Sunless Skies: Sovereign Edition Guide

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Lore and Secrets of Sunless Skies

Overview

Here you will find all basic information just in few words, with illustrations, and some tips and tricks.Please rate the guide if you like it.You can also find me in Fallen London where I go by the same name.

Introduction

I welcome all readers who are lost or confused in this wonderful game.
My goal was to make a handy guide with little bit of everything. I updated the guide with new features from game updates, also some lore about places and the who is who.

Please note that the guide is based on personal playing style and experience, I give more information on explored areas and things that interest me more.

This guide is divided into
– “introduction” about your character, locomotive and how things work
– all 4 regions with locations, monsters, curiosities and quests
– officers and their quests/promotions
– achievement-related information (soul flaws, ambitions)
– monsters, curiosities and miscellaneous lore

Note that it was published when the official wiki was not a reliable source of information. If you find this guide not good enough, feel free to search wiki and other sources.

Character creation

So! Here we are, breathing life into our first Captain!
(please note that I was playing in Legacy mode and this guide has a lot about lineage)

Here you can do some roleplaying, but not much. There is no essential Good or Evil.
Your future role is tied to your Skills.

One thing to keep in mind if you are into role-playing your character, is the nature of loyalties and their ties to skills. Affiliations are tied to skills:

– Iron to Establishment, in Fallen London it used to be a “Dangerous” quality, tied to zailors, soldiers, constables and monster-hunters, but here it is the mark of a respected person, maybe some good connections in the Ministry.
Iron is important to fighters. It is all about forcing your way, taking damage, it gives access to close combat weaponry.

– Hearts to Bohemia, and obviously in FL it used to be called “Persuasive” quality, tied to writers, artists, court and society, but also church.
Hearts is a social skill, more Hearts means more opportunities with “lower class” storylines, it generally helps interacting with crew. It also gives more crew-related upgrades.

– Mirrors to Academe, which used to be “Watchful” quality tied to detective work, universities and ancient secrets like the Correspondence Sigils. Obviously, any research business will require high Mirrors.
Mirrors is about discovery and often gives rewards to those who seek. Best tactic for cautious players, it gives access to exploration and sniper cannons.

– Veils to Villainy, and it used to be called “Shadowy” quality, tied to urchins, thieves, devils and smugglers, sometimes also revolutionaries.
Veils is about secrecy and is the opposite of Iron just as revolutionaries fight the Queen and seek the Liberation of Night, hence it gives access to explosives – rocketry.

Your Past
You can choose a history for your character and use either roleplaying or pragmatic approach. When you roleplay a character and know the lore from Fallen London or Sunless Sea you will find a wide range of choices:

– A street urchin (Knotted Sock, Fisher-Kings or Regiment)
– A poet (Celestials, Nocturnals or Sovereign School)
– A soldier (Guards, Engineers or Comissariat)
– An Academic (Correspondence, Literature or Sciences)
– A priest (New Sequence, Bishop of Southwark or your own parish)
– A zaior (smuggler, trader or explorer)
– A Ministry Auditor (Information, Sensibility or Corrections)
– A revolutionary (fighter, writer or artist)

If you like a particular story in Fallen London/Sunless Sea, here is a chance to give it a future. If not, just calculate the most convenient set of skills and affiliations.

Skills
Skills are needed to pass skill checks and equip better items.

The strategy here is a balance of Iron-Mirrors-Hearts and Veils.
Mostly, you are going to rely on 2 major skills.
I suggest starting with high Mirrors and Iron (Soldier, Academic, Ministry, Zee Captain) for exploration then switch to Hearts and Iron (Poet, Priest) for future captains.

There is a base skill stat that increases as you level up, but sometimes you can add to that up to 30 points if you’re lucky.
See Level up, Wells and Officers sections for more information.

When you start, your priority will be to explore the map and level up Officers.

Affiliations.
These give unique choices and opportunities, and some Officers give +1/+2 to these. The most sought after for me are Establishment and Bohemia, Academe and Villainy only for few encounters. High Villainy gives access to Smuggling.

Ambition.
In my experience it is best to start with a Song of the Sky. Why? Because you’ll need all money you can get for locomotive upgrades. Wealth requires 25k sovereigns to complete.
Song of the Sky is all about lazy exploration, making discoveries and collecting items.
All other ambitions are riskier for starters.

If your captain is not the first in line, you’d know which strategy works best for you.

Death and Terror

You have Terror at 100, you die.
You have Hull at 0, you die.
You lose all supplies and crew…. you guessed it.

Death may come in many ways, some of them being better than others. When you end an Ambition, you donate your locomotive, 50% of the money, some XP to the next captain.

Terror.
Terror is a nasty thing that affects your gameplay when it is over 25. Crew might panic or sabotage, then an event pops up and you’ll need to use supplies or pass a skill check to keep it low. Next stage is over 50, and over 90 a buzzing sound appears and you know that death is near.

The game gives a lot of opportunities on-board to lower terror while it is not too late.

There is a “Mutiny” event, or you can drink the troubles away, have trouble sleeping, or a corpse floats by. For most of these or other crew-related events the most important skill is Hearts. Also Iron and Mirrors, but most importantly Hearts. For some events there is a choice: pass a skill check, lose crew or gain terror.

Lowering Terror

It is important to know places and activities to lower terror.

Lower terror by 10 at Wonders (1 for each region): Monument to the Rat, Tower of Chimes, Silver Moon, Chronoscope.

Hub Ports automatically lower terror (-30) by docking once in 15 minutes. There are no other facilities there that will help.

Reach:
Polmear&Plenty – you can remove all your terror if you have enough tickets, so please think about it in advance and every time you pass by take a moment and get some, because tickets are calendar-related.
Magdalenes – remove a great amount of terror either at keepsake market (but then you won’t get the trinkets) or in the solace chambers at the cost of your visions, tales, specimen, etc
Port Avon – provided you have enough Welcome there, you can take walks in the village or pass an Iron check and drink at the bar.

Other Ports will reduce a small amount of terror: Lustrum – take tea, Hybras – sing, Traitors Wood – rest, Titania – go to exhibition, L&S Reserve – hunt (depending on the calendar).

Also, in a Homestead, eat your fill and reduce terror by 10.

Albion:
Home Office – spend some 30 sovereigns for a cup of tea and reduce random amount of terror every time.
Mausoleum – inter a crewmember to lose terror, also visit funeral and the Consort’s grave.
Perdurance – provided you have an invitation, just have fun.

Other Ports will not reduce much: Royal Society – pass a Mirrors check and help the scientist, or attend a port reception provided you have a gratitude from the mayor (by submitting port reports on the Sun, or the Circus), Parliament – observe the protest and have a scone, Brabazon – recline on a bench in Little Nice.

Empyrean:
Achlys – sit with a hookah in the house of silks (30 gold).
Langley Hall – only if you offer yourself as the lord’s lost lover. Also there are minor opportunities in some rooms.
Other Ports are not so effective: Empyrean – watch the outrider launch, Piranesi – wander the gardens, House – observe rituals.
Berrenger (wreck) is also good for lowering terror, every 15 days or so.

Blue Kingdom:
Stone-Faced Court – trade drinks for your crew for a Jumble of Souls.

If there is no other choice, when an event pops up, get a Nightmare and lower terror by 50.
Also, Nectar for Magdalene’s prospect will lower terror by -50, so keep that one on your list.

Reduce Terror by killing Sky-Beasts:
– Scorn Flukes (take a trophy)
– Cantankeri (disperse)
– Undeparted (burn the remains)
– For Sky-Maddened encounters, choose “take crew” and then change your mind

Reduce terror by mourning dead/paying respects at wrecks and pauper’s coffins.

Unexpected Terror
There are some things that will increase terror and may be deadly if it is too high.

– Horrors (including the Sun)
– Scrive Spinsters
– Pauper Coffins in Albion have a chance of +15 Terror and a Spinster to spawn.

Nightmares.
I never had more than 2. Nightmares add some events to the game. Like building weapons.
They can be reduced if you level up with a high Affiliation – there is a facet that takes one nightmare as a bonus. Also, when you are a smuggler and have a certain facet, a Mentor, docking at Wit&Vinegar platform gives an opportunity to reduce nightmares by talking to your old friend.
Also, Magdalene’s provides Nightmare and Terror treatment for a price.

Nightmares are only good for creating weapons from Flukes or Guess or Deranged Dreadnoughts.

When you die of unnatural causes, some of your possessions and wealth as well as the locomotive will be inherited by next captain. Some of installed modifications may be lost. Bank contents will be intact. 50% of money will be transferred as well.
When you retire by completing an Ambition your heir gets the whole engine and additional Facets.
A new captain will start at lvl 15 if you retired at lvl 20 and had almost every landmark discovered.

There is a way to trick death for Legacy captains. When you are out in the sky and death is breathing down your neck, just quit the game. It autosaved in the last port and that might save you some XP. Or money. And life.

Level up

Level up.
The player progress has been changed with Sovereign Edition.
For every level you are given 5 facets to choose from. Level 1 facet is basically your past/career.

Each facet gets you a +5 at one skill and +3/+2 to another. Your high Affiliations allow to unlock 4 facets that will reduce Nightmares. Some facets add to affiliations, others give tales of terror or visions of heavens.
There are also faction-related facets added for roleplaying purposes.
Every completed Ambition gives a facet and a money or experience boost.

Here is how you can earn in-game facets:

– Complete 2 Horological office assignments
– Travel 4 regions
– Lose almost all your Hull then repair it
– Become a close friend of one of three factions in Eleutheria
– In addition, Heart-Catchers will replace your “a bell tolls” facet with another one, “a death in a jar”
– Complete the Cult quest in Worlebury

Level-ups are the only way to gain skills, and you can lose skills in dozens of situations.
In Traitor’s Wood, at Death’s Doorstop, at Crossroads, etc.

