Cultist Simulator – 100% Achievement Guide

Spoilers ahead!

This guide is for all the achievements/endings!

The game is so convuluted with drops, items, summons, and everything else that I haven’t bothered including ALL the ways you can receive tools, ingredients, and lore for rites or other actions. I provide as straight-forward of a route as I can for each achievement, since this is after all an achievement guide, not a How To Have Fun guide.

Other Cultist Simulator Guides:

• Getting Started.
• How to Survive as a Cultist.
• Quick Guide to Rites.
• Quick Lore Study Reference.
• Guide to the Mansus.
• How to Make Money & Earn Promotions.

Deaths / Losses

All credit goes to Candlebrew!

These are the achievements you get from dying in certain ways. These are pretty easy and rely on you simply accumulating too much of a negative trait, or running out of basic forms of stats.

Where Will They Find Me?

Probably the easiest achievement to get in the game; the first death you’ll likely encounter if you’re going into the game blind and don’t know quite yet how the mechanics work. All you have to do is die from inflictions/illnesses. The easiest way is to run out of money. Progress enough that you get the time ticker which consumes funds (“Time Passes”). Once you run out of funds, it will start consuming your health. Once you’re out of health, you’ll get a countdown for your death–it’ll turn red, like any of the dying tickers. Once you’re dead, the achievement will pop.

No Worst, There Is None

Probably the second easiest death, though it takes time. For this one, you’ll die of Dread. You’ll have to play the game until you get the “What drives me?” ticker. I’ve found that whether or not you have a motivation or temptation, it will still give you restlessness. Or, you can get restlessness from Dreaming with Reason. Once restlessness expires, it’ll turn into dread. Eventually, it’ll spawn the dread counter (“Bleak Thoughts”). You’ll need three dreads to trigger the despair death counter.

Now, dread is cancelled out with contentment or fleeting memories. To avoid getting these, don’t sleep with health, since this spawns either of the two. Just let the ticker build up dread over time. If you don’t care about the playthrough, you can just keep working to ensure you have funds to stay alive while you wait for the dread to turn into despair and kill you. Once you’ve died from it, the achievement will pop.

Under An Appreciable Mental Strain

For this achievement, all you have to do is get three Fascination in the counter for visions.

You’ll get the random event “A Trembling in the Air”. If you have a Fascination, it will automatically pull it in. “A Trembling in the Air” will become “I Am Seeing Things”. Much like the despair counter, if you get three Fascination, it will game over, and you will earn the achievement. However, this one is slightly more difficult than despair, as despair appears much more frequently than Fascination does.

The best approach is to try to frequent as many Fascination activities as you can. If you’ve unlocked the Stag, Peacock, White, or Spider doors, Fascination is one of the offerings when going through (*sometimes. It shuffles through randomly.). You can also sometimes receive Fascination from talking to or investigating your troublemaker while playing as the Inspector. Frankly, I did mine by just entering the stag door over and over again, attempting to grab Fascination every time, until eventually I beat the RNG spitting Despair at me. If you try this method, I always found Fascination at the Painted River, though I don’t have the statistics, that’s just what it was in my personal experience.

The Clock Striketh Twelve

For this one, you’ll need to play as the Bright Young Thing. This one can be started as by dying from lack of health (“My Body Is Dead”), but it shows up randomly anyway for the other deaths. Progress through the story by working, reading the notes from your father, and eventually earning the Talk function with Poppy. Accept her mission by using passion. You’ll get a countdown timer for when she’ll return. All you have to do is stay alive until she returns. Don’t give her any followers, hirelings, or associates; just let her timer run out, and she’ll kill you instead. Pretty easy, but takes a long while to get to that point.

Bars Across the Sun

For this achievement, you want to get arrested. The best way is to accumulate Notoriety. You’ll want your hunter to stay alive, and to keep collecting evidence on you. Sometimes, if you get an erratic hunter, they can gather evidence even when there’s none. However, with the probability you won’t get an erratic, you’ll want to prepare for a regular hunter.

The way I’ve found easiest is to utilize paintings. You’ll want to level up your passion to the first skill, studying two Glimmerings. Then, you’ll want a notoriety to utilize. Generally, if you follow plot progression normally, the game will eventually give you one. If not, sometimes it can spawn by going to the cabaret, or you can force a spawn by talking about lore to the public. You’ll also want an occult lore. Again, one usually spawns randomly with the plot, but if not, you can explore the city using health to eventually find the book store, if your character wasn’t given directions already. Then go through the motions of studying one of the books (not the language books, or the collections) and get a lore card.

Once you have a notoriety, drop your passion skill (it will have a paintbrush as the image) into Work. Drop in your notoriety and fill the rest with passion. If you have a mystique, use that in addition to the notoriety. The focus should be mystique and notoriety. Then, when prompted for inspiration, play your lore card. Let the game time through then. When prompted about paints, I paid the fee. You may be able to accomplish this without paying for paints though.

The painting will then go on display. From there, you’ll get more notoriety and, if you used it, mystique. Basically, from here, you’ll repeat this process over and over. Just keep painting with notoriety and mystique, and use your lore as inspiration. Ideally, you want as much notoriety as you can put in there. Your hunter will eventually spawn and start pulling your notoriety from the board to construct evidence. Once you have damning evidence, they just need one more piece of notoriety to convict you. Just let them do their job, and eventually you’ll get the red end-game ticker. Let it cycle through and when you get the game over, the achievement will pop.

Victories

These are endings where the character doesn’t die or end up in jail. Generally, these are endings that have to be worked towards specifically.

Corner Office

To earn your corner office, you have to successfully arrest a troublemaker. When you play as the investigator, you’ll automatically be assigned a troublemaker to start investigating. Investigate them as far as you need to to unlock the study option. As soon as it becomes available, you’ll want to place your job in the empty work slot any time you aren’t actively using other actions. In addition, pause your game when you are rearranging your cards: you want to keep your job from timing out on you. The reason you want to do this rather than just work it is because to investigate, you need to apply at least one reason. But the more you apply, the quicker you accrue evidence. Don’t worry, you won’t run out of funds in this timespan.

Once study is available and free, input your reason for two erudition, then upgrade for a third reason. Keep your investigator position waiting while your reason heals itself. Once it has, investigate your troublemaker again, this time applying all three reason.

