Hey folks! Here’s this week’s thread for quick, hopefully easy-to-answer questions! Also, here’s one from the tail end of the old thread.
[quote=WinterIV]I know this question comes up rather frequently, but I was wondering what people’s opinion on Fate locked content. I was thinking of picking up a bundle of 100 fate (plus my 18 that I have gathered naturally), but I am trying to figure out the best way to spend this?
So far, I have heard Soul Trade and Lost in Reflections are good choices, but what are some other good options?
(I have already played Flint, so that is out)[/quote]
Both excellent choices! Off the top of my head, I also quite enjoyed Cut With Moonlight. The Waltz That Moved The World had some deep lore that’s still yet to be entirely plumbed, if that’s what you’re into. The Frequently Deceased had some fascinating insights into the practicalities of employment in London.
I’ll throw my thruppeny bit in for the fate-locked question, too!
What to buy sort of depends on what you’re into - hints of the deep lore? A cracking good yarn? More gameplay? Shiny, shiny stuff?
Generally when this question comes up, people reccomend the Beast Breeding expansion to the Labyrinth of Tigers (gives a new mechanic, cool pets including SotC and BDR bonuses, fun story), Flute Street (a new location, links with the beast breeding, insights into rubbery persons) and the Gift (a good, creepy story, I’ve heard, though not for the squeamish like me). The first two unlock permanent additions to the game; most other locked stuff is a self-contained experience, if that helps you at all.
I really enjoyed Secrets Framed In Gold, but it’s quite an elliptical/elusive story - I’m still not entirely sure what the heck happened, but I loved it for the character & story atmosphere.
Fate-locked expeditions are apparently quite fun - the lore they hint at used to be hard to find, but is much more widely available now, so it’s more the fun of the story and the nice prize at the end.
If you’re interested in old EF stories, you could take a look at the old threads for each month (ware spoilers, of course) to get a sense if a story is for you.
And of course you may want to keep a little bit by for seasonsl stuff (Christmas and Valentines day).
Thanks for the replies! I am a big fan of the overall lore and experience of the game. I don’t need a shiny reward or a bunch of echoes at the end of a story to be satisfied. I am there for the story itself.
I was considering doing the Breeding of Beasts, but then I realized that if I wanted the Bifurcated Owl (which seems to be the primary crux of breeding beasts) I would need to get Flute street as well.
I like the Rubbery Gents, but I wasn’t sure how good the Flute Street content was. Especially since I do not plan on getting a Rubbery Consort.
Also, yes, Waltz that Moved the World was really great. I still think back and wonder if I made the right decision… edited by WinterIV on 6/27/2016
[quote=WinterIV]Thanks for the replies! I am a big fan of the overall lore and experience of the game. I don’t need a shiny reward or a bunch of echoes at the end of a story to be satisfied. I am there for the story itself.
I was considering doing the Breeding of Beasts, but then I realized that if I wanted the Bifurcated Owl (which seems to be the primary crux of breeding beasts) I would need to get Flute street as well.
I like the Rubbery Gents, but I wasn’t sure how good the Flute Street content was. Especially since I do not plan on getting a Rubbery Consort.
Also, yes, Waltz that Moved the World was really great. I still think back and wonder if I made the right decision… edited by WinterIV on 6/27/2016[/quote]
I particularly love Flute Street. It’s an interesting (but not too hard) grind to start the trip to there, a veritable adventure hiking there and I think that the carousels there are interesting. Everything is watchful challenges, so it’s a fun alternative way to raise your watchful, not to mention that Flute Street is permanent after you get that. Worth every fate.
My only fate purchases until the moment were The Soul Trade, Flute Street and beast breeding. I’m completely happy with all them, and the combo beast breeding + flute street was, imho, the best addition I could do for the game. It suits me and my character.
I recently passed by Mutton Island and discovered that it has a down-converting option for Mystery items that grants 1000 whispered hints. Are there any other large scale ways of converting downwards? I accumulated a lot of cryptic clues and appalling secrets while I was playing with bats.
