Dressmaker commission outcomes, payment and retries
See when a failed Dressmaker commission pays, when it returns for a retry, and why quality is not always a minimum.
Last updated: 2026-09-27
Will a failed commission pay?
A failed commission pays its full listed budget if it is archived as a completed attempt. A failure conversation can instead return the commission to an unfinished state for a retry; that attempt does not reach normal payment. The outcome depends on the conversation path, so a low score alone does not tell you whether you will be paid. The budget is the commission payment, not your profit after buying materials.
| Outcome after delivery | Budget paid this attempt | Base relationship change | Base prestige change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accepted success, archived | Full budget | +1 | +1 before prestige scaling |
| Accepted failure, archived | Full budget | +0.25 | +0.25 before prestige scaling |
| Returned to unfinished for retry | None | 0 | 0 |
The prestige award is scaled by earlier archived non-gift dresses. The relationship and money changes above are separate from that scaling. Build 403 fixed a case in which an accepted unsuccessful commission did not pay; the patch note does not mean a commission returned for a retry is paid.
Check the active requirements
For an ordinary commission, every currently active requirement must pass. The requirements include a customer-fit quality check; 76 of the 77 regular commissions have a minimum quality, but Not Haughty asks for quality ≤ 70. A score of 70 meets that quality requirement and 71 does not, although the dress must still satisfy its other requirements. There is no universal “reach 80” rule.
Dialogue can change which requirements are active. Poetic Muse, for example, adds three requirements chosen in conversation alongside its constant quality ≥ 80 requirement. Read the choices in that commission rather than treating a single static list as every possible brief.
Commissions that return for a retry
The current game's failed conversations return these 18 regular commissions to unfinished when their normal dialogue path continues. For Never the Bride, the three intermediate replies rejoin; the final reply agreeing to revise the commission continues to the retry. This differs from an archived failed result. It is the checked conversation flow, not a client playthrough or a claim about an untested early exit.
- Crowning Glory
- Sporting Chance
- Parental Guidance
- Raven Rising
- Dressed Down
- Hedge Camouflage
- World Stage
- Another Encore
- Walking Billboard
- Diplomatic Outreach
- Marie's Wedding
- Spring Fete
- Exhibition Opening
- Sewn in the Stars
- Never the Bride
- Flamboyant Funeral
- Painted Dream
- Midnight Warrior
If you are unsure what happened, check whether the commission remains unfinished or appears in completed history before planning around payment or unlocks. An archived failed outcome can satisfy a later “completed commission” prerequisite; a returned attempt has not been archived.
Further reading
Read quality, fit and area requirements · Choose fabrics and grain · Gift and relationship unlocks · All commissions
Sources and scope
These outcomes come from game assets and logic checked for Steam build 25508059, internal version 410.44874e6, on 27 September 2026. They describe the static decision paths; they have not been played through in the client. See the version and verification notes and the official Build 403 patch note.