This will give you tentative evidence. Immediately place your investigator position and evidence into the respective slots in work while you wait on your three reasons to cooldown. Once they’re available, apply them as well. This will result in damning evidence. Do the same thing with your damning evidence, using all three reason. The Bureau will want to inquire about your culprit, and will automatically draw in your troublemaker. Once the cycle times out, you’ll receive “A Favour from Authority”. Investigate your favor; you don’t have to apply any reason. Once the ticker runs out, you’ll receive the ending, and the achievement will pop.

I’m Not… *Unhappy*

To get this achievement, you’ll want to get as far into the law career as you can. This follows a few steps that get more complicated as they go on. To prepare, get at least one level into the skills for health and reason, by studying combos of vitality (x2) and erudition (x2). You’ll also want to unlock Explore and Talk as actions.

First, you’ll want to get the law career to begin with. You can do this by applying reason to Work. This is easiest when you’re the aspirant and don’t have any other careers to worry about. In your career, you’ll want to put forth more reason as extra effort.

Now, you’ll reach the regular position, with Mr. Alder. He is an absolute nightmare. There’s rumors that he’ll eventually retire on his own, but I didn’t have the patience for that. Your work timer is a lot shorter, now, at around 60 seconds. You’ll want to keep working, in order to not get demoted, and occasionally he’ll ask you to apply extra reason. Just keep following that cycle.

Meanwhile, while maintaining your career, start exploring the city. You’ll want to hire someone with Edge, Heart, or Lantern aspects. Personally, the only success I had was with an Edge minion. If you don’t get hirelings, just keep cycling your health through, as much as you can afford.

Once you get a sufficient minion, talk to them about your position at Glover & Glover. You’ll want to do this as many times as it takes until Adler is dead (or seduced, or driven crazy, if you use Heart and Lantern respectively.) If this takes multiple attempts, you may draw notoriety and receive a hunter. In that case, you may have to take care of the hunter as well, but this will draw attention to you.

Once Adler is gone, you’ll apply reason in every slot the job offers you. Keep doing this until you’re approached by “the younger Glover” who will offer you a sort-of promotion. At that point, every single slot you’re prompted with will be filled with reason. Once you encounter a slot that cannot have reason applied to it, use passion. This will end the game, and you’ll get the achievement.

Ever Afters

Warning: Right now, don’t do this achievement along with any of the three change ascensions. It is currently bugged. Power, Enlightenment, and Sensation are all fine.

The Ever Afters are the achievements all related to romancing a follower and then giving up your ascension, choosing to instead spend your mortality with them.

To romance your follower, you must talk to them, and then bring up the subject of a location. This is different between followers. Then, when prompted with “Kindred Spirits?” you must show them a temptation relevant to them. This is also different between followers, and isn’t always the same within an aspect. Importantly: this can be a temptation! You don’t have to dedicate yourself to it. In fact, that’s how you cheat on your lover and cause a fight.

• Auclair: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Cat: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Clifton: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Clovette: ecdysis club, “change”
• Dorothy: ecdysis club, “change”
• Elridge: Oriflammes’, “power”
• Enid: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Laidlaw: Oriflammes’, “power”
• Leo: ecdysis club, “change”
• Neville: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Porter: ecdysis club, “change”
• Renira: ecdysis club, “sensation”
• Rose: ecdysis club, “sensation”
• Saliba: ecdysis club, “sensation”
• Slee: strange streets*, “enlightenment”
• Sylvia: ecdysis club, “change”
• Tristan: Oriflammes’, “power”
• Valcianne: Oriflammes’, “power”
• Victor: ecdysis club, “sensation”
• Violet: ecdysis club, “sensation”
• Ysabet: ecdysis club, “change”

If your location was marked with an asterisk (*) and you don’t know where that location is, explore the city by using the Travel verb and applying health. It’ll show up eventually, through RNG. However, it is a card that can expire, so make sure you’re ready beforehand.

Once you’ve romanced your lover, they’ll get the “Interested” label. From here until you ascend, you need to make sure that they don’t get upset with you. Any time the Rose event shows up (Season of Arduors) you need to apply a passion when prompted. Otherwise, your significant other will start to resent you.

Once it’s time to ascend, you ascend as you would. Once the event draws in your beloved’s card, it will prompt you if you want to give up. Apply a passion to do so. Enjoy your heart wrenching flavor text!

Thine be the Glory

This is the Enlightenment ending. Since enlightenment requires lantern, you’ll want to found The Mirror of Glory for this method. You’ll also want to recruit one of the associates found under “The Seer” achievement.* That’s because these followers can be exalted, and you’ll need their aspect.

*Alternatively, you can summon Teresa worth 12 lantern, though this will require sacrificing an item/assistant, depending on which rite you use. This will require 10 lantern, 5 knock, and 2 secret histories.

With your cult founded, you’ll want to work towards getting the highest level lantern lore: “Illuminate Mysteries”. You’ll also want to work towards the highest lantern tool: “Watchman’s Glass”.

Working towards those can happen concurrently while you work on your ascension. First, make sure your temptation is enlightenment. If it’s not, you can apply it in Dream and add reason to it. Once you have enlightenment as your temptation, add any lantern lore as your aspect. This will give you the first mark, and solidify the path you want to follow. Congratulations, you now have a dedication.

Now you’ll need to get to the Stag’s Door and answer its riddle. You can find this under the “What Has It Got In Its Pocketses?” achievement. Once you have the Ways card for the Stag Door, you’ll want to work and use a level three lantern lore or higher (worth at least 6 aspect). This will turn your dedication into the ascension track, and give you the second mark.

Here’s where things get tricky. For enlightenment, you need prisoners. Every time it is the Season of Ambitions, you’ll receive “Exotic Cravings?” as your red hook prompt. It will draw in your ascension card and try to find a prisoner card to draw in. You’ll want a steady supply of prisoners for this, but don’t get overzealous–prisoners turn to corpses, turn to notoriety. How you get prisoners is up to you. Sometimes you can get them by putting followers or hirelings into the cupboard. Sometimes you can get them by sending your minions, followers, and hirelings after detectives. At this point in the process, you just sort of have to set out some nectar for the RNG gods moths and hope for the best. Personally, my preferred method is keeping a steady stream of hirelings and then tossing them into the cupboard when I see Season of Ambitions coming up.