Here is my captain’s list of facets at level 16

Your Locomotive

Your Locomotive is a home, a transport, and your best friend in the Skies.

The default locomotive for beginners is a “Spatchcock” inherited after its captain’s death.
Main properties of the locomotive are its Hull, Crew, Cargo, as well as fuel efficiency and upgrade slots. A good locomotive is a balanced vessel tailored to its captain’s needs.

Purchase new locomotives at main hub ports as well as Eagle’s Empyrean.


If you’ve played Sunless Sea, you’d think that cargo capacity and speed are key, however it is different here, because there is a whole new trading system where you don’t haul massive amounts of rare goods from one port to another.

Hull.
It is the locomotive’s HP. Increase it by having protective equipment in your Plating slot or elsewhere. Buy upgrades and increase up to 33 points per slot.
Every time you hit an obstacle you lose 1 Hull.
Monsters deal damage, and some events will lower hull as well. Repair your hull after battles with scraps left of Marauders or Tacketies. Some Discoveries (Wrecks, Cargo) have a chance to add Hull. Major ports have repair facilities, but also Port Avon, Traitor’s Wood (Reach) and Eagle’s Empyrean (Eleutheria).

Crew.
Your crew is expendable. There is a minimum recommended amount of crew for each vessel (it is not half the max crew as it was in Sunless Sea).
Basically, the more crew you have the more crew-loss situations you can endure. You can use crew in some skill checks, leave them mine resources at Stations, etc.
When your crew is 9, few bad encounters can bring it to 7, then 5, then 0, and that is the end.

Cargo.
Cargo is how much your vessel can carry in its hold. There has to be space for fuel and supplies, of course. Also, there are smuggling options when you add Concealed Compartments to your hold.

Fuel efficiency defines how much fuel you spend. Crew uses Supplies, and both are easily found at stations and elsewhere. Situation is not as critical as it used to be in Sunless Sea. I rarely have more than 9 fuel and supplies, and even these I spend for expeditions. My usual stock is 5/5 fuel and supplies.

Upgrade slots differ for every locomotive, and there are Plating, Auxiliary, Bridge, Armament (big, small) and Scout slots, where you can put upgrades depending on your Skills (25+, 50+ or 75+ of each Skill).

The recent introduction is Engine, 4 in total, a tier for each region. These were requested by players, making it a bit similar to Sunless Sea. And the trick is, of course, the Speed/Fuel Efficiency ratio, when you spend more fuel for lesser speed boost. I personally stick to the old ways and use default 1:1 engine. Engines can be used with 6 crew or more and do not use skill checks. Tier 3 and 4 engines can give a speed boost by pressing C.

Purchase Scouts from Mr.Menagerie, there are total 4 scouts for different Mirrors skill (0,25,50,75). You can then store unused scouts as well as other upgrades at the Bank. It will pass on to all your captains in the line. Scouts cost a lot of possessions, mostly Searing Enigma/Moment of inspiration types.

This bar means your skills are not meeting requirements for equipped items, and on your next dock these will be placed into cargo unless you restore the points.
A red icon also appears on the cargo icon on the right menu bar.

Map and Time

Regions.
There are 4 regions and 4 hubs: New Winchester for the Reach, London for Albion, Pan for Eleutheria and Sky Barnet for Blue Kingdom.

Every next captain starts at the hub port of the region where the previous one died or retired.

As you explore regions, you’ll notice that danger and complexity increases from Reach to Blue Kingdom, where it is at its peak. The logic here is simple: there are 4 tiers (or levels) of almost everything, from Sky-Beasts to most needed possessions, for each region there is supposed to be 1 primary level, Reach being the most basic and simple.

The Map is circular and every hub is in its center.

When you explore a new region, just go to the central part and you get there.

The inner circle parts are always safer and patrolled. Outer circles are darker, there are monsters, but also discoveries and loot.

Start with trade and explore regions port by port.

When you near a port, the music will change and someone (an Officer) will have a comment that pops up on the screen. Then you just send a scout and there you go. New ports and landmarks give experience.

Stations.
There are 2 types of docking stations: a Port and a Platform. A Port has few Storylines, Shops and Locations. Hub Port has a Bazaar and sells equipment. It also reduces terror. A Platform has a minor storyline, a shop that does not sell fuel or supplies, and usually belongs to a faction.

Transit relays.
Will require items and/or money to travel. First, get a permit (once for each relay). Then, get checked at customs. Then, buy a ticket and there you go.
You can pass with a permit and 2 barrels of hours for Albion, tea for Eleutheria and literature for Blue Kingdom.

Speed and Wind.
Your speed will stay the same most of the time, no matter the locomotive. However, some events might alter your speed, like sometimes when you run out of supplies there is an event for speeding up to the nearest port.
Another cool way to boost some speed is to catch a wind. It appears randomly in some regions of the map. There is a Candle wind, a Peacock wind, and maybe some others. They appear mostly in the Reach.
Use “C” key to activate cruise control. It is very effective on every occasion except docking and combat.

Exploration
You explore the map bit by bit, and see log entries every day regarding your surroundings. It helps when you are close to a new port or a dangerous area. Your chart will be inherited by next captain.
When you begin, prospects are helpful hints to discover ports:
In the hub port, take a prospect at the bazaar and see its description. It says something like “Langley Hall lies to the south-southwest of Pan”, and this is how you know where to go.

Scouts are very helpful when the map is dark and you are lost. At first their main purpose is to find ports. However, they suck at it unless you purchase a better one. Scouts require Mirrors to upgrade.
They also find interesting things like wrecks, meteoroids and floating cargo.
Usually, a “diamond” sign on the map means an object for mining or retrieving. A “grave” sign means a ruin, a homestead or a wreck. These signs often get mixed up, so better check anyway.

Calendar and Time.
There are calendar-related events that occur once a week or 15 days or you have to wait for a year. When you see a calendar icon, it means that event occurs only once at this port and you will wait for another. Also, there are quests that skip a week, and every time you travel between regions you lose few days.

Edge of the Map.
There aren’t many places where you can go off the Map, but there are few occasions when you have to. Waste-Waif is the god that lives in the wasted beyond the edge, and you are given options either to go back or to press on and encounter her.

*The Reach*

Reach is the domain of a dead Sun (aka one of the Judgements), the Garden-King, killed by the Halved creating the Old Tom’s Well. The King sometimes manifests itself as Peacock Wind. It gave light to some plants and therefore Reach is not as dark as Eleutheria.

Reach is green and lovely and safe. It is all about trade and has lots of tiny quests for each port. It has 5 Platforms: the Blue Kingdom Transit Relay, Albion Transit Relay, and Eleutheria Transit Relay( which are actually the portals to other Regions), Company House and Victory Hall (which are factions).
The Inner circle or this region has Port Avon, Polmear & Plenty Circus, Magdalene, and the Nature Reserve. Other ports are: Traitor’s Wood, Titania, Lustrum, Carillon, Hybras and Port Prosper.
There are 2 Wonders and 4 Terrors on the Map.

Reach is a battleground between the Stovepipes and the Tacketies – the two major factions in the game. Read more in the section “Opposing Forces”.

Reach has few regions with curiosities: the warm ones with Bee Hives and Bronzewood, the cold ones with Hours and occasional Curator eggs.

Curiosities.
Signal Stations – there are 4 total and one of them has an Officer in it.
Bee Hives – there are 2 locations where you can get Honey for free. Sometimes hives drift to other places.
Meteoroids – mine hours for profit
Wood Shards – mine bronzewood for free
Curator’s Eggs – there are few locations that spawn Curators and/or Eggs.

Isambard Line
very often while traveling the Reach you’ll see structures with triple lines, near the Signal-boxes, or just hanging on cliffs. These are remains of the old Isambard line, and the Fatalistic Signalman quest is tied to it. There are 4 signal-boxes where you can read the ledger or use first-aid supplies, fuel and hull. Remember to do that only in dire need, unless you need to anger the Burrower-Below.

New Winchester. here you can start your Ambition, recruit Officers, get repairs, hire crew, and this is also where some events occur. you start here if the previous captain died in the Reach.

Port Avon. here your progress depends on the “welcome” which can be increased by donating gossip or caddies of tea and completing prospects. Visit all areas to find curiosities or reduce terror. Buy cheap fuel or get repairs.
Pick a fine Blemmigan Mascot at the bar by setting its tab. Pick a Cryptozoologist’s quest.
Also, visit the Hunting Club and explore ruins once you feel comfortable with your Mirrors/Veils. There is a minor trophy quest.

Circus. a good place to lower terror: buy tickets, see the show, after few visits you can go behind the tents and find 4 short quests there. complete them all and there is a big reward. Remember to buy/collect tickets, amusements are good for losing terror.
Circus is also a frequent location for quests, Prospects and trade.

Magdalene. there is a small one-time quest with the Amenable Host. get his attention by bringing in a mad sky-captain in. at Magdalene’s you can lower terror and nightmares for a price, and buy some trinkets from captains every two weeks.

Nature Reserve. sells verdant seeds. good for hunting, but the best part is the Researcher that gives 100 XP and some money for trophies. unlimited, if you complete his quest. kill beasties, bring him trophies, get reward, repeat. up to 300-400 gold for a trophy.

Traitors Wood. Also called the Summerset Camp. pick flowers, relax, buy bronzewood. start a very demanding quest for the Regent’s Grave. You will have to make 3 expeditions and then find the Grave which is Horror nearby and interact with it. in the end it “takes” you away for 1 year.
with sufficient skill you can search woods for treasure.

Titania. look for a big flower and chorister bees flying around it. there is a one-time quest to donate money to repair and improve the port, your decisions are permanent and stay so for every captain in the lineage. there is also a smuggling opportunity if you have high Villainy. once you construct defences, this is a place to buy cheap Nectar. Titania is not worth much.

