Ambitions (Guide)
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Early MYN Content and Onwards |
Ambitions are massive stories spanning the entirety of the game. Each will start easy but grow harder as it goes on, until it becomes nigh impossible for all but the most prepared players.
This Guide is meant to be a spoiler-free introduction to the concept of Ambitions and give a quick overview of the premise of each. Note that links from this guide to other articles are not likely to be free from spoilers.
For more in-depth (and spoiler-y) walkthroughs, see each Ambition's own guide, linked in its relevant section below and on the Guides page.
Introduction[edit]
Ambitions are the reason your character is in Fallen London. Each Ambition provides a reason why your character descended to the city. There are four Ambitions. Before choosing one, consider carefully which you want as, once chosen, you currently can't change it without paying 
(except at one point during Light Fingers).
Every Ambition makes use of all four Main Attributes, but each Ambition focuses on two attributes in particular, in both mechanics and narrative.
| Light Fingers! | Heart's Desire! | Nemesis! | Bag a Legend! | |
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Which Ambition should I choose?[edit]
The short answer is, whichever you want. But we know—choosing an Ambition can be daunting. It's a significant part of your experience of the game, and (with one exception, or with Fate) cannot be changed once you've committed to your choice. Therefore, this guide aims to help you choose your Ambition based on some of the most common considerations: the story each Ambition tells, its implications for roleplaying and character development, the mechanical rewards available in the form of unique Ambition items, and how it is made continually relevant through callbacks in other game content. Each Ambition-specific section of this guide will give you a spoiler-free glimpse of what each Ambition offers in these four areas.
Story[edit]
Each Ambition is a story designed to be played over the course of many months. It's likely to be the longest story you play through with your character, and as such, you'll likely want to pick an Ambition whose premise appeals to you. That said, all four Ambitions are good stories. In each one, your character will be confronted with difficult choices, learn surprising things about the Neath, and eventually come face-to-face with one or more of the Masters of the Bazaar, who may help or hinder their pursuit of the Ambition. In three cases, these choices will be closely related to the goal that you picked at the outset.
Roleplaying[edit]
Ostensibly, your character's Ambition is what brought them to the Neath in the first place. If you already know a lot about your character, one Ambition or another may be a better fit for them, depending on their affiliations, beliefs, and interests. Alternatively, you might choose an Ambition without having a firm idea of who your character is, and let the story influence who they become. You can choose an Ambition that complements your character's Profession... or perhaps their Profession is just a job, and their Ambition is their true passion. Whatever Ambition you choose, there are endless ways to incorporate it into the story you're telling with your character.
Mechanical rewards[edit]
The item rewards of each Ambition are fairly balanced—everyone who plays through any of these stories will be compensated significantly for their time and effort. The primary reward is a unique Treasure item with substantial stats, which varies among Ambitions and according to key choices you make in the story. There are also less powerful unique items available during the course of each Ambition, some of which are optional or mutually exclusive. Mechanical rewards that are equippable, or have other uses outside the Ambition, will be provided in tables below—with some item names redacted to avoid spoilers.
Callbacks[edit]
Ambitions have also been incorporated into other areas of the game, with flavour text and additional options available in certain stories to characters who are pursuing or have completed a certain Ambition. These tie-ins have continued to appear in newly added stories and seasonal events, so it's a good bet that, whatever your Ambition, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find it popping up in future content. For this reason, the lists below are not exhaustive.
Bag a Legend![edit]
| A player-created Guide is available for this content: Ambition: Bag a Legend (Guide) |
On long evenings at the Medusa's Head, where the monster-hunters drink, they brag about the beasts they've bagged - the Cantigaster, the Eater-of-Chains, the Spider Council, Jack-of-Smiles in his many bodies. But no-one tells stories about the Vake: the Vake, for whose head the Department offers a standing reward of four million Echoes. Four million.
Story: 
is about hunting a mysterious monster terrorising London, and the story is primarily about discovering what this monster is and figuring out how to kill it. It also delves into lore about previous fallen cities, and draws in characters as varied as Sinning Jenny, some very unconventional nuns, and a Revolutionary with a penchant for building weapons. It has elements of monster horror and Gothic horror, evoking stories like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
Roleplaying: Bag a Legend might be especially suitable for characters in the Rat-Catcher branch of Professions, which culminates in the Advanced Profession of 
. Characters particularly inclined to pursue the Vake might spend a lot of time in 
or 
, and be associated with 
The Docks or 
Revolutionaries or a member of 
—though no one in London is safe from this monster. 
and 
characters have an advantage in this hunt.
Mechanical rewards: Rewards of Ambition, and some of the unique items available, vary according to your story choices.
| Ending Value | Rewards |
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| BaL 2000 (Connections)
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| BaL 3000–3100 (Society)
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| BaL 4000–4100 (Steed)
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| BaL 5000–5100 (Priests)
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Callbacks
- Completing any Ambition is a prerequisite for the Parabolan War campaign against yourself, with flavour text specific to your Ambition and ending.