You’ll do this four times, for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth marks. If you don’t have your tool and lore by this point, you’ll also have to keep feeding your enlightenment prisoners. You may want to put off this step until you have the items you’ll need for your rite. But on the plus side, you can use the tool and lore to quickly level your follower up to a seer.

Do you have the sixth mark? Do you have your seer? Do you have your tool and lore? Good, then you’re ready for the last step: the rite. Any rite that has a slot for your Desire will work. You can tell if a rite will probably let you ascend because you when put in your ascension card, the title will change to “Hint: The Seventh Mark?”.** Now, just fill in the blanks with your tool, lore, ascension, and seer. For the seventh mark to work, you need thirty-six lantern. If you have each of the items, you should meet the quota dead on. From there, let the rite count itself down. Once it’s finished, you’ve ascended and earned yourself a cheevo.

** Rite Intercalate will be your best choice, which can be found in the book “The Scar in the Sky” which is found on expeditions. To study The Star in the Sky, you’ll have to know Fucine, which is learned from textbooks gathered from expeditions. You’ll either get the Journal of Alessandro LaCroce, or the Ciphered Journal of Alessandro LaCroce. If your journal is ciphered, you’ll need to first decipher the journal using Latin.

This ritual allows you to use a tool, an assistant, an influence, lore, and an ingredient, meaning you can use lower level items/etc to hit the 32 mark. But be warned! This rite consumes everything you put into it, so be concious of which rituals you use it for. It’s fine when you’re using it to ascend, as that ends the game anyway, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you use it for other things before then.

Influences:

• Intensity of Radiance: 6 lantern (Found in the Orchard of Lights through White Door)
• Blaze of Radiance: 10 lantern (Found in the Chamber of the Ways through the Spider Door)
• A Splendour: 15 lantern (Found as one of the revealed cards through the Peacock Door)

Ingredients:

• Refulgin: 4 lantern
• Glassfinger Toxin: 8 lantern
• Ichor Vitreous: 12 lantern

Hairless and Imperishable

This achievement is pretty much identical to Thine be the Glory, only instead following the path of power. There may be some slightly similar wording. In addition, I recommend you play as the physician for this route.

This is the Power ending. Power uses forge, so you’ll want to found The Unflinching Order. You’ll also want to recruit one of the associates found under “The Reshaper” achievement.* That’s because these followers can be exalted in a forge cult, and ascension will require their aspect points.

*Alternatively, you can summon King of Crucible who has 12 Forge, though this will require sacrificing an item/assistant, depending on which rite you use. This will require 2 knock, 2 lantern, 12 forge; OR 5 knock, 2 lantern, 10 forge.

With your cult founded, you’ll want to work towards getting the highest level forge lore “Mysteries of Making” and the highest level forge too, “Carcass Spark”. You’ll use these in your ritual, and can also use them to exalt your reshaper.

Working towards those can happen concurrently while you work on your ascension. First, make sure your temptation is power. If it’s not, you can apply it in Dream and add passion to it. Once you have passion as your temptation, add any forge lore as your aspect. This will give you the first mark and turn your temptation into dedication.

Before you move onto this next step, make sure to read the next three paragraphs! You may want to wait before you move on.

Now you’ll need to get to the Stag’s Door and answer its riddle. You can find this under the “What Has It Got In Its Pocketses?” achievement. Once you have the Ways card for the Stag Door, you’ll want to use a level three forge lore or higher (worth at least 6 aspect) in Work, with your Stag Door riddle and with your Power. This will turn your dedication into the ascension track, and give you the second mark.

If you have a steady stream of income, you’re in luck! For power, you only need funds. Because of this is why I recommend the physician. Every time it is the Season of Ambitions, you’ll receive “Exotic Cravings?” as your red hook prompt. It will draw in your ascension card and try to find a funds card to draw in. However, be careful that this doesn’t deplete your funds, because you still need those to eat.

You’ll do this four times, for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth marks. If you don’t have your tool and lore by this point, you’ll also have to keep feeding your power funds. Because you can’t control when the Season of Ambitions happens, and you can’t stop it from consuming funds, you’ll either want to focus your attention on earning as much money as possible, or simply don’t earn your second mark until you’re well-prepared.

Do you have the sixth mark? Do you have your reshaper? Do you have your tool and lore? Then you’re ready for the last step: the rite. Any rite with a Desire slot will work. You can tell if a rite will probably let you ascend because you when put in your ascension card, the title will change to “Hint: The Seventh Mark?”.** Now, just fill in the blanks with your tool, lore, ascension, and reshaper. For the seventh mark to work, you need thirty-six forge. If you have each of the items, you should meet the quota dead on. From there, let the rite count itself down. Once it’s finished, you’ve ascended and earned yourself the achievement.

**Rite Intercalate will be your best choice, which can be found in the book “The Scar in the Sky” which is found on expeditions. To study The Star in the Sky, you’ll have to know Fucine, which is learned from textbooks gathered from expeditions. You’ll either get the Journal of Alessandro LaCroce, or the Ciphered Journal of Alessandro LaCroce. If your journal is ciphered, you’ll need to first decipher the journal using Latin.

This ritual allows you to use a tool, an assistant, an influence, lore, and an ingredient, meaning you can use lower level items/etc to hit the 32 mark. But be warned! This rite consumes everything you put into it, so be concious of which rituals you use it for. It’s fine when you’re using it to ascend, as that ends the game anyway, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you use it for other things before then.

Ingredients:

• Bitterblack Salts: 4 forge
• Xanthotic Essence: 8 forge
• Iotic Essence: 12 forge (Found in the Malleary through the Spider’s Door)

Influences:

• A Trembling Heat: 6 forge (Found as one of the revealed cards through the Stag’s Door)
• An Exalting Heat: 10 forge
• An Incandescence: 15 forge (Found in the Malleary through the Spider’s Door)

Smooth Without, Red Within

Like Hairless and Imperishable, this will be slightly repetitive when compared to Thine be the Glory. The method’s pretty much the same for each of the routes.

