Money-Making

OverviewEdit

The game is best thought of as a means to read a story. To that end, until you are approaching the high level (all stats at or near cap and so forth), the best sources of Echos are the content you're seeing. There is very little that may be considered truly "profitable" before the player becomes a A Person of Some Importance (PoSI), given both content locks and stat requirements. Even then, many money-making grinds require significant investment in capital or end-game leveled stats in order to be completed reliably and efficiently,

The GrindsEdit

The short version, for those looking for a TL/DR: The best strategy is to curate your deck carefully, play good cards and discard bad ones, and use the remaining actions to excavate the Tomb of the Silken Thread in the Forgotten Quarter. Other good grinds include trading Orphans to the Court of the Wakeful Eye in exchange for Tribute, or building up Attar while in Arbor to swap for Favours in High Places. A notable benefit of Expeditions is that the player remains in London for the entire duration of the grind—and thus draws from their Opportunity Deck—while the other methods require time to be spent in special locations.

Your best methods for echo grinding are the following:

Fate-lockedEdit

• Fate-locked selling your soul (28.15 EPA, increasing amounts of Fate required)
• Fate-locked expeditions (7 Fate for 5.3 EPA [under correct conditions])
• Doubt Street with a Fate-locked whirring contraption source (1 for 4.71 EPA)
• Tanah-Chook, unlocked by the "All Things Must End" Exceptional story (1.8 EPA)
• Fate-locked selling your soul (1.8 EPA, easily locked out of)
• Fate-locked Soul Trade (1.75 EPA)

Regular GrindsEdit

The following can be done only with skill-checks.

• Actively grind in Arbor. In the best case this is theoretically as high as 4.375 EPA, but realistically it tops out around 3.0 EPA. Requires 167 Watchful. See Arbor (Guide)#Grinding Favours for details.
• Buy Strong-Backed Labour to fund expeditions to The Tomb of the Silken Thread (2.27 EPA).
  • For maximum efficacy, this option requires 267 Watchful to 100% a Buccaneering Approach. As Bazaar gear is only sufficient to get 254 without a Mood or overcapping, this necessarily requires at least some Renown or Profession items.
  • Using Docks Favours to fund expeditions gives 4.7 EPA, but getting those Favours efficiently is card-based.
• The Court of the Wakeful Eye lets you buy Winsome Dispossessed Orphans from the Bazaar, exchange them for Tribute, and turn that Tribute into more echoes than you spent (2.22 EPA minus the actions of zailing). The more orphans you invest in to begin with, the closer this comes to 2.22 EPA.

• • This option requires completion of the Associating with Radical Academics storyline, PoSI status, and a Ship. While trading Tribute with the ministers of Court and at Zee, players do not have access to their usual Opportunity Deck.

• Obtaining Collections of Curiosities from the War of Assassins, then exchanging them via the Tomb-Colonies faction card (1.81 EPA)
  • This option requires PoSI status to unlock the War of Assassins. It is also worth noting that it requires drawing the Tomb-Colonies card twice, once to obtain a Favour and once to cash it in. It is thus possible that the player will find themselves with more Collections than Favours, causing a bottleneck in the grind. Additionally, as Tomb-Colonist Favours are worth 4.4 Echoes on their own, the opportunity cost of cashing in Collections leads the net EPA to be approximately 1.77 EPA. There are several ways to increase the rate at which players obtain Tomb-Colonies Favours, including by owning a Bandaged Raven and by drawing cards at The University.
• Investigations in the university and cashing in the Flit (~1.78 EPA)
  • This option requires the player to have not advanced or finished the University storyline. Players may prefer to Talk to the Porters for a grind that is much less Echo-efficient but much more Watchful-efficient.
• The Boxful of Intrigue carousel, provided that players side with the Revolutionaries and intercept Correspondence Plaques along the way, as well as using the cash-in to obtain Mourning Candles. (1.64 EPA)
  • This option requires the player to have advanced the Affair of the Box story to at least Level 12, which itself requires access to Mahogany Hall. The carousel is composed of Shadowy 120 challenges.

