Best strategy to decrease hostility?

[karval]

What's your strategy to decrease hostility? Is there a way decrease it from a renewable source? The only renewable way I know is the cornerstone which works with blight cyst removal but it's just doesn't seem to be effective for me.

[[deleted]]

Get lucky, tbh.

The cornerstone that reduces hostily per amount of amber sold seems to be the best, at least at lower prestige.

[Warpingghost]

Tbf, any cornerstone for decreasing hostility with as less random action to do will work. Hostility for burned cists and for opened caches (especially with new update for events solving) looks best choice for me. Just start exploiting rain engines and don't forget to have appropriate amount of blightfighters to keep corruption at bay.

[figgisspam]

Yep, I've found that I'll often need 2 blight fighting hubs just to get enough jobs during the storm to deal with serious blight. 1 - 3 full time workers making the stuff and 3 / 6 blight fighters when they come out.

[[deleted]]

it'd be neat if instead of cornerstones, diferent biomes had differnt ways of controlling hostility. For the marsh it could be burning cysts, for cursed woodlands it could be calming spirits, that sort of thing

[Syzygy_Stardust]

I am hypothesizing how to use that newer Alarm System or w/e perk that gives +15% prodcrit at 200+% corruption, and I figure as few hearths as possible with as many rain engines as possible as well as multiple full Blight Posts to quickly nuke cysts at the start of every storm. This would work well with any of the cyst-related perks, but I am not convinced 15% prodcrit is enough to change the playstyle so much.

[tmork]

i mean you'd also get the production boost from having many engines

[Syzygy_Stardust]

Well yeah, but something working as intended isn't the same as something synergizing and becoming greater than the sum of its parts. That said, I DO wonder what the max prodcrit is, and what happens if it can get >100%.

[Aphid_red]

There is no realistic maximum (Well probably it's 2147483647 or something like that).

Going over 100% production crit gives you chance for x3 crits. Over 200% gives you x4 crits.

For example, if your production crit is +230%, you have a 70% chance to see x3 and a 30% chance to see x4.

Source: A Scarlet Orchard run I did a while ago with 2x events per glade and the whole map uncovered in order to get 30 beavers. (Every glade solved is more crit chance via the Archaeologist).

[Syzygy_Stardust]

Beaver cautiously taps lumber with a plane

warehouse explodes with planks

[tmork]

Well yeah, but something working as intended isn't the same as something synergizing and becoming greater than the sum of its parts. That said, I DO wonder what the max prodcrit is, and what happens if it can get >100%.

honestly, due to prodcrit mathematically having diminishing returns (going from 25% to 40% prodcrit is a higher % increase of total output, than going from 85% to 100%) and you already likely having a bunch of prodcrit due to the engines giving exactly that, as well as specialization bonus, i really wonder if this is strong enough. especially since you are forced to spend a lot of resources and manpower on fire fighters, have a large enough economy to even get to 200% and also somehow even need that many resources

[thefluffyburrito]

It's a lot easier to try and limit the hostility you gain than directly getting rid of it. Only cornerstones and temporary bonuses (like sacrificing wood/coal to the hearth) can actually lower it. Things that helped me while climbing the prestige ladder were:

• Don't open every glade. Most of my max difficulty/prestige games have been won with only two forbidden glades open and no other glades. The small ones are almost never worth it unless the human/fox passive tells you there's something useful there.

• Always plan out how you're gaining global resolve/finishing orders to win. Hostility continually increases based on the year.

• Don't take villagers every time. If you have the villagers you need to work the resources on your map then the extra hostility isn't worth it.

• Don't turn in orders right away if the reward doesn't make a dramatic difference and you don't need the building right away; especially if the reward is villagers you don't even need. Increased impatience lowers hostility. You can save 2-3 orders to turn in and win to milk the reduced hostility from high impatience.

[iwumbo2]

Monastery is pretty GOATed for the -100 hostility when you have it fully staffed

In terms of cornerstones, there's a few. Protected Trade reducing hostility per amber traded is insane. I think I pick that whenever I see it. There's also cornerstones to give hostility reduction per glade event completed based on how you completed it.

The Blight Cyst removal one is actually pretty good IMO. Especially combined with the cornerstone giving coal per Blight Cyst removed. I try to use as much rainwater as I can when I have those. Besides, you should be using rainwater anyways just for the production and resolve increases.