Smooth Without, Red Within is the sensation ending. Since sensation requires grail, you’ll want to found The Order of the Bloody Cup. You’ll also want to recruit one of the associates found under “The Cyprian” achievement.* That’s because these followers can be exalted, and you’ll need their aspect.

*Alternatively, you can summon Ezeem who has 12 grail, though this will require sacrificing an item/assistant, depending on which rite you use. This will require 10 grail, 5 knock, and 2 forge.

With your cult founded, you’ll want to work towards getting the highest level grail lore, “Devouring Mysteries”. You’ll also want to work towards the highest grail tool, “Chalice Murmurous”.

Working towards those can happen concurrently while you work on your ascension. They’ll also help you with exalting your cyprian. First, make sure your temptation is sensation. If it’s not, you can apply it in Dream and add health to it. Once you have sensation as your temptation, add any grail lore as your aspect. This will give you the first mark and turn your temptation into dedication.

Now you’ll need to get to the Stag’s Door and answer its riddle. You can find this under the “What Has It Got In Its Pocketses?” achievement. Once you have the Ways card for the Stag Door, you’ll want to use a level three grail lore or higher (worth at least 6 aspect) in the Work action, with your Sensation and Stag’s Riddle. This will turn your dedication into the ascension track, and give you the second mark.

This is tricky like the enlightenment track, but just a little bit more lenient. For power, you need prisoners OR corpses, or lunatics. Woooow, so many options! Every time it is the Season of Ambitions, you’ll receive “Exotic Cravings?” as your red hook prompt. It will draw in your ascension card and try to find a prisoner, corpse, or lunatic card to draw in. How you get your offerings is up to you. Prisoners can be made using the cupboard in HQ, or you can send hirelings/minions/followers after detectives to get any of the three options. At this point in the process, you just gotta make friends with some moths and cross your fingers, unless you can afford summoning consistently strong minions. Personally, my preferred method is keeping a steady stream of hirelings and then tossing them into the cupboard when I see Season of Ambitions coming up.

You’ll do this four times, for the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth marks. If you don’t have your tool and lore by this point, you’ll also have to keep feeding your power offerings. You may want to put off this step until you have the items you’ll need for your rite.

Do you have the sixth mark? Do you have your cyprian? Do you have your tool and lore? Good, then you’re ready for the last step: the rite. You can use any rite at all, so long as it has a slot for your Ascension card. I used Rite of the Crucible Son just because it fit with the lore, but I’m a nerd like that. You can tell if a rite will probably let you ascend because you when put in your ascension card, the title will change to “Hint: The Seventh Mark?”.** Now, just fill in the blanks with your tool, lore, ascension, and cyprian. For the seventh mark to work, you need thirty-six grail. If you have each of the items, you should meet the quota dead on. From there, let the rite count itself down. Once it’s finished, you’ve ascended and can proudly call yourself a cannibal show off your new achievement.

**Rite Intercalate will be your best choice, which can be found in the book “The Scar in the Sky” which is found on expeditions. To study The Star in the Sky, you’ll have to know Fucine, which is learned from textbooks gathered from expeditions. You’ll either get the Journal of Alessandro LaCroce, or the Ciphered Journal of Alessandro LaCroce. If your journal is ciphered, you’ll need to first decipher the journal using Latin.

This ritual allows you to use a tool, an assistant, an influence, lore, and an ingredient, meaning you can use lower level items/etc to hit the 32 mark. But be warned! This rite consumes everything you put into it, so be concious of which rituals you use it for. It’s fine when you’re using it to ascend, as that ends the game anyway, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you use it for other things before then.

Ingredients:

• Vital Pigment: 4 grail
• Amaranthine Nectar: 8 grail (Found in The Red Church through the Peacock Door)
• Writhing Caul: 12 grail

Influences:

• Urgency of Appetite: 6 grail (Found in The Red Church through Peacock Door, or in the Ascent of Knives through Stag’s Door)
• Imperative of Appetite: 10 grail (Found as one of the revealed cards in Spider Door)
• An Incarnadescence: 15 grail (Found in The Red Church through Peacock Door)

My Constancy Assured

My Constancy Assured is one of the three ascensions that come with the Dancer DLC. In addition to that, as of the time of this writing, you also need the Gate of Horn beta branch to be able to actually finish the ascension. If that makes you wary, just wait for the update to get pushed through allowing players to combine influences to make stronger ones.

How you start depends on your legacy: if you are a Dancer, then work at the Gaiety until you meet Sulochana. Personally, I found her right away (I used Passion, which may be a factor) but others have voiced issue with it. If for whatever reason she’s not there, keep dancing there until you meet her. Once you’ve met her, progress through the usual motions of unlocking all your verbs, until you get the one which gives you Temptation: Change. Talk to her about your temptation, and she’ll give you directions to the Ecdysis Club.

If you’re any other legacy besides Dancer, you’ll have to meet Sulochana through the usual method of finding patrons; that is, apply any lore (it doesn’t matter what) to the talk verb. Eventually she’ll show up on your board. Next, you’ll want directions to the Ecdysis Club. Personally, I prefer the method of simply travelling with health, since you’ll need to to discover the book shop and Oriflamme’s anyway.

Go there, and use her as your entry (rather than a fund). Show her your temptation. If you’re not the Dancer, it has to be either Power or Sensation–Enlightenment doesn’t work. One you do that, if you didn’t already have it, she’ll give you Temptation: Change.

Here is where it doesn’t matter what legacy you are. Go to the club with her once more, and talk about the temptation. You’ll get a contract for her club.

Using the Work verb, fill in the contract + the club + your physical skill + health, to get superior contract.

Using the Work verb again, fill in the superior contract + the club + your physical skill + health + health to get inspired work. You can generally mix & match your “Ability/Scars” and “Influence” from here on out, so long as you meet the heart requirements. For this one, it’s a minimum of 5 heart. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get Garments, Surrendered.

Now you just have to wait for season of ambitions (the hook) to pull in your temptation + garments, surrendered. When that happens, you’ll get Change: Leaf.

Using Work, fill in superior contract + the club + health + health + vitality + change: leaf for a minimum of 6 heart. (Alternatively: health + scar) This will give you the viper guise.