Lustrum. sits on the edge of the world, surrounded by cold and darkness, populated by miners. prospect for hours if you have 5 crew and some money. crew stays, assign them to work and come back in a month. there is also a side quest for climbing the mountain and exploring the singing caves. continue with Melusine in the tea shop. don’t forget to sample teas.
I think the soup seller in the pub gives “unaccountably peckish” trait or similar. Don’t eat that.

Carillon. a place to get rid of your Soul Flaws and is mostly used for that and some trade.
There is a quest to track a Spirifier which is easy. Also, get one of each penance and buy indulgence from the deviless, then visit her and share your collection, there is a bonus for that.

Hybras. a far-off fungal town at the end of a long scary passage. it is a mysterious place with some side quests, and when its people disappear, they are gone once and for all – for future captains in the lineage, too. not much of it left after that, but who cares.
Know it by lots of spores, fungus and a nearby Horror. there will be beasties nearby too.
Eleutheria transit relay is not far.

Port Prosper. a base of operations for Stovepipes.
If Stovepipes lose the war, this is where they go to lick the wounds.
Few quests, but most importantly you can get a Mascot at the Lammas Fair event. events spawn at random every week or two. you can get your soul Curdled at the one-time parade event. After that just choose the west-enders or the east-enders, these will provide free items if the standing is high. For example, if you mingle with West-Enders a lot, one event may provide 25-29 items of Literature. It is true for East-Enders as well, but items are different.

*****

Port Prosper lies close to the Reach-Albion Relay.
Reach is only a starting point.
It provides basic equipment and quite a lot of resources. It works for a time, but then quests will pile up and you have to go to Albion, eventually.
I suggest doing it when you have collected some Hours and Nectar because they will be valuable for progressing your quests on the other side. Be sure to have enough Sovereigns to be able to buy upgrades in Albion. Your few top skills should be 25+ at this point. You will need this to use upgrades.

Also, it is good to learn some combat skills, the patterns of Marauders, when you feel at ease fighting them, then you can leave. It can be done with Tier 1 equipment and the starter Locomotive, no need to upgrade it, this can be done in Eleutheria which has a unique engine for sale.

*Albion*


Albion was a domain of King of the Hours (aka one of the Judgements) or the Martyr-King, destroyed by the Sapphired King (and probably with help from Her Renewed Majesty and an anarchist bomb) and replaced with a Clockwork Sun. Its remains lie near the Mausoleum. The Queen’s deceased but not dead consort is interred in the Mausoleum.

I do hate this region after the upgrade, because navigation is a nightmare. It is relatively safe, with access to fuel and/or supplies at most stations.

It has 4 Platforms: The Ministries, Stair to the Sea, Reach Transit relay and Wit&Vinegar (smuggling). The hub port is London. Rest are scattered in the outer circle. Albion’s main treasure is THE SUN. It is a Horror and it gives this region a quality “Strength of the Sun” which goes from 0 to 100 and increases when you join with the government factions or do something in favor of the monarch.
There are higher tier monsters here, but they are few and far on the edge. Scrive Spinsters, Curators and a Scorn Fluke. Plus Marauders and Dreadnoughts. There is also 1 Wonder and 4 Horrors in the region. One place is called Skyhenge, the other is Avid Horizon, there is also the Dead Sun and the Clockwork Sun. There is one Wreck and one Well.

Apparently, you can construct a Relay to Eleutheria near in some ruined place near Worlebury, it is a hard work and requires lots of supplies or their combinations: tea, munitions, artifacts, panes of glass, and the fastest way is to have 28 bronzewoods ready for stage 1 and another 28 for stage 2.

The place is called “Duskings Deep” and you’ll know it because it looks SO similar to Eleutheria, only there is no darkness.

Albion has 2 regions with curiosities: the Glass area near the Sun and the mists around Worlebury.

There is not much to be found here to reduce terror, so please beware. Even the coffins are tricky and have a chance to spawn a Spinster and get 20 or so terror. The Chimes Tower gets a -10 Terror. Some events at Stations will lower terror, and others increase it at the same time. Try Worlebury, Mausoleum or Perdurance for terror lowering activities. Tea at the Home Bureau costs 30 Sovereigns. Also, kill a Scorn Fluke and pass an Iron check to reduce a lot of terror.

Curiosities.
Squirmings – appear as tentacles in the mists of Worlebury, provide random items.
Coffins – will reduce terror or provide treasure.
Habitations – rest and reduce terror or find treasure
Meteoroids – mine for hours
Wefts of Unraveling Time – a dangerous thing with a ‘tentacle’ icon on map. can be later exploited by getting an assignment from Horological Office.
Curator’s Eggs – look for those in the scariest places

London. Not much to do here unless you have a quest. Some Officers will be available for hire. Investigate the secret line to get access to Stalwart Bookkeeper and his many friends, more suitable for a villainous captain.
London shops have better equipment than New Winchester’s.
On your arrival there is an option to upgrade some dreadnoughts to Ministry Monitors, so if your character is a rebel or fights authority locomotives at any point, consider this will make it harder.

Ministries (Platform) the House of Works is an easy way to get money for items, Horological Office has a quest and also provides equipment to actually make Wefts of Time useful. The Ministry is a rival to the Bookkeeper and you can deliver port reports to either party.

Brabazon. Get the sky-stories by talking to the Overseer. Brabazon has a long quest that ends up with a revolt and then (maybe) another one, and so on.
There is a part of it called Little Nice where you can reduce terror and get tea in exchange for gossip. If you pick up the workers quest, you will have to bring items like tea, hours, nectar to improve their conditions.

Mausoleum. – resting place of the Queen’s consort (who is actually in a zombie-like state along with a Queen’s double and some courtiers known as the Deathless) – is nice and quiet, obviously. has options to reduce terror, a small quest for the Countess, and also here is where you discover the Chamberlain whose story allows future captain to take an Ambition of Martyr King’s Cup. When looking for the Chamberlain and asked to have wide eyes and a cold hand around your heart, come with terror at 50.
Know it by lots of graves and sad music. There is nothing to fear, except grave robbers.

Perdurance. a location where you need an invitation to enter. it may reduce terror or get some sky-stories. there are also few quests tied to it. also, one of the Officers may be found here. There is a minor quest to deliver a trinket to Brabazon/Little Nice.

Worlebury. a totally scary place surrounded by mists and scorn fluke eyes blinking at you. very lovecraftian. you need to pay for entrance with ministry permits, strange catches, money or queue for free entry once every two weeks or so. once you explore it few times, you might get an opportunity to see the off-season part that gives a Cult quest. This one when complete unlocks a facet. Join the cultists or local authorities.

Parliament. Here you can make laws, this is a lengthy quest (being a member of Parliment) that involves travel, skill checks etc. I never really progressed it to any conclusion.

Royal Society. this is the main place to get locomotive upgrades. there is also a racing contest if you’re interested in money. Drop off the Driver and he’ll do it for you.
Bring Munitions, Hours, Tea and Panes of Glass.
The astronomer apprentice part I did not understand at all, seems worthless.

Home Bureau. is also sometimes called Avid Horizon, a must-see for every person with a zee-captain past. There is a scorn fluke or two flying around. A small quest for a courthouse, some tea to reduce terror and a market.

Stair to the Sea (Platform). Here you can have few quests, raise terror, drink tea and sacrifice (5) Hours to the Burrower Below to please him and get off the hook. There is also a Cultist quest linked to one in Worlebury.

Clockwork Sun. Know it by lots of shattered glass floating around. Scary and exciting, and very dangerous. You can get a lot of terror if you are low level. There are few quests, and one of the most profitable ones happens after something goes wrong and the Sun is compromised. Them you are asked to supply hours (4x3Barrels), then the quest is over and you get 4000XP and a searing enigma.

*****

You will have to do quite a lot of jumps between Reach and Albion for quests and trade. Reach is perfect to take a break, make money, stock Nectar, Hours and other items.
Then again, 3-4 quests will require a trip to Eleutheria.
Make sure you have good tier 2 weaponry, maybe some upgrades from the Royal Society. A better Scout, 50+ skill points, upgraded Officers. The first visit should be short, and you will need a lot of money, 10000 Sovereigns in a safe amount.

*Eleutheria*

Eleutheria is the domain of the Halved that is probably the eye from Sunless Sea, also another eye somewhere near the House of Rods and Chains(its former Messenger) The Halved killed its twin star during a revolution started by the entity currently exiled to the Well of Wonders. The Halved is a mortal enemy of the Sapphired King. The Halved is tied to factions in Pan and to Piranesi.

Darkness makes navigation difficult. Eleutheria is all about darkness and mystery. Its main currency is Eleutherian Mysteries, be prepared for that.
There will be monsters.
There is 1 Wonder and 1 Horror in the region, one wreck and one well.

Before going to Eleutheria I suggest first making a stop at Carillon in the Reach to get rid of all soul flaws, that affects locations and encounters: Caduceus, Piranesi, the price for any crossroad deals.

You will begin at a relay, but you will not be able to go back using the same relay. There is another across the map. Hence, bring a lot of Fuel and Supplies. Mind the terror, beware of monsters. Learn the hotkey to turn your lights on and off (L).

All the discoveries your Scout finds are marked with a crescent sign, because it is total darkness in Eleutheria.

There will be a relay available later in game after you’re done with its quest in Albion. It is located near the House of Chains.

Curiosities.
Extinguishments – circles of darkness that give items on approach. A tale of terror or Eleutherian mystery. Occasionally spawn Undeparted (!)
Meteoroids – mine for amber, sometimes there are geodes with hours.
Hermits – valuable place to upgrade items, sometimes gain crew. Source of Eleutherian mysteries.
Libraries – delve in for Ancient knowledge and a Spinster will spawn, trage Knowledge at Pan for Eleutherian Mysteries, also while you have them Spinsters will spawn more often.
Crossroads – tricky places where you can make dangerous deals, do not use that unless you have extra crew, lots of Visions and no soul flaws, else you will not be able to pay up. Refuse a deal and lower terror.
Curator’s Eggs – look for those in the deserted town near Empyrean, there can be up to 3 nests.

