The SOS Training Lessons

[gingerbred.livejournal.com]

This is long, but it really isn't as bad as it seems. Do NOT panic. It's broken down into a series of manageable bites. You'll probably want to prioritise the things in red. Also, to prepare for any upcoming event, you can also prioritise skills that will affect the Family involved. There's a link to spreadsheet at the bottom of this post that will make it easier for you to search for those skills in your lesson trees.

The new SOS Training Page is similar to our Profession Lessons. Unlike the Profession Lessons, some of the available skills unlock only once you've reached a certain Level in the game. At that point one node (and the associated skill) is free, and the others at that level can be 'purchased' as usual. We do so by spending Field Guides (FG), Ministry Manuals (MM), Restricted Section Books (RSB), and DADA Books (DADA) to gain new skills and become more powerful. This guide is focused on how to maximise getting more of things to spend, because any other skills you'd like to achieve on the Training page depend on those currencies. The more you have, the more you can get. There may be better ways for you to level up by focusing on XP exclusively, say, but this should help you more across the board, and XP is sure to follow from that. Also, if you are chronically resource challenged, you may wish to focus on Inns or Greenhouses first, but if you can hold off a little, continuing as you have until now, this will get you more FG and MM, and they'll help you reach all of your goals sooner. Spend what you can to pursue a specific goal comfortably and then move on to the next one.

So how do we get the new currencies?

Earning FG is pretty straight forward, just return lots of Foundable Traces (especially higher threat Foundable Traces) to earn more of those. The higher the threat level, the more FG you'll earn. TFTD, Dark Detectors at Inns, and strategic use of our brand new Trace Charm all will allow us to collect bunches of those. Whether you prioritise higher threat Foundables or simply encountering lots of Foundables to achieve this will depend on your play style and location. Earning RSB and DADA also seems fairly self-explanatory: as with RSB this past year, continue to complete (Brilliant) Event Tasks to earn more of those. We can't greatly affect the rate we'll earn those two other than making sure to complete events, however accruing more MM seems like it will require a more nuanced approach.


To help put things into perspective, here are some of the currently known values for earning MM:

Placing Fortress Foundables (any Foundable you earn at a Fortress, including Family Foundables) in your Registries:
Common Frame - 0 Ministry Manuals
Bronze Frame - 1 Ministry Manual
Silver Frame - 2 Ministry Manuals
Gold Frame - 3 Ministry Manuals

Placing Trace Foundables in your Registries:
Brilliant Foundables - 0 Ministry Manuals
Medium Trace, Gold Frame - 9 Ministry Manuals
Severe Trace, Gold Frame - 35 Ministry Manuals
Emergency Trace, Gold Frame - 55 Ministry Manuals

The 0 MM for Brilliant Event Foundables is in keeping with the 0 MM for the Fortress Foundables placed in Common Frames. (Keep in mind we never prestige those pages.) At a glance, we can see that placing Emergency Trace Foundables appears to be the best way to earn more MM in regular game play, and the higher the Frame, the better.

One thing you can do independent of any event is see which Registry pages are stuck on the default Common Frames. If they're gated - even in part - by Fortress Foundables, grind those until you're no longer gated and ready to prestige. Prioritise getting all pages off those Common Frames. This will help you make the most of rare Foundables when they appear. You should be doing this in a targeted fashion in advance of Events with specific boosted spawn, too, to always make the most of what's appearing for the event and to better progress through your Registry.

Optimally collecting MM is much like optimally collecting FG. Use TFTD, DD at Inns, and now also the strategic casting of the Trace Charm. But! There's one new 'powerup' available that can increase the number of Fragments we receive from a returned Trace - the Trace Charm 'powerups'. So not only should we strategically use the Trace Charm in the first place, we should be trying to strategically unlock nodes to improve the power of our Trace Charm when used.

Powering Up the Trace Charm

General rules for the Charm: we can only apply the Charm to a Trace once, and we can't apply the Charm to any of the Traces generated by the Charm. Keep in mind they're fixed to a location much like other Traces are and won't move with you.

