Zailing (Guide)
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Early POSI Content |
This guide tries to cover the basic mechanics of zailing. For more info on the locations you may reach (and why you would go there), see the location guide.
This guide does not cover piracy, which alters the mechanics of many of the opportunity cards when zailing. See Piracy (Guide) for that.
Getting a ship[edit]
In order to own a ship, you must be A Person of Some Importance -. Until then, you may travel to Polythreme via A Ticket to Polythreme at the Wolfstack Docks, or to Mutton Island via Board (only during the Fruits of the Zee Festival).
Once you're a PoSI, you can start working towards Acquiring a Ship. The PoSI Item Crafting guide includes details on getting ships. It is generally recommended to start with the Rusty Tramp Steamer, as the Clipper, Zub, and Yacht are significantly more expensive. It is possible to trade in ships at any time.
Majestic Pleasure Yacht has
Zailing Speed +55 and
Luxurious +1. It also has
Respectable +2.
Rusty Tramp Steamer has
Zailing Speed +45
Swift Zee-Clipper has
Zailing Speed +75. This is the fastest ship available.
Zubmarine has
Zailing Speed +55 and
Zubmersibility +1. It also has
Bizarre +1.
The Cladery Heart has
Zailing Speed +75 and
Dreaded +1, but it was only obtainable during Sunless Sea's Kickstarter, when backing at the Navigator Pack level or higher. Allows you to safely dock it while using another ship in its place.
Zailing Speed is a measure of how fast your ship is.
Zubmersibility allows safer passage on several cards and
Luxurious open branches that give more material rewards than usual.
Which ship should I get?[edit]
As a new player it may be hard to decide which ship to get. This may also be hard as an experienced player. This section covers the benefits of the different ships in the midgame, before piracy. See Piracy (Guide) for an overview relevant for the endgame. In order to decide, here's what each ship tells about you as a player:
What does my ship say about me?
- I can't really afford any of the other ships yet
- I haven't decided what I want to do with my ship.
- A ship is a way to avoid swimming (although it's probably equally fast)
- I use my yacht for hosting parties and cruises more than for actual zailing
- I need as much BDR / Respectable as I can get for Paramount Presence, Khaganian Intrigue or other goals
- I wanted the discount for
Ambition: Light Fingers!
- Why travel in a boat when you can cruise in a yacht?
- I can zail for days without needing to resupply, and my vessel will always be safe against Zee monsters.
- I'm an eccentric gentleperson with refined taste
- A proper ship is a means to explore the entire Unterzee - not just the surface
- When zailing I'm all about the speed. Why spend time to avoid enemy ships if you can outpace them?
- I don't care about BDR, I just want to reach my target as fast as possible
- A ship is a means of getting from A to B in the least amount of actions.
Category | ![]() |
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Cost of acquirement | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Base Speed | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Extra and improved actions at Zee | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
Profit at Zee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Stats | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Overall Score | 7 | 10 | 11 | 10 |
Non-piracy actions unlocked with specific ships:
- Specific options in
Shepherd's Wash (link),
Stormbones (link) and
The Sea of Voices (link)
- Option when encountering a Killing Wind with
Troubled Waters 4+ (link)
- An extra option when hunting Zee-beasts (link)
- A somewhat profitable option in
Home Waters and
Shepherd's Wash at the cost of speed (3.4 EPA) (link)
- A combined profitable and fast option in
The Sea of Voices (link)
- Big discount when doing
Ambition: Light Fingers!
- Added options on 2 cards with
Troubled Waters 4+, one in
The Sea of Voices (link) and one while
Zailing the Unterzee (link)
- Easier challenges on 7 cards, 3 in
Stormbones (1, 2, 3), one with high
Suspicion (link), 2 in
Shepherd's Wash (1, 2).
Gaining progress[edit]
Zailing is done on non-discardable opportunity cards. Most cards will provide Zailing... equal to your ship's
Zailing Speed and half of that on some failures and other options. They might also give you menaces (see the menace section) or material rewards. For zailing to a new region, you will either zail with the currents or against them. The currents go counter-clockwise on the map, as can be seen on the model below. Experienced zailors may also zail through the Snares (DON'T DO THIS EARLY ON). Once you have reached your region you will zail directly to your new location.
If your destination is in the same region as you, you will need 80 Zailing... and not gain any
Zee Legs. Otherwise, you will need 160 or 220
Zailing... and gain
1 x Zee Legs per region on your way, except for your destination region, where you will only need 80. Discounting currents, this means that returning to
Home Waters (the easiest region) even from safe ports is generally a bit more difficult than leaving from there but don't fret -- everybody returns to London eventually.