Talk to Sulochana about secret histories (she will consume it). You’ll want to use ‘A Furtive Truth,’ and she’ll give you Kerisham. As far as I can tell, you have to use the exact secret histories for each level, otherwise you won’t be able to send your guise.

Do the expedition with your form as the sending, and get to the end going through the usual expedition motions. You’ll do the dance, and receive Integument, Surrendered. One again, season of ambitions will make Change: Pearl.

Work “superior contract + the club + health + scar + vitality + change: pearl” for a min. 8 heart (alt scar + scar) which will give you the cat guise. If you haven’t gotten scars yet, work the regular club dances to make inspired work. You’ll be able to have a max of 3 heart scars (and 3 moth scars) but you only need 2 heart scars for this ascension. They’re worth more than health in the dances.

Do another expedition to Unnumbered Stones (from A Forgotten Chronicle) which gives Steps, Surrendered. Again, go through season of ambitions for change: antumbra.

Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + vitality + change: antumbra” min. 10 heart (alt. health + health + pulsing airs) for fox guise. Expedition to Foxlily Meadows (Forbidden Epic) to get Hues, Surrendered. Loop season of ambitions for change: stigma.

Work “superior contract + club + health + scar + pulsing airs + change: stigma” for a min.13 heart (or use scar + scar) to get the eagle guise. Do the expedition to Miah (Vagabonds Map) to get Sight, Surrendered. Season of ambitions runs to get change: pupil.

Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + pulsing airs + change: pupil” for a min. 15 heart. Unfortunately, there is no easier way to do it. At this point you’ll need two scars, and the pulsing airs–luckily, there are two ways to get pulsing airs. I’ve included them at the bottom of this section, if you need them. Once the dance is done, you’ll have dove guise. Do the expedition to Port Noon (Port Noon Anecdote) to get Bones, Surrendered. Season of ambitions will give you change: ivory.

Last dance, I swear. Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + pounding airs” min. >19 heart to get the guise boar. Dream with the boar. As of writing, I’m pretty certain you can’t choose your beloved over ascension in this route; for me, I got a weird bug, and it didn’t give me the relevant achievement. Therefore, if you’ve romanced someone, don’t choose passion. Let the timer run out, and you’ll receive the achievement, as well as a Heart ascension.

Pulsing & Pounding Airs

The first method is through augury. Simply talk to one of your lantern followers about cult business–it doesn’t matter if the cult is Lantern or not. The higher your follower is, the more likely they’ll succeed. This is a way to generate influences, but there’s not any way to lean towards any specific aspect.

Alternatively, you can paint. You’ll need rose-pearl dust, which can be found through robbery (talk to moth or knock about cult business), crafting (talk to forge about cult business), or in vaults on expeditions. Use the work verb, then apply your paint skill, then two passion. Next step, add vitality. After that, you’ll use the rose-pearl dust as your pigment. It will spit out a pulsing airs in the final product. (For Pounding Airs, you would use the same method, but use at least a level 2 painting skill, and instead of vitality as your inspiration, use a pulsing airs. It’ll give you two pulsing airs which, in the beta update, can be studied together along with a heart lore worth at least 6 heart.)

The Dodo & The Dragon

The Dodo & The Dragon is one of the three ascensions that come with the Dancer DLC.

How you start depends on your legacy: if you are a Dancer, then work at the Gaiety until you meet Sulochana. Personally, I found her right away (I used Passion, which may be a factor) but others have voiced issue with it. If for whatever reason she’s not there, keep dancing there until you meet her. Once you’ve met her, progress through the usual motions of unlocking all your verbs, until you get the one which gives you Temptation: Change. Talk to her about your temptation, and she’ll give you directions to the Ecdysis Club.

If you’re any other legacy besides Dancer, you’ll have to meet Sulochana through the usual method of finding patrons; that is, apply any lore (it doesn’t matter what) to the talk verb. Eventually she’ll show up on your board. Next, you’ll want directions to the Ecdysis Club. Personally, I prefer the method of simply travelling with health, since you’ll need to to discover the book shop and Oriflamme’s anyway.

Go there, and use her as your entry (rather than a fund). Show her your temptation. If you’re not the Dancer, it has to be either Power or Sensation–Enlightenment doesn’t work. One you do that, if you didn’t already have it, she’ll give you Temptation: Change.

Here is where it doesn’t matter what legacy you are. Go to the club with her once more, and talk about the temptation. You’ll get a contract for her club.

Using the Work verb, fill in the contract + the club + your physical skill + passion, to get superior contract.

Using the Work verb again, fill in the superior contract + the club + your creative (passion) skill + passion + passion to get inspired work. You can generally mix & match your “Ability/Scars” and “Influence” from here on out, so long as you meet the moth requirements. For this one, you need a minimum of 5 moth. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get Garments, Surrendered.

Now you just have to wait for season of ambitions (the hook) to pull in your temptation + garments, surrendered. When that happens, you’ll get Change: Leaf.

Using Work, fill in superior contract + the club + passion + passion + glimmering + change: leaf for a minimum of 6 moth. (Alternatively: passion + scar) This will give you the viper guise.

Talk to Sulochana about secret histories (she will consume it). You’ll want to use ‘A Furtive Truth,’ and she’ll give you Kerisham. As far as I can tell, you have to use the exact secret histories for each level, otherwise you won’t be able to send your guise.

Do the expedition with your form as the sending, and get to the end going through the usual expedition motions. You’ll do the dance, and receive Integument, Surrendered. One again, season of ambitions will make Change: Pearl.

Work “superior contract + the club + passion + scar + glimmering + change: pearl” for a min. 8 moth (alt scar + scar) which will give you the cat guise. If you haven’t gotten scars yet, work the regular club dances to make inspired work. You’ll be able to have a max of 3 moth scars (and 3 heart scars) but you only need 2 moth scars for this ascension. They’re worth more than passion in the dances.

Do another expedition to Unnumbered Stones (from A Forgotten Chronicle) which gives Steps, Surrendered. Again, go through season of ambitions for change: antumbra.

Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + glimmering + change: antumbra” min. 10 moth (alt. passion + passion + a rattling in the soul) for fox guise. Expedition to Foxlily Meadows (Forbidden Epic) to get Hues, Surrendered. Loop season of ambitions for change: stigma.