There are three aspects we can work on:
Increasing the Efficacy of the Trace Charm increases the number of Traces that spawn when you use the Trace Charm.
Increasing the Proficiency of the Trace Charm increases the number of Fragments and the amount of Family XP we collect from the spawned Trace Charm Traces. <- BUGS!!!
Increasing the number of Trace Charms we can hold at a given time ensures that we don't lose out when they're awarded in trunks, say, and allows for a more strategic application of the Charm as opposed to just using them up before the next day's rewards.

It's pretty easy to see how this would be useful if you have a maxed Trace Charm that spawns 8 Emergency Traces that each provide 9 Fragments when returned, and are able to store them to employ them at the best possible times.


Notes:
* Get 'Knowledge is Power' as soon as you can. It will increase the rarity of the spawned Traces.
* BUG! IMPORTANT: Proficiency isn't working properly right now, so plan your skill tree expenditures accordingly. Many Efficiency nodes are also presently blocked by DADA books, so the current maximum possible, assuming you've reached the right level and have enough resources, is 7 Emergency Traces that each provide 2 Fragments.
* BUG! Currently there is a bug where the newly generated Traces disappear for many users as soon as one is engaged. Restarting the app quickly (before they disappear in game) generally fixes that.
* BUG! Sometimes the original Trace will be duplicated.
* Generally speaking, cast the Trace Charm on Emergency or Severe Traces to maximise the value of the spawned Traces.


Presently the Trace Charm is affected by a total of 20 skills that can improve it. (See the link below to zeliaimnoz's spreadsheet.) To find them more quickly in your lessons, the squares are the skills that affect the new Field Charms (for Traces, Inns and Greenhouses). Those skills are located at nodes on the tree, referred to below by a Roman numeral and a number. (So for example I-8 means the Calamity Essentials I lesson plan and the level 8 lessons tree, and III-46 means the Calamity Essentials III lesson plan and the level 46 lessons tree.) Any node marked with an asterisk (*) is impossible to unlock at the moment, because no one has enough DADA Books right now. They will come with future events.

Activate Trace Charm
* Pario Vestigius - +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - I-5 - Costs: 0; Unlocks at lv. 5


Increase Trace Charm Rare Traces
* Knowledge Is Power - +1 Increase to Trace Rarity - I-8 - Costs: 25 FG, 2 MM


Increase Number of Trace Charms You Can Cast (much like the increase to maximum focus for fortresses) DO THESE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO NO CHARMS GO TO WASTE

* Constructive Criticism - +1 to possible Trace Charms - I-8 - Costs: 13 FG, 1 MM, 12 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK Twisting Spleens first for 42 FG; Total Costs: 62 FG, 1 MM, 12 RSB (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Spanglarillion* - INCREASE to possible Trace Charms - II-22 - Costs: 31 FG, 5 MM; NEED TO UNLOCK Whetstone For The Mind first for 10 FG, 2 MM, 15 DADA Books; Total Costs: 41 FG, 7 MM, 15 DA (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Cold Case - INCREASE to possible Trace Charms - III-46 (you can also access this from levels 38 and 42) - Costs: 278 FG, 74 MM


Increase Number of Traces
* Innsight - +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - II-19 - Costs: 55 FG, 8 MM, 18 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK Celebrity Blending first for 120 FG, 16 MM; Forgotten Legends 10 FG, 2 MM; Total Costs: 185 FG, 26 MM, 18 RSB (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Art of Happiness - +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - II-28 - Costs: 0; Unlocks at lv. 28

* Ottery St. Catchpole - +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - II-36 - Costs: 607 FG, 287 MM, 18 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK Mind Of The Beast 79 FG, 31 MM; Rainy Day Plans 338 FG, 140 MM, 18 RSB; Energy Efficient Charms 401 FG, 182 MM; Total Costs: 1425 FG, 640 MM, 36 RSB (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Czech Mate - +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - II-40 - Costs: 0; Unlocks at lv. 40