The table below shows how much progress is needed to reach the next region or your chosen area. Options that give half speed are considered 0.5 actions.
Zailing direction | ![]() |
Actions to next region/your area | |||
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Along the Currents | 160 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 |
Against the Currents | 220 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Direct route | 80 | 2 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Through the Snares | 160 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 |
The Broad Unterzee is divided in several different regions. Each has its own difficulty, also known as Zee Peril. Most broad challenges in main attributes (
Watchful,
Shadowy etc.) are equal to Zee Peril. Some narrow challenges against skills (e.g.
Kataleptic Toxicology) using a logistic relationship to Zee Peril[1]. Some challenges do not adjust difficulty by region, notably the one that tests against
Zeefaring.
Region (Current 🠗) | ![]() |
Narrow Challenge | Notes |
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100 | 3 | |
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110 | 3 | ![]() |
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150 | 5 | |
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200 | 9 |
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210 | 9 |
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110 | 3 | ![]() |
Between the regions | |||
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250 | 12 |
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- ↑ The exact formula appears to be:
Locations[edit]
The following table shows the different areas, based on region and additional requirements or notes. See the location guide for a more in-depth guide to the locations. Safe ports remove Troubled Waters and all zee-threat qualities upon docking.
Location | Zee Location | Requirements / Notes | Safe Dock? |
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✔[3] | |
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✘ |
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✘ |
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SMEN 77 | ✔[4] |
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✘ |
- ↑ Sorting by this will also group by area, so that you can easily find the closest safe dock.
- ↑ Moves you to
Your Lodgings
- ↑ Moves you to
Your Lodgings via
The Chapel of Lights
- ↑ Also removes your ship and
An Explorer of the Unterzee -
Hunting Locations[edit]
As these aren't docks, they will not reset Troubled Waters. All hunts require
Making Progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 16. See Hunting the Beasts of the Zee (Guide) for details.
Location | Zee Location | Requirements / Notes |
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No ![]() |
Discovering locations[edit]
In order to see a location on the Zee map (and subsequently travel there), you need to have first discovered those locations. For the locations where this is mentioned as a requirement, there are typically different ways to do this.
Port Cecil is discovered by one of two methods. You need
Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery either way, as well as either drawing an opportunity card in
Stormbones, or spending
Partial Maps.
Godfall is discovered by one of two methods. You may either draw a card in
Shepherd's Wash and spend some wine to gain access, or you may spend a
Relatively Safe Zee Lane at Wolfstack, as long as you have
Making Progress in the Labyrinth of Tigers 16.
Mangrove College is discovered by passing by. This typically involves travelling to any location in the Sea of Voices.
the Khanate is discovered by one of several actions. You may either pass by. This typically involves travelling to the Sea of Voices, and then switching destination to London and zailing with the currents. Alternatively, there's an option when looking at
Salt Steppe Atlases that requires some
Zeefaring, as well as an option from the story in
Balmoral.
Gaider's Mourn is discovered by spending a
Relatively Safe Zee Lane on A Return to Terra Firma at
base Zeefaring 5. In order to actually mark the Mourn as a destination, you will also have to zail through
The Snares once on other business, but nothing is preventing you from switching destination to the Mourn once you've reached the Snares.
- It seems like Irem will use discovered qualities in some way or another as well, once it's released.
Menaces[edit]
The Broad Unterzee is full of menaces. Some of these are just general menaces, while some are more specific. These qualities (except for Wounds and
Nightmares) are all removed when docking at a safe dock.
Note that Zee-Menace cards are Urgent, meaning that they will always be drawn before other Zee-cards if eligible. If you have more than one Zee Menace with Troubled Waters 7, you will not be able to draw other cards. Zee-Menace cards have a dark green (or black) border, showing that these are sinister cards.
- If it reaches 7, you will begin to draw cards depending on the other menace qualities you have.
- If it reaches 8: Tuesday, __th of ____, ____. This will give you
A Demise at Zee: and either kill you or make you mad. The exact manner depends on your other menaces. After you have returned to London, you can regain access to your ship by meeting the crew at
Wolfstack Docks at the cost of a single action. Note that this will take precedence to arriving at your destination.
- Gained when your crew experience
certain hungers that will not easily be filled.
- Prevents you from choosing options on some opportunity cards.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: A Worrying Appetite
- Gained when Zee-monsters notice you.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: Signs of Pursuit
- Gained when your crew is afraid of something.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: A Growing Concern
- Gained when damaging your ship.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: Taking in Water
- Gained by disrespecting your crew.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: Signs of Disloyalty
- Connected to piracy.
