The Lamplighters League: Beginners Guide

Greeting fellow programs! I am writing this guide for two reasons:

First, I really enjoyed my time playing Lamplighter’s League. Harebrained is a great studio and I’ve been a fan of their work, especially the Battletech and Shadowrun series. And second, currently there is a dearth of strategy guides for Lamplighter’s League at the moment. And by that I mean literally zero. Maybe I missed something.

Oh, sure there are some half-baked summaries from Sports Illustrated, GQ and the like. (And don’t get me started. If I want to get good information on the economy, perhaps Fortune is a good source. But they’re clearly in it for the clicks. Noobs.) To be sure, the devs put together some nice introductory videos. But I find them simple and insufficient.

So, without further ado, I’ll get started. I’ve decided to divide the guide into several sections, each covering a different but critical aspect of the game. After reading some of the discussion in the forums, I hope to pass on some in-depth information and strategies that have worked for me. My goal is to perhaps save you some time and effort in your strategic planning during the implementation of your campaign.

Also, I must make this disclaimer: I haven’t finished the game. I’m taking my time so, of course this guide will be incomplete. As I progress and complete playthroughs I may choose to add some pertinent information, but I may not ever update this guide either. My hope is that some other Lamplighter’s fan is putting together a real strategy guide complete with all the gooey details. But as the old saying goes, “A bird in hand is better than two in the bush” so this is what you’ll have to do with until then. (Yes, I’m old. I have a wife and four kids so you’re lucky I’m spending the time to do this. You’re welcome.)

Credit goes to NekoNoUnchi for the Status Effect list. Thank you.

Functionally this is your base.

Let’s talk about resources first. Each are gathered by collecting an item during a mission or as a reward for completing a mission.

Supplies- the currency for buying things from the supplier, Captain Nicky. It’s the money you spend at the store.
Intel-. I’ve usually found at least one per mission, but sometimes you can find more. Expeditions can provide it as well. Intel allows you to go on certain expedition missions which advance the plot or find a recruit.
Healing Balms- allows you to heal agents who’ve been mortally wounded on the last mission so you can use them for the current mission.
Aether- the upgrade resource for your Allies.
Skill Points- the upgrade resource for your Agents.
Ink- the upgrade resource for your Undrawn Cards.
King’s Aether- the upgrade resource for the more powerful Ally skilltree unlocks. Rare.
Seric Steel- the upgrade for your Agent’s tempered weapon unlocks. This resource doesn’t seem to appear in missions or as a reward for a completed mission until you reach a certain threat. My experience was after a House reached 20 threat. Rare.

Locke serves as the narrator. Up to where I’m at in the campaign (Week 18) he has had no other function.

Captain Nicky is your supplier. You don’t have to go on a mission to recruit him. He offers consumables such as grenades and healing kits, but will also sell you armor and weapon attachments.

All agents start with one consumable slot, one armor slot, one accessory slot, and one weapon mod slot. You can unlock two additional consumable slots via the central upgrade tree from your allies Mother Amina and Danys Belfort. Yes, this means doing their recruiting missions. However once you acquire them the unlock has only one prerequisite and is fairly cheap. I highly recommend it. On a side note, as far as I can discover there is no way to sell back items. I don’t know why the developers chose not to implement this. Sad.

Nicky’s starting menu looks like this:

Bandages- Targeted. Heals 40 HP. Cost 15.
Flash Bomb- Grenade. Applies Marked and Blinded. AOE 3. Cost 15.
Smoke Bomb- Grenade. Creates Smoke(-25% hit chance for any unit inside). AOE 5. Cost 10.
Fire Bomb- Grenade. Creates Fire. Applies Burning(25 damage DOT). AOE 3. Cost 20.
Light Armor- Armor. +5 armor. Cost 100.

