Zailing (Guide)

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

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?

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?

Rusty Tramp Steamer

• 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)

Majestic Pleasure Yacht

• 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?

Zubmarine

• 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

Swift Zee-Clipper

• 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.

Ratings of each ship for mid-level zailing (1-3, high is better).

Category	Rusty Tramp Steamer	Majestic Pleasure Yacht	Zubmarine	Swift Zee-Clipper
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:

Zubmarine

• 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)

Majestic Pleasure Yacht

• 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!

Swift Zee-Clipper

• 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

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	Zailing... needed	Actions to next region/your area
		Rusty Tramp Steamer	Majestic Pleasure Yacht	Zubmarine	Swift Zee-Clipper
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. Some challenges do not adjust difficulty by region, notably the one that tests against Zeefaring.

Region (Current 🠗)	Zee Peril	Narrow Challenge	Notes
Home Waters	100	3
Shepherd's Wash	110	3	Southern Wind is found here
The Sea of Voices	150	5
The Salt Steppe	200	9	Eastern Wind is found here Passing by gives Discovered: The Khanate
The Pillared Sea	210	9	Find an Unexploded Mine here with Renown: The Docks 40 Passing by gives Discovered: Irem
Stormbones	110	3	Northern Wind is found here
Between the regions
The Snares	250	12	Requires Zeefaring 3 Passing by gives Discovered: Corsairs' Forest

Locations

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.

Locations that can be visited more than once

Location	Zee Location	Requirements / Notes	Safe Dock?
Abbey Rock	Shepherd's Wash	Ambition: Bag a Legend! 44	✔
Apis Meet	Shepherd's Wash	FATE Flint	✔
Bullbone Island	Home Waters	Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery 3	✘
The Chapel of Lights	Stormbones	SMEN 49 A Book of Crimson Prayer	✔
Corpsecage Island	Stormbones	Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery 3 Has a separate option for Ambition: Heart's Desire!	✘
The Court of the Wakeful Eye	Shepherd's Wash	Associating with Radical Academics 20	✔
Gaider's Mourn	The Snares	Discovered: Corsairs' Forest Discovered: Gaider's Mourn	✘
Godfall	Shepherd's Wash	Discovered: Godfall	✘
Grunting Fen	The Sea of Voices	Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery 3 Screaming Map	✘
Hunter's Keep	Home Waters		✘
The Iron Republic	Shepherd's Wash	Iron Republic Safe-Conduct	✘
Khan's Heart	The Salt Steppe	Discovered: The Khanate	✔
London	Home Waters		✔
Mangrove College	The Sea of Voices	Discovered: Mangrove College	✘
Mutton Island	Home Waters		✔
Polythreme	The Sea of Voices	Screaming Map	✔
Port Carnelian	Shepherd's Wash	Imperial Legitimacy	✔
Port Cecil	Stormbones	Discovered: The Principles of Coral	✘
The Tomb Colonies	Stormbones	FATE All Things Must End	✘

One-time and similar locations

Location	Zee Location	Requirements / Notes	Safe Dock?
The Approach to the Mountain	Shepherd's Wash	SMEN 63 The Hollow Heart	✔
Avid Horizon	Stormbones	Embarked on a Sanctioned Expedition to the North	✘
Cline	Shepherd's Wash	Associating with Radical Academics exactly 100	✘
NORTH	Stormbones	SMEN 77	✔
Your Flotilla	Home Waters	Ambition: Light Fingers! 51-64	✘

Hunting Locations

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
Feral Crocodile Hunting Grounds	Home Waters	Monstrous Anatomy 5
Angler Crab Spawning Grounds	Shepherd's Wash	Estimated Angler Crab Population Base Monstrous Anatomy 1
Lifeberg Hunting Grounds	The Salt Steppe The Sea of Voices	Remaining Mass of the Ravenous Lifeberg Base Monstrous Anatomy 1
Plated Seal Spawning Grounds	Stormbones	No Plated Seals

Discovering locations

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

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.

Troubled Waters

• 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.

Rumbling Stomachs

• 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

Silent Stalker

• Gained when Zee-monsters notice you.
• Together with Troubled Waters 7: Signs of Pursuit

Creeping Fear

• Gained when your crew is afraid of something.
• Together with Troubled Waters 7: A Growing Concern

Groaning Hull

• Gained when damaging your ship.
• Together with Troubled Waters 7: Taking in Water

Mutinous Whispers

• Gained by disrespecting your crew.
• Together with Troubled Waters 7: Signs of Disloyalty

Unwelcome on the Waters

• Connected to piracy.
• Together with Troubled Waters 7: Zeeborne Pariahs

Nightmares

• When Nightmares reaches 8, you will go mad as usual. Storylet: Into Dark Water

Wounds

• When Wounds reaches 8, you will take a trip to the river, after first visiting the Fathom-King. Storylet: Thursday, __th of ____, ____

Zee-Menace Cards at a Glance

Menace	Card	Check	Other Option
Rumbling Stomachs	A Worrying Appetite		Requires 1  Unaccountably Peckish
Silent Stalker	Signs of Pursuit		Spend 10 x Deep-zee Catch, gain Rumbling Stomachs and is locked on it
Creeping Fear	A Growing Concern		Spend 1 x Crate of Incorruptible Biscuits, 100 x Foxfire Candle Stub, 100 x Bottle of Greyfields 1882, gain Rumbling Stomachs
Groaning Hull	Taking in Water		Spend 500 x Nevercold Brass Sliver, gain Creeping Fear
Mutinous Whispers	Signs of Disloyalty		Spend 250 x Shard of Glim and 250 x Moon-Pearl
Unwelcome on the Waters	Zeeborne Pariahs		Spend 50 x Inkling of Identity, gain Mutinous Whispers

Dream Qualities

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.

