler Crabs, for example, can drop everything from hunger reduction up to Captivating Treasures. The Iron boost from the 1000 echo items is well worth the investment.
Yep, definitely the two Caminus Yards +20 guns. As already noted, bigger engines burn more fuel, and the speed boost isn’t that impressive.
[li]you’ve entered the ‘odd zone’, where one has spendable bucks but, on examination, few real options worth pursuing. best advice is to save and spend on the most expensive options available. buying halfway is just a waste of money you’ll have to recover later when you want to step it up to a higher grade.
engines are nerfed.
they don’t do much more than burn lots of gas. you’re buying the skill points they confer (and some terror reduction). the Steel update might alter the equation, but for now, sticking with the base model (or magician’s quest) is your best option. and yes, that is weird, hence ‘Steel’.
lots of guns for sale, but few that matter.
right now, (pre-Steel), guns are mostly floating skill points with fancy pixelated icons. high net iron skills +peashooter = death ray. go fig. for Emerald, save up and go for something expensive with harpoons. pre-Steel or post, harpoons should always have an edge against monsters. pre-Steel, they’re awesome against boats, too, but personally, i don’t think that will hold for long. the game already has options for "+cannon" and i have to imagine that will mean something later on for boat-vs.-boat combat in a way it doesn’t now.
miscellany matters
a fancy home can go a long way to managing your terror levels. not cheap to buy or use, but it makes a great fallback and doesn’t burn a lot of time on the 'Neath clock, either. 500 echoes on a lockbox is also an investment that pays in the long run. in fact, i see indications in the game that the lockbox will become a HUGE butt-saver in one of the future updates; could be Steel or a later issue; hard to say, but i’m almost certain it will come. also, have cushions - you always want a generous cash cushion in hand, like, a thousand echoes. you never know when a storyline might demand a cut of cash or you find yourself in a bad spot at a distant port that charges big money for basics.
Yet again, my thanks, dear fellow Captains, for your wise advice.
I’m looking forward to what Steel will bring. I don’t dislike the current combat system but having something a little more dynamic will be exciting.
For now, I will save up for Mr Fire’s guns and for a lockbox (the restless dead are getting wayward and eating my biscuits!)
As things stand, I wish items like the search lights did something else rather than just adding a stat, such as speeding up observations, increasing the Fragments you get if you use observation or even reducing terror a little.
But I suppose that’s academic if Steel is going to change combat and the ship system substantially.
edited by Tarantella de Pangolin on 8/19/2014
edited by Tarantella de Pangolin on 8/21/2014
On the lock box, Id love it to add to storage space too, just 5 or 10 would be a good option.
The caminus yards heart ender (i think that’s the harpoon one) is definitely the first major purchase you should make right now
I believe it was mentioned, but because I think it is currently one of the most interesting stories in the game…
If you haven’t already, play through the Magician’s story. It explores Parabola, induces a mild fear of being attacked by snakes living in your mirrors, and nets you an excellent officer and a rather good engine if you’re lucky (or persistent, should you choose to replay the ending until the right Magician returns…) All in all, a great way to improve your vessel.