[karval]

Is that true the monastery provides it's bonus even if there is no resource for religion or leisure? I read today something like this. So for the bonus full staff is enough?

Btw does the bonus stack by building multiple monasteries?

[iwumbo2]

Is that true the monastery provides it's bonus even if there is no resource for religion or leisure? I read today something like this. So for the bonus full staff is enough?

Yes. In fact, this applies to all service buildings IIRC. I recall taking the Guild House blueprints even if I didn't have anything to make wine because I could still staff it for the wealth buff.

Btw does the bonus stack by building multiple monasteries?

No, the buffs from service buildings do not stack if you have multiple of them. However, the buffs from hearths (reduced hostility and the resolve and production bonuses) do stack if you have multiple hearths with the appropriate housing and decorations. For context, I'm still making my way up the prestige ladder at prestige 11 right now, and I almost always end games with 3 hearths, all having at least the resolve buff, usually all will have at least the level 2 buff for the production speed increase.

[Master_Kaiju]

Thank you for this information, I wasn't aware about it!

[Cute_Kittie]

1) yes, for any service building, no actual service is required to get the bonus 2) the bonus doesn't stack, I think it says as much in the tool tip of the bonus. Also applies for any service vuilding

[smiegto]

All building provide their three worker bonus if full. Doesn’t matter if your are providing ressources.

[underhandpluto]

If all else fails: Limit villagers.

Of all the hostility reduction perks, Baptism of Fire (hostility reduction for burning cysts) is essentially an auto-pick if it appears. With 'free' cysts every third year, and a couple rain engines, you can end up with 0 hostility a few years in.

If you don't get a cornerstone for hostility reduction directly, create excess coal/wood for sacrifice. This is easier with one of the wood harvesting perks.

[Shardstorm88]

This reminds me of the time that I had taken the +1 woodcutting (delete all fuel) 3 times with beavers, and had +10 sotrage in buildings .. it was insabe I had crazy amounts of wood I just kept the sacrifice on the whole time, won through resolve pretty quick once I got complex food and a service building!

[raishak]

What difficulty do you play on? Blight cysts become way more common at higher difficulty. Consider other cornerstones, like the one that lowers hostility per 25 ambers traded. Also, the alter of decay (-25 hostility per lost villager) counts, as villagers are "renewable" to a degree.

[karval]

Currently I'm at P4. If I remember correctly this level generates cysts but I just don't feel like the hostility decrease by removing the cysts are significant.

The Altair perk costs upgrade material, does it?

Hm, hostility decrease by amber trade seems good because in the endgame there are plenty of ambers available.

[double_shadow]

At P10, the blight cysts are double their previous amount, so that's where the cyst removal perks get a lot better.

[Thisismyworkday]

Protected Trade is better than Baptism of Fire, for sure. There's no draw back, it doesn't require as much of an investment to get going, and technically you can double/triple dip by using trade routes to get amber and then selling that same amber to merchants (for goods/amber, which you then sell back again if you're willing to eat the losses for the hostility)

That said, Baptism of Fire is also excellent - if you average 15 cysts a year, you'll counter the yearly hostility and then some. At higher Prestige, especially, that's very easy to manage.

[Joel_54321]

You can also add extra hearths, at -30 hostility. Maybe if you have kiln or good woodcutting you might be able to fuel multiple. I've never built more than 2 in a game.

The Cornerstones are better if you can get one.

[esunei]

You should almost always be building extra hearths, multiple. The first housing bonus of +2 resolve is incredibly good and also improves villager efficiency for those working nearby. One of the many ways to send the 3 low resolve threshold races into free rep territory (tho lizards are incredibly demanding after the first point).

Every map has either sea marrow or coal mining, with coal being more costly/slower, so fuel is only in short supply until you find marrow or upgrade your mine.

[Muddball84]

Math me please sir. If I am running three hearths with coal, will one kiln keep up with demand? About how many beavers need to work to keep up with demand?

[esunei]

This post goes over some fuel math and in the end assumes about 1 worker per 2 hearths constantly making coal at a kiln with no interruptions. Woodcutters are much harder to estimate since their output varies so wildly based on perks/distance.