Work “superior contract + club + passion + scar + a rattling in the soul + change: stigma” for a min.13 moth (or use scar + scar) to get the eagle guise. Do the expedition to Miah (Vagabonds Map) to get Sight, Surrendered. Season of ambitions runs to get change: pupil.

Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + a rattling in the soul + change: pupil” for a min. 15 moth. Unfortunately, there is no easier way to do it. At this point you’ll need two scars, and the rattling in the soul. Later on, you’ll also need a higher moth influence. I’ve included how to get both of them at the bottom of this section, if you need to know how. Once the dance is done, you’ll have dove guise. Do the expedition to Port Noon (Port Noon Anecdote) to get Bones, Surrendered. Season of ambitions will give you change: ivory.

Last dance, I swear. Work “superior contract + club + scar + scar + a howling in the heart” min. >19 moth to get the guise imago. Dream with the imago. As of writing, I’m pretty certain you can’t choose your beloved over ascension in this route; for me, I got a weird bug, and it didn’t give me the relevant achievement. Therefore, if you’ve romanced someone, don’t choose passion. Let the timer run out, and you’ll receive the achievement, as well as a Moth ascension.

Rattling & Howling

For rattling in the soul, you’ll use augury. Simply talk to one of your lantern followers about cult business–it doesn’t matter if the cult is Lantern or not. The higher your follower is, the more likely they’ll succeed. This is a way to generate influences, but there’s not any way to lean towards any specific aspect.

For howling in the heart, you’ll need the spider door. If you don’t know how to get there, you can refer to the achievement walkthrough for Beaded with Blood. Once there, howling shows up in The Chamber of Ways. It may take a few tries, but it’s there.

The House of the Moon

The House of the Moon uses both My Constancy Assured and The Dodo & The Dragon. Namely, you need to divide up the 5 expedition dances and the first “inspired work” dance (giving you “garments, surrendered”) to be a 3/3 split between moth and heart. One way to keep track which you’ve done is the color of the “surrendered” pieces. The desaturated brown is moth, the muted red is heart. Or, when you click on your Change ascension card, the little boxes with the figures dancing shows how many you have of each–white being moth and red being heart.

So long as the first 6 are split evenly, the last one doesn’t matter–which means I strongly recommend you perform the last one using moth, simply because the influence is easier to get. Personally, I didn’t find it that hard to get the heart influence for the last dance, but many people complained in the Discord, so it’s up to you. It’s either augury grinding, or mansus grinding: pick your poison.

I haven’t tested it, but knowing how I got glitches in both moth and heart, I don’t recommend you choosing passion to give up your ascension with your beloved here. Ignore it, let the timer run out, and you’ll get your achievement and the Balanced ascension.

Corpse Ascensions

The corpse ascensions refer to the six achievements that can be obtained by ascending with your beloved’s corpse:

• Hairless and Semi-Perishable (Power)
• Smooth Without, Dead Within (Sensation)
• Thine be the Ghoul (Lantern)
• Our Constancy Assured (Heart Change)
• The Dodo and the Draugr (Moth Change)
• The House of My Moon (Moon/Balanced Change).

To do this, you need to romance a beloved as indicated in the Ever Afters section. However, before you ascend, they need to die, and then be resurrected. I strongly recommend waiting until you’re ready to ascend for this part, because zombies expire.

Before this step, you’ll want to be prepared for your ressurection ritual. You’ll want to use one of three rites:

• Rite of the Sea’s Feasting (Thirsting Tantra or Those Who Do Not Sleep)
• Rite of the Mother’s Mercy (Gospel of Zacchaeus or Twin-Serpent Tantra)
• Rite of the Sea’s Marriage (Geminiad)

Make sure you pick up the materials you’ll need for whichever rite you pick. I found it easiest to use the cunning ressurection ritual (moth, winter, and edge.)

To kill them, do not put them in the cupboard; this will cause them to lose all affection and harbor resentment, making them unusable. Instead, send them on missions through Talk and applying the cult, or sending them alone on expeditions. Try to avoid letting them get cursed. I found it was easiest to use Lantern followers through augury. Once they are wounded, don’t talk to them, and simply wait for Seasons of Illness to come around. It won’t always pick them up, but once it does, it will kill them. You have limited time, so immediately put them into your ritual. Let it go through. Once they are a zombie, complete your ascension. They will be drawn into the Beloved slot, but you won’t be given the option to use passion. Once you’ve ascended, you’ll get the achievement.

Cults

These are the achievements from starting different cults. These use each of the 9 lore types, or “aspects.” These are not consumed by the cult founding, and they can be any level of the aspect. There doesn’t seem to be any perks for using higher level aspects to found your cult, so feel free to use whichever is most convenient for the cult you want to found.

I provide how to gain these aspects/lores through the book shop. However, there are other ways to gain the aspects; I’ve just found that the book shop is the easiest route, even if a bit tedious by having to go back over and over until you get the book you need.

In the process, you’ll also probably get the collections of poems and essays. These can be studied using two Erudition. Poems will produce an extra passion, and Essays will produce an extra reason. There will be three of each of the collection types (three poems, three essays).

Order of the Bloody Cup

For this one, you’ll want to start a cult using “A Red Secret” as your lore. This can be found by studying book “Skeleton Songs” from the bookshop. You can also use “A Megalesian Incantation”, which is gained from reading “Orchid Transfigurations”. This is Latin, so you’ll have to learn Latin from “Oehoris” and then transcribe Orchid Transfigurations into latin. You only have to successfully found the cult for the achievement to pop. However, to get the cult, you’ll have to provide one of your passion.

Society of the Holy Wound

For this one, you’ll need to create a cult using “Locksmith’s Secret” as your lore. You can get this from gouging your eye as the Physician (when “My Belief?” pops up, feed it reason), or by studying the book “The Locksmith’s Dream.” Alternatively, you can use “Iguvine Rite” which you get from getting all the books from the bookshop. You’ll also have to sacrifice one health to create it. This health will be converted into an injury, which you can heal just as you would an illness (sleep with it and 1 vitality, or 1 funds.)

Children of Silence

To create the Children of Silence, you’ll start your cult using “A Saxton’s Secret” as your lore. This can be found by studying book “Traveling at Night” or “On The White” from the bookshop. You only have to successfully found the cult for the achievement to pop. However, to get the cult, you’ll have to provide one of your reason.