- Together with Troubled Waters 7: Zeeborne Pariahs
- When Nightmares reaches 8, you will go mad as usual. Storylet: Into Dark Water
- When Wounds reaches 8, you will take a trip to the river, after first visiting the Fathom-King. Storylet: Thursday, __th of ____, ____
Menace | Card | Check | Other Option |
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A Worrying Appetite | ![]() |
Requires ![]() |
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Signs of Pursuit | ![]() |
Spend ![]() ![]() |
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A Growing Concern | ![]() |
Spend ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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Taking in Water | ![]() |
Spend ![]() ![]() |
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Signs of Disloyalty | ![]() |
Spend ![]() ![]() |
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Zeeborne Pariahs | ![]() |
Spend ![]() ![]() |
Dream Qualities[edit]
The wind qualities allow you to dream new dreams in London. Actions first increase the wind qualities by 4 CP, then by 1 CP per card. Conveniently the cards that initially raise the wind qualities have a blue border. The wind qualities do not reset when docking and once you have experienced the winds for the first time, more cards will increase it. Each finished dream storyline will give you an Oneiric Pearl, reset the storyline and grant a special quality that will allow you to dismiss the related dream and clear its wind once you draw the card again - or you may keep dreaming for more
Pearls.
Rosy Colours Leaping on the Wall work slightly different in that the dream cards are drawn at zee and require a quality from an equipped hat instead of a wind quality. Instead of providing a
Pearl, it produces
Whirring Contraptions. The first cycle gives a lot more contraptions than subsequent cycles.
- Initially gained in
Shepherd's Wash by fixing a looking-glass on the Mountain of Light. Subsequently also increased by other cards.
- Starts
Having Recurring Dreams: I Shot the Albatross in London
- Finishing the storyline takes 11 cards in London and gives a total of 15 CP
Nightmares
- Initially gained in
Stormbones by listening to the Wind of the North. Subsequently also available from other cards.
- Starts
Having Recurring Dreams: Betwixt Us and the Sun in London
- Finishing the storyline takes 11 cards in London and gives a total of 16-19 CP
Nightmares
- Initially gained in
The Salt Steppe when fixing a looking-glass on the Eastern horizon. Subsequently also available from other cards.
- Starts
Having Recurring Dreams: Upon a Painted Sea in London
- Finishing the storyline takes 11 cards in London and doesn't increase
Nightmares
- Delighted is unlocked in Evolution pt. 4 at Godfall, and drawing the cards requires keeping your
Shattered Mask equipped at Zee.
- Starts
Having Recurring Dreams: Rosy Colours Leaping on the Wall while
Zailing the Unterzee
- Finishing the storyline takes 8 cards at Zee and gives a total of 21 CP
Nightmares
Opportunity Cards[edit]
See this page for a list of all the opportunity cards at Zee.
Minimizing Troubled Waters[edit]
Below are the cards that do not increase Troubled Waters. Options that have a Challenge won't increase Troubled Waters on a success, but usually do increase it on failure, unless specified otherwise. Some cards also actually decrease Troubled Waters, whereas others just give 0 CP.
All Zee Menace cards (dark green or black borders) also always reduce Troubled Waters, except for one option on A Worrying Appetite.
Somewhat ironically, one way to avoid accumulating to much Troubled Waters is to travel through the Snares instead of around. For example, going from the Salt Steppes to London along the current would take you along the Pillared See, which is just somewhat safer than going through the snares. But afterwards you will have to pass through Stormbones, giving you additional chances to lose your mind or becoming dinner. {{Citation needed}}
Zeefaring[edit]
Whenever you leave a region, you gain 1 x Zee Legs. These can be expended in
Wolfstack Docks to improve your skill in Zeefaring. The required amount of Zee legs required increases based on the table below.
Zeefaring is required in order to trace a route through the snares, which is often useful for shortcuts. Zeefaring is also used on several opportunity cards at zee, especially when doing piracy. Zee Legs can also be used to assemble
Cartographer's Hoard.
Zeefaring Ztudies increases the cap past 5. This is first unlocked by doing some storylets in
Gaider's Mourn. See Piracy (Guide) for more info.
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Desired level | |||||
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Starting level ↓ | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
0 | 56 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
1 | 55 | 34 | 19 | 9 | 3 | |
2 | 52 | 31 | 16 | 6 | ||
3 | 46 | 25 | 10 | |||
4 | 36 | 15 | ||||
5 | 21 |