- As part of your Rewards of Ambition every 4 weeks, you receive +5 CP of , good for some
and either 
reduction or . - The character's involvement in the Vake hunt is referenced or alluded to in the text of other storylines, particularly those involving any Masters the character interacted with during the Ambition.
- It comes up in the Exceptional Story Paisley.
- This Ambition is the only way to get Laboratory services from
April, who can also join the Railway Board. - Flavour text when Brawling as something out of their nightmares with
- A unique tattoo during The Feast of the Rose.
- An option for increasing
at Christmas. - Mentions in one-off events, including additional options during F.F. Gebrandt's Prelapsarian Exhibition, and the lock-out of a certain option during Mr Chimes' Grand Clearing-Out.
“He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.” —Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (1886)
Heart's Desire![edit]
| A player-created Guide is available for this content: Ambition: Heart's Desire (Guide) |
They say that once every nine years there's a card game where you can gamble your soul and win your heart's desire. That sounds like tremendous fun.
The bit about gambling your soul is bound to be an exaggeration. Surely.
Story: 
is about investigating, staging, and playing an underground card game, The Marvellous, in the hope of winning what you want most in the world. The promise of this prize draws players from all over the Neath: a bishop, a madman, a deviless, and even stranger beings. What is your heart's desire? And what are you prepared to do—or willing to risk—to get it? Heart's Desire is part mystery, part high-stakes game of advantages and sabotage, but with a lighter tone than other Ambitions, and offers a glimpse of the inner lives and most fervent wishes of several familiar faces in Fallen London.
Roleplaying: A character who wants something seemingly unattainable—or who only knows they desperately need something, but isn't sure what—might be drawn to The Marvellous. Or perhaps they're driven by curiosity about what other people want so desperately? 
and characters are particularly suited to this Ambition.
Perhaps the ambition best suited to a kindly character ... you can endeavour to aid others for no reason but it being the morally right thing to do. A hedonist with a heart of gold (like my Bohemian-loving character) will have a good time. —Austellus
Mechanical rewards:
| Ending Value | Rewards |
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| HD 1100 (Robe)
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| HD 1200 (Crown)
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| HD 1300 (Leasehold)
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| HD 1400 (Home)
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| HD 3000 (Marvellous)
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Callbacks: [in progress]
- Completing any Ambition is a prerequisite for the Parabolan War campaign against yourself, with flavour text specific to your Ambition and ending.
- All endings have unique options during A Meeting Chaired by the Efficient Commissioner.
- The Robe ending has a lot of unique flavour text, especially in the Railway storyline
- Playing cards in
has unique options for the Robe and Marvellous ending - Flavour text when Brawling as something out of their nightmares with
or the Robe ending - The Crown and Leasehold endings earn you a place on the Railway Board for free.
We are always striving for things forbidden, and coveting those denied us. —Ovid, Amorum (16 B.C.)
Light Fingers![edit]
| A player-created Guide is available for this content: Ambition: Light Fingers (Guide) |
Before you came down here, you heard through a contact here that she had a line on a diamond 'the size of a cow'. She did tend to exaggerate. But even if it's only the size of, say, a pig, or even a kitten, it's worth your time.
Of course, by the time you got out of New Newgate she'd disappeared. No-one seems to know how, or where, or they're not prepared to admit it.
Story: 
is a horror story disguised as a heist caper. Its sudden (and surprisingly early) twist, and shift to a much darker tone, is why it's the only Ambition offering a free chance to forget the whole thing and pick a different story. Despite this opt-out, it remains by far the most controversial Ambition as a story. Characters who choose to keep going face difficult moral decisions and high emotional stakes—yet with the potential of a small, glimmering hope at the end of it all.
I can think of at least three points in the ambition where people/beings/entities who previously had antagonistic roles can become allies. And I think that plays into the hopeful tone that Light Fingers can take, even with its horrific atmosphere. —Even-Narwhal-75
Content warnings (spoiler):
Body horror (pregnancy-related), non-consent, stalking
Roleplaying:
If you want to roleplay a character who starts as a less morally sound origin and comes to make good choices in the end, it's the perfect ambition. —The-Deaf-Prophet
Though Light Fingers is the sole Shadowy-focused Ambition, many character concepts which emphasise Shadowy traits — deception, stealth, subtlety and cunning — would be a poor fit for it. You may wish to consider Nemesis or Bag a Legend as alternatives.
Instead, Light Fingers focuses on the human side of shadowy lifestyles, and so provides an opportunity to explore and deepen the characterization of your FLPC.
