Cooking
Turn fish and meat into feasts that sharpen a gladiator in battle.
Introduction quest
Before, Not After — Murena, who runs the kitchen at the ludus. Half an hour of being better, if you time it right.
| Step | Objective | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hear out the cook | 0 gold, 4 XP |
| 2 | Land sardines 4 times | 25 gold, 8 XP |
| 3 | Grill 3 plates of sardines | 45 gold, 10 XP |
| 4 | Eat before the gate, twice | 55 gold, 12 XP |
Finishing the chain pays a further 50 gold and 12 XP. It runs once per character and is claimed from the Quests tab under Trades — see Quests.
The trade from here: At skill 5: Hearty Stew, which buys constitution instead of accuracy. At skill 15: Fried Mackerel, which buys dexterity and buys twice as much of it. Strength is a kitchen away yet: the roast platters land at skill 45.
The chain is the trade's introduction and does not continue. Everything past it opens with skill at the bench, not with another quest.
Recipes
| Recipe | Tier | Skill req | PE | Inputs | Output | Skill XP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grilled Sardines | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2× Sardine | Grilled Sardines | 36 |
| Hearty Stew | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1× Game Meat, 1× Mint | Hearty Stew | 36 |
| Fried Mackerel | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2× Mackerel | Fried Mackerel | 54 |
| Legionary Skewers | 2 | 15 | 2 | 1× Game Meat, 1× Thyme | Legionary Skewers | 54 |
| Mackerel in Thyme | 2 | 15 | 2 | 1× Mackerel, 1× Thyme | Mackerel in Thyme | 54 |
| Jellied Eel | 3 | 30 | 2 | 2× Eel | Jellied Eel | 72 |
| Seared Fish | 3 | 30 | 2 | 1× Eel, 1× Red Meat | Seared Fish | 72 |
| Rosemary Roast | 3 | 30 | 2 | 1× Red Meat, 1× Rosemary | Rosemary Roast | 72 |
| Roast Platter | 4 | 45 | 2 | 1× Red Meat, 1× Laurel | Roast Platter | 90 |
| Mullet in Garum | 4 | 45 | 2 | 2× Red Mullet | Mullet in Garum | 90 |
| Grilled Mullet | 4 | 45 | 2 | 1× Red Mullet, 1× Rosemary | Grilled Mullet | 90 |
| Laurel-Wrapped Eel | 4 | 45 | 2 | 1× Eel, 1× Laurel | Laurel-Wrapped Eel | 90 |
| Seared Tuna | 5 | 60 | 2 | 2× Tuna | Seared Tuna | 108 |
| Imperial Sturgeon Roe | 6 | 75 | 2 | 2× Sturgeon | Imperial Sturgeon Roe | 126 |
| Aurochs Banquet | 6 | 75 | 2 | 1× Prime Meat, 1× Silphium | Aurochs Banquet | 126 |
| Sturgeon in Wormwood | 6 | 75 | 2 | 1× Sturgeon, 1× Wormwood | Sturgeon in Wormwood | 126 |
| Imperial Roe Service | 7 | 80 | 2 | 4× Sturgeon | 2× Imperial Sturgeon Roe | 144 |
| Aurochs Banquet Service | 7 | 80 | 2 | 2× Prime Meat, 2× Silphium | 2× Aurochs Banquet | 144 |
| Sturgeon Service | 7 | 80 | 2 | 2× Sturgeon, 2× Wormwood | 2× Sturgeon in Wormwood | 144 |
How much XP a recipe actually gives
As with nodes, the table's Skill XP is the full award and d = skill − skill req. Each recipe row in the game prints the exact number you would earn right now.
| Band | Condition | Skill XP |
|---|---|---|
| Optimal | d < 10 | 100 % |
| Good | d < 20 | 100 % — but the drop is coming |
| Trivial | d ≥ 20 | 25 % |
Recipes have no Capped band: several recipes can share a skill requirement at different costs, so there is no single "best one open to you" to protect.
Skill curve
Skill runs 1–100. Cumulative skill XP for key milestones:
| Skill | Cumulative XP |
|---|---|
| 15 | 2100 |
| 30 | 8700 |
| 50 | 24500 |
| 75 | 55500 |
| 100 | 99000 |