On a Heist (Guide)

From Fallen London Wiki
Ladybonessmall.png Early MYN Content and Onwards
Sneaky.png
On a Heist Summary
Locked Limited-Length Activity
Setup Progress End
1 A 3++ A 1 A
Progress

Details

Raise The Burglar's Progress to 5 before Cat-Like Tread hits 0.
Items Inputs/Outputs
Start-up

And for some Heists also:

Boosting

Casing... 10 CP:

Casing... 5 CP:

On the Heist

Outputs
Raw EPA 4.53 Raw SPA -

See On a Heist (Guide)/Cards for a breakdown of the cards you encounter during the heist

This Guide will cover the mechanics behind heists, which are available from the Plan a Heist area of The Flit. While on a heist, you draw from a unique deck of opportunity cards and attempt to raise The Burglar's Progress to at least 5 without reducing Cat-Like Tread to 0.

Heists are part of the A Name Whispered in Darkness section of the Making Your Name storyline, and are also a means of obtaining a variety of useful items, including some that are much more costly or difficult to obtain elsewhere.

Preparation[edit]

Preparing for a heist involves choosing a target, raising Casing..., and purchasing advantages (optional). Depending on the heist, you might also want to equip items to boost certain stats, or have certain qualities.

Choose a target[edit]

You can choose from the available targets at Planning a Heist. Depending on the target, you'll encounter different levels of Target Security:.

  1. Shuttered: Cards contain Luck challenges and opportunities to use advantages. Experienced players may not need extra preparation.
  2. Triple-bolted: Some no-risk cards are replaced with Luck challenges. It's probably a good idea to bring some Inside Information for everyone, just in case.
  3. Well-Guarded: Additional replacement of cards with more difficult ones, including options with challenges above Shadowy 100. You'll probably want extra preparations.
  4. Perilous: More replacement cards, now with challenges requiring advanced (MAGCATS) skills. Don't do these heists unprepared.

Certain opportunity cards will only appear when the target is a particular security level. Additionally, some targets require Favours or other items in order to attempt. If you're after a specific reward, you'll also want to check the Loot section below.

Available Targets
Target Requires Security
The House on Cubit Square Shuttered
The offices of Baseborn & Fowlingpiece Triple-Bolted
The Balustraded House in Elderwick 5 x Favours: Criminals Triple-Bolted
The Circumspect Envoy's Townhouse No Purloined Paperwork Triple-Bolted
Making Your Name: the records office in Concord Square A Name Whispered in Darkness exactly 5 Triple-Bolted
The home of an Admiral's Widow 3 x Favours: The Docks Well-Guarded
The mansion of an Unsympathetic Landlord Shadowy 100 Well-Guarded
The Museum of Prelapsarian History (Heist) Well-Guarded
The townhouse of a Discerning Deviless 5 x Favours: Criminals

A Deviless' Address

Perilous
The shaded estate on Hemlock Row Hiding Place of a Peculiar Item

Shadowy 200

Perilous

Build up Casing[edit]

To embark on any heist, you need to build up Casing... to at least 5. Building up more Casing will enable you to purchase advantages, which can help you avoid failing the heist or unlock advantageous options.

There are a variety of ways to raise Casing under Preparing for a Big Score, but Casing you raise in other areas can also be applied here. Consult the Casing guide for a full list of sources.

Ideally, you don't want to build up more Casing than you need, as it will be reset when you start the heist. You only need 15 CP (required to start any heist) + however much you want to spend on advantages. Refer to the Casing guide to determine how best to get the amount of Casing you want without wasting actions.

Purchase advantages[edit]

Once you've raised Casing to 5, you can Get ready for your Heist!, which gives you a chance to purchase various advantages. If purchasing any of these options causes your Casing to drop below 5, you'll need to raise it up again before you can actually embark on the heist.

  • Purchase Escape Routes ( 10 CP Casing...): Lets you escape from the heist at any time without getting caught. However it unlocks the bad card A Nosy Caretaker which forces you to lose the route (but make 1 Burglar's Progress) or risk a loss of Cat-Like Tread. You might want to purchase one of these the first time you embark on a heist so you have breathing room while you're learning the mechanics, but purchasing them for subsequent heists is suboptimal.
  • Purchase Inside Information ( 5 CP Casing...): Unlocks advantageous options on a number of cards. This is a good purchase, and 2 should be enough to finish a job successfully unless you draw very unfortunately.
  • Purchase a copy of an Intriguing Key ( 5 CP Casing...): Similarly to Inside Information, unlocks advantageous options on some cards. As there are fewer cards that use those, it is generally more useful to purchase Inside Information instead, but purchasing a single key can be worthwhile as some of the card results from using this key result in bonus loot (generally Diamonds).

How many advantages should I purchase?[edit]

Generally as many as you feel comfortable with; which for most players is from 3 to 5; as the consequences of getting caught are quite harsh. Another factor to consider is whether or not you're going for ...Mr Baseborn's Papers, if you are then purchasing 5 advantages virtually guarantees that you'll get the 7 Burglar's Progress needed no matter how badly you draw.

All in all, for normal heists the most action optimal option is to purchase 3 advantages; either 3 x Inside Information or 2 x Inside Information and 1 x Intriguing Key.