As you progress, Nicky’s store improves as you unlock more items. This is done by upgrading your Allies in the Hideout. Here is what I have currently in my store:

Frag Grenade I- Grenade. 40 damage, shreds 10 armor. AOE 3. Cost 30.
Vitality Gear I- Armor. Max HP +30, max stress +2. Cost 200.
Thunder Bomb I- Grenade. Knock Down. AOE 3. Cost 25.
Vitality Gear II- Armor. Max HP +60, max stress +3. Cost 450.
Body Armor- Armor. +10 armor. Cost 250.
Speed Suit- Armor. +1 speed(movement). Cost 200.
Frag Grenade II- Grenade. 55 damage, shreds 15 armor. AOE 3. Cost 50.
Thunder Bomb II- Grenade. 40 damage and Knock Down. AOE 3. Cost 50.
Accuracy Talisman- Weapon Mod. +10% hit chance. Cost 150.
Critical Talisman- Weapon Mod. +10% crit chance. Cost 100.
Armor Shred Talisman- Weapon Mod. +5 armor shred per attack. Cost 150.
Stress Flask I- Grenade. Inflicts 2 stress. AOE 3. Cost 25.
Stress Remedy I- Targeted. Heals 3 stress. Cost 20.
Hasten Flask I- Targeted. +1 AP. Cost 38.
Medical Kit I- Targeted. Heals 75 HP. Cost 30.
Ammunition Talisman I- Weapon Mod. +1 ammo. Cost 125.
Damage Talisman I- Weapon Mod. +10% damage. Cost 225.
Accuracy Talisman II- Weapon Mod. +17 hit chance. Cost 250.
Armor Shred Talisman II- Weapon Mod. +10 armor shred. Cost 300.
Stress Flask II- Grenade. Inflicts 4 stress. AOE 3. Cost 50.
Stress Remedy II- Targeted. Heals 5 stress. Cost 40.

In addition, I’ve found some consumables and accessories that only spawn in certain missions or at the end of your campaign.

Uncanny Grenade- Grenade. 250 damage. Shreds 25(?) armor. AOE 3(?).
Lamplighters Tomic- Targeted. Heals 40 HP and grants 1 AP. (Possibly reduces stress too.) AOE 3.

I will try to add to list as I discover more items, but hopefully this gives you an idea of what to expect.

A couple of notes here. In order to recruit an Ally, you must first find and them and complete their rescue mission. This takes time, resources and in doing so will increase your threat meters, but don’t be dissuaded from going after them. Allies are important. If you get the opportunity to recruit them, do it. Their perspective upgrade trees make a huge difference in your Agents power level. I cannot state this enough. If you have to prioritize, choose Danys first, Amina second, and Mei last. Danys weapon upgrades are game changing. Prerequisites are indicated below each skill tree.

Here they are in no particular order:

DANYS BELFORT- WEAPONSMITH

Central Upgrade Path

A. Weaponsmith Items I- Frag grenade and Thunder Bomb I. Unlocks tier I consumables and weapon mods with Nicky. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Hidden Compartments- +1 agent consumable slot. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Weaponsmith Items II- Frag grenade II and dynamite. Unlocks tier 2 armor and weapon mods with Nicky. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Bombadier’s Brace- Accessory. Passive. Grenade abilities refund 1 AP. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA(King’s Aether? I can’t remember what this stands for and there is no tool tip.)
E. Weaponsmith Items III- Vitality Gear II and unlocks Tier 3 armor and weapon mods. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Adamantine Lining- Armor. +15 armor. Elemental damage is reduced 50%. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.
G. Electromechanical Optimizer- Weapon Mod. +15% damage. +5 Armor shred. +8% hit chance. +8% crit chance. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–> C–> D, C–>E, D–>F, D–>G

Left Upgrade Path

A. Mechanical Vambrace- Accessory. Passive. Melee attacks gain 33% chance to reduce cooldowns 1. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Transmutive Tempering- Melee attacks that crit shred 5 armor. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Efficient Assembly- Weaponsmith consumables cost 25% less. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Reactive Metallurgy- Melee attacks have 10% chance to grant 1 AP. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
E. Trauma Battery- Accessory. Passive. Melee attacks have +25% to grant 1 AP. Cost 4 Ather and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C–>D–>E

