/r/sunlessskies

Photograph via snooOG

Welcome to the 'Sunless Skies' subreddit. Stoke the engines. Sail the stars. Meddle with time. Lose yourself to the dark.

Welcome to the High Wilderness

This is a place for fans and players of the game to make connections, discuss lore, formulate strategies, share ideas and generally just enjoy each other's company. Per Failbetter's request, please do not post exploits on this subreddit - instead, follow these instructions to report them to Failbetter directly.

Talk to other players

Official Discord | Community Discord

Related Subreddits

/r/fallenlondon

/r/sunlesssea

External Links:

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Sunless Skies Wiki

/r/sunlessskies

7,783 Subscribers

89

WIP Kitbash Sunless Skies train project

2 Comments
2024/11/28
02:16 UTC

142

I was glad to see her after I've finished the ambition

5 Comments
2024/11/11
14:16 UTC

5

Stuck in the truth ambition.

!To progress, the game says that I have to establish a base on the quiet sea to open the avid horizon. However, there is no questline of the ambition there. It is not by the home bureau nor by the stair to the quiet sea. It also says something about a jochi collection, which i think i have acquired twice at the empyrian. What am I missing? How do i finish the ambition now?!<

3 Comments
2024/11/10
17:23 UTC

5

American Astronaut (2001)

The spaceship is literally a train! Let me know what you think :)

https://youtu.be/aWY3NGCnZao?si=8CQYnB4nNtoc_Rs0

0 Comments
2024/11/10
06:08 UTC

15

Stovepipes Whoopsy. SPOILERS

So I did this thing where I accuse a Stovepipe Propogandist in Carillon. After that, I do my usual rounds for Port Reports and return to New Winchester. I figured I would stop by the Company House to drop off my reports, but it has been abandoned with them moving to Port Prosper. I thought no big deal, I will just adjust my route when I want to turn in my reports to the Stovepipes. That is what I did and made another round and ended in Port Prosper. I turned in the Port Reports and to my horror, I only got 80 Sovereigns and some fuel and supplies. That sucks. So, how do I adjust the power balance in the Reach to get the Stovepipes back in their Company House at New Wimchester? The game mechanic seems overly complex and convoluted. Or I am missing something?

7 Comments
2024/11/04
14:28 UTC

9

Should I buy a new locomotive for Albion???

Hello, I have been playing Sunless Skies for a while now, finished almost all of the Reach map and decided to go to Albion, I used the Bedivere class Escort for that, but as I reached St. Dominic's station I realized I have enough money for the Agravain-class Juggernaught which is a general improvement: a heavy weapon slot, one more auxiliary slot, +30 hull, +3 cargo hold, +2 quarter. But I also heard about the Altani-Class Outrider which has one more auxiliary, more quarter, more cargo hold and is lighter at the cost of a bit less hull and one plating slot less, also I heard the outrider is likely a bit more endgame so I ask. Is there a significant content gap between my current state and the Altani outrider? If I buy the Jugg will my investment be meaningful and is not going to come back to bite my butt as I realize the Altan ioutrider was just around the corner?

9 Comments
2024/11/04
03:11 UTC

4

Anyone have a list of places that buy items at higher prices?

It's been a while since I've played and I can't remember who buys what at better prices, I really don't want to have to go everywhere again to find out and the wiki is no help.

5 Comments
2024/11/03
19:22 UTC

185

A silly little habit I got from this game that made my life better

I've recently started an internship, my first, with a company. The work is draining, and combined with completing my studies has proven a menace for my mental health. I, for example, no longer have time or energy or will to play this game (especially since right now I have arrived for the first time in Eleutheria, low on money and staff, and sense my death is near).
When I finish my shift in the company, I eat in the office and head for the library to study until night. Now, I have the luck of living in Spain, and in my city, there's a great, beautiful cathedral from the glory days. In one of my walks from my office to the library, I saw the gigantic dome of the cathedral rising a couple blocks away, and a thought came to me. "Huh, it's like one of those wonders in sunless skies."

So that day I decided to walk there, stop in front of it, and just look at it for a minute. I had seen it dozens of times, but I guess I never really paid attention to it. I'm not a christian or anything, but the sheer beauty, size and aristry of the building just calmed me, and filled me with gratefulness and wonder. And I felt a little lighter on the shoulders, a little less dreadful.

