I recently (yesterday) started an alt with the hopes of eventually becoming a seeker. There’s some groundwork to be done first, of course.
I was curious what the fastest method of grinding stats is at <100. My current strategy is equipping a talkative rat and playing a lot of risky/tough challenges, as well as using second chances. I think this strategy work for a while, but I’m not sure if I should keep it up once menaces come into play.
Is playing risky/tough challenges and spending actions to decrease menaces more efficient than playing modest/low-risk challenges?
NiteBrite? You out there? This would be your area of expertise (although you’ve probably already addressed this somewhere).
A further question on this topic, although it’s more of a thought experiment, is: What is the quickest can someone reach level 100 on all stats (without spending Fate or using items)? It’ll involve some math, and I don’t feel like doing it at the moment. I might do it later, but if someone were to beat me to it I wouldn’t complain…
General rule of thumb with stats, regardless of level at, is Second Chances are the fastest. That aside though iirc the occasional Making Your Name benchmarks also give stat increases and being part of generally focused stat stories I’d assume they don’t hurt for grinding on an alt
Notably, if you’re grinding storylets for stats, I would suggest shooting for 90% success probability if you at all care about earning success rewards. The game lies about failure giving better stat gains than success; succeeding always gives you more CP than if you failed the same action.
http://fallenlondon.wikia.com/wiki/Leveling
Repeatedly failing almost impossible challenges will give you the best CP per action point, but likely with failure consequences (like menaces), and it’s still slower than social actions + turning in second chances for stats.
I also have a seeking alt, one nearing POSI. I’ll send you a chess invite. We can swap second chances as much as you like.
Yeah, I figured second chances would be the fastest, although for my character to be of any use I’ll do most of the Making Your Name storylets as you suggest.
[quote=Kaijyuu]http://fallenlondon.wikia.com/wiki/Leveling.
Repeatedly failing almost impossible challenges will give you the best CP per action point, but likely with failure consequences (like menaces), and it’s still slower than social actions + turning in second chances for stats.[/quote]
That advice and link are pretty useful, so thanks. For anyone seeking similar advice, click on Kaijyuu’s link.
It depends on what you mean by "quickest". If we’re trying to minimize actions, it’s 272 actions total plus however many actions it takes to escape from New Newgate at the beginning of the game. It takes two actions to become a Patron of someone and 66 actions to increase a stat from 0 to 100. (Technically it takes 65.5 actions for the exact amount of CP and after escaping New Newgate all characters have stats of at least 5, but it still takes the full 66 actions.) Of course, this wouldn’t be anywhere near quickest in terms of elapsed time - with only five free evenings per week, the entire process would take 53 weeks.
The game is completely accurate, assuming we’re both referring to the messages of "Simple challenges mean you don’t learn so much." and "Risky challenges mean you learn more." The riskier the challenge, the higher the CP gains are from both success and failures, and thus on average as well. There’s nothing there implying failure gives faster gains, just risks.
edited by Optimatum on 10/12/2016
I think the misunderstanding is the game saying “you learn more even when you fail” - this means you learn more from a hard challenge than an easy one even if you fail the hard challenge, not that failure increases stat gain.
Honestly? Just play the game and aaaall will come into place with a little bit of time. Don’t stress yourself with things like “the most efficent or fastest way of doing things”. Just enjoy the grindy ride.(That’s how I did it and It was a blast!)
Of course if you REALLY want to max things as fast as possible - generily taking hard challengens and doing your best to mitigate the bad consequences (be it from using second chances or guzzling unhealthy amounts of menace diminishing elixers) is the way to go. It also helps to choose storylets that don’t have heavy repercussions for failing them.
Oh, I’m not that worried about speed. I just made this alt for a very specific purpose and would like to get started on it as soon as possible. I have my main account for stopping and smelling the roses.
For dangerous, get to the fighting rings as fast as possible, and keep fighting in the first one indefinitely. Ignore the second until the first one stops working.
{+20 cp until your stats with gear = 60, so you can keep using it until level 85 with a rattus faber, and further with reduction gear. The other rings work 10 levels higher and give 5 cp more than their predecessor, but work on each on their own.}
Shadowy will probably want your patronage- there’s less grinding opportunities than the others due to lack of second chance grinding. Persuasive and watchful don’t have any great grinds until far in. (at which point you can talk with porters for better payouts than grinding stats and epa seperately.) Always try to progress, as far as I can tell, that’s the most beneficial thing- it gives a lot of bonus CP to that stat.
If you’re seeking, focus on unlocking new areas as well- you want to be able to get UP easily.
edited by Grenem on 10/12/2016
Oh, I’m not that worried about speed. I just made this alt for a very specific purpose and would like to get started on it as soon as possible. I have my main account for stopping and smelling the roses.[/quote]
The Cave of Nadir - hard expedition and several dozens of cards to unlock - is a bigger roadblock. Growing stats in a hurry isn’t helpful as they will grow faster than your progress on SMEN, unless you blacken your mind.
Ahh, yes, the Nadir is going to be something I have to do. If I recall, it didn’t actually take me that long on my main profile to get through all the missionary and firebrand cards, but actually embarking on the expedition did take quite some time.
Ach. It’ll just take me a while to get ready to SMEN. No worries. I got time.
Oh, I’m not that worried about speed. I just made this alt for a very specific purpose and would like to get started on it as soon as possible. I have my main account for stopping and smelling the roses.[/quote]
The Cave of Nadir - hard expedition and several dozens of cards to unlock - is a bigger roadblock. Growing stats in a hurry isn’t helpful as they will grow faster than your progress on SMEN, unless you blacken your mind.[/quote]
I think you overestimate how long the cave takes. I’m of the opinion that it takes not that long, and less time if you hurry up your stat growth- since half of your obstacles will be stat growth. I mean, it’ll probably take a, or multiple, months, but not more than four. I know I got there pretty fast, and if you’ve made plans the only real delay- and the only one your stats don’t affect that much- is the cards.
Anyways, getting to the calling card line will take 18 weeks if you only level with marsh mired. Each level gained will cut a week off that time- so rushing in and get a few levels from secrets before the price skyrockets is a good strategy- and the best way to do that is accelerated stat gain.
One of the best strategies for a seeking only account would be to get winking isle over with anyways, though. Then stay in a (location-based) card-free area as you work through the storylines with no more need to worry about allowed vs. banned items.
edited by Grenem on 10/12/2016