Pan. the capital. when you arrive, there will be an event with a skill check. these events will occur once in a while, marking the “Hour”. Hour of leaving is very good for recruiting crew. Hour of Trumpets requires a skill check (hearts/veils) to save crew.
Go to the Cypress King and trade port reports or pieces of parchment from local libraries for eleutherian mysteries.
Pan itself does not repair hull for money, its currency is eleutherian mysteries. Repair half hull damage for 1 E.M.
The Rubbery Enclave does nothing except for being a drop-off point for Rubbery Men.

At Pan you can trade Curator’s Eggs not only for money, but also for Eleutherian Mysteries. I hope you have some stored in Bank. It is much better than selling them for money.

Pan has 3 factions/platforms, see more in the section “Opposing forces”.

Achlys. When you arrive for the first time, there will be a fight and you can join for a skill check or stay out of it and get a soul flaw.
Inside, there is a monastery that grows a strange plant. they make tea out of it. i once got through the plant quest sequence twice. To do that, go visit the monastery first, then go to market and take part in a tea ceremony.
Achlys is home to Mr Pipes, one of the Curators. He is required for the Seals quest.
There is also a company of urchins and a marketplace with small quests. There might be a quest about ‘odd jobs’ which involves passing a veils check to steal chocolate from the ship’s commander. You can pass time by getting lost in the marshes. No joking, bad idea.

Caduceus. a temple of roses that has few quests and does not admit captains with Cold and Lightless soul flaws. it is a place where devils live, has few quests tied to it. I would not recommend losing moments of inspiration to take part in their rites, unless you have extra to spend. That part is quite useless. You take part in 3 rites, lose some skill points and 9 moments of inspiration, and poof. Nothing.

Langley Hall. a huge mansion with a quest to find its owner. At some point you pass a Veils check and get a Mascot. This house will be in your dreams if you stay too long, there will be crew roasting marshmallows and drinking whiskey. To cure this buy some supplies and use an option to relieve yourself from the dream. To find lord Langley you need supplies, crew, and pass multiple checks. Also might be a good idea to bring a caged catch and lots of moments of inspiration.
His quest for lost love will take you to Albion (the Flotilla) and Reach (Magdalene’s). If both candidates refuse, you can offer yourself, get riches and a soul flaw. You become Lord Langley’s lover. Also, it is a great opportunity to reduce terror with Moments of inspiration each time you visit.

House of Rods and Chains. is a corpse of the Halved’s Messenger where last Master (servant of the Messenger) lives accompanied by the rubbery men (squid-people). Pick a quest from Mr.Barleycorn to find other Masters (there were 7 and now only 4 left: Barleycorn, Pennies, Pipes, Menagerie). They are the Curators aka space-bats.
Accepting a tattoo gets you a soul flaw.
Some encounters at the market lower terror a bit.
The Rubbery men only trade in Amber. You can crawl in very deep into the House, leave some crew to mine just like in Lustrum.
Take a Rubberman to Pan for reward (Eleutherian Mystery), this can be done many times.

Eagle’s Empyrean. here you can hire crew and repair locomotive for money. Reduce some terror by watching an Outrider launch. Also, the port is selling a locomotive for explorers.
Get a visa and explore the town to lower terror and pass your captive outrider crew to the authorities for a reward.
There are 2 factions in opposition here: the locals and the embassy from Albion. pick a side and get benefits, they require port reports for their quest to progress. Later they will trade item upgrades, so pick your side depending on which you require most.

Piranesi. is a prison created by the Halved that has three rules which you can even learn after spending some time inside. each time you visit you get 2 tours. Each chaplan will lead you to its domain where it encourages prisoners to undergo changes either by confession, alteration or forgetting. There are 4 chaplans that give tours: Gallant Reformer that takes you to the Statuettes, Glistening Deformer that takes you to the Warrens, Grey Conformer that takes you to the Flooded Cellars, and the Glib Performer that goes to the Bridges and balconies (he will trick you to be imprisoned).
on some occasions you can get out by accepting a soul flaw or two.
Some quests are tied with this location, and at some point you can help one or another prisoner.
Recommended for top-level captains, requires some moments of inspiration for quests.

******
At this point you have visited 3 Regions, and there is only one left. You will probably have the Clay Conductor and the Fortunate Navigator quests unfinished.
Now, visiting the Blue Kingdom (all 4 Regions) will give a unique Facet for your Captain.
The trigger for visiting is 75+ skill points at your Iron, Mirrors, Hearts, or Veils. With it you are able to use the Tier 4 upgrades and hopefully defeat the monsters there. If you are majoring at Hearts, make sure to get the weapon from the Fluke killing it while having 2 Nightmares. Get some Mine-type weapons if you feel comfortable using them.
Also, collect as much Casks of N. Gems as you can. They will be very handy in Blue Kingdom.

*Blue Kingdom*


Blue Kingdom is a domain of the Sapphire’d King (aka one of the Judgements) also known as the Azure. His daughter also lives there. The purpose of this whole place is simply to decide which souls are better for consumption, and here come the Devils to sort this out. Because its Regent still lives, this place is full of light. But also danger. And bureaucracy.

Blue Kingdom is a VERY demanding location, it is better to get there at levels 18-20, with a good combination of Officers. Just to be sure you pass the skill checks. There will be all kinds of tough beasts in your way.
But probably the worst thing is the bureaucracy when you have to take one thing and bring it elsewhere, and for that you must also go to some other location and get different status, and on it goes….

The currency here is Gems, Hours, Souls (both kinds), also rare items like panes of glass, bronzewood, ministry-approved literature.
There are no Supplies to be found in this region, only Petrichor. Better store supplies in the Bank and refill at hub port.
You can repair hull at the Sky Barnet, but to do that they require a favor, see the Sky Barnet section. Also, gain hull after defeating Spirifiers.

Crew in BK. You may take on souls (or dead, but do not take more than half of your max crew). You can also create crew at the Forge.

Blue Kingdom has its own grading system for ‘souls’, and everything is based on it. Where you can go, what you can do, and who is your enemy. There are 4 kinds of soul statuses: Invisible, Antedeceased, Ephemera, or Yoked. Invisible is your default status when you first arrive. Change it to Antedeceased at the Stone-Faced Court. Also, Invisible is used as a punishment when you misbehave. Basically, Antedeceased is almost-dead, and Yoked is a servant class.

There are 3 types of Logoi that attack certain types, and their habitat is marked by red, yellow or blue flags. When you arrive as Invisible, they all will be hostile.
Blue, or Sapphire Logoi, attack the Antedeceased.
Red attack the Ephemera.
Yellow attack the Yoked.

There is only 1 Well in this region, and 1 Wonder.

Litigators. I’m pretty sure that they are intended for this region only as they are useless in others and just take payments every month. You can pick 1 out of 4 Litigators, by giving them some items (at Sky Barnet). When you have to enter a location or pass a skill check, sometimes a Litigator can assist by lowering the price. For some encounters (Forge or Shadow of the Sun) you will see a direct hint at which Litigator to bring with you.

Curiosities.
Vaults – require Otherworldly Artefacts to open, may spawn Spirifiers.
Wrecks and Cargo – may spawn Grave Robbers.
Crystals – mine for Gemstones, may spawn Eaters.
Sunbeams – will reduce terror or you may lose crew.
Enclave of the Dead – gain visions of heavens or use other options.

Sky Barnet.
It is a hub port near the Relay. Relatively safe. Here you can hire crew or repair hull. This place has a market for Litigators. There is also an Embassy of Albion. The currency here is “favours”, you get one by delivering a port report or doing errands for Ambassador. First errand requires you to go to the Court, also embassy trades favours for cryptic benefactors, moments of inspiration, etc.

House of Days (Platform) – you can get a Soul Flaw (when you are Invisible) here by communicating with a spirit on the stairs. Entrance is not allowed to Invisible.
When you are in, there will be 4 courts (Oaks, Apes, Mules and Mayflies). Each court has some rules, and you will not be allowed in with Soul Flaws. So, take care of that in advance.
Two courts can change your status from Antedeceased/Yoked to Ephemera.
Also, get a testament of feather (Veils check) here. It requires a cryptic benefactor. And I spent 6 or 7 to get one with veils of 60 or 70. The testament is required for Embassy quest, do not spend it on anything else if you plan to finish it.

The Stone-Faced Court – here you can get an Antedeceased status, and progress the Lost Love quest here. There is also a side-quest with a local clerk. Also, reduce terror at the bar paying for drinks with soul jars.

The Wellmouth (Platform) – reduce some terror, also there is a mini-quest with priests that eventually will lead to a conflict between them and the widows. you will not be able to use the well before it is done. the quest finale is permanent for all captains in line. if the priests won, they inhabit the place forever.

Shadow of the Sun is a platform where you can enter when you are Yoked. Apparently, it is home to the daughter of the Sapphire King. Gain Indulgence or testament of feather here. You will need a specific Litigator and some items for that. Also, there is a small quest for the gardener.

Death’s Doorstep – progress the Fortunate Navigator’s quest here. You need to be Ephemera to enter. Also, get a soul flaw or progress the Lost love quest. If you refuse to give 5 points of Hearts, your status will be stripped to Invisible.

Forge of Souls – you need to be Ephemera or Yoked to enter. Then, after a ton of paperwork, you will first gain access to the Forge and then repair it. I suggest bringing Glass, Souls and Bronzewood.
The Forge is a Library, but also the birthplace for Scrive-Spinsters. You can forge some, or forge crrew, or souls. Also, you can craft yourself a Companion (an Officer-Quartermaster) adding 10 points to the skill of your choice.
Clay Conductor’s story progresses.
Pick up a quest for the Clerk of Sevens, when done it gives +5000XP. You will have to collect Sigils. See the Sigils section of this guide for information.
Here you can change your status to Yoked with a Testament of Feather or Barrel of Hours.
Get a Searing Enigma for parting with your Blemmigan forever.