So now, every single day without fault, I take a little detour in my route to look at my local wonder. And briefly, I am without terror :)

11 Comments
2024/11/01
11:28 UTC

117

How Sunless Skies helped me through my grandfather’s death

This was over a year ago now, but I thought some people might enjoy the story.

Around a year ago, my paternal grandfather passed away from Alzheimers. It was a slow passing, and I had known it was coming for a long time.

We lived overseas from each other so we mainly talked over Skype or FaceTime, but once a year or so, he and my grandmother would fly over and stay with me and my parents for a month or two. Despite the distance, I think I was a lot closer with him than my maternal grandparents who lived just upstate.

When he was first diagnosed, I didn’t like the idea of his life and stories of his childhood being forgotten. Whenever I could, I would ask him stories about his life, and he would tell me of his childhood. But stupidly, I didn’t want to look strange in the moment or bring attention to why I was asking him, so I trusted my memory and told myself I would write down his stories later. I never did.

Fast forward a few years, and his Alzeimher’s had progressed. After some resistance from my grandmother who had been looking after him all this time, she had agreed to move him to an old folk’s home, and visited him almost every day. But the Alzeimher’s kept worsening. He stopped talking, stopped acknowledging anyone, and soon he stopped eating. He would just lie there, still, slowly wasting away. He was given intravenous fluids, but everyone knew it was only a matter of time.

A few weeks later, he passed away, and all the stories of his life were gone.

I had been playing Sunless Skies for a while at this point. I had just completed the Wealth ambition and was tinkering around with the Fame ambition, though none of the captains had made it yet. A few days after my grandfather died, my Locomotive was destroyed by a Curator and I started making a new captain.

As I was looking through the customisation options, I realised that one of the hats was the spitting image of a hat my grandfather would always wear when we went on walks together. In that moment, I made a decision. I redid the customisation, changed my captain’s face silhouette to as close to my grandfather’s as possible, changed their background to the one that best fit my grandfather’s own, and named them with my grandfather’s name. And then, I set out with the Fame ambition. I had failed to preserve my grandfather’s stories in real life, but in Sunless Skies, I could right that wrong.

There was one key rule I gave myself: I only had one chance. If my captain died, I would not customise a new captain after my grandfather. I would not use Alt-f4 to save scum my way back from death. There were no do overs. Just like life.

What followed was the most intense run I have ever done, then or since. I planned out routes meticulously. I prepared twice as many supplies and fuel as I thought I might need on any voyage. The moment I saw a monster larger than a Cantankeri, I would use full evasive manuevers and leave the area as fast as I could.

I couldn’t just stay along safe routes though. I had to write the seven cantos of the Song of the Sky. My grandfather had to become a legend. No cheating with lies about escaping Piranesi. So my captain became the revolutionary of Brabazon, and shattered the empire’s power in the Reach. He found the lost ship of the Parzifal and became a scourge of the greatest monsters of the sky. He mended time itself and explored the depths of the deepest wells in the Sky.

He came close to death so many times. Hull on 5 points after narrowly winning a terrible battle with a Curator or Scrive Spinster. Several times he limped his way into Magdalene’s with terror in the 90s threatening to shatter his mind. But he endured.

As his song began to reach its conclusion, his final act was to defy the very gods no less than 4 times. He sailed through time, through the gulfs between the heavenly regions, and even to the graveyard of the stars, all to spit in their faces and tell them they could not end his tales. That even if they cursed his mind and memories to fade, his Song would remain for generations to come, to be told and retold.

And then he returned to London. He wrote the final Canto. And with that, his journey ended.

I sat back from my computer and breathed a long slow sigh. It had been a few weeks since my grandfather had passed, and soon I would begin a new year. I looked at the photo on my bookshelf of my grandfather holding my younger self in his arms just outside the airport, both of us smiling with pure joy at being reunited. I smiled back at them, and said my final goodbye.

7 Comments
2024/10/29
12:25 UTC

5

How to arrest passanger

Hi so I got the notice that my messenger is a criminal and that I could bring her back ti the station I picked her up from to turn her in for a paycheck.

But I don't have the option to?

So how do I do that?

4 Comments
2024/10/18
16:42 UTC

65

For those interested in trying it out, my sunless skies airship game is now on sale on Steam!

7 Comments
2024/10/13
20:28 UTC

32

Monarch Mod - Testers, Proofreaders and Writers needed!

Hello Skyfarers!

The Monarch mod team is looking for dedicated individuals to join us in three key roles: Testers, Proofreaders and Writers for our upcoming update!