Mechanical rewards: [in progress]
| Item (spoiler-free description) | Stage when acquired | Item effects | Uses |
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| A False-Star of your Own (Treasure) | Ending (choice) |
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| A Kitten-Sized Diamond, Liberated from the Mountain (Treasure) | Ending (choice) |
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| A Loyal Nightmare of [spoiler] (Affiliation) | 390 |
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| Drownie Song of the Deep (Weapon) | 21 |
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| Everlasting Candle (Weapon) | 42 |
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| Lyon Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary (Affiliation) | 375 (choice) |
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| Smiling Mask (Hat) | 285 |
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| Tatterskin Shawl (Clothing) | 375 (choice) |
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| Ending Value | Rewards |
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| LF 1500 (Diamond)
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| LF 2500 (Star)
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Callbacks: [in progress]
- Completing any Ambition is a prerequisite for the Parabolan War campaign against yourself, with flavour text specific to your Ambition and ending.
- Flavour text when Brawling as something out of their nightmares with the
Nemesis[edit]
| A player-created Guide is available for this content: Ambition: Nemesis (Guide) |
Someone you loved is dead. You swore you'd scour the world for the killer. Your search brought you under the world.
You have crossed oceans and spent your whole inheritance to find this man. You even had yourself sent to New Newgate, as the quickest route down here to the Neath. Surely the hardest parts are behind you?
Story: 
is a tale of murder and revenge. A loved one is dead and you will not rest until you've repaid their murderer in kind. You'll travel across London and beyond to find out who did it. It can be started in 
through Ambition: Nemesis 0.
At each major turning point of the story, your character gets a choice between mercy and ruthlessness, and it's up to you to decide where they draw the line. —acetimetraveler
Roleplaying: Although it shares an emphasis on the and attributes with Bag a Legend, Nemesis is (somewhat ironically) more focused on the hunt. Unearthing the killer's identity, locating their hideaway, devising a way to reach them: these are all serious undertakings with many clues held by many unsavoury individuals. Consulting detectives for the Constables or players of the Great Game can put their investigative and deductive abilities to the ultimate test. Those with a capacity for violence who chose the Enforcer branch of Professions and eventually the advanced profession of Licentiate are well-suited to exact their bloody price.
Mechanical rewards: [in progress]
| Item (spoiler-free description) | Stage when acquired | Item effects | Uses |
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| A Book of Red Murder (Weapon) | 160–199 | ||
| Blooded Knife (Weapon) | 36 | ||
| Dream-Shadow (Affiliation) | 4300 (choice) | ||
| Dream-Shard (Home Comfort) | 4300 (choice) | ||
| Myriad Keys (Weapon) | 9 |
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| The Bloodied Travelling-Coat (Treasure) | Ending (choice) |
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| Violant-Winged Bat (Companion) | 150 |
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| Your Mercy, Rewarded (Treasure) | Ending (choice) |
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| Ending Value | Rewards |
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| N 4300–4500 (Coat)
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| N 5000 (Rewarded)
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Callbacks: [in progress]
- Completing any Ambition is a prerequisite for the Parabolan War campaign against yourself, with flavour text specific to your Ambition and ending.
- Flavour text when Brawling as something out of their nightmares with the Coat ending.
- Your Laboratory can employ an Esurient Smith you meet late in the story for his expertise in weapons and metallurgy.
Revenge is the sweetest morsel to the mouth, that ever was cooked in hell. —Walter Scott, The Heart of Midlothian (1818)
A True Denizen of the Neath[edit]
Completing an Ambition awards you the quality 
to signify that you've finished the reason you descended and that the Neath is now your home. But what will you do now?
After all the work you've put into your Ambition, you're almost certainly an End Game-level character. Check out the Lategame Guide and the dynamic list of End Game-level content to find stories that are particularly suited to your level. Some examples—many of which have special options and callbacks that reference Ambitions—include:
- Fate-locked Stories: A massive amount of exclusive content is available by spending Fate, with a new story available each month to Exceptional Friends. Visit the Fate page to learn more about these stories and Exceptional Friendship.
- The Great Hellbound Railway: A transportation works project that opens up several new locations and major activities out in the Hinterlands beyond London.
- Parabola: While access to Parabola is available from the midgame, there are a number of pursuits here you may not have delved into while engrossed in your Ambition, including waging war, guiding dreamers, and The Chessboard.
- Khaganian Intrigue: A complex carousel of clandestine activities in the Khanate. (Requires having a Railway out to Balmoral and a Cabinet Noir so that you can create Cover Identities.)
- Overcapping your stats: Many late-game activities involve especially high stat challenges, so you will likely want to overcap your main Attributes (up to 230, over several stages) and your Advanced Skills (up to 7).
- Becoming a Paramount Presence: The culmination of your journey as a A Person of Some Importance, reflecting your mastery of all four specialisations.
- Treasures of the Neath: For true completionists (or masochists, depending on your perspective), there are a number of particularly difficult achievements to work toward.
- Seeking Mr Eaten's Name: Speaking of masochistic choices, this incredibly ill-advised quest to answer a question that should never be asked can be considered the original endgame content, with a dreadful emphasis on "end".
Wiki note: Special thanks to members of the Fallen London subreddit who shared their impressions of their Ambitions for inclusion in this guide. Read more of their comments here.