* Mind Freak- +1 Trace Charm Efficacy - III-38 - Costs: 270 FG, 44 MM, 25 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK Tempermental [sic] Cauldrons 119 FG, 19 MM; Infusion Insight 45 FG, 7 MM; Total Costs: 434 FG, 70 MM, 25 RSB (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* A Little Love - III-46 (you can also access this from levels 38 and 42) - Costs: 900 FG, 272 MM; Total Costs: 6649 FG, 1825 MM, 25 RSB (assuming Cold Case is unlocked)

* Serendipitous Study* - III-50 (you can also access this from levels 38, 42 and 46) - Costs: 1510 FG, 596 MM, 100 DADA; NEED TO UNLOCK (assuming Gethsemane's Pickle is unlocked) Gemino Duo 915 FG, 330 MM; Council Matters 233 FG, 88 MM (total for prerequisites on this path 1148 FG, 418 MM); Total Costs: 2658 FG, 1014 MM, 100 DADA (because other nodes must be unlocked first)


Increase Number of Fragments Returned WARNING! BUG! IMPORTANT: Proficiency isn't working properly right now, so plan your skill tree expenditures accordingly.

* Lost and Foundables - +1 Trace Charm Proficiency - II-25 - Costs: 0; Unlocks at lv. 25

* Piece of the Puzzle* - +1 Trace Charm Proficiency - II-25 - Costs: 93 FG, 20 MM, 18 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK A Horse With No Name 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 RSB; Concentrated Concoction 67 FG, 34 MM; Total Costs: 212 FG, 65 MM, 18 RSB, 14 DADA (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Repository Knowledge* - +1 Trace Charm Proficiency - II-32 - Costs: 310 FG, 123 MM; NEED TO UNLOCK Words in Edgewise 60 FG, 20MM; Spleen On Me 61 FG, 21 MM, 20 DADA; Light My Fire 203 FG, 74 MM; Not So Riddikulus 66 FG, 24 MM; Recipe Recitation 52 FG, 20 MM, 10 DADA; Total Costs: 752 FG, 282 MM, 30 DADA (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Fragmented Memory* - III-35 - Costs: 178 FG, 28 MM, 25 RSB; Total Costs: 578 FG, 86 MM, 50 RSB, 70 DADA or 704 FG, 107 RSB, 25 RSB, 70 DADA, depending upon the path taken (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Foretelling Foundables - III-38 - Costs: 252 FG, 47 MM; NEED TO UNLOCK *EITHER* Mandatory Departmental Artefact Guidelines 46 FG, 8 MM; Fire in the Hole 58 FG, 10 MM; Trained for This 154 FG, 68 MM (total for prerequisites on this path 258 FG, 86 MM); OR Daunting Documentation 65 FG, 11 MM; The Salem Witches' Institute 212 FG, 36 MM, 25 RSB; Wrackspurts Are Real 77 FG, 14 MM; So Wrong It's Right 252 FG, 47 MM (total for prerequisites on this path 606 FG, 108 MM, 25 RSB); Total Costs: 510 FG, 133 MM or 858 FG, 155 MM, 25 RSB, depending upon the path taken (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Deep Dive - III-46 (you can also access this from levels 38 and 42) - Costs: 501 FG, 132 MM; Total Costs: Also requires Cold Case above (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Gethsemane's Pickle - III-50 (you can also access this from levels 38, 42 and 46) - Costs: 770 FG, 254 MM, 25 RSB; NEED TO UNLOCK Boarding Down 180 FG, 60 MM; Total Costs: 950 FG, 314 MM, 25 RSB (because other nodes must be unlocked first)

* Dangerous Attraction - III-50 (you can also access this from levels 38, 42 and 46) - Costs: 1087 FG, 429 MM; NEED TO UNLOCK a whole bunch of things to get here. Total Costs: depends heavily upon the path taken (because other nodes must be unlocked first)