Wildwood Club

For this one, you’ll want to start a cult using “A Barber’s Warning” as your lore. This can be found by studying book “Oehoris” from the bookshop; however, for you to study Oehoris, you’ll have to first know Latin, and then study the book along with Latin in order to have a transcription to study. You only have to successfully found the cult for the achievement to pop. However, to get the cult, you’ll have to provide one of your passion.

Society of St Hydra

To unlock this achievement, you’ll need to use “An Occult Scrap” as your lore. Generally, most characters start you with this, but just in case, you can get a copy of the aspect by studying the book “Introduction to Histories” or “Queens of the River” from the book shop. You can also use “Furtive Truth” which you can get from studying “The War of the Roads …”. All you have to do for the achievement to pop is to successfully found the cult; you’ll have to also sacrifice one of your reasons for it.

Temple Unceasing

For Temple Unceasing, you’ll have to use “A Thunderous Secret”. You can find this by studying “Apollo and Marsyas” from the book shop. You’ll have to sacrifice a passion to found the cult, but once the cult is founded, you’ll get the achievement.

The Mirror of Glory

For this cult, you’ll use lore “A Watchman’s Secret”, which can be gained from studying “Humours of Gentleman” from the book shop. Alternatively, you can use “A Mansus Glimpse” which can be gained from studying “On What is Contained in Silver” which will need to be translated from Greek (you can learn Greek from “Kuhner and Gerth” in the bookshop). Alternatively, if playing as the Physician, you can complete the Watchmen’s Sorrow to receive “A Watchman’s Secret”. To found the cult, you’ll need to give up one reason.

Unflinching Order

Unflinching Order requires you to use “A Smith’s Secret” as your founding lore. You can gain this by studying “Six Letters of Necessity” from the book shop. Alternatively, you can use “Ardent Orison” from studying “Burning Unburnt God”. Once you go to found your cult, you’ll also have to provide one health. You’ll receive an injury, which can be healed back to health the same way you would an illness. Once the cult is founded, you’ll receive the achievement.

Church of the Bright Edge

To get this achievement, you need to use “A Knife’s Secret” to found your cult, which you can gain from studying “Victory of Crowns” from the book shop. Once you go to found it, you’ll have to sacrifice one health, which turns into an injury. From there, you can recover your health the same way you would an illness. When the cult is founded, you’ll receive the achievement.

Ways

These achievements are the ones gained by exploring the Ways through dreaming. To get there, you’ll first have to discover The Woods. To do this, you’ll dream using passion, then lantern, moth, or knock lore. From there, you’ll then dream using The Woods, or one of the other Ways cards.

In the Midst of my Life, in a Dark Wood

So, I have a confession……….this was my last achievement out of the 33. I know, I know; imagine my distress when I was completely stumped on an achievement that, as I write, is the third-most common one. I felt pretty dumb!

My problem was I unlocked the path to the white door, and somehow assumed that it would be involved there. Thankfully, I’ve written down the actual solution, for you to follow so that you don’t make my same mistakes.

It’s very, very easy. Dreaming with your Ways woods card, enter the woods. (If you don’t have the woods card, dream using passion then lantern, moth, or knock lore.) Then, apply passion as your aspect. It’s real easy to figure out, you just have to read the description.

Anyway, that’s all you have to do. Once the timer cycles through, the screen will change and you’ll get the achievement.

Speechless at Sunset

To do this, you’ll have to use The Woods. Then, as your path you will choose “Iguvine Rite” (knock) or “A Mansus Glimpse” (lantern) or “White Ceremony” (winter). Any of the three will work, and they aren’t consumed, so you don’t have to worry about which one you pick. From there, you will receive the Ways card “The White Door.” Now, you will dream again using The White Door. For “Ascent”, you’ll put in one health (this will not be consumed, though it will be fatigued). You’ll know you’ve unlocked the achievement when the screen changes images.

What Has It Got In Its Pocketses?

This achievement is probably one of the trickiest of the Ways doors. Of the 9 aspects/lore types, a random question will be asked when you reach the stag door.

First, to get to the stag door, you’ll have to go to the White House, much as you did in the previous Ways achievement (“Speechless at Sunset”). However, instead of placing a health, you’ll instead place your current desire or temptation. This will lead you to the stag door. At that point, it will give you a Ways for the Riddle, so that you can get back to this point. You’ll have to read what the riddle it gives you is. If you can’t find it in the dialog (I accidentally skipped mine, I think, though I’m not sure if I skipped it or if it simply doesn’t tell you in the box), you can click on the Ways card itself and the tooltip will tell you what the riddle is.

You’ll have to read the lore descriptions to find the answer. I was lucky enough that mine was only level 3 of the Lantern lore, “An Unmerciful Mantra”, which I already had.

Once you answer the riddle, the screen will change, and the achievement will pop.

I’ve included a list of all the stag riddles I’ve discovered and their answers. If you have any that aren’t here, please send them in!

Where is Mercy found?
“Only in shadow.” – An Unmerciful Mantra (lantern)

What must open, before this Way opens?
“I, myself, must be opened. Behold my blood which is shed.” – A Consent of Wounds (knock)

What may be lost?
“There are many answers to this question, as the shedders of skin know. Here is mine…” – An Ecdysiast’s Parable (moth)

What are the words that make sacrifice sweet?
“Here are those words…” – A Delightful Sacrament (grail)

Where is the queen who was not born?
“Her heart is buried in another history.” – A Forgotten Chronicle (secret histories)

Beaded with Blood

The Spider’s door is pretty straight forward. Once you’ve answered the Stag’s riddle, use your Ways card to go to the Stag Door. From there, you’ll apply lantern, grail, or knock that’s at least level 4 (not aspect points, but actual level). From there, the Spider Door will want a sacrifice to allow you through.

You don’t need one yet; it’ll give you a card to return. However, this won’t be enough to give you the achievement. The only way to get through is to sacrifice a prisoner. The best ways to get these is to put hirelings or followers into your cupboard in HQ. Or, some hirelings and followers will return with a captured prisoner, if you send them after your hunter. Pick whichever method works for you.