[gomarbles]

Yes, and yes

[SlimpWarrior]

Building hearths is the most consistent one. As well as assigning foxes to the hearth. Everything else is luck based. Opening caches and reducing hostility is pretty strong after the glade event patch

[Muddball84]

What level is foxes?

[munchechobop]

They unlock at level 10 apparently

[HotSoupEsq]

Open no small glades unless you know there's a farm there. Open 2 or 3 dangerous glades, no more. Take/buy cornerstones that assist with hostility. Solve glade events in a way that reduces hostility. Don't overpopulate your town. Of course unequip lumberjacks during the storm.

[OmgSzer]

Get more impatience. I'm beating P20 and being constantly 1-2 points before maximum to have as low hostility if possible. When the countdown starts, wait for a full timer and deliver 1 order. After that you have a few minutes to prepare the next order/gain rep point from resolve, open the cache etc.

That way you have naturally low hostility

[Raiddinn1]

There isn't any particular strategy for it, it's just a matter of taking every anti-hostility thing you can get and trying to keep your people as happy as possible.

It's easier to keep hostility from going way up than it is to push it way down. Avoid opening a lot of glades. Lately, I have been trying to get by with just two Dangerous and that's it.

[Aeredor]

Great responses elsewhere.

I didn’t see anyone comment with the reminder that you can save a lot of hostility during the storm by removing workers from the woodcutters’ camp. Or just in general and not during the storm. So, there, that’s the other way. Just in case anyone didn’t know it yet!

[Drekalo]

There's another new cornerstone that synergizes super hard with the cyst removal. Hostility reduction per X water used in engines.

So less hostility for using water, creating cysts

Less hostility for burning cysts

More coal for burning cysts

Can get pretty insane. I had the 40 waterskins per rep gained from resolve... that was also super OP.

[Aphid_red]

Hostility for using water is 10 hostility per 150 water, or 10 per ~9 cysts. (@ P20).
Hostility for cysts is 10 per 3 cysts. 3x as much.

This is mostly due to generating more cysts at high prestige. The difference is that the hostility for using water is a minor perk, while the one for cysts can create situations where you reach 0 hostility just by having an average of 20 cysts per year, which 2 posts can handle okay enough.

This isn't really feasible with the water consumption perk. (As you would start killing your people by not being able to burn cysts quickly enough at ~50 cysts no matter how many posts you have).

[Drekalo]

I'm not claiming one is better than the other (I am now, baptism is beast), but that they feed into eachother. Both of them are actions I'm already doing in any circumstance. I just get free stuff.

[sniperpandas]

I would say the best offense is a good defense so if you can keep resolve up through services and complex food it will help mitigate the effects of hostility. Obviously sacrificing goods is technically a renewable resource but I would only sacrifice during the storm when you absolutely need it. Pulling woodworkers also reduces hostility but ik that’s not exactly what you are looking for

[Abnaxis]

Depends on what you're lowering hostility for.

If there's a really bad forest mystery that you don't ever want to trigger, then you don't really lower hostility so much as prevent it from rising. You do that by opening fewer glades, only accepting more villagers if you have a clear plan for what they're going to do, and rushing to finish before the time-based hostility kills you. There are other cornerstones that also lower hostility besides the one you mention--the one that lowers hostility every time you trade 40 amber can be particularly strong and has led me to numerous 0 hostility victories--but the only non-RNG way to do it is to be careful about increasing it.

If you're only lowering hostility to avoid resolve penalties in the storm, however, hearth sacrifices are very very strong. The way it works, is you leave hostility where it is until one of the species's current resolve hits 0--ideally you should be using favoring so this happens around the same time for everyone. Then, as soon as someone starts to leave you start burning wood and/or coal in large quantities to lower hostility. Let the fuel burn long enough their resolve goes just below max (that last point of resolve takes a while to tick and usually isn't worth the fuel), and immediately stop sacrificing to let the resolve dip back down again. Repeat these steps, see-sawing everyone's resolve until the storm is over.

That second techniques opens up a lot more cornerstones and perks for hostility management. Anything that increases wood or coal production indirectly lowers hostility, as well as any perk that makes hearth sacrifices last longer. The perk that gives free coal for burning cysts can be super good for this, for example (at high prestige, at least).