I need some (300) phosphorescent beetles for a whirring contraption. Because they cost 0.25 echoes at the bazaar, and I need 300 plus the amount needed for the memories of light, I was wondering if there was a good way to get them besides the bazaar.
Yes, if you have renown docks 20, an (also expensive, but less so) option opens up in the docks that has a chance at one. There is also grinding at wilmot’s end.
edited by suinicide on 9/29/2016
it requires lots of honey, though. 2000, IIRC. On the rare failure it gives 300 beetles instead, though, so it’s pretty good if you have it.
Grinding in Wilmot’s End is almost certainly the way to go, if you have access. It takes 44 actions plus any lost to challenge failures per Whirring Contraption.
The Bazaar is a fine way to get a whirring contraption if you already have the ingredients and won’t use them for anything else. 44 actions is a lot; doesn’t take much opportunity cost to make it more expensive than the 60 echos + 1 action for the sidestreets. The trouble is that grinding the beetles and memories directly tends to take even more actions, since afaik there’s no real profitable way to get them.
One of my long term goals is to get all 3 newspaper qualities to 10, and this requires a total of 165 Whirring Contraptions (107 still to go…).
I’ve been collecting them (slowly) via Wilmot’s End (and using either Wilmot’s End or the War of Assassins to raise Dramatic Tension - depending on the stats I need to recover after the weekly Nadir trip).
While I also think that Whirring Contraptions are best acquired via Wilmots End, I thought I’d mention that you can get Scarabs in large quantaties in the Labyrinth of Tigers.
Breeding a Tomb-Lion using "A Firm Hand" will give you 300, breeding a Seal using "Toadstools and a Stick" will give you 500.
Since I have the route to Wilmont’s End, and don’t have the route to the labyrinth of tigers, I think I’ll get them via Wilmont’s End. How do I get them there exactly?
You need to play the “Searching out a Missing Woman” carousel 4 times. The first three times will raise Dramatic Tension, the fourth time you can get a Whirring Contraption. You’ll need at least 44 actions to get your prize.
Technically, you only need to do the Search for a Missing Woman carousel one in four times to cash in. Doing Business in Wilmot’s End and the War of Assassins both raise Dramatic Tension in the same number of actions, and one option in the former has a rare success for two Compromising Documents.