Right Upgrade Path

A. Vitality Engine- Accessory. Passive. When using a buff or debuff consumable, gain 1 AP. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Ability Optimizer- Accessory. Passive. Reload abilities reduce cooldowns by 1. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Adaptive Mechanisms- After missing and attack, gain 15% hit chance for the next attack. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Endless Bandolier- Accessory. Passive. Attacks gains 33% chance to reload 1 ammo. Cost 3 Aether.
E. Ballistic Calculation Device. Accessory. Passive. Reload abilities give +100% crit chance on next attack. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Automated Reload Mechanisms- Reload actions give 33% chance to gain 1 AP. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C, B–>D, C–>E–>F

MOTHER AMINA- HEALER

Central Upgrade Path

A. Recovery Items I- Medical Kit I and Hasten Flask I. Unlocks Tier 1 items with Nicky.(I’m not sure if this unlocks grenades too. I got her after Danys.) Cost 1 Aether.
B. Pilgrim’s Burden- +1 Agent consumable slot. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Recovery Items II- Medical Kit II and Healing Elixir. Unlocks Tier 2 items with Nicky. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Reflective Charm- Accessory. Passive. When using an healing item or ability, agent heals 40 HP. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
E. Magdalie Charm- Accessory. Passive, Targeted. +50 max health. Once per mission can fully heal all teammates in target area. AOE 3. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C–>D–>E

Left Upgrade Path

A. Therapeutic Tradition- Signature abilities heal 30 HP to the agent. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Efficient Healing- Recovery consumables cost 25% less. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Prayer Beads- Accessory. Passive. Attacks heal 3 HP. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Ancient Reliquary- Accessory. Passive. When critically hit, agent has 50% chance to heal 100 HP. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
E. Embroidered Handwraps- Accessory. Passive. Heals 20 HP when agent crits. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Lifebloom- Healing abilities and items have 20% chance to fully heal target. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C–>D, C–>E, D–>F

Right Upgrade Path

A. Rejuvenation- Healing abilities clear debuffs. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Cord of the Unknown Mother- Accessory. Passive. Being healed increases armor by 3. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Soothing Touch- Healing abilities and consumables remove 2 stress. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Viriditas Amulet- Accessory. Passive. When receiving a heal, agent gains 1 AP. Can activate 2 times per round. Cost 3 Aether.
E. Charm of the Eternal Aeon- Accessory. Passive. When using a healing item or ability, gain 1 AP. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Cleansing Ritual- Reload and evades clear debuffs. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C, B–>D, C–>E–>F

MADAME MEI- CARTOMANCER

Central Upgrade Path

A. Expanded Inventory I- Stress Remedy and Stress Flask and unlocks these items with Nicky. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Mindfulness- All agents gain +1 max stress. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Expanded Inventory II- Stress Remedy II and Stress Flask II and unlocks these items with Nicky. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Expanded Horizons- Unlocks 3rd Undrawn Hand slot on all agents. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
E. Foresight- All agents gain +2 max stress. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C–>D–>E

Left Upgrade Path

A. Improved Fortunes I- Increased chance of uncommon card from Undrawn Hand. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Windfall I- Receive an additional card when completing a mission. Cost 2 Aether.
C. Superior Fortunes I- Increased chance of rare card from Undrawn Hand. Cost 2 Aether.
D. Improved Fortunes II- Significantly increased chance of uncommon card. Cost 3 Aether.
E. Windfall II- Receive a second additional card when completing a mission. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Superior Fortunes II- Significantly increased chance of rare card. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
G. Serenity Charm- Accessory. Passive. Reduces incoming stress by 1. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B, A–>C, B–>D–>E, D–>F, E–>G

Right Upgrade Path

A. Refractive Lens- Accessory. Passive. Upon suffering a stress break the agent’s next attack does double damage. Cost 1 Aether.
B. Potential I- Max card level is 4. Cost 2 Aether.
C. River of Ink- Gain 50% more when discarding a card. Cost 3 Aether.
D. Underworld Idol- Accessory. Passive. Upon killing an enemy heal 1 stress. Cost 3 Aether.
E. River of Ink II- Gain 50% more ink when discarding a card. Stacks with River of Ink I. Cost 3 Aether and 1 KA.
F. Potential II- Max card level is 5. Cost 4 Aether and 1 KA.