Once you’ve sacrificed your prisoner, the screen will change, and you’ll receive your achievement.

In the Glassgarden

To get to the Peacock Door, you’ll have to have the Ways card for the Spider Door. However, you don’t have to have successfully gotten through the Spider Door. If you don’t have the Ways card for the Spider Door, go through the Stag’s Door using a Ways card, then use a level four or higher lantern, grail, or knock lore (not aspect points, actual level).

At the Spider Door, instead of providing a sacrifice, you’ll instead put in a level five lantern, edge, or knock lore. Once you reach it, you’ll receive a Ways card for the Peacock Door. From here, you need a way to get through it. I’ve only found two ways–using the Wildering Mirror, or Frangiclave, which are both tools. (Frangiclave is knock, while the Mirror is lantern.) The Mirror shatters after every use, while Frangiclave is rarer, but won’t break. Once you use one or the other, you’ll be able to enter the Peacock Door, which will change the screen and give you the achievement.

Cultists

These are actually very, very straightforward. All you have to do is level up a cult member to the highest level, which is referred to as “exalting” them. You can do this for every cult except for the St. Hydra (using secret histories lore.)

The pattern is the same. They must first be a member of the cult, a “believer”. Then, you can level them up to a “disciple” using lore and items to total seven or more of the cult’s aspect. Then, to move from a disciple to their cult-specific level, they must be already associated with the cult’s aspect. Different unique cult members have different aspects, so be careful not to waste your time on cult members that don’t align. For the exalting ceremony, you’ll want your aspect total to be twenty-one or greater. You can generally mix and match lore and tools of different levels to meet your purposes. Importantly, when you go to level your disciple into an exaltee, they will provide 5 of the aspect you need.

To get tools/items to use as trappings, you’ll have to go on expeditions. To get new cultists, you’ll have to use Talk combined with lore. I found that it doesn’t matter what lore, the game randomly chooses anyway. Sometimes you’ll also find patrons this way. But be VERY careful about your mystique. This accrues quite a bit of it, and investigators latch onto it quickly and can build evidence against you if you’re not careful.

Alternatively, while playing as the investigator, you can convince your troublemaker to instead join your cult. This will exalt them immediately, even if they aren’t the same aspect as your cult. I haven’t tested this personally, and with over 20 unique acquaintances that could, theoretically, spawn as troublemakers, you would really have to trust in the RNG moths to take care of you. You also have to be able to exalt them as if they were the same aspect as your cult. However, this also means you can have an exalted member of your cult that doesn’t match your aspect, giving you more options to work with. Overall, try at your own risk. Thank you to eva02soul for confirming this and providing more information about how it works!

A Seer

Seers come from cults using lantern, aka The Mirror of Glory.

Cultists:

• Cat
• Slee
• “Pope” Clifton

Aspects:

• Illuminate Mysteries (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Mantra of Ascent (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Formulae Concursante (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Watchman’s Glass (worth 12)
• Wildering Mirror (worth 8)
• Noonstone (worth 4)

A Cyprian

Cyprians come from cults using the grail, aka The Order of the Bloody Cup.

Cultists:

• Saliba
• Renira

Aspects:

• Devouring Mysteries (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Anthic Elaboration (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Formulae Voluptuous (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Chalice Murmurous (worth 12)
• Hallowed Polos (worth 8)
• Stained Gloves (worth 4)

A Key

Keys come from cults using knock, aka The Society of the Holy Wound.

Cultists:

• Enid
• Neville

Aspects:

• Mysteries of Opening (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Liminal Evocation (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Formulae Ophidian (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Frangiclave (worth 12)
• Consecrated Lintel (worth 8)
• Icon of St Agnes (worth 4)

A Reshaper

Reshapers come from cults using forge, aka The Unflinching Order.

Cultists:

• Valciane
• Tristan
• Laidlaw

Aspects:

• Mysteries of Making (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Furnace Paean (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Formula Fissive (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Carcass Spark (worth 12)
• Malleus Imperative (worth 8)
• Cinnabar Amulet (worth 4)

An Assassin

Assassins come from cults using edge, aka The Church of the Bright Edge.

Cultists:

• Elridge
• Victor
• Rose

Aspects:

• The Mysteries of Force (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• The Alignments of Murder (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• The Lionsmith’s Names (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Furious Silver (worth 12)
• Biedde’s Blade (worth 8)
• Meteoric Bullet (worth 4)

The Rest is Silence

The silent exalted come from cults using winter, aka The Children of Silence.

Cultists:

• Auclair
• Violet

Aspects:

• Wolf-Word (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• The Divisions of the Names (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Recitation of Lost Hours (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Division Bell (worth 12)
• Elagabaline Manacle (worth 8)
• Bone Flute (worth 4)

A Skintwister

Skintwisters come from cults using moth, aka The Wildwood Club.

Cultists:

• Porter
• Ysabet
• Sylvia

Aspects:

• Mare-in-the-Yew (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Thigh-born Thorax-Sweet (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Centipede Testament (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Alkapurine Shears (worth 12)
• Dappled Mask (worth 8)
• Winged Doll (worth 4)

A Tarantellist

Tarantellists come from cults using heart, aka Temple Unceasing.

Cultists:

• Clovette
• Dorothy
• Leo

Aspects:

• Unceasing Mysteries (lvl 7) (worth 14)
• Velvet Charm (lvl 6) (worth 12)
• Formulae Vigilant (lvl 5) (worth 10)

Tools:

• Kingskin Bodhran (worth 12)
• Wakeful Tympanum (worth 8)
• Marruvine Idol (worth 4)

Summon Alien Gods

So I’ve included a few quick/easy summons. Generally, you can try to just mix what you have on hand, since they often follow the pattern of 2/2/6. Check what items/followers you have, as well as lore, and just try to find a mix of something that will work. I usually recommend using lore as your strongest piece, though tools are often very strong, as well. I wouldn’t recommend wasting a follower on a summon for this achievement, unless you have a way already to bring them back.

• Voiceless Dead: 2 aspect points knock, 2 aspect points heart, 6 aspect points winter. 
• Caligine: 2 aspect points knock, 2 aspect points winter, 6 aspect points forge.
• Purcussigant: 2 aspect points knock, 2 aspect points edge, 6 aspect points heart.