Enable Treasure Trunks to Reward a Trace Spell Charm Charge
* Studious Success - Treasure Trunk Trace Charm - II-32 - Costs: 133 FG, 46 MM; NEED TO UNLOCK Inn-Valuable Help 122 FG, 41 MM; Total Costs: 255 FG and 87 MM (because other nodes must be unlocked first)


It's realistic for a high-level player to have a Trace Charm with the following skills right now:
Increase Rare Traces
Max # of Charms - 4
Enable Treasure Trunks to drop Trace Charm Charges
Number of Traces - 5-6
Number of Fragments Per Trace - 3-5

And that gets us off to a decent start. Just remember that Trace Charm Proficiency currently has a major bug: you can only collect a maximum of 1 extra Fragment per Trace Charm Trace, so it isn't worth upgrading Trace Charm Proficiency past +1.

Using the Trace Charm on Oddities will also go a long way, particularly considering that 30 Three-Headed Dogs, Horned Serpents, or Dragons can net you as many as 165 MM without using a single Potent Exstimulo Potion. (Professors, sadly, will need more energy than the other professions. /salty) With the Proficiency bug as it is, at the moment it seems like improving the Trace Charm to spawn 5 additional Traces that each return 2 Fragments gets you the best return for your FG/ MM/ RSB/ DADA books investment.

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More XP for me and you...

Next! If you are doing alright for energy, I'd suggest weighting XP stronger either directly or via Baruffio's Brain Elixir. If energy is a problem, give priority to Overall Spell Mastery and skip down to that section below. After Spell Mastery, you'll probably want to prioritise Overall Departure Denial and Brew Time Reduction as far as you can. (Check the spreadsheet below to see where those nodes are.)

Focusing on increasing XP... You can do so directly, or via Barrufio's. Check the spreadsheet (link at the end of the post) to see how to affect XP directly. I chose to increase the efficacy of the potion and the length of time an Elixir was good for. I usually brew Baruffio's in the 3 hour rental cauldron, so shortening the brewing time wasn't going to help me much. Getting the elixir to 250% isn't too costly, and a ten minute bonus is also reasonable to buy. (The additional five minutes (Bottoms Up) that are possible on the skill tree are expensive and presently gated by DADA books, so I don't see myself going there for a while yet.)

Start A Movement - 5% - I-6 - 14 FG
Start A Movement - 5% - I-6 - 14 FG
Sous Vide - 5% - I-10 - 25 FG
Sous Vide - 6% - I-10 - 25 FG
Sous Vide - 6% - I-10 - 25 FG

(NEED TO UNLOCK Pilfering Predilection for 10 FG, 1 MM first)
Clear Your Mind - 5% - II-17 - 19 FG, 3 MM
Clear Your Mind - 5% - II-17 - 19 FG, 3 MM
Clear Your Mind - 6% - II-17 - 19 FG, 3 MM
Clear Your Mind - 7% - II-17 - 19 FG, 3 MM

A Wing And A Flare - + 5 Minutes - I-7 - 73 FG, 4 MM
Temp Work - + 5 Minutes - II-19 - 140 FG, 26 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK Whetstone for the Mind* 10 FG, 2 MM, 15 DADA; Spanglarillion 31 FG, 5 MM; These Pants Are Ruined 17 FG, 3 MM first (total for prerequisites on this path 58 FG, 10 MM, 15 DADA))
Bottoms Up* - + 5 Minutes - II-22 - 278 FG, 74 MM, 50 DADA


To get the most out of a Baruffio's, I generally pair it with a TFTD. Along those lines, it makes sense to boost the Tonic.