Luck-based GrindsEdit

The following have a range in pay-outs and should only be considered in large batches for an overall EPA.

• Polythreme with a 5 card lodgings (2.1 EPA on a perfect run, averages 1.71 - 1.76 EPA depending on luck odds and excluding the cost of getting to/from Polythreme and acquiring an extra card for the grind)
• Tale of the Fidgeting Writer (~1.92 EPA without grinding items, ~1.57 with grinding. It is recommended that players convert large batches of Tales of Terror (e.g., thousands) at a time given the heavy RNG influence in this storyline.
  • This storyline requires at least Watchful 120, though it is composed entirely of Luck challenges.
• Heists in the Flit (1.94 to 1.998 EPA, depending on risks taken. Read the entire comment section for details.) [The new heists kicked this into competitive territory, but they're still very chance-based--a simulator suggests an EPA of approximately 1.78, once accounting for Luck challenges and Menace gains. Heists also require a substantial preliminary investment in order to maximize the player's chances, such as Intricate Kifers, Dreaded 10, and a 5-Card Lodging. However, Heists do have the advantage of allowing for Opportunity Deck refreshes.]
• Port Carnelian (1.9+ EPA)
  • 2.1+ EPA with optimal (within sane limits) strategy. Port Carnelian may be used to raise Tribute for the Orphan-grind as well.

HistoricalEdit

As the game has added new content, grinds that were once relatively profitable have fallen out of favor.

• Hunter's Keep Searing Enigma rare success (Used to be 1.85 EPA, but has since been decreased, might now be ~1.5 EPA)
• Big Rat Grind (1.01 EPA, used to be 1.77 EPA, easily locked out of, but can be brought back w/ Fate)
• A thieves' cache! (1.48 EPA |3 progress| or 1.41 EPA |2 progress|, supplies via Connected: Docks and the Tankard| Since the revamp of Connected: Docks into Favours: The Docks, this works differently, though it is potentially more profitable. See sub-heading below.)
• Deal with mirror-smugglers and Kill the Fungus-column (~1.43EPA, easily locked out of) (Used to be ~1.9EPA but with Deal with mirror-smugglers becoming locked out at a level 8 of reduced the EPA substantially.)

Reference Edit

These aren't grinds, classically, but are here to show you how many echoes you're earning.

• Calling in Favours at the Shuttered Palace, Forgotten Quarter, and Wolfstack Docks gives 4.2 Echoes of items per favour, for an EPA of 2.1.
  • If players call in their Society Favours at Court, this is increased. After saving up 6x Society Favours, they may be exchanged in a total of 3 actions (Traveling to the Court and calling in Favours twice) to obtain a profit of 25 E, or 2.8 EPA. Calling in those 6 Favours normally would give 25.2 E for 6 actions, at the regular 2.2 EPA.
• A furious and incoherent drunken rat gives 1.5 x [modified Shadowy] pence per action in exchange for 6 CP of Someone is Coming, with a 1% rare success of 230e. With maximum Shadowy (including a Mood, a Profession, and Overcapping), the rat can give up to 4.7e per theft; including the rare success, this option gives a maximum of approximately 7 echoes per attempt on average, or 1.15 echoes per SiC CP. SiC may also be exchanged for A Gift from the Capering Relicker; if exchanged at exactly SiC 4, it is possible to get 1.2 echoes per SiC CP. Typically, it is most profitable to steal from the rat until SiC is at exactly 4, and then accept the gift from the Relicker. SiC may be gained through Conflict Cards, which are typically profitable on their own, so the overall EPA is not necessarily meaningful to parse.
• Spending time in Polythreme to grind Touching Love Stories, Bazaar Permits, or Stolen Kisses (as well as Surface-Silk Scraps or Romantic Notions) gives on average 1.6 EPA for players with a five-card lodging. (This does not include the actions needed to reach Polythreme in the first place.)
• Edit a book of meditations on the Anchoress (1.47 EPA and a Scandal decrease)
• A Shrine of the Deep Blue Heaven (1.34 EPA |3 progress| or 1.27 EPA |2 progress|, supplies via Connected: Docks and the Tankard)
• Pygmalion:Lyme (1.22 EPA in Glim, (30.8*111+700)e/33.8a)
• Beastly Breeding: Somnolent Hyaena(1.3~1.22 EPA, depending on breeding method)
• Thefts of a Particular Character (1.26 EPA [with a Gang of Hoodlums])
• Velocipede Squad (1.23 EPA)
• Foreign Office (1.2 EPA)
• Pygmalion:Devil (1.19 in Nevercold Brass, (34.1*111+1000)e/40.3a)

