Sultan's Game is a dark fantasy resource management RPG built around a single cruel loop. Every week a card is drawn, Carnality, Extravagance, Conquest or Bloodshed, and you have seven days to satisfy its demand or meet the executioner. The game ships with more than fifty endings, and most of them are bad.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Your estate | Weekly card draw basics | Bloodshed enforcer | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | The Sultan's court | Seven day deadline mastery | Bloodshed enforcer | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | The market district | Ally deployment + gear | Conquest specialist or Bloodshed enforcer | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | The barracks | Build optimization | Conquest specialist | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | The underground | Min-max | Conquest specialist or Generalist survivor | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Your estate)
Home base where allies rest, resources accumulate and weekly planning happens. Upgrades here raise the ceiling on everything else.
Level/Difficulty: Whole game Key Rewards: Ally recovery, storage, planning
What to Do in Your estate
- Learn Weekly card draw. Each week hands you one of four decrees. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Bloodshed enforcer as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Build a household that can answer any of the four decrees at a basic level rather than one that answers a single decree brilliantly. The draw is not yours to control, and a specialist run dies the first week its card does not come up.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Coin or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Weekly card draw fundamentals
- Bloodshed enforcer selected and functional
- Your estate main content cleared
- Ready for The Sultan's court
Phase 2: Early Game (The Sultan's court)
Where influence is won and lost. Court standing decides which favours are available when a card demands something you cannot supply yourself.
Level/Difficulty: Early onward Key Rewards: Influence, political favours
What to Do in The Sultan's court
- Work on Seven day deadline. Every card gives you seven in game days. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Coin if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Always finish the week with at least one ally unassigned. Cards frequently open follow up options mid week, and having nobody free to take them is how a survivable decree turns into an execution.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to The market district.
- Consider whether Conquest specialist might suit your playstyle better than Bloodshed enforcer.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Seven day deadline integrated into gameplay
- Coin acquired
- The Sultan's court fully cleared
- Ready for The market district
Phase 3: Mid Game (The market district)
Converts coin into goods and goods into coin. Extravagance weeks live and die on how well you have positioned here beforehand.
Level/Difficulty: Whole game Key Rewards: Wealth, luxury goods
What to Do in The market district
- Master Ally deployment. Allies are assigned to tasks and are unavailable while working. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Dirty secrets. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Secrets appreciate. A secret held for ten weeks often unlocks a route that money cannot, while spending it early usually buys something you could have bought with coin.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Resource and secret management for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Ally deployment mastered
- Dirty secrets acquired or in progress
- The market district fully cleared
- Ready for The barracks
Phase 4: Late Game (The barracks)
Source of armed support for Conquest and Bloodshed cards. Maintaining soldiers costs upkeep even in quiet weeks.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game Key Rewards: Troops, martial options
What to Do in The barracks
- Finalize your build. You should be running Conquest specialist or Bloodshed enforcer with optimized gear.
- Dirty secrets should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Read the day cost of a task before you commit an ally to it. A five day errand started on day four does not complete, and the game will not warn you before the deadline lands.
- Branching endings optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into The underground.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Dirty secrets upgraded to max
- The barracks fully cleared
- Ready for The underground
Phase 5: Endgame (The underground)
Where secrets, poisons and deniable help are traded. Expensive in reputation but the fastest answer to an impossible deadline.
Level/Difficulty: Mid to late game Key Rewards: Secrets, illicit tools
What to Do in The underground
- The underground tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Extravagance is the decree most players underprepare for because it demands liquid wealth rather than capability. Keep a cash reserve you never touch for anything else.
- The endgame loop: run The underground, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Generalist survivor for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Branching endings mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- The underground fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Building a household specialised for one decree, then drawing a different card
- Assigning every ally on day one and having nobody free when the week develops
- Spending secrets as though they were currency rather than as a hold over people
- Starting a long task too late in the week for it to finish before the deadline
- Treating reputation as free, then finding the endings you wanted are closed
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Build a household that can answer any of the four decrees at a basic level rather than one that answers a single decree brilliantly. The draw is not yours to control, and a specialist run dies the first week its card does not come up.
- Always finish the week with at least one ally unassigned. Cards frequently open follow up options mid week, and having nobody free to take them is how a survivable decree turns into an execution.
- Secrets appreciate. A secret held for ten weeks often unlocks a route that money cannot, while spending it early usually buys something you could have bought with coin.
- Read the day cost of a task before you commit an ally to it. A five day errand started on day four does not complete, and the game will not warn you before the deadline lands.
- Extravagance is the decree most players underprepare for because it demands liquid wealth rather than capability. Keep a cash reserve you never touch for anything else.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Sultan's Game Guides
- Sultan's Game Sultan's Game Overview
- Sultan's Game Best Builds
- Sultan's Game Tier List
- Sultan's Game Beginner's Guide
- Sultan's Game Tips & Tricks
- Sultan's Game Weapons Guide
- Sultan's Game Combat Guide
- Sultan's Game Boss Guide
- Sultan's Game Maps & Locations
- Sultan's Game Crafting Guide
- Sultan's Game Classes & Characters
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