Prerequisites A–>B–>C, B–>D, C–>E–>F

Tapping into the lore of Lamplighter’s League, the Undrawn Hand is a new and welcome addition to the game. This mechanic is interesting in that it lets you assign unique abilities to agents that can increase the efficiency of their role or allow them to step outside the bounds. Agents start with 3 slots, one of which is unlocked. I can’t remember if the second slot is unlocked at a certain point or if you have to rescue Mei. The third slot is unlocked deep in Mei’s central upgrade tree. One Undrawn Hand card is earned at the end of every mission. On most maps I’ve been able to find an item called “Mote of Fate” which looks like a swirling black ball. It’s usually hidden well and out of sight but if you find it, you’ll get an extra card at the end of the mission.

Cards are drawn randomly and come in three flavors: common, uncommon, and rare. As you can probably guess, their abilities scale depending on the rarity. Cards can also be leveled, improving their abilities up to five times. This can be done either by drawing a duplicate of the same card on an agent you took with you on the mission, or by using ink. Ink is the Hideout resource that allows you to upgrade a card without using a duplicate. This method is accessed through the Agent menu, selecting the Undrawn Hand menu to the left of the agent, and then selecting the card to upgrade. The first upgrade is cheap, however they get significantly costlier quickly.

1st tier- 32 Ink
2nd tier- 128 Ink
3rd tier- 512 Ink
4th tier- 2048 Ink

Ink is acquired in several ways. Discarding cards you do not wish to keep at the end of a mission nets you small gains of around 4 ink for each common card. Higher rarities provide more ink. Replacing a card already assigned to an agent refunds the ink based on the level of the card you are replacing. The most efficient way to gain ink is by allowing an agent to get “stress broken” or put in “mortal danger” and then taking them on the next mission. A stress broken or injured agent acquires a RED UNDRAWN HAND card that covers one of their current Undrawn cards, replacing it with a negative effect for 3 in-game weeks. These cards are assigned based on the type of agent. For instance, if a Bruiser gets a RED CARD, it is usually something like “Half Speed”. If a Saboteur gets a RED CARD, it will be something like, “After attacking, 50% chance to be DAZED.” They are designed to be punitive and increase the difficulty of the mission. However, if you can keep that agent from getting put in mortal danger or stress broken, the RED CARD is removed, and the agent will acquire a large amount of ink. I received 96 ink the last time this happened.

Even though the agents in Lamplighter’s League have unique abilities, they usually fit the class the agent belongs to. The Undrawn Hand is how you can make each agent your own creation. There are a dizzying amount of cards and combinations that can turn your agents into scions of destruction. You can give ranged attacks to Bruisers, melee attacks to Sneaks, or create AOE fire at will. You can create an AP machine, crit machine, or stress machine. At one point, Ingrid had two abilities to create stress, one from being the target of an attack and one from a targeted AOE. She makes whole squads run in terror.

Below are the cards I currently have assigned to my agents with some notes:

Purnima-

The Sage(rare)- Level 3. +5% crit chance. On scoring a crit, reduce cooldowns by 1.(She is the crit queen and reducing cooldowns for her allows her to access her more powerful abilities like Kill Shot more often.)

The Great Wind(uncommon)- Level 3. Upon becoming “Inspired”, +2 speed for 2 rounds. While “Inspired”, attacks gains 15% chance to grant 1 AP. Max 3 AP per round. (A perfect match for her since she becomes “Inspired” when reloading after she unlocks Practiced in her skill tree.)

