Slums

Unlocking the Slums

Surface alleys open Day 3 via main story. Depth areas (flooded cellar, arena underworks) unlock Day 6 after Hills obtains the Rusted Badge from an introductory event—see Unlock Order. Without depth access, true-ending item chains fail silently until you backtrack.

Key Locations

• Entry Stacks — Information brokers, low-tier shops, companion introductions.
• Flooded Cellar — Event III, smuggling evidence, Ledger Fragment clue.
• Pit Arena — Turn-based fights; Event IV spectator scene; rematch Day 11.
• Patrol Alleys — Stealth checks; Event IX if you hide successfully.
• Micoco Safehouse — Days 7–9 reunion beats; rest point with minor AP recovery.

Combat Focus

Slums host the highest random encounter rate. Use Combat Basics positioning lessons here before Noble Quarter social danger spikes. Arena victories unlock companion loyalty and a boss preview for the aqueduct fight in Boss Strategies.

Recommended party: include Slums fighter companion once recruited for local damage bonuses.

Items and Clues

• Rusted Badge — Day 5 surface event; gates depth.
• Smuggler's Note — Cellar loot; read at guild for Noble Quarter hint.
• Arena Token — Replay optional boss for gold, not required true ending.

Key item master list: Key Items.

Exposure Dynamics

Nobles rarely patrol depth Slums; exposure from elites drops while you are underground. Surface Slums at night still raise visibility if you fail stealth. Balance visits: day for quests, night for stealth-only events.

Achievements in Slums

Events III, IV, IX; Micoco scenes VII partial chain. Stealth failure routes different content without trophy—choose hide for Event IX.

Related

• Gadola Overview
• Early Game
• How to Protect

Survival Routing for Low-Level Parties

If you enter Slums depth under-leveled after rushing story, use these survival rules until arena XP catches up.

• Fight only mandatory arena bout; flee random encounters when the flee option appears (unlocked after first combat tutorial).
• Patrol alleys at night only when Event IX is targeted—daytime patrols have lower stakes.
• Micoco safehouse rest recovers 1 AP once per week—save it for post-boss recovery.
• Buy antidotes in Market before depth runs; flooded cellar applies poison in some branches.

The Slums fighter companion, once recruited, grants a local damage aura in depth zones. Prioritize their quest immediately after depth unlock to ease combat variance.

Flooded Cellar and Evidence Chain

The cellar is the Slums' narrative core. Entry requires Rusted Badge from Day 5 surface event. Inside, Hills finds smuggling ledgers pointing to Noble houses—mechanical payoff for players who read interactable crates. The Ledger Fragment physical item spawns here after Event III; picking it up early without Event III still works but skips achievement progress until the scene plays.

Cellar layout is single-path with one optional side room containing gold and a poison trap—skip the side room on true-ending speed routes. After Day 12, cellar NPCs relocate; return visits only matter for gallery completionists hunting ambient dialogue.

Patrol and Stealth Routes

Slums surface uses day nodes; depth adds night-only patrol alleys. Stealth success on patrol avoids combat and awards Event IX. Loud resolution wins fight but skips trophy. Patrol patterns repeat every three days—learn guard rotation on first failure to plan retry without wasting AP on wrong evenings.

Micoco safehouse sits between surface and depth—use it as a pivot when chaining cellar evidence with arena rematch on Day 11. Resting there once per week restores AP; do not waste on Day 6 when depth first opens and every AP matters for badge turn-in.

Arena and XP Curve

First mandatory arena fight scales to party level 3–4. Optional rematch Day 11 scales to level 6—if you are behind, spend one AP on training in Market before rematch. Slums fighter companion halves XP requirement for arena rank when deployed, making them valuable before aqueduct boss.

Loot and Scavenging

Depth crates respawn once per week with consumables—not key items. Worth one AP when gold is low; skip on true-ending crunch days 11–14 when every point routes to Noble or hidden goals. Surface Slums vendors sell antidotes cheaper than Market on Days 6–9 only.

Slums vs Noble Risk Profile

Slums raises combat risk over exposure; Noble inverts that tradeoff. Hills should alternate districts to balance stat growth and social intel—three consecutive Slums days without Noble progress delays Seal chain. One Noble morning per two Slums days is a healthy mid-game rhythm per Mid Game pacing.

When to Leave the Slums

Once depth evidence is secured and arena story fight won, Slums visits should shrink to loyalty scenes and optional IX stealth—not indefinite grinding. If you are still clearing random fights after Day 11, redirect AP to Noble inner villas before inner gate timers expire. Slums remains a rest stop via Micoco safehouse through finale week.