I do not recommend touching anything in Blue Kingdom unless you are absolutely certain you can defeat the Sky-Beasts that emerge.
To do that, upgrade your Plating, equip the Wrath of Heavens and the tier 4 bomb-type weapon which is effective when you are chased and running.

When you go back to Reach (which is a huge relief), your dead crew will turn into salt.

Officers

Officers.
You have 11 characters and 6 Mascots, and for each role you need to appoint an officer or else there is no use of them. Just dock at the port and click the circle near officer portrait. You get a boost to stats if you did it right. Each Officer gives a small boost to Skill and Affiliation. Upgraded Officers give a +10 boost to Skill.
In-game your base skill is white, additions are green and losses are red displayed as +10 or -2.

Officer Quests.

Each officer has their own quest leading to an upgrade/promotion. Or not. When promoted, an Officer has a +10 Skill and +1/+2 Affiliation depending on the outcome.

Incognito Princess. Gives a bonus to Mirrors and Hearts. Her quest is not too difficult, but will require some special items and fair amount of travel to complete. Has 2 options for promotion, and a difficult line of choices in the end. Her quest is easy. Can be lost on final stage of the quest.

Incautious Driver. His quest is easy and he gives +10 Iron +2 Establishment when promoted. Will require some travel around Reach (the warmer parts) and Albion (Avid Horizon)

Fortunate Navigator. His quest is one of the tougher ones and not recommended for beginners. +10 Iron and +1 to Bohemia and Establishment after promotion. When you get to the monster killing part, go to Albion and kill a scorn fluke or a scrivener, they are easier. However you can postpone the whole thing until level 20 and confidently kill beasts in the Blue Kingdom.

Chiropterous Hoarder resembles a Curator, but is actually different from other species appearing as Mr Barleycorn and others. His name was Mr Apples.
He gives a +4 to Veils. Acquire him through apple cider quest in Port Avon and then London. He will ask you to go to the two messenger corpses, one in Reach, the other in Eleutheria. Then there will be a short ride to the Mausoleum, and back to Reach. With every decision you might get him to warm up to you which affects the outcome. There is also a chance of losing this officer in the end.

Amiable Vagabond. Acquired at Polmear&Plenty, quest involves few stops at stations, although quest progress might be expensive early in game. He gives +4 to Hearts and Veils and +1 to Bohemia. This is a tricky quest where you can lose him, be careful with ritual options when it comes to that. His story is an interesting one.

Repentant Devil. – is an actual Devil who escaped service of the Sapphired King (basically he was preparing souls to be consumed by the Judgement at the Death’s Door). His quest is easy, but keep in mind that you can lose him. You will have to understand the meaning of his interactions. +10 Veils and +2 Academe when promoted. If you lose him, your next captain will start over.

Inconvenient Aunt. Her quest requires a Royal Dispensation in the end. Has 2 options for promotion.

Fatalistic Signalman. requires a lot of travel in Albion and Reach. When promoted gives a +10 Mirrors and +2 Villainy. Will always stay with captains in the lineage.

The Rat Brigade. Fairly difficult. Has 2 options when promoted depending on choices.

Felined Eccentric i found her in Eleutheria. You will have to rid her of 3 cats, either merciful way, or rough way, which defines her character in the end. There are 2 options for each cat tht require travel to different locations in Reach, Albion or Eleutheria.

Clay Conductor is found at Brabazon. His quest is painful, because he is looking for a singing partner and first tries all locations with clay men, then you can practice singing yourself and have an impact on the ending. It costs nectar and moments of inspiration. The last leg is Blue kingdom, the Forge of souls where finally we can create something for him. Unless you invested in singing and chose to give your voice to the ‘golem’, clay conductor is not promoted, and every next captain will have to run the quest.

Forged Companion a craftable Officer from the Forge of Souls in Blue Kingdom. There will be encounters similar to Inadvisably big dog, quite annoying tbh, but it’s worth it if you need those extra 10 skill points. Every companion is different, I had the poetic also pugilistic one.

Romance options
Some officers might spark a romantic event as their story progresses. There won’t be such a moment if your officer is upgraded and your captain ‘inherited’ them. Here is the list of possible romantic encounters that also reduce terror
– Clay Conductor, happens after Achlys provided you were kind enough to him and spent those precious moments of inspiration on clay singing.
– Repentant Devil, there is an option to agree to a private trip or something.
– Chiropterous Hoarder, option available after Mausoleum quest, when you allow it to express gratitude
– Incautious Driver, at some point along their quest there is an encounter in the cargo hold
– Felined Eccentric, there is an encounter called “an intimate moment when you help her with repairs”

This is how your current assigned officers look like:

If you do not have this, dock at a Station or Platform, open the Officers panel and click the circle below their portrait for each position.

There is a trick I often use to pass skill checks: when docking, sometimes your officer panel will be locked, but sometimes not. When it’s clickable, just open it and keep it open, then you will be able to change officer assignments and your total skill count very effectively for each check.

Officer Secondments

Promoted Officers now give a bonus when placed at certain Stations. They leave your locomotive and provide services or resources.
Revolutionary Aunt – Mausoleum
Judicious Driver – Rochester Club
Gentle Eccentric – Portsmouth House
Analytical Princess – London

There are also 6 mascots. One of them will stay put just like the promoted Signaller, appearing on board with every next captain in lineage (that would be Dilly).
The most useful Mascot (a Blemmigan) can be found in Port Avon. Its journey ends when you arrive at the Forge of Souls in Blue Kingdom.
Other useful mascots include a Pangolin and a Useless cat. Pangolin is obtained in Langley Hall. See “Eleutheria-Langley Hall” part of this guide. The Cat is found in the Well in Albion.
The Dog is unbearable. Unless you intend to get an achievement, do not take it on board. See “The Reach-Port Prosper” part of this guide.
Other Mascots are Sky-Worn Urchin, and Dilly. The Urchin appears after one visit to Lustrum. Dilly is very hard to get as it hatches from a Curator Egg… The chance is really low.

Ambitions – in detail

As I mentioned before, it is better to start with the Song of the Sky.

Song of the Sky requires mostly exploration and affiliation-related possessions. It has 6 or so stages, completed one by one at New Winchester. Later, you will have to go to London.
Each time you complete a part of it, you get a lot of XP.
To make it interesting, anger gods and visit wells, explore wrecks and work for the horologist or make the sun 100% powerful. collect moments of inspiration, captivating treasures and other items.
As you explore the sky, collect money and cargo items and store them in your bank. Upgrade your locomotive and its modifications. Finish the Mr.Menagerie quest. Explore the Sky.
When you are close to the end, make sure you buy as many expensive cargo as possible, and store them in the Bank. Your next in line is going to inherit only 50% of sovereigns, but all the Bank’s contents. Yes, this is a big secret.

Wealth ambition is about hoarding, pick a Port and buy a mansion, then upgrade it, then throw a party. To do that you will first need a lot of money, 20000 at least. Hopefully your predecessor has collected enough gems, souls, hours and nectar to sell in emergency situation.
Normally, you are able to raise 20000 by flying around, completing quests and few prospects. Rest can be acquired by selling items.

Truth ambition is a pain for anyone. It requires lots of travel and a lot of it happens in the Blue Kingdom. However, there will be options to abandon the quest and choose another ambition.
First leg of the quest is about looking for an old friend. Second one takes you to a group of captains, each of them having their own mini-quest, complete all 4 and go look for your friend. This is where you make the choice to go on or stop. If you go on, keep in mind that you did only one half of it. There is no secret that you will have to kill a sun.

Martyr King’s Cup ambition is not on the list, therefore your first captain won’t have it.

Make some discoveries, lurk around Mausoleum and you will soon find this quest. There is a requirement to have a soul flaw or two to be able to get the journal and get this ambition. Only your NEXT captain will be able to pick it up.

First, use 2 sky-stories, decipher the journal and find the Unseen Queen in the Underlondon. She manifets herself as a portrait, but in fact she is the daughter of the Judgement, the King-of-Hours, and is planning to avenge his murder by the Sapphire-King.
It is a quest where visions of the Golden kingdom mix with reality, and you will have to pass Mirrors skill checks every time to see the truth and stay focused, so have a level 20 captain and some promoted Officers to be able to do it.
The quest is similar to the one in Sunless Sea where you fight for the secret of immortality.

I tried it 3 or 4 times and failed…
First leg of this quest is in Brabazon. Find the Chamberlain, pass a mirrors check to see the reality, and get the Minute to Midnight from him.

Then you must go to Pan and the Circus to prove yourself. In Pan, go looking until you find the hermit, pass a mirrors check and follow the cat, then pass veils check or go back to imaginary realm and there give away one searing enigma to proceed with the quest. In the Circus, also pass Mirrors check, then Veils and Iron checks, there will be 5 or 6 scenes and then you prove yourself.

Next you have to go to Piranesi and speak with one of the Chaplans. Make sure you have 5 casks of gemstones on you. This action will not spend your 2 visits to Piranesi. The chaplan warns you of the Queen. Go back to London and report.

Next step is the tournament, which takes another 2 weeks to get to. Use Mirrors to see what things really are and go through the checks with ease. Here you meet Isery (apparently the one from Sunless Sea). You win, of course, and will have to wait for another 2 weeks for the story to progress.

We are now stealing the minute from the Tower of Chimes. After some preparations at London, simply leave an fly over the tower, there is a fight with a beast, make sure to assign all your Iron-boosting Officers. It is an Iron check this time.