Equipment[edit]

When you're on a heist, you won't be able to change your outfit. Make sure you're equipped to handle the challenges in the heist you've chosen (by referring to the cards associated with that level of Target Security). Some general tips:

  • For triple-bolted targets, you may want a modified Shadowy of at least 100, not for challenges, but rather because having 100 Shadowy unlocks options that you otherwise cannot take, for triple-bolted and below your equipment should focus on maximizing Dreaded instead of Shadowy. For Well-Guarded and Perilous targets, modified shadowy up to 200 is an advantage as you start to receive actual Shadowy challenges at this level.
  • If you have Dreaded equipment, this can be helpful on the card A Burly Night-Watchman (you'll need Dreaded 3 to attempt it, and Dreaded 10 to 100% the check). If you own an Untrained Lyrebird, you can deploy that instead (without needing it equipped), so there's no need to worry about your Dreaded.
  • Having Connected: The Duchess 20 opens a good option on A Talkative Cat.
  • Having an exit route unlocks a bad card, meaning it's not a good idea to get exit routes if you don't need them.
  • On Perilous heists, The Sleeping... Dogs? card requires either Monstrous Anatomy 12 to 100%, or Shapeling Arts 8 and Inside Information.
  • Also on Perilous heists, the card An Intricate Lock has an option to either use up an Intriguing Key, or attempt a Glasswork challenge (needing Glasswork 12 to 100%).

The Heist[edit]

(cards)
View all the cards available while On a Heist

During the heist, you will need to raise The Burglar's Progress to 5 (or 7, if targeting Baseborn & Fowlingpiece and attempting Mr Baseborn's Papers), without losing all 3 of your initial Cat-Like Tread. You do this by drawing from a unique opportunity deck of non-discardible cards; consult that guide for a full list of available cards and some strategy tips for what to play when.

There are three ways a heist can end:

  • Winning: After acquiring 5 Burglar's Progress, you will draw A Prize Achieved! with ubiquitous frequency. You usually need to draw around two cards until you get it. This and Fleeing will later send you to After the Burglary which removes heist-related qualities and items and gives Suspicion and Making Waves. Check the page for details.
  • Fleeing: Either by using your Escape Route or certain options on cards, you can end the heist without loot but also without...
  • Getting Caught: Without any points of Cat-Like Tread left all cards and storylets are disabled but one where you try to get Up and away! Here you will get 4 CP to Suspicion or instantly gain Suspicion 9 in an either way luck challenge. This usually means you would go to prison, but you can avoid this by having another player accept already sent requests to cover for you before clicking onwards. Imprisoned or not, you do not gain anything but infamy.

The Loot[edit]

Options on A Prize Achieved! depend on what place you decided to burgle.

The records office in Concord Square[edit]

Once only, as part of A Name Whispered in Darkness

The House on Cubit Square[edit]

The offices of Baseborn & Fowlingpiece[edit]

Note: The estimated odds for a rare success at the Sealed Archive have changed. With the current odds of getting a Searing Enigma apparently around 18.24%, the Sealed Archive version of this heist is worth E 27.752 on average: (8 x 2.50 x 0.8176) + (62.50 x 0.1824). This is closer to the value for Mr Baseborn's Papers (E 27) than it has been in the past; therefore, the Sealed Archive is likely to have a better EPA (as it requires less Burglar's Progress).

The Balustraded House in Elderwick[edit]

Both options yield 10 x 0.50 + 25 x 0.10 + 12.50 + 12.50 = E 32.50.

Option Rewards
Keep her secret. It's only fair. 10 x Ostentatious Diamond
25 x Surface-Silk Scrap
1 x Magnificent Diamond
1 x Puzzle-Damask Scrap
Expose her 10 x Ostentatious Diamond
25 x Surface-Silk Scrap
1 x Favour in High Places
1 x Puzzle-Damask Scrap

The Circumspect Envoy's Townhouse[edit]

Sets Purloined Paperwork quality to 1, 2, 3 or 4 depending on the chosen prize, which can be traded in at After a Heist: The Trade in Secrets for one of several varieties of items, each totaling E 30 Echoes (or E 27.5 Echoes and a Favour):

Option Rewards
Deliver to the Glass: any Paperwork 2 x Live Specimen
1 x Puzzling Map
1 x Silent Soul
Deliver to the Brass Embassy: Paperwork 1–3 6 x Muscaria Brandy
1 x Brass Ring
1 x Favours: Hell
Trade with the Ambassador: Paperwork 1 (scrolls about the Kingdom of Vesture) 2 x Vital Intelligence
2 x Unprovenanced Artefact
Trade with the Ambassador: Paperwork 2 (a series on the succession laws of Arbor) 1 x Favour in High Places
1 x Magnificent Diamond
10 x Memory of Distant Shores
Trade with the Ambassador: Paperwork 3 (the vellum book on the Rosers) 2 x Presbyterate Passphrase
1 x Favour in High Places
1 x Vital Intelligence
Trade with the Ambassador: Paperwork 4 (a set of wax tablets, inscribed with ancient treaties) 1 x Ancient Hunting Rifle
1 x Antique Mystery
5 x Dubious Testimony
1 x Unprovenanced Artefact

The Vault of Impounded Contraband in Concord Square[edit]

The home of an Admiral's Widow[edit]

One Justificande Coin is needed to Buy your way in to your own Lab (along with other requirements) at The University. Certain other endgame content requires them as well. The total sale value of the items for this heist, minus the coins, is E 25.60 Echoes. This Heist requires 3 x Favours: The Docks.

The townhouse of a Discerning Deviless, where she keeps her souls[edit]

The mansion of an Unsympathetic Landlord[edit]

The hiding-place of a precious treasure[edit]

The Museum of Prelapsarian History[edit]

Retrieved from "https://fallenlondon.wiki/w/index.php?title=On_a_Heist_(Guide)&oldid=1256785"