Stir Crazy - +2 - I-7 - 21 FG, 0 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK A Horse With No Name* 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 DADA)
Concentrated Concoction - +2 - II-25 - FG 67, MM 34
Concentrated Concoction - +2 - II-25 - FG 67, MM 34

(NEED TO UNLOCK Mandatory Departmental Artefact Guidelines 46 FG, 8 MM; Fire in the Hole 58 FG, 10 MM)
Trained For This - +2 - III-38 - 154 FG, 68 MM
Trained For This - +2 - III-38 - 154 FG, 68 MM
Trained For This - +2 - III-38 - 154 FG, 68 MM


I also have problems getting Abraxan Hairs and am typically low on Strong Exstimulos. I prioritised the Exstimulo Potion, buffing the Efficacy so it's almost as good as the Strong Exstimulo. I further reduced its Brew Time, so in less than half the time I'm getting something that's now almost as strong. Check the spreadsheet for that potion if it sounds like something you could use too. (Engarde!, Brunch or Linner?, Dry and Bitter, Drop for Drop)

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Overall Spell Mastery.

Check the spreadsheet in the link below for more details, or the lesson plans to see which nodes individual steps require. The ones in red are probably more interesting.

Confoundable Collation - +140 - I-4 - unlocks at level 4
Tall Order - +60 - I-4 - 14 FG, 1 MM
Leap into Action - +100 - I-6 - unlocks at level 6
No Dozing - +100 - I-8 - unlocks at level 8
Swish and Flick - +30 - I-8 - 29 FG (if Knowledge Is power is unlocked)
Swish and Flick - +30 - I-8 - 29 FG
Chatty Cathy - +80 - I-9 - unlocks at level 9
Of Horse and Man - +80 - I-10 - unlocks at level 10
Back to Basics - +80 - I-12 - unlocks at level 12
Appleby’s Anguish - +80 - I-14 - unlocks at level 14
Did You Somehow Interview Him? - +80 - I-14 - 135 FG, 10 MM
Nightmare by the Beach - +60 - I-18 - unlocks at level 18
Off-Off-Off-Broadway - +20 - I-18 - 176 FG, 19 MM, 5 RSB (NEEDS A BUNCH OF OTHER NODES UNLOCKED FIRST)
Off-Off-Off-Broadway - +20 - I-18 - 176 FG, 19 MM, 5 RSB
Off-Off-Off-Broadway - +30 - I-18 - 176 FG, 19 MM, 5 RSB
Pixie Dusting - +100 - II-19 - unlocks at level 19
On Being a Foundable - +100 - I-20 - unlocks at level 20
The Maltese Pixie - +20 - II-22 - 72 FG, 13 MM (NEEDS A BUNCH OF OTHER NODES UNLOCKED FIRST)
The Maltese Pixie - +20 - II-22 - 72 FG, 13 MM
The Maltese Pixie - +30 - II-22 - 72 FG, 13 MM
Adaptive Casting - +20 - II-22 - 78 FG, 15 MM, 17 DADA (UNLOCK The Maltese Pixie first)
Adaptive Casting - +20 - II-22 - 78 FG, 15 MM, 17 DADA
Adaptive Casting - +30 - II-22 - 78 FG, 15 MM, 17 DADA
Inside the Mind of Madness - +150 - II-32 - unlocks at level 32
Hagrid's Theory - +150 - II-36 - unlocks at level 36
The Mordecai Factor - +30 - II-36 - 368 FG, 159 MM, 7 RSB (NEEDS A BUNCH OF OTHER NODES UNLOCKED FIRST)
The Mordecai Factor - +30 - II-36 - 368 FG, 159 MM, 7 RSB
The Mordecai Factor - +30 - II-36 - 368 FG, 159 MM, 7 RSB
Five Alive? - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB (NEEDS A BUNCH OF OTHER NODES UNLOCKED FIRST)
Five Alive? - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB
Five Alive? - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB
Mission to St. Mungo’s - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB (UNLOCK Five Alive? first)
Mission to St. Mungo’s - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB
Mission to St. Mungo’s - +30 - II-40 - 613 FG, 332 MM, 7 RSB
First Love, First Loss - +200 - III-42 - unlocks at level 42

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Overall Departure Denial.