WIP

Soul Flaws – detailed

On many occasions in game after making decisions you will receive outcomes like “The Devils of Carillon are experts….” and so on, with an icon that appears in your Character sheet under “Your Soul” part of it. These are Soul Flaws, and each captain gets 2 of these at the beginning of their career.
Soul Flaws are not harmful and can be removed by paying Penance at Carillon, go there to get rid of those and for some extra XP. Some flaws are common, others are rare.
You can also pay a higher price at the Court in the Blue Kingdom, but better go to Carillon.

There are 7 Flaws: Cold, Fermented, Flickering, Lightless, Clear, Curdled, Stained.

You get an achievement for having all 7 at once.
Also, for getting 7 Penances and an Indulgence you can get XP by presenting it to the Deviless at Carillon. Trade souls for indulgence from the Deviless herself.

2 starting Flaws are tied to Character History/Past.

Here are trusted locations for Flaws:

Curdled – Port Prosper, first visit, a Red Saint parade, mingle with West-Enders.
Also, perform the Sanctify actions in either Winter’s reside or Heart-Catcher Gardens platforms in Eleutheria.
Lightless – Blue Kingdom, House of Days. Hold some spirit on the stairs to earn that one. Also, get it after some digging at the Death’s doorstop.
Clear – Achlys, on first visit stay out of the conflict.
Flickering – blackmail and betray the Spirifier at Carillon. To find him, free the Penitent on 1st Terrace then talk to him again on the 2nd Terrace.
Stained – after dealing with the Spirifier in the worst way, ask the deviless about souls. Thus, you get two flaws in a row.
Fermented – get a tattoo at the House of Rods and Chains, also at Caduceus after a rite of the rose.

You can always get some flaws in Piranesi when you make a wrong turn and get imprisoned.

The problems with having soul flaws are:
– not allowed in Caduceus
– not allowed at some Courts at the House of Days
– less options when paying for Crossroad charity

Wrecks – detailed

Wrecks are permanent discoveries marked with a “grave” symbol of the map. These are 3 famous locomotives that lie somewhere in the 3 main regions: Reach, Albion and Eleutheria. Each one provides a quest, rewarding the Captain in different ways, and also a Steam Achievement.
Wrecks give huge amounts of terror if you fail the Skill check.

Reach: the Parzifal

This wreck is placed near the Traitor’s Wood, because that is the locomotive’s initial destination, as you will learn as the story progresses. You can visit it early in the game, but also when your Skills are well-developed, it only makes passing the checks easier. There is an Iron check to breach the fungus. Inside you find the captain and will have to decide his fate. (Destroy him, or take him to Traitor’s Wood/Hybras/London) Quest ends as soon as he reaches his final destination.

Albion: the Boatman

This wreck lies near the Royal Society. Have low terror when you go in. You pass a Mirrors check and shortly discover the crew’s fate. (The living and the dead) It completes the quest. You will then deliver some of the crew to their destinations (London and Mausoleum).

Eleutheria: the Berrenger

It lies near Langley Hall. There are 4 tasks each giving you a standing with the locomotive’s captain. When you do the tasks, pay attention masks and their descriptions (similar to Visage is Sunless Sea). It requires your knowledge of the Extinguishments+Moments of inspiration, or some beasts, and skill checks, obviously. Like everything else in Eleutheria, this quest is supposedly done with 50+ skills. It has a 5000 XP and a cryptic benefactor reward.

You can do it in one go at higher level, here is my suggestion. First, take the Aspirant mask, go to the Lecture hall, and attend any lecture that has high success rate, then take the Scintillant mask, go to Lab and choose to conduct your own experiment, test on yourself and get access to an option for the Supplicant mask about the place-beyond-glass. Go to the Lecture hall, deliver a Lecture, get your reward, then put on Recalcitrant mask, go to Debate hall, and finish this part in the hall of debate. Then talk to the captain, and finish the quest, trade stories with her before you leave.

Berrenger is a great way to lose terror even after you reveal its secret. Just board it and repeat the same things you did, it lowers terror, but you can only do this once in 15 days for each mask.

Resources, Trade, Cargo – detailed

The resource availability in Sunless Skies varies from region to region. There are goods and curiosities that can be bought and those that can be mined, found, or randomly appear as a result of an encounter.
It is possible to gather a large amount of certain goods at the very beginning of the game. And the Bank is a great option to store them safely and pass on to the next generation.

Reach and Albion are moderately safe, and here your locomotive can be modded to boost cargo hold as much as possible. Including Hidden Compartments for contraband.

There are 3 modules to get free items: Mining, Butchery, Assaying.

Mining
(Aux slots)

tier1 Crown & Misery Pneumatic >>> +1 Mining
tier2 Proserpina* (Veils at 25+) >>> +1 Mining +4 Hold
tier3 Wit & Vinegar Device (Iron at 50+) >>> +1 Mining +4 Hold
tier3 Cantankerous*(Mirrors at 50+) >>> +1 Mining +4 Hold +5 Hull

Cargohold

Locomotive/Hold
Parsival 10
Spatchcock and Bedivere 12
Pellinore and Agravain 15
Altani 18
Moloch 20

Modules
(Aux slot)
tier1 Additional Cargo Bay >>> +5 Hold
tier2 Wit & Vinegar Winch & Pulley (Mirrors at 25+) >>> +8 Hold
tier3 Ratty Baggage (Veils at 50+) >>> +12 Hold
tier4 Gates of Ivory (Veils at 75+) >>> +15 Hold
tier2 Mechanical Turk* (Veils at 25+ ) >>> +1 Hold +1 Hidden Compartments
tier2 Mighty Pen* (Hearts at 25+) >>> +5 Hull +4 Hold
tier2 Durendal (Iron at 25+ ) >>> +1 Butchery +4 Hold
tier4 The Osiris* (Mirrors at 75+) >>> +1 Butchery +8 Hold

(Bridge slot)
tier3 Fitted Cupboards (Iron at 50+) >>> +7 Hold
tier3 Montresor* (Veils at 50+) >>> +4 Hold +4 Quarters
tier4 Pluto* (Iron at 75+) >>> +3 Hold +3 Quarters +2 Hidden Compartments

(Plating slot)
tier3 Heathcliffe* (Hearts at 50+) >>> +11 Hull +4 Hold

Modules with asterisks (*) can be exchanged for Experimental Modifications at Portsmouth House of the Royal Society in Albion.

Let’s do some math.
With an Altani class locomotive (3 Aux 1 Bridge 1 Plating) and Mirrors/Hearts at 50 you can afford 22 Hold, with Iron/Veils at 50 it would be 26, considering that you have only 3 Aux slots available occupied by Assaying/Butchery/Mining devices.

Resources

Here is the list of resources available for free:
– Nectar (gather from Hives, also buy cheap at Titania when upgraded)
– Hours (mine from meteoroids)
– Bronzewood (mine from wood)
– Amber (Eleutheria, mine from chunks)
– Eleutherian Mysteries (from Extinguishments, from encounters at the House of Rods)
– Souls (can be found in the mists is Albion)

From experience, there is more mining in cold areas of the map, and more Nectar/Bronzewood in warmer areas.

…and somewhat free options:

– Tea (traded for gossip at Brabazon)
– Souls (dig at Port Avon)
– Caged catch (exchange for Squirmings at Worlebury)
– Hours (mined at Lustrum, possible crew losses on failed event)

There are also monster fights that provide resources, especially when you have Butchery or high Iron/Mirrors stats. Spinsters give Bronzewood, Cantarkeri give Uncanny Specimen or a Sky-Story, Bees give Nectar. Usually monsters (or rather what is left of them) give resources which are dominant in the region.

Prospects

Prospects are excellent deals for money and possessions.
Here is the list of most common prospects for all regions:

Reach: Verdant Seeds, Nectar, Bronzewood, Munitions, Hours, Glass
Albion: Crockery, Munitions, Literature, Glass, Bronzewood, Tea, Gems
Eleutheria: Literature, Crockery, Bombazine, Bronzewood, Tea, Catch, Gems, Literature

There are max 3 Prospects for one Captain at a time.
Sometimes Prospects and Bargains match in one location, therefore you should keep the to-do list full, just in case.
And, in Portsmouth House, you can trade Sovereigns (60) for Munitions, and then Munitions for Experimental Modifications, then buy upgrades. Not a reasonable way, but works when you need few E.Mods and there is nothing else left to trade for it.

Possessions (Affiliation-items)

There are 16 types of possessions, based on Affiliations:

Sky-Story, Tale of Terror, Salon Gossip, Uncanny Specimen are tier 1.
Vision of Heaven, Savage Secret, Ministry-Stamped Permit, Otherworldly Artefact are tier 2.
Cryptic Benefactor, Condemned Experiment, Moment of Inspiration, Unlicensed Chart are tier 3. Searing Enigma, Royal Dispensation, Crimson Promise, Captivating Treasure are tier 4.

Tier 4 possessions will pass on to your next captain if your Affiliations are high.




(this captain has no Captivating Treasures)

Where does one get them? Tier 1 possessions are scattered across all regions, and remember their ties to inspiration and art (stories), evil and horror (tales), science and creatures (specimen), and politics and society (gossip). The hardest ones are the Specimen, these can be obtained by hunting sky-beasts and using sky-eels with canning equipment on board.
Tier 2 possessions can be found, but also traded from tier 1 at certain locations.
Tier 3 and 4 can be a reward for certain tasks.

Trade fuel, supplies at an expedition for otherworldly artefacts in Traitor’s Wood.
Trade uncanny specimen at Melusine’s in Lustrum.
Trade visions of heavens for a moment of inspiration when defeating Griever a in Eleutheria.
Trade xp, bombazine and eleutherian mysteries for a crimson promise at Heart-catchers.
Trade savage secrets and a moment of inspiration for a searing enigma at Pan.
Trade crew, a cryptic benefactor for a royal dispensation at the brazen brigade.
Trade visions of heavens to moments of inspiration at langley hall.

