Early Game Walkthrough: Market and Slums Chapter

Chapter Goals and Daily Template

Enter Early Game with at least two registered companions and basic consumables. Your repeating daily template: morning gold marker first, afternoon split between companion blue marker or job income, evening for Slums investigation or safe shopping. Reserve one day per in-game week with a flexible afternoon for unexpected gold markers.

Track undiscovered counters in Market District and Slums. When both drop to zero except known story gates, you are ready for mid-game banquet invitation without leaving orphaned clues.

Action point budgets by day block live on Action Points — this page lists what to spend them on, not raw numbers duplicated each paragraph.

Market District Route

Complete shopkeeper introductions for rotating stock. Accept rotating jobs from the central board — prioritize jobs that mention ledgers or dock shipments; they start the smuggled clue thread needed for True Ending later.

Training yard optional fights grant tactical familiarity without exposure risk. Use them to test companion pairs before Early Game's first mandatory non-tutorial skirmish around Day 9.

Do not accept isolated appointments with unknown nobles during Early Game — that content belongs to mid-game with escort mechanics unlocked.

Slums Investigation Chain

Start the three-step Slums witness chain as soon as night market shopping opens (evening blocks). Step one: talk to the injured courier near the east alley. Step two: cross-reference journal clue at lodging morning meeting. Step three: return to dock-adjacent storeroom with job-board key obtained from Market delivery job.

Missing step one for five in-game days forces a reload for optimal true ending timing — the walkthrough flags this as the earliest hard optional deadline new players hit.

Companion blue markers in Slums often conflict with job evenings; alternate days rather than skipping companions entirely.

Companion Priorities and Registration

Register every joiner immediately at lodging. Early Game introduces a third companion and teases Micoco before her formal reunion in mid-game. Visit each registered companion at least once every three days to prevent neglect flags.

Support passives matter more than favorite character bias for true ending: prioritize companions with escort and exposure reduction for upcoming Noble Quarter arc. Ability details on Companion Abilities.

Optional companion CG evenings appear on days without gold markers — schedule on flexible days noted in your save journal.

Transition to Mid Game

Early Game ends when the Noble Quarter invitation arrives via mandatory morning scene. Before accepting, verify: smuggled clue thread step three complete or in progress with journal flag, three companions registered, exposure low from avoided bad events, and cash buffer for banquet consumables.

Save immediately before accepting the invitation — second critical slot on Save Points. Declining is not an option in story terms, but the save preserves Early Game backtrack for missable achievement hunters.

Updated June 2026 after launch confirmation of Slums chain day window and Market job board rotation timing.

Early Game Tactical Milestones

Around Day 9 the first non-tutorial skirmish outside training yard occurs. Enter with antidote equipped and companion assigned. Winning unlocks income bonus; losing applies minor exposure — reload optional for perfectionists.

Day 10–12 introduce rotating Market jobs — accept ledger-tagged jobs first, cosmetic delivery jobs second. If job board shows only cosmetic jobs, advance one story day; rotation is day-gated not random.

First companion combo tutorial appears if two companions registered and training yard visited — practice before mandatory fight.

Money and Shopping Schedule

Shop morning blocks when Market prices are flagged "morning special" in UI flavor text — modest discount, not mandatory but helpful. Purchase smoke bombs in pairs, antidotes in threes, morale snacks one stack before mid-game.

Do not buy lodging cosmetics until crisis savings met — cosmetics have no mechanical benefit in launch build.

Slums Witness Chain Step Detail

Step one evening: injured courier east alley — obtain testimony fragment. Step two morning: lodging meeting combines fragment with market shipping note if delivery job completed. Step three evening: storeroom key from job reward opens dock-adjacent room — inspect crates for smuggled ledger page. Turn-in fourth morning at lodging gold header thread.

Failure to complete step one before Day 12 commonly forces reload from Day 5 save — walkthrough timing assumes step one on first available night market evening after Day 4 teaser.

Companion escort not required for witness chain but reduces random encounter bad-event chance in Slums evenings — assign if block allows.

Early Game Failure Recovery

If witness chain breaks due to missed window, reload Day 5 save — do not attempt brute-force continuation if journal lacks step one flag. If exposure stacked from risky Market dialogue, spend lodging recovery before Noble invitation accept — entering banquets with high exposure narrows true ending margins immediately.

Money bankruptcy below smoke bomb price warrants one dedicated job day before any companion evenings — broke players cannot buy escape tools.

Early Game ends at Noble invitation — do not confuse invitation arrival with automatic Noble Quarter map access; invitation triggers cutscene first, access second, save third per transition section above.

Market vs Slums Daily Rotation

Alternate Market income days with Slums investigation days when gold markers permit — spending five consecutive days in Market only delays witness chain step one past recommended window. Conversely, five consecutive Slums evenings without income bankrupts consumable purchases before first mandatory mid-game fight.

Ideal Early Game rhythm: two Market days, two Slums evenings, one flex day per in-game week, adjusted when gold markers consume two blocks same day.

Register third companion same day they appear — Early Game late joiners still need two visits before Noble invitation for trust thresholds referenced in Requirements Checklist silently.

Market training yard remains available entire Early Game — use spare blocks for combo practice whenever companion roster changes.

Early Game market permit side branch easy to miss — speak to harbor clerk after second delivery job even if journal not yet updated; walkthrough How to Get guide names exact prerequisite. June 2026 route verified at launch.

Turn-based tactics difficulty spikes first in mid-game — Early Game fights teach fundamentals only; do not assume combat stays tutorial-easy through Noble Quarter.