Eddie-

The Leech(rare)- Level 2. Attacks have 35% chance to inflict Bleed. When attacking a bleeding enemy, gain 5 HP. (Eddie is all about firing a ton of lead. One of his attacks can target up to six enemies. This allows the card to proc more often for DOTs and heals.)

The Strategist(uncommon)- Level 3. After reloading, the agent’s next attacks gains +25% damage. (Eddie’s reload timing coincides nicely with his Bullseye ability cooldown, increasing it’s crit damage to insane levels.)

Ingrid-

The Tyrant(common)- Level 2. This agent has +2 max stress and when attacked the attacker suffers 1 stress. (Ahhhh. A perfect pairing for the dulcet dove who likes to mix things up with beefy men three times her size. I’ve given her the “Underwater Idol” accessory which heals stress on kill. She handily keeps her stress low while dishing out stress to all who attack her, setting them up for a killing blow, which gives her more AP to do it all over again.)

The Fallen(common)- Level 2. Ranged ability. Deals damage that ignores armor. Medium range. 1 turn cooldown. (Usually does around 30-40 damage. I use this when I just can’t reach my target, but I can kill them to get another AP.)

Lateef-

The Rogue(common)- Level 1. Ranged ability. Deals 50% more damage against marked enemies. Medium range. 1 turn cooldown.

The Forsaken(rare)- Level 1. This agent’s attacks have 10% chance to inflict Dazed.

Ana-

The Salamander(common)- Level 1. Cast Burning hazard. AOE 2. Close range. 5 turn cooldown.

You will start the game with three agents: Ingrid, Eddie, and Lateef. Agents fall into three categories, each with different real time abilities and in-combat focuses.

Sneaks are granted stealth and have three charges of “Sucker Punch”, a real time ability that allows them to take out single targets out of combat. Sneaks should primarily take the role of scout. They are best used ungrouped from the rest of the team gathering resources and discovering the map. Recon mode is nice, but there is no actual in-game map in Lamplighters League. It should only be used to give you a general sense of which direction to go.

Sneaks should be doing most of the work figuring out what the situation is and from which direction your attack should come from. Keep your other agents far enough back that if you decide to take someone out they won’t be discovered and trigger combat prematurely. The AI is smart. Single guards will often present tempting targets, however patrols are typically composed of two or three units covering a well-defined route. That means your target’s body will usually be discovered and set off alarms. This is why you should keep your other agents hidden far back until you are ready to enter combat. Once the enemy has been alerted, they will search FAR AND WIDE for you. If this happens and your other agents are just hanging out around the corner or behind a nearby tree, you will most likely be facing a premature combat situation where your team is split up and unable to support each other.

Bruisers are your melee units. Their real-time ability is “Slam”, a rushing attack that can take out multiple units in a single line regardless of HP. This ability is best used against the roving perimeter guards that usually travel in groups of twos or three’s. Just make sure you pick a place that won’t draw attention or that you can retreat easily from in case you make too much noise.

Saboteurs are your mid-range, all purpose units. They have a real-time ability called “Shock Mine” which allows them to throw a trap mine that draws the attention of nearby units and kills the first enemy who steps on it. The range on this ability is very good and this is a great way to take out the annoying “radar” units which prevent your Sneak from infiltrating too far into the enemy position. They look like skinny sniper units with white glowing eyes and have regular white pulsing waves that emanate from them. Be aware that Sneaks can be discovered even when in stealth by these units, so taking them out should be a priority to ensure you start combat on your terms and not the AI.

A word of caution, elite units and scions are immune to ALL of these take-down abilities, but not to the effects of destructibles, grenades, and other consumables. Yup, I learned that the hard way. Also, pools of oil and water create sound. Be careful moving through them.

Your initial team consists of one of each of these types of agents. I highly recommend you include one of each of the agent types in every mission. There are areas that only Sneaks can access, walls that only Bruisers can break, and doors that only Saboteurs can open. Your starting agents are quite good. In fact, you could actually finish the campaign without ever recruiting another agent. Their signature abilities are very nice and their passives are incredible. In the case of Ingrid, I would even say borderline OP.