Trade Favours (Ministry, Tacketies, Stovepipes or Embassy) for some of these items, tiers 1-3.
Trade otherworldly artefacts for moments of inspiration at embassy in the empyrean (with high reputation)
Trade savage secrets for cryptic benefactor at embassy in the empyrean (need reputation)
Trade ministry permits for condemned experiments at the official in empyrean (high reputation)
Trade visions of heavens for unlicensed chart at the official in empyrean (high reputation)

Trade gossip and secrets for Cryptic benefactor / visions for Unlicensed chart after defeating Ministry Monitors.

Also get some tier 1-3 items defeating Ministry monitors and Dreadnoughts.
Get unlicensed chart at Magdalenes.

Weapons and Monsters

Weapons.

There are 4 tiers of weapons and 5 types in the game. Weapons are equipped in small and large slots on your locomotive, depending on its type. To equip a weapon you need 25 Skill points for tier 2, 50 Skill points for tier 3 and 75 Skill points for tier 4.
Remember that officers and wells give a boost to skill points.
I put the damage value in brackets.

– Sniper type, long ranged, “Jerusalem”(10) “Grimalkin”(15) “Vala”(18) – Mirrors check
– Autocannon, mid-range, “Brassraven”(4), “Beulah”(5), “Saintfire”(4) – Veils check
– Shrapnel, short range, “Emanation”(24), “Blackjape”(20), “Golgonooza”(48) – Iron check
– Mine, long range, “Lurker”(10), “Zounderkite”(25) – Iron/Mirrors check
– Rocket, long range, “Albertine”(10), “Jubilee”(20) – Veils check

Mine detonates on contact with enemy. It is dangerous too as it damages your own hull if detonated close to the vessel.

There is also a craftable rocket-type weapon “the Wrath of Heaven” that deals 50 damage and requires 75 Hearts to equip. You need 2 Nightmares and then go kill a Scorn Fluke, there will be an option to craft a weapon, with a mirrors check if i remember correctly.
You can craft a weapon by collecting Guests from infested Tacketies, but I never got to that.

When you fire, there is some heat generated by the engine. Too many shots cause it to overheat and shut down. Cooldown is 4-5 seconds or more. Depending on your combat tactics and weapon you can fire 2-5 shots before it gets hot.

Enemies (Sky-Beasts)

There are locomotive-type enemies and monster-type enemies. Their strength and HP are different in each region. Also, I noticed that as you level up more powerful creatures show up.

When looting enemy remains you have few options of how to best use what you just killed: get items, XP, repair hull or collect possessions. Some actions require a skill check, others do not. Canning equipment gets a few more options.

Reach.
Reach is the safest place of all.
The locomotive types are Reach Marauders, Tackety Scouts/Tackety Liberators, Enduring Dreadnoughts/Ministry Monitors, and Sky-Maddened Explorers.
Some enemies fire shrapnel, others fire cannons. They do not attack unless you are at war with the faction or you killed one of their kin nearby.

Guests will appear sometimes. These are infested Tacketies/Dreadnoughts with a lot more HP.

The monster types are Cantankeri/Bull cantankeri/Colonized Cantankeri, Chorister Bee, Scrive Spinster, Curator.
Cantankeri and Chorister Bees have low HP. Cantankeri charge and deal hull damage except the one type found around Hybras that shoots acid. Bees also charge, hostile when you carry nectar. Spinsters have short range vortex-like weapon that deals small damage and increases terror, and a missile type that does some more damage.
Curators… well… they are scary and look like bats. There is a ranged auto-targeting sonic attack. Just keep your distance and snipe.

Albion.
Albion is rather peaceful, actually.
The locomotive types are Albion Marauders, Grave Robbers/Resurrectionists and Deranged Dreadnoughts, also Enduring Dreadnoughts/Ministry Monitors, Guest Dreadnoughts and Glorious Dreadnoughts. The latter are nasty. Explorers and Guests may spawn from wrecks or other curiosities. They also get very close to London.
Dreadnoughts are mostly neutral except for Deranged ones and Guests.

The monster types are Cantankeri (all types), Scrive Spinsters and Curators. Scorn Flukes can be found in the cold areas. They have a close range attack and a projectile attack, just snipe it from a distance and 8-10 hits should be enough.

Eleutheria.
The locomotive types are Dousers and Empyrean Outriders. Various Marauders and Explorers may spawn from wrecks.

This region is crawling with monsters. Some spawn from Extinguishments, others from Libraries once you interact with these.
The monster types are Cantankeri, Scrive Spinsters/Senior Scriveners, Grievers, Undeparted and Curators. Grievers sleep and will get hostile unless you turn the headlights off. Sometimes they hunt in packs and explode with acid.
Undeparted have lots of HP and two devastating attacks, a close range and a mid range one. Better run unless you have the Wrath of Heaven and an upgraded engine to dodge attacks.

Blue Kingdom.
I encountered Grave Robbers, Curators, Scorn Flukes, Scrive Spinsters, Cantankeri, as well as Spirifiers, Logoi and Dead Eaters.
These beasts are all tough and high level, so combats were very demanding. My advice is to avoid battle if possible. If someone is fighting, let them fight. Or else, lure them to each other and keep your distance. It is possible to navigate the Blue Kingdom safely.

Logoi take 4-5 direct hits of Wrath of Heaven, Eaters take 2. Other local beasts also 3-4 hits.
There isnt much to get from their remains, Logoi reduce terror and Eaters give xp.

LOOT
Here is the loot you might get from each monster

Reach Marauder/Albion Marauder – repair hull, get unusual items, occasionally get a weapon.
Grave Robbers/Resurrectionists – get unusual items
Dousers – in addition to Douser Plate
Spirifiers – gain crew or take its loot
Sky-Maddened Explorer – get unusual items, get crew and raise/lower terror
Tackety Scouts/Tackety Liberators – in addition to Tackety Plate, get their cargo, repair hull
Enduring Dreadnoughts – in addition to Ministry Plate, get unusual items, mostly ministry approvals
Ministry Monitors – in addition to Ministry Plate, get gossips, or upgrade other affiliation items
Deranged Dreadnoughts – in addition to Ministry Plate, get glass
Empyrean Outriders – capture crew for later reward paid at the Empyrean
Guest Tackety/Dreadnought – guest ligaments for L&S researcher, or take guests aboard, or destroy and lower terror.

Cantankeri/Bull cantankeri – find curiosities in their organs, also quest trophies for L&S researcher/ port avon hunting club
Colonized Cantankeri – also have valuables in their innards
Chorister Bee – gather nectar or get 150 XP
Scrive Spinster/Senior Scrivener – gather bronzewood or 250 XP
Curator – destroy it to lower terror or look for treasure
Scorn-Fluke – repair hull, lower terror, partake of ‘commingling’ which is basically learning about them which might be useful for Worlebury cult quest, OR with 2 nightmares construct the Wrath of Heavens weapon that basically duplicates the fluke’s own weapon, but has more power.
Griever – upgrade affiliation items (most importantly visions of heavens become a moment of inspiration which is quite valuable in eleutheria), get hull, get some treasures
Undeparted – repair hull or lower terror, also get gemstones out of its eyes.
Logoi – WIP
Dead Eaters – lose terror, get supplies from its meat or look for treasure

Gods

Gods.
There are 3 gods: the Burrower Below, the Storm that Speaks and the Waste Waif.

For each god, there are 3 stages: uninterested, watching and displeased.
When a god in uninterested, you can use emergency choices for high terror. When it is watching, you can o the same and be careful. When a god is displeased, it adds some nasty encounters to your travels.

Burrower Below is a she, and can be angered by simply travelling between regions (too soon) or not keeping promises. Or stealing from her in Carillon. Also, when you take items from Signal Boxes and make no replacement.
She can be pleased by donating Hours at Avid Horizon.

Storm that Speaks sits somewhere in Albion and is actually a dark terrifying vortex. He is a spirit of the Albion’s dead Judgement (the Sun). Can be angered by trying to talk to him or after certain encounters in the sky when your terror is high.
Please him by donating Immaculate Souls.

Waste Waif lives beyond the map and can be angered by drifting off couple times. Also, like the others, on some terror-related events. She rules all empty spaces.
Can be pleased by making an offering when you drift again.

Sigils

Sigils or Correspondence Sigils will show in many locations in the High Wilderness.
You might also remember those from Sunless Sea, the Avid Horizon or Navigator’s Quest.

Sigils are messages from one Judgement (or Sun) to another, they are managed by Messengers, space creatures that travel between dimensions. There are 2 dead messengers in the game, but there will be no sigils there. Here are few places to find Sigils for the Clerk of Sevens quest:

Some fragments can be scraped from local tombs (encounters with the dead), also in Circus, Lustrum, Clockwork Sun, Crossroads in Eleutheria, Well of the Wolf, White Well (platform), also 3 parts can be found and assembled on chorister-bees.
The wiki mentions a Hermitage, remains of Undeparted, Langley Hall, Weft of Time, Worlebury(beach), but I did not check those.

There was also a sigil in the Storm-that-speaks and on the Queen’s throne when Your Aunt’s quest comes to an end.

There is also a quest from the Royal Society to find a sigil, and it leads you to the Mausoleum.

The Opposing Forces

Here I will be telling about the “balance of powers” for each region, and every region has its factions, groups and other formations.

Reach.
This green paradise is a battle ground for the Stovepipes and the Tacketies, or the official authorities and rebels.
Tacketies are revolutionary and associated with Villainy. Stovepipes are wealthy and associated with Establishment.
Stovepipes came from Albion, led by the Ministry’s ambition and their drive to produce, consume and profit. Each faction has a “power meter” as well as their standing with you, depending on the work or favours you do for each party.