Monarch mod is a comprehensive content addon that enhances Sunless Skies with new storylines, events, an overhauled economy, new enemies and locomotives. You can find us on Nexus Mods - Monarch Mod.

For the 5th update we have drafted/conceptualised a large variety of quests and activities, but our current team turned out to be too smol' to write and implement all the planned stuff at reasonable speed. A long list of features we want help with can be found below.


### 1. Testers \ 5 people at most

A Tester ensures the quality and functionality of the mod:

  • Playing through new content and providing feedback on gameplay mechanics as well as balancing suggestions.

  • Playtesting will last about a month.

  • Identifying bugs and issues.

  • Testers are required for current beta version.

Requirements:

  • Readiness to tinker with installation of the mod every time the beta version is updated.

  • Knowledge how to do save editing (you can find a guide on steam).


### 2. Proofreaders \ 5 people at most

Proofreaders polish the written content:

  • Currently we need proofreaders to do finishing touches for a few large content elements for the current update.

  • Reviewing and editing quests, events, and dialogue for grammar, clarity, and consistency.

Requirements:

  • Having strong command in English

  • Being an English native.

  • Having a solid sense of FBG style.


### 3. Writers \ 5 people at most

Writers write stuff!

  • Currently writers are mainly required to finish some snippets for the current update, then there is a lot of stuff for future updates.

  • Create new quests, locations and activities.

  • Finishing conceptualised stuff.

Requirements:

  • Knowledge of the lore of at least one FBGverse game and familiarity with Skies.

  • Creativity and a sense of FBG style.

  • Provide an example of your works.


If you are interested in contributing to the Monarch mod, please write here and reach out to me via Discord - desblat_17 and tell what would you like to be doing. Writers should also provide an example of their work. I will do my best to answer fast. Cheers!

———

[FEATURES PLANNED FOR THE 5TH UPDATE]

Finished content that needs playtesting

  1. The New Brass Embassy

  2. Dawn Fluke enemy

  3. Special wrecks

  4. Ancient Machine Discovery

  5. Langley Windows Discovery

  6. Eclipse Douser enemy

  7. Nostalgic Frigate player engine

Written stuff for current update that requires proofreading and finishing of some snippets

  1. Picaroon terminus - slaver pirate port in Eleutheria

  2. Kur - alien pirate port in Blue Kingdom

  3. London Espionage

Half-written stuff for next updates:

  1. Unique hailing Albion Locomotives, Tackety, Dousers

  2. Discovery - Spider infestiation

  3. Eleutheria - Khanate/Empyrean/Eleutheria Espionage

  4. Eleutheria - An-com revolutionaries port

  5. Eleutheria - Eclipse-class Douser - player locomotive building questline

  6. Eleutheria - House of Rods and Chains Shapeling Arts add-on

  7. Eleutheria - Extinguishment discovery diving

  8. Albion - Avid Horizon sequencer exile add-on

  9. Enemies looting: Marauder Warchief

Boarding Fleshing-out for next updates:

  1. Seize the vessel and send is somewhere to sell

  2. Unique looting options for faction vessels

Bosses and their looting for next updates:

  1. Discordance locomotive boss

  2. Chronoanomaly dreadnought

——

Yours,

Monarch mod project lead - Desblat

2 Comments
2024/10/13
15:48 UTC

59

Would you recommend Sunless Skies to an old Zeefarer?

I’ve been playing Sunless Sea for about a month now and although I love it (and sink a lot of hours into it - if you’ll excuse the pun) I was wondering if Skies is sufficiently different in terms of mechanics, story threads, etc that it’s worth investing in straight after I hang up my Zee Captain hat?

Or is it basically just a new map with new interactions that I would be better off keeping in my back pocket until I’ve played some other games?

Thank you in advance fellow intrepid explorers.

47 Comments
2024/10/13
15:25 UTC

160

Lower city - Rainfall by Louis Laurent

1 Comment
2024/10/09
14:58 UTC

2

can't sell any items

i don't know exactly when it started, but it must've been when i closed the game to do something and opened it back up. i can't sell any of my items at all, the arrows don't do anything, and if i put in a number manually and click sell, i don't earn any money and the items aren't removed from my hold. i've tried a lot already, reinstall, new saves, deleting the LocalLow Sunless Skies folder and reopen the game, deleting the game's registry and reinstalling it again, and none of that worked.

i've only seen a single other person on the entire internet who's had this same exact problem, but it was fixed for them with a reinstall.

i've tried selling general things as a test such as fuel or supplies both at New Winchester and Port Avon, it didn't work, so it's not like i'm trying to sell things i can't.

