Pyrodinium
Posts: 639
12/23/2013
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I planning to make an Expedition once I finished the glorious revolution (or strike) at the Docks. Anyways I've got a lot of questions as a first time archaeologist:
1. I currently have 52 watchful that can be buffed to 62 with items. Do I need to raise it more to get more "oomph" or my stats is fine for a first timer?
2. Which one should I start? I heard of Nadir and eyeless skulls and other what nots here but have no idea how to get into them.
3. Which items would be worthwhile to trade for supplies, whispered secrets, appalling secrets or Rostygold (+Docks connection)? How much should I take per trip?
4. I'm pretty sure expedition = shiny. Are the basic trips worth it?
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My profiles: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Pyrodinium
(A Monster hunter on the hunt of his twin brother's killer. Overprotective dad of his twin's daughter)
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Rudolph~of~Taured
(an indeterminate person of potentially rubbery lineage)
* All social actions except photographers and loitering welcome!
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Laluzi
Posts: 456
12/23/2013
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1. The more, the better! Personally, I'd want to go it with a buffed watchful of at least 80, so you can get a reasonably good success with the one-supply action. (When doing higher supply actions, always use second chances, and then back out if you fail on the first try. You don't want to waste supplies, especially when you have rivals.)
2. I'd presonally start with a Thieves Cache. It's short and doesn't have any rivals, so it lets you get a feel for things.
3. Whispered Secrets, always. As for the 'per trip', usually I take a little shy of 1.5x the amount of base supplies needed for the trip (each expedition will tell you the bare minimum needed to complete it; you can't undertake an expedition if you have less than that). However, it never hurts to have excess, as you don't lose any supplies you have left over. I also take a good wad of Sudden Insights with me for the aforementioned 'step in, step out' method of doing things. You'll want to use higher supply-per-action moves to outpace your Rivals in longer expeditions like the Nadir, but those require a higher Watchful to consistently pull off, and you risk losing supplies if you fail. Which is bad, as supplies are expensive.
4. Usually? I'm not too good with EPA; you'd have to talk to somebody else. The rewards are randomized - on the cache, for instance, you can walk out with between 18.50 E (400 glim + threnody + 200 whispered secrets)
and 72.50 E (500 souls + Searing Enigma). Other expeditions offer potentially higher rewards.
As for the Nadir, you're going to have to run a bunch of normal expeditions and get your Archaeologist to 5 before you can do that. You'll also need to raise your Intimate with a Secular Missionary and Revolutionary Firebrand qualities to 10 to proceed. Expeditions are a little scary at first - I know I was wibbly about them when I first started - but once you get the hang of things, they're not so bad.
Also, if you get a storylet called A Sign?, play it. It is your friend.
edited by Laluzi on 12/23/2013
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Feel free to ask if you need something! Uninterested in Trailing the Affluent Photographer.
Mercer - an enigmatic and brutal individual. Frightfully strong. Has even more frightful manners.
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Gillsing
Posts: 1203
12/23/2013
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1. Unless you want to use Sudden Insights to "perhaps not" out of any failed rolls, you'll want to be able to boost Watchful to at least 84 to get 100% chance of success with "A cautious approach". Because you don't want to lose any expensive expedition supplies to failures.
2. You start by learning the traditions of the Forgotten Quarter and that'll give you the Archaeology skill. Then you go for Thieves' caches until you have enough skill for the Tomb of the Seven, and then you can get into the University as a guest lecturer, which is good for getting Whispered Secrets. You can then proceed with expeditions to Thieves' caches (up to Archaeologist 3) or a Shrine of Deep Blue Heaven until your skill reaches level 5, at which point you may be eligible for the Cave of Nadir, depending on all the other requirements for that one.
3. Whispered Secrets are the best, even if you have to buy them from the Bazaar. It's because they often give you two supplies instead of just one, so you're not only getting extra supplies for your 200 x Whispered Secret, you're also saving an Action every time that happens. And Actions can be used to get more Whispered Secrets. With 100% success rate ensured you can get away with taking the minimum (10, 20, 30 depending on the expedition) amount to any basic expedition, at least as long as you rely on "A cautious approach", since that options limits your Rivals' Progress. But since you get to keep any supplies you don't use, you might as well bring 10 extra for dealing with rivals in case that actually becomes a problem. (It will most likely come up on the way to the Cave of Nadir.)
4. Not for me, but that depends on your other options. Best average payoff I seem able to get is around 1.50 Echoes/Action, while I get 1.77 Echoes/Action from terms at the University (second stage, when trying to create one's own department). And about the same if I do investigations and raid message drops or caches of Rostygold in the Flit. I guess if I finish the second stage of the University I wouldn't have access to either of those options, and maybe then expeditions would be worthwhile? What's definitely worthwhile is getting to the Cave of Nadir, and then returning there every week.
edited by Gillsing on 12/23/2013
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NinjaComedian
Posts: 202
12/23/2013
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Fhoenix wrote:
Maybe I am just unlucky, but the Nadir never seemed that profitable too me. Tears are rare and doing it is constant drain on stats. So running Nadir every week would be counter-productive to reaching PoSI.
I get at least a Tear out of every trip so far but for one when I got nothing of note.
Just this last trip I got two Tears and two Enigmas.
I always get out at Irrigo 9 so it's just under one level of stat damage which is easily repaired by burning some second chance items at my lodgings.
So far, my estimate is that I've earned nearly 1600 echoes at the Cave. Actually it's probably a bit less but not by much.
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Pyrodinium
Posts: 639
12/24/2013
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Finally finished my first expedition and boy did I get some shinies courtesy of a wooden mask.
I sold some of the gems I found and bought my intrepid archaeologist a well deserved pair of boots. He's been running around barefoot in London for several weeks now.
Thanks guys!
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My profiles: http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Pyrodinium
(A Monster hunter on the hunt of his twin brother's killer. Overprotective dad of his twin's daughter)
http://fallenlondon.storynexus.com/Profile/Rudolph~of~Taured
(an indeterminate person of potentially rubbery lineage)
* All social actions except photographers and loitering welcome!
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