Is there any real benefit to selling my soul, other than clearing my deck of those many (many, many) abstraction cards? I checked it out on the wiki but the payout seems awfully low.
Speaking of devils, I messed up the dashing smuggler story line. Is there a way to reset it and start over?
Providing for the revels of Mr Wines: I went through the whole cycle and it reset. Is it worth my while to start it again?
I recently passed by Mutton Island and discovered that it has a down-converting option for Mystery items that grants 1000 whispered hints. Are there any other large scale ways of converting downwards? I accumulated a lot of cryptic clues and appalling secrets while I was playing with bats.
Is there any real benefit to selling my soul, other than clearing my deck of those many (many, many) abstraction cards? I checked it out on the wiki but the payout seems awfully low.
Speaking of devils, I messed up the dashing smuggler story line. Is there a way to reset it and start over?
Providing for the revels of Mr Wines: I went through the whole cycle and it reset. Is it worth my while to start it again?[/quote]
Can’t help with it, sorry! But here’s an option which, I think, it adds a bonus value to your Cryptic Clues with it’s rare success.
You get rid of some cards, but other pop in. If you have Soul Trade Fate story, you’ll get a shinny diamond from selling it. Kittenpox is working hard to get 50 of those.
You can restart it with 12 Fate with this card while exiled.
No more benefits; it’ll add an annoying card.
I have one from the old thread which will probably help regarding the Fate stories:
Now, I know I read it somewhere, but can’t remember where, can’t remember who post it, can’t find it using the search, but there was a post/thread regarding the Fate locked stories and their connections to each other, in which order would be best to play them and so on.
Does anyone know what I’m talking about?
You can break an Appalling Secret into a lot of Whispered Hints using "The anatomy of a secret" in "Unfinished Business in Ladybones Road". But you probably knew that already.
Other than that I can only think of "Bartering with the Tiger Keeper" to cross-convert Jade, Rostygold or Deep Amber into Whispered Hints.
Okay, so I purchased an Exceptional Friendship yesterday (28th of June) in the evening. Now, I know that I basically got 2 stories for the price of one, but I also realized that last Thursday of July is 28th. Meaning, the new ES will come out the day my subscription expires. Will I actually have an opportunity to start third story, too, or not?
Maybe - it depends on exactly when your EF ends. Exceptional Stories normally appear around 12 noon UK time. So if you are in Fallen London when it starts and your EF hasn’t expired you can play the start. Just don’t forget to play the part in the House of Chimes.
So, I just got my Trade Secret for the month. Should I spend it on a much needed Watchful boost, obtain a Searing Enigma and Antique Mysteries for my echo grind and for Seeking fodder, or save it for a second Classic Short Story?
I raised my Scandal so high in the course of brute-forcing my way to the Ambassador’s Ball (what can I say? I wanted to get to the Shuttered Palace!) that it seems best to just go to the Tomb-Colonies shortly. Anything urgent I should know on the matter?
If you’re helping the bishop in the labyrinth of tigers, bring a tincture of vigour. And before you decide to go, leaving will cut either your hedonist or austere.
At least use one- you get one on arrival, and there are two cards in a deck of no more than 21 cards that give favors. Most trips there i have to tarry and wait for the seventh favor, but some trips i have 7 before i’m even able to make the trip home.
{Were i in london, I would say "Send me your scandal if you want- in dupe form. I need to make quite a few more trips out there." Alas, I am at mutton island, and even were i to give up on that seventh docks favor, a zee trip is at the minimum a work of three hours, and you will almost certainly not have such patience. that said, I am availible for as many scandal dups as are beneficial to you when i am in london in london.}
[quote=suinicide]Does anyone know if you need a certain level of SMEN in order for the calling card to be useful?[/quote]I believe you need SMEN 21 (though I don’t have a card yet myself to test it).