2 Comments
2024/10/08
12:04 UTC

23

To those who've played the Monarch mod, how is it? (without spoilers)

A couple of years ago I discovered this game and absolutely loved it until I got to Eleutheria. It seemed to run out of steam for some reason, maybe because I found the gameplay too slow, or that I had already gotten a fully decked out Moloch and there wasn't any more progression except for the story, idk. Two of my playthroughs ended like that.

But I really do want to revisit this game and finish at least the main story ambition. I was looking at the Monarch mod and I wondered if it addressed those issues I had, since it seems to add so much new stuff. Hopefully that stimulates my reptile brain enough so that I can actually enjoy the writing as well.

Till I wait for 5.0, what are y'all's opinions on the mod? (Ideally without spoiling too much, lol)

11 Comments
2024/10/05
22:06 UTC

9

Help! I made a bad misclick…

Hi all! I’m exploring elutheria for my first time, tried the midnight’s favour, and was fascinated by it. Unfortunately I misclicked on the “burn the plant” option… is there going to be any way to reverse this? I’m afraid I threw out a whole storyline :((

7 Comments
2024/10/01
01:47 UTC

39

Stoke the engines. Sail the poopity. Meddle with scoopity.

6 Comments
2024/09/29
18:16 UTC

7

a lightless and flickering soul…

I often wake up with the question of what I'm, or many other questions starting with interrogative pronounces. Now I stop knowing questions as well, lest panicing myself more.

Skies are dark… so dark. And only merciless lights other than darkness. I'm just scared of both.

Blindfolded, both inside and outside, I begin to feel something dark reach me, like a cold touch from where no one sees.

Maybe I need penance. Yes, I need penance. The only thing I know, I need penance.

Good devil lords, please lend me hand and tell me what to do. I here swear my oath to donate my soul after it is cleansed.

1 Comment
2024/09/28
15:45 UTC

10

Ratbite ran away *Spoilers*

I know that old Tom will try to kill me at the well if he doesn’t respect me enough. Assuming he doesn’t, am I screwed without the Ratbite with me?

4 Comments
2024/09/27
04:25 UTC

216

Would anyone watch a Sunless Skies lore series?

Content would cover various locations, cultures, factions etc. I can find a series covering Sunless Seas but nothing of Skies. I feel like I would watch the hell out of such a series if it existed. Anyone else feel this way?

Edited ‘can’t’ to ‘can’

31 Comments
2024/09/19
04:09 UTC

5

Steam VS GOG VS Epic

Is there a difference between different versions? Mainly is there an advantage to getting it on Steam or GOG?

(I have this game on Epic, and I am wondering if I am missing anything without Steam or GOG, such as better port or smoother gameplay).

6 Comments
2024/09/18
14:47 UTC

40

No mods installed. Infinite skill increases at Piranesi. Am I the only one who cheeses this? Does this not happen for you?

18 Comments
2024/09/13
13:19 UTC

10

Piranesi infinite skills--intentional, exploit, or bug?

I've been wondering why this isn't at the very top of everyone's how-to-get-more-stats guides. I looked around and saw that someone else posted about it here two months ago.

Go and get yourself trapped in Piranesi by intentionally breaking one of the rules. Then just keep changing yourself. Each change gives you +5 to one skill, +3 to another, and -5 to another. That's a net +3 every time you change. I think it costs 1 sky story or 1 tale of terror or something really cheap to change. I've gotten myself trapped there twice on purpose now, and I made about 30 or 40 changes each time. I have all of my skills over 100.

Is this intended behavior? Is this just how you're supposed to get through the late game? Or is this a bug?

8 Comments
2024/09/12
19:43 UTC

3

Merch

Since FailBetter Games doesn't run a shop anymore, does anyone know of a place to buy some merch of the game?

3 Comments
2024/09/09
14:11 UTC

93

Was a little iffy about Full Steam (especially after crashing immediately when trying it for the first time). But. I understand now. I'm putting thrusters to max for every journey in the Reach. Flooring the pedal for a jaunt to the grocery store. None of that snail's pace on MY engine.

10 Comments
2024/09/09
06:51 UTC

27

Where is Well of the Wolf?

21 Comments
2024/09/07
12:51 UTC

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