Southern Wind

• 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

Northern Wind

• 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

Eastern Wind

• 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 + 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

See this page for a list of all the opportunity cards at Zee.

Minimizing Troubled Waters

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}}

All Regions	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
A Corvette of Her Majesty's Navy	Exchange pleasantries via semaphore		Suspicion < 5	-2 CP	Speed
A Giant Angler Crab	Full reverse! Turn us away!	Shadowy			Speed/2
	Ready the guns and fire at its soft spots	Monstrous Anatomy		-2 CP	Speed
A Huge Terrible Beast of the Unterzee!	Delicious, delicious lumps	Dangerous			Speed	+1 x UP Gives Rumbling Stomachs
A Navigation Error	Correct your course	Watchful			Speed
	Listen to the Zee	Zeefaring			Speed
	Let your own star guide you	Persuasive	A False-Star of your Own	-5 CP on success, 0 CP on failure	Speed
A Spit of Land	Stop briefly at the island	Luck (50%)		-2 CP	Speed/2
	FATE-locked		The Cladery Heart	-1 CP	Speed
Passing a Lightship	Stop and exchange news		7 x Zee-Ztory		None
	Zail on				Speed
Rats in the hold	Negotiate with them	Persuasive			Speed
	Go on a rat-catching expedition		A Notched Bone Harpoon or Ratting Piece		Speed
The Killing Wind	Make ready to dive		Zubmersibility	-2 CP	Speed
What do the Drownies Sing?	Cure the ignorance of your zailors	Kataleptic Toxicology	A Faceted Decanter of Drownie Effluvia	-5 CP	Speed
Your False-Star	Navigate by the light of your star		Looked Upon Fondly	-5 CP	Speed
Home Waters	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
She's Going Down!	Stop and rescue them			-2 CP	None
A Steamer full of Passengers	Invite them aboard for a party		Luxurious		None	+2 CP  Scandal
Shepherd's Wash	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
A Steamer full of Passengers	Invite them aboard for a party		Luxurious		None	+2 CP  Scandal
The Wax-Wind	Shut off the engines and hide belowdecks			-2 CP	None
	Dive!		Zubmersibility	-1 CP	Speed
Row, row, row	Zail on by	Speed			Speed
	Brawl with the monks	Dangerous			None
Stormbones	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
A Tiny Coral Island	What's that down there?		Zubmersibility	-2 CP	Speed
	Recognise its shape	Shapeling Arts			Speed
A Wind from the North	Keep your crew on course	Persuasive			Speed
	Help them	Dangerous			Speed
Sighting a Lifeberg	Keep your distance; make observations	Watchful			Speed/2
	Zail quickly past the lifeberg	Speed			Speed	+2 CP  Nightmares
	Ram the lifeberg and claim a piece of it!		A Notched Bone Harpoon		None
A Mountain of the Unterzee	FATE-locked		The Cladery Heart	-1 CP	Speed
The Sea of Voices	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
Crossing Paths	Hail the ship and have a chat with the captain			-2 CP	Speed/2
Meeting a Local Steamer	Hail the steamer to exchange news			-2 CP	Speed/2
	I say, must you do that?		Luxurious	-1 CP	Speed
The Iceberg	Have a look around under the iceberg		Zubmersibility	-2 CP	Speed
The Salt Steppe	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
A Chelonite Hunting Ketch	Hail them and purchase a bag of assorted bones		500 x Moon-Pearl 500 x Shard of Glim		None
	Offer to help a Sharp Hunter		Chirurgical Touch		None
	Hail them and exchange stories		10 x Zee-Ztory		None
	Regale them with tales of your own hunts		A Notched Bone Harpoon 10 x Tale of Terror!!	-4 CP	None
A Distant Gleam	Measure the measureless	Artisan of the Red Science			Speed	+1 CP  Nightmares
A Khaganian Patrol Vessel	Give them a wide berth	Shadowy			Speed
	Brazenly hail them	Persuasive			Speed/2
	Record their position		Shrine to Saint Joshua		Speed/2
The Pillared Sea	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
Becalmed	Look into the glassy water (50%)	Luck			Speed/2	+1-4 CP Nightmares
	Cross the threshold		Glasswork Parabolan Base-Camp No The Mirror's Hunger		Redirects to Drowning (which then redirects to Your Lodgings, and gives +7-8 CP Wounds and sets The Mirror's Hunger to 1 or 2)
Of the Pillars	You will look towards her shores	Luck (90%)		-2 CP	Speed
	You will turn your helm away from her				Speed/2
	You will change currency		25 x  Justificande Coin		Speed
The Snares	Option	Challenge	Requirements	TW Loss	Zailing... Progress	Menaces [Collapse]
Navigating the Snares	Slow and steady does it				Speed/2

Zeefaring

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.

Zee Legs	Desired level
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