Unfinished BusinessEdit

Most Unfinished Business storylets average 1 Echo per action in a specific type of item. Note that this means they are roughly equivalent to a 2 EPA grind that is used to buy the items directly from the Bazaar. Rare successes and ranged successes alter the overall EPA of Unfinished Business in the following instances:

• Unfinished Business: A sure bet (1.2525 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: Shake down your agent (1.25 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: Eavesdropping, The prince of..., Doing the decent thing., Wade into the Ring Fights (1.21 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: any other option that gives out rare successes (1.15 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: the other options (1.1 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: The study of antiquities, A lovely thought, An admirer among the clergy, A literary sort of fist-fight, Contracts and legs (1 EPA)
• Unfinished Business: The anatomy of a secret, Mischief and brass (.95 EPA)

Unknown EPA Edit

• Robbing various locales
• Duelling the Black Ribbon
• Acquiring Exhibits for the Labyrinth of Tigers
• Fate Velocipede Squad (1.2 EPA with new carousel ending, 2.5e with new card)
• Fate Foreign Office (1.17 EPA with new carousel ending)
• Fate Apis Meet (1.4 EPA incl. the bribe to stay another day, 2.9 EPA on the last day, reduced by the voyage)

CardsEdit

This section only lists cards with greater than 1.5 EPA.

• The Neath's Mysteries (A strange sort of prank gives 4e to each player; the card is only drawn at your Lodgings)
• A Visit (with the relevant base stat at 200, gives 4e from Repentant Forger or Wry Functionary, 3e from Sardonic Music-Hall Singer, 5e from Regretful Soldier; the Soldier gives one Favour while the rest give two)
• A Dream of Roses takes you to Arbor, with long-term card-draw-based grinds theoretically as high as 5.35 EPA, and 5 EPA being realistically achievable. However, the most profitable methods are mutually exclusive with the active grinds. See Arbor (Guide)#Card-draw-based for details.
• Call in favours in the Flit to turn in Revolutionaries favours gives 28e for a total of four actions (7.2 EPA) or 25 scraps + Bundle of Oddities (max value 230) (12.17e in scraps + 1.64e in oddities = 13.81e/4a = 3.46 EPA). Note that the common sources of Revolutionaries favours either give a point of Suspicion or cost 50p in Compromising Documents.
• The High Castle: What Occurs in a Rooftop Shack (3e). Acquaintance: a Repentant Forger 9 is required to 100% the action; failing the check increases your Acquaintance.
• The Paronomastic Newshound (2.5e)
• The mechanics of progress (average gain of [modified Watchful] pence in Cryptic Clues)
• Promenade with the Celebrated Artist's Model (2.5e + some Making Waves)
• Wolfstack in the fog -> A huddled form (2.5e plus a Bundle of Oddities [144] from Find him a job, only in Wolfstack docks with Airs 0-75)
• All fear the Overgoat! (between 2.2 and 2.6 EPA, depending on Watchful value, Advantages, and other factors. Requires an Overgoat. See Use the Goat's... unique talents for details)
• One's public (2.3e, but with a very difficult Persuasive challenge: 334 to 100%. Provides its own Confident Smiles.)
• Once upon a time in a carriage (2.1e)
• The Lofty Tower: the Potential of Premises at the Bazaar (2e + 4 scraps [3.7e incl. scraps])
• More Larks with the Young Stags (1.9+e, depending on how Favours are traded in)
• A day out in your Clay Sedan Chair (1.8e with For a little sport, or a Society Favour with Treating Them Well)
• A Polite Invitation: Without drawing any opportunity cards during the party, taking Favour in High Places when possible, and cashing in Favours: Society, the direct yield is 13.05 echoes on an average of 7.44 actions, for 1.75 EPA (better may be possible). Moreover, it provides up to 7 additional card draws (for Exceptional Friends who start the party with 3 cards in hand), which increases the expected EPA of future actions.
• What will you do with your Grubby Kitten? (1.7e)