The following are sorted by level. That may not always represent the best order to acquire those skills, so check the cost / benefit of each. The ones in red are probably more interesting.

(NEED TO UNLOCK Sous Vide 25 FG)
Confoundable Confounding - +2% - I-10 - 27 FG, 2 MM, 5 RSB
Confoundable Confounding - +2% - I-10 - 27 FG, 2 MM, 5 RSB
Confoundable Confounding - +2% - I-10 - 27 FG, 2 MM, 5 RSB

(NEED TO UNLOCK Whites Of Their Eyes 69 FG, 8 MM; Ice Cream Social 379 FG, 45 MM)
So Crazy It’s Genius - +2% - I-20 - 179 FG, 23 MM
So Crazy It’s Genius - +3% - I-20 - 179 FG, 23 MM
So Crazy It’s Genius - +3% - I-20 - 179 FG, 23 MM

A Horse with No Name* - +3% - II-25 - 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 DADA
A Horse with No Name* - +3% - II-25 - 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 DADA
A Horse with No Name* - +3% - II-25 - 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 DADA
A Horse with No Name* - +3% - II-25 - 52 FG, 11 MM, 14 DADA

(NEED TO UNLOCK Mind Of The Beast 79 FG, 31 MM; Rainy Day Plans 338 FG, 140 MM, 18 RSB; The Mordecai Factor 368 FG, 159 MM, 7 RSB)
Cloudy September Days - +3% - II-36 - 245 FG, 106 MM
Cloudy September Days - +3% - II-36 - 245 FG, 106 MM
Cloudy September Days - +4% - II-36 - 245 FG, 106 MM
Cloudy September Days - +4% - II-36 - 245 FG, 106 MM

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Overall Brew Time Reduction.

The following are sorted by level. That may not always represent the best order to acquire those skills, so check the cost / benefit of each. The ones in red are probably more interesting.

(NEED TO UNLOCK Breaker Of Curses 80 FG, 21 MM; EbbAnd Neap 104 FG, 29 MM; Departure Denial 43 FG, 13 MM; Cask Strength 44 FG, 13 MM)
Abrasive Advice - +1% - II-28 - 157 FG, 50 MM
Abrasive Advice - +1% - II-28 - 157 FG, 50 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK Inn-Valuable Help 122 FG, 41 MM; Using Your Brains 122 FG, 41 MM)
Brews Before Brows - +1% - II-32 - 241 FG, 96 MM
Brews Before Brows - +2% - II-32 - 241 FG, 96 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK Mandatory Departmental Artefact Guidelines 46 FG, 8 MM; Fire In The Hole 58 FG, 10 MM; Rancorous Carpe 59 FG, 11 MM)
A Little Off the Top - +2% - III-38 - 233 FG, 47 MM
A Little Off the Top - +2% - III-38 - 233 FG, 47 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK Rhyme And Reason 476 FG, 236 MM; The Man Who Leads 289 FG, 150 MM; Divination 102 315 FG, 170 MM; Grim Fawley's Foibles 315 FG, 170 MM)
Thin-Skinned - +1% - II-40 - 523 FG, 310 MM
Thin-Skinned - +2% - II-40 - 523 FG, 310 MM

(NEED TO UNLOCK Cold Case 278 FG, 74 MM; Deep Dive 501 FG, 132 MM; Suffering And Surviving 303 FG, 84 MM; Dragon-Hide And Seek 360 FG, 109 MM; Flushed With Success 393 FG, 124 MM)
Re’emed - +1% - III-46 - 556 FG, 184 MM
Re’emed - +1% - III-46 - 556 FG, 184 MM

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Sorry I'm only getting to this now, it's been... hectic. Many thanks to bliznitch on reddit for doing a lot of the initial leg work that I've expanded on here. It was super helpful. Also a solid thanks to zeliaimnoz for putting together a spreadsheet the 'Collaborative Copy of SOS Training' that allowed me to better summarise the skills and their costs. Everyone should really check that out, it makes things so much easier to visualise.