Personally, I’ve been able to recruit two additional agents, Purnima and Ana. Purnima is a Sneak who functions as a sniper and Ana is a Saboteur who functions as a healer.

Agents start with several starting skills and have 3 branching skill trees similar to Allies. To upgrade your agents, select the AGENTS tab in HIDEOUT, choose which agent you prefer, and then select the “Skills” menu on the upper left of the screen.

Perhaps when I get some more time I will type out their perspective skill trees like I did for the Allies. But I’m running short on time. Sorry!

This menu is mainly about your overall campaign progress and mission selection. It shows a map of the world and will have pips that represent missions scattered accross it. There are several key ideas that I wish to share.

First, you’ll notice at the top of the screen the three threat meters associated with each House.

Zorana Nicastro is the C’Thulu sea-loving, emo goddess of scratching you to bits. Marteau is Ironman gone bad, a genius billionaire flapperboy who has a thing for the undead and machines. And finally there is Strum, a fully fleshed 1930’s version of Hitler and the Third Reich, complete with book burning parties and rows of parading soldiers. Hmmm. There isn’t much character development here so don’t go looking for it. Although I do find Zorana’s story interesting…

The threat meters represent the progress of each House toward ruling the world and cap out at 40 points. As you can see, there are breakpoints for each meter that make that House units more powerful during missions. In addition, the scions of each house will randomly appear in the missions on the world map. If you see them appear it’s actually a GOOD thing.

Why you say? Well, that leads me to my second point. There’s a secret for extending your game and beating the timers: defeating scions reduces their threat meters by a moderate amount. In addition to this, try to focus on missions that produce the largest amount of threat. Each week there will be several missions related to a House with a small red meter above it representing the amount of threat that mission will generate if not completed. One will be low(1-2 points), another will be medium(2-3 points), and one will be high(3-4 points). Focusing on the high threat missions can buy you weeks of time and defeating scions sets their House meter back 4-5 points.

If you get into trouble, the game generates a mission that will reset that threat meter back to the last breakpoint. These missions are called “Crossroads”. This gives you some room to breathe as well. I’m playing on standard difficulty and in week 18 I have 9/40 threat from Nicastro, 10/40 threat from Marteau, and 9/40 threat from Strum. It’s doable people.

Third, be careful when you take a Hijack mission. These have variable rewards based on how far you a willing to push it.(Usually a King’s Aether or a Steric Steel. Be aware that there is a bug where the game shows the Seric Steel reward but only gives you a King’s Aether. This is perhaps because I believe you can’t receive Seric Steel until at least one House Threat meter is above 20. Further testing is needed to confirm this.)

In addition, if you choose to try to redirect the third shipment be prepared for an onslaught. Your team should be able to take out a whole patrol in one or two rounds by now, but you’ll need every advantage including thunderbombs, firebombs, signature abilities, and some good ol’ luck to make it out. Near the end of the last timer the AI drops in a patrol every turn and it may include up to two elites. Save your consumables and signature abilities for this phase of the battle. It doesn’t matter if you are being swarmed, get your team to the escape area and you will automatically win.

And remember, try to time your movement so that you can activate the next shipment right after the last one finishes you’ll have less turns for the AI to generate more enemies.. Good luck. You’ll need it.

As a final note, make sure you gather enough Intel to do Expedition missions. These net you nice rewards for just assigning a single Agent to them. You should try to recruit at least 2, preferably 3 additional agents to assign to these. Keep pumping skill points into your A-team, and let your B-team do the Expedition missions since they don’t need to be leveled up to complete them.

You can get intel, new recruit missions, critical campaign missions, aether, heals, supplies, and various consumables as rewards. These missions look like small diamond shaped pips and have either a house symbol or a ? inside them. The house symbol is free stuff. The ? symbol requires a small amount of intel to assign and agent to.