The main currency here is port reports and favours you earn for delivering them to either side.
You can use favours to change the situation giving more power to the faction of your choice. Also, there will be small quests to sabotage, hide or trade for the factions. Stovepipes provide Ministry Approved Permits at low cost. Any dominating faction will provide more resources for port reports.
You can destroy both factions’ locomotives, tackety scouts and dreadnoughts. There will be A LOT more “charred nameplates” from Stovepipes as Albion also counts.

At some point one of the factions is exiled, either to Lustrum or Port Prosper. At the same time the balance is shifted, bringing more battle and changing the curiosities that spawn on your way.
When one faction is dominating there will be less opportunity for profit and experience.

Albion.
Albion only has the Ministry as its main political power, and it has its own power meter, “the strength of the Sun”. The whole thing is certainly tied to “the Clockwork Sun”.
Note that completing the Regent’s Grave quest in Reach will shift not only the balance of power there, but also reduce the Sun’s strength to 0.
Increase Strength by 5 when delivering reports and by 10 making errands (office of works) for the Ministries. Decrease Strength by destroying Glorious Dreadnoughts and working against Albion.

There are also three independent factions in the Flotilla (Stair to the Sea).
To become an initiate, make a gift, then progress the story by answering a quiz where each answer is tied to pleasing the certain group:
– Supralapsarians (book-ish and traditional)
– Displeased (lonely and rebellious)
– Sanctified (happy and sharing)
When you are accepted into each faction, new options become available. Illuminated Archivist is the point of contact for the Supralaspsarians. For the Displeased it is the Careful Masquerader, and for the Sanctified the Jolly Anchorite. Each requires a number of items and possessions to progress the story.

Eleutheria.
Not only this region has a political rivalry, there are 3 other factions operating near the capital. Political tensions arise in Eagle’s Empyrean, represented by the London Embassy and the office of a local Bespectacled Official. The balance of power depends on who gets your station reports. Report submitted to one office reduces your standing with the other. Later, as you get more repect, new options appear for item upgrades (“smuggle artefacts into the Empyrean” gives Moments of inspiration)
The other three factions are in rivalry. You can only join one of them. Your choice can be linked to profit, or to the forces and stories they represent:

– Heart-Catcher Gardens (the Gardeners) – are quite peaceful, dealing with deaths by capturing them, hence your quest will be to dispose of those deaths. They are connected to the Well of Wonders.
They exchange Eleutherian mysteries to Otherwordly artefacts or Crimson promise.

– Winter’s Reside (the Anarchists) – connected to the Calendar Council story in Sunless Sea, their goal is elimination of all light in the Universe. they recruit with christmas cards. They are connected to your Aunt’s quest, Most Serene Mausoleum, and are responsible for killing Albion’s Sun later replaced by Clockwork Sun.
They exchange Eleutherian mysteries to Visions of heavens or Captivating treasures.

– Brazen Brigade (the Devils) – are planning to replace Judgements and hunt Pan during the Hour of Trumpets. They are mostly independent, but also connected to Carillon and Well of the Wolf.
They exchange Eleutherian mysteries to Savage secrets or Royal dispensation. If you join them, they trade also Condemned experiments and cryptic benefactors.

Wells and well-like objects

Wells

Firstly, Wells WILL NOT SUCK YOUR LOCOMOTIVE IN (as was common for Sunless Sea)
You need to approach the well to interact.

There are 4 Wells – one for each region – that on certain conditions give a boost to one Skill while losing a bit of two others.
When you take the Ritual in one Well, you must forsake the other one. There is a point in visiting all 4 if you have the Song of the Sky ambition.

In detail.
Old Tom’s Well (in the Reach) – is actually the ‘tomb’ of Reach’s Sun, the Garden-King. This well was planted into its heart by the Halved (Judgement of Eleutheria). Old Tom was a prospector in Lustrum, but the well lies on the opposite side. Climb down (Mirrors challenge) and explore, speak to the congregation – you will have to find something in your past to be able to perform the rite. It gives a +10 to Iron while lowering Hearts and Mirrors. This Well is tied to Amiable Vagabond quest.

Well of the Wolf (in Albion) is a residence of local devils, therefore tied to the Incognito Princess and Repentant Devil’s stories, and a bit to Carillon (the quest that later gives you a caged bee). You can climb down (Iron challenge) and explore their singing, or perform a rite that gives +10 to Hearts, -3 to Iron and -2 to Mirrors.
I suppose you have to assemble a choir of Devils here, to do that you need high affiliations with Bohemia (Worlebury), Establishment (Carillon and Mausoleum). For 2 devils you will have to go to Reach and catch a bee. Then they are going to sing 4 hymns telling some story.

Well of Wonders (Eleutheria) is a prison for some historian who started an uprising against the Halved’s brother, and got him killed. It allows you to perform the rite that gives +10 Veils and some loss at other two stats.

The White Well (Blue Kingdom) is accessible from nearby platform. There is a rite that adds Mirrors at the cost of Hearts and Iron.

Well-like objects

These include Wefts of Unraveling Time, a Storm-that-Speaks, Extinguishments and some Horrors like the Dead Sun of Albion or a Messenger Corpse in the Reach.

Wefts are a time paradox that spontaneously appear on the map in Albion. They make a distinct swirling sound and will activate on approach. You can pass a Hearts check and escape, or be pulled inside and see what happens. You will be given a choice to pass a skill check and escape, or remain and gain some terror. Let’s call it a “round”. There will be 4 or 5. You can escape anytime as long as you agree to the price. When you choose “things as they were” you will lose 10000XP. However, if your hull is very low, it may save your captain. At some point you will have to escape the weft with anything it offers.
Then, go to the Ministries – Horological office, talk to the chief horologist and get a Raveling Jack. With it, you can actually gain some profit out of it. But be careful, on first round the Jack is silent, and after three-four rounds it gets broken.

Extinguishments are black holes in the eleutherian sky. Approach the edge to safely get your tales of terror or eleutherian mysteries because you might run from the Undeparted that spawn.
These are a reliable source of eleutherian mysteries and there are many on the map. Also, you need them to progress the Berrenger Wreck story.

Storm-that-Speaks is a purple-black whirlpool that whispers somewhere in Albion. There can be 2 of them on the map at the same time, but they move around. Storm is actually what remains of Albion’s Judgement (or Regent, the King of Hours), and unless it is displeased with you, there is no need to go in there at low level. To please the thing, bring a Selection of Immaculate souls.
Also, there is a sigil inside.
This object is tied to the Martyr King’s Cup quest, because it was the Martyr King himself.

Horrors and wonders you can interact with.

Regent’s Tears. take a tour to lower terror or get items.
Apoidean Gardens. Gather nectar or take a walk.
Regent’s Grave. tied to a quest in the Traitor’s Wood.
Saint’s Grave (Lustrum). break the ice to get curiosities.
Faith’s Fall (Hybras). tied to Chiropterous quest, also descend with supplies and get curiosities.
Lighthouse (Worlebury). go up the tower, also trade squirmings for caged catches.
Avid Horizon. there are options to make an offering and get visions.
Xanthous Moon (Eagle’s Empyrean). watch the moon or take part in ritual.

Making Money in the Skies

Sovereigns
The more, the better.
As I said before, it is best to start with the Wealth Ambition. And to complete that, you need a lot of money. More than 20.000, and it is actually not too hard to get.

At the beginning of the game, there is only one way to sustain yourself:

Port Reports.
Dock, write reports, take them to the hub port or a faction, get reward, repeat.
To have adequate payment, the Faction you submit reports to must be prospering, for Reach it means that Stovepipes must occupy the platform near New Winchester, not exiled to Port Prosper.
In Albion, submit reports to the Ministries or the Stalwart Bookkeeper in London.
Also, the Royal Society will be grateful for reports from Polmear&Plenty and Clockwork Sun.
In Eleutheria, get Eleutherian Mysteries for reports at Pan, and other rewards at Eagle’s Empyrean, following the quest line with the Albion Embassy/Bespectacled Official.
In Blue Kingdom, submit reports to the Toll Tower.

Trade.
Use Bargains and Prospects, mine and collect, store at the Bank and sell to highest bidder.

Events & Places
The Silken Salon at London will buy your Possessions for money and XP.

Quests.
Leadbeater&Stainrod will have a non-stop quest for collecting trophies, just finish the main plot and then bring all kinds of trophies to the scientist.
Transport Settlers & Rubbery Men in Reach and Eleutheria for a small reward.
Clockwork Sun has a quest to bring Hours there for a decent price, but it is limited and only happens if the Sun is compromised.

Battles
Is not a very good way to collect money, there will be few Sovereigns, no more than 100, better collect more valuable loot and sell it.

Earning XP in the Skies

Obviously, first 10 levels are easy. But then what?
The XP bar seems to crawl up very slowly as you progress through the game.

Quests and events:

Reach.
The Parzifal (Wreck). It gives a +1000 XP on completion.
Spirifier (Carillon). Betray him and get +1000 XP. Also, get 500XP for each soul flaw cured and for each Penitent saved.
Traitor’s Wood. Complete the Regent’s Grave quest yourself for +2000, let another do it for +1000.
L&S Nature Reserve. You get small amounts of XP for each trophy.
Lustrum. Climb the mountain, explore the caves, talk to Melusine, go back, etc.
Helping the Circus. Get 500XP for each task.

Albion.
Macabre Counsellor (Mausoleum). A rewarding quest of +1000 XP.
Cultists (Worlebury) finishing their quest gives a +1000 or more XP.
Brabazon gives a +3000 XP after an uprising ends and a new governor is set.

Eleutheria
Langley Hall. Find the lost love for +1000.

Hunting
Get 50 XP for a Cantankeri complaint, 150 XP for listening to Chorister Bee song, 250XP for reading Scrive Spinster notes.

***

So, here is my guide ^_^
It may not be too accurate, but I hope it helps.

I do not have achievement section, please look it up elsewhere.

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