Rare Frequency Cards:

• A disgraceful spectacle (12.5e)
• The mournful rubbery instrument (3e, only in Spite without rare pet)
• A commotion above! (2.9/2.5/2.2e, only in your lodgings)
• A flash of white (2.5e, only in Ladybones Road without rare pet)
• A Raggedy Creature (2e, only in Veilgarden without rare pet)
• The Bonfire of the Decencies (7.5e, but requires high bizarre, 6+ bizarre give greater then 5e)

Grinding (3200) Scraps to trade in with one of the Relickers for a Tier 8 (1562.5e) item is only efficient if an average rate of 3+ Scraps per action is maintained, giving roughly 1.5 EPA. Scraps are generally worth approximately .5e each.

The NadirEdit

The Nadir, which is unlocked with the conclusion of the Secular Missionary storyline, is also a notable source of profit. However, players are forcibly ejected from the cave when reaching 10 x Irrigo. It is not possible to return until the next visit from Time, the Healer (unless they wish to pay 50 Fate). Accumulating large amounts of Irrigo results in significant reduction of the four main attributes.

• The End of Battles: 62.5e, costs 3 Second Chances. The Give a Gift! card may give 4 Second Chances per action to players with at least Hedonist 8. (2 x Irrigo)
• Old Bones: ~12.5e, requires Fate-locked A Daughter in the Shadows. (1 x Irrigo)
• An Unlikely Garden: 62.5e, ~16% success rate with Persuasive 200 and max non-Mood gear bonuses (i.e. ~10e on average). (2 x Irrigo)
• Woods in winter: One Favour for Society, Great Game, and Revolutionary each, plus 1 CP of Dramatic Tension (requires a visit to Millicent's Parlour during the Feast of the Rose in February). (2 x Irrigo)
• The Catafalquerie
  • A casket marked with a black ribbon: 312.65e, costs 7 Taste of Lacre. (2 x Irrigo)
  • An empty casket Average 11.25e (2 x Irrigo)
  • Rebels who will not rise: 5e, Requires The Great Game - A Fine Piece in the Game. (1 x Irrigo)
  • A casket marked with a familiar name: On average, gives 1.25e + 1.25e x [[[Nightmares]] level]; also doubles the player's current Nightmares level. (2 x Irrigo). Note that players are not sent to the Mirror-Marches or A State of Some Confusion until leaving the Nadir, so this option is repeatable with Nightmares values substantially higher than 8.
• Losing 12e (2 x Irrigo) (alternatively, 2.48e for 1 x Irrigo)
• Lost at Sea: 2.5e, requires An Experienced Zailor 25 for 100% (2 x Irrigo), or Ambition: Light Fingers! 47 (1 x Irrigo)
• An Altarful of Strangers: 2.5e, requires Persuasive 333 for 100% (1 x Irrigo)
• "Waking Dream" cards allow to trade 10 CP of Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There?, A Game of Chess or Death by Water for 12.5e. Drawing those cards requires Nightmares 2, 4, and 6 respectively. A Weakness in the Air can increase all Dreams qualities by 1 CP (1 x Irrigo for each option mentioned).

The most profitable action in the game is A special delivery? although it is very expensive. There are more efficient ways to gain money via Fate, such as the Gallery of Serpents expedition.

As a point of reference, grinding 11712.8e for an Overgoat via the Special Delivery would take 37.48 actions and 1874 Fate, or $334.64 (even with the most efficient Fate purchase rate of 280 Fate per $50). Cider would take 512 actions and 25600 Fate, or $4571.43—you could achieve immortality in just a few days. Financially speaking, though, you'd be better off waiting for another Cider auction.