Sunless Sea can be played several different ways - an exploration game, an empire building game, a role-playing game, a monster-hunting game.
What is your favorite activity?
Monster-hunting. I also enjoy starting a new game and exploring the map and taking different paths through the stories.
Exploring a new map, definitely
I like playing it more as an economy game, actually. Plotting the most efficient routes, taking cargo around, buying better and better ships. Good times.
EAT ALL THE WORDS
Finding the most efficient way to read all the words, honestly.
Collecting Trophy qualities.
… which I guess just means “winning”. Well, if the boot fits.
Doing companions’ quests. To me, Sunless Sea doesn’t really have enough content to be picky and roleplay (by refusing quests that would be objectionable for the character), trading gets in the way of the more profitable activity of doing quests, and the game’s economy is unfortunately set up so that monster-hunting doesn’t offer a satisfying progression: I want to gradually grow in power, but the prices and stats of ships make it optimal to upgrade from the flimsy starting ship straight to the frigate. (That being said, I love sinking flukes and uniques, but I don’t purposefully seek them out.)
But friends? Friends are awesome.
The aspect of the game that I enjoy most is treasure-hunting. Whether it’s as part of a quest line, the result of a battle, or salvaging a wreck in the Unterzee, the prospect of seeking and finding some rare and/or valuable treasure is a lot of fun.
There were some options regarding the Air which boosted Iron and Hearts (I think) and could be repeated. The real issue with a game is that those two ports can be very far! Really can’t remember the exact names/requirements, but it was free skilling for combat!
Sadly, I didn’t have time to play it for such a long time, but I remember one play through: those two ports were frigging close and I had 10-15 seconds to spare before the Air changed again! After reaching 100 in those stats, got a lovely ship (which one?:P), lovely engines and off to hunt Flukes!
Really I just love the exploration aspect of it! I love the ocean and have always wanted to explore it, this game allows me to live out my dreams, ya know, sorta