Game Tips

Beginner Tips

1. Always raise the anchor before sailing – Raising the anchor prevents your ship from drifting and allows quick escapes. Use sails instead for positioning.
2. Stock up on supplies at any Outpost – Before setting sail, grab wood, cannonballs, and food from barrels. Always check the ship’s barrels again before leaving.
3. Listen to the wind – The wind direction affects sail speed. Angle sails to catch wind for max speed. Use the flag on the mast to see wind direction.
4. Never leave your ship unattended – Always have at least one crewmate on board or anchor/stick to an island. Park with sails up to avoid drifting.
5. Use the map table often – Mark islands, reapers, or world events. Keep track of your heading and nearby threats.

Combat Tips (PvE and PvP)

6. Master the sword lunge – Hold block and press attack to lunge. Great for closing distance or jumping off ledges into enemies.
7. Use blunderbuss for close range, eye of reach for sniping – Blunderbuss one-shots skeletons and players if close enough. Eye of reach is best for cannon towers or distant pirates.
8. Cannon aim: lead your shots – Aim slightly ahead of moving ships. Use the range markers on cannons (white, red, purple) for distance.
9. Repair and bail before it's too late – When taking water, one crew repairs holes while another bails. Prioritize mid-deck and below-deck holes.
10. Use firebombs to disorient enemies – Fire spreads on wooden decks and stops repairs. Throw them onto enemy ship or at clustered skeletons.
11. Chain shots are for immobilizing – Aim for enemy ship masts to break them, causing sails to drop. Great for disabling runners.
12. Cursed cannonballs – These have special effects (peaceball, grogball, etc.). Use strategically, e.g., anchorball to stop a turning ship.

Exploration and Navigation

13. Use the compass and map – Your compass shows your heading. The map table shows your location relative to islands. Collectible maps (riddle maps) require reading clues.
14. Raise the Reaper’s Mark flag with caution – This marks your location on the map for everyone and attracts PvP. Only use if you want a fight or are in an alliance.
15. Dive to shipwrecks – Shipwrecks often have loot and supplies. Swim inside with a lantern.
16. Look for seagulls – Flocks of seagulls indicate floating barrels, shipwrecks, or sunken treasure. Check them out.
17. Use the speaking trumpet – It amplifies your voice over distance. Useful for making alliances or trash talk.

Resource Management

18. Always carry three types of food – Cooked meat, bananas, and pomegranates. Cooked meat gives extra health regen. Use bananas for quick heal, pomegranates for more.
19. Gather wood and planks from islands – Trees yield wood, barrels yield planks. Always restock after a fight.
20. Manage your inventory – You can hold up to 5 of each tool (e.g., boards, cannonballs) but store extra in ship barrels. Organize by type.
21. Store valuable loot inside the ship – Don’t leave it on deck where it can be seen or fall off. Place in captain’s quarters or below decks.

Economy and Trading

22. Emissary flags increase gold and reputation – Raise emissary for a faction (Gold Hoarders, Order of Souls, Merchant Alliance, Reaper’s Bones) to get bonus. Higher grade = more bonus, but lost if sunk.
23. Sell loot to the right faction – Skulls to Order of Souls, chests to Gold Hoarders, animal crates to Merchant Alliance. Reaper’s buys everything at a slight bonus.
24. Complete world events for big loot – Forts, fleets, and skeleton ships yield high-value treasure. But expect competition.
25. Use the sovereign’s sell point – At any Outpost, you can sell all loot quickly to the sovereign representative (unlocked by reaching level 15 in any faction). Huge time saver.

Ship Management

26. Assign roles in a crew – One steers, one manages sails, one repairs, one scouts. In a duo, captain steers and the other does everything else.
27. Use the capstan (anchor) only when necessary – Dropping anchor is slow to raise. Park by raising sails and drifting to a stop.
28. Learn to harpoon – Harpoons can grab loot from water, pull enemy ships closer, or attach to islands to turn sharply.
29. Keep a rowboat handy – Rowboats are great for stealthy approaches, escaping, or ferrying loot while your ship hides.

Advanced Strategies

30. Sloop vs. Galleon tactics – Sloops are faster against the wind, galleons faster with wind. Turn battles to your advantage. Use islands to break line of sight.
31. Board enemy ships to anchor them – Swim over, climb ladder, drop anchor. Then kill their crew or set fires.
32. Use the ladder as a chokepoint – Defend your ship by guarding ladders with blunderbuss. One shot can kill a boarder.
33. Tuck on enemy ships – Hide on a ship (e.g., in crow’s nest or behind barrels) and wait for them to load loot, then steal it.
34. Learn to ‘skirt’ world events – Don’t dive directly into a skull fort; observe from a distance, wait for other crews to fight, then swoop in.
35. Alliance system – Form alliances with other crews for shared loot (50% extra to each). But trust is risky; they can betray.

Miscellaneous

36. Voice chat is key – Use push-to-talk to coordinate with randoms. Many crews are friendly if you speak.
37. The game saves your progress per session – Nothing carries over between logouts except gold and reputation. So make sure to sell before logging off.
38. Check for seasonal events – Time-limited adventures and rewards. Participate for exclusive cosmetics.
39. Use the emote wheel to taunt or celebrate – Can be fun but also a distraction.
40. Watch your health bar – Eat food when low. Use bait for fishing (also a source of food).