ElizaCreststeel
Wiki Staff
Basic Naval Tactics
1. Know your ship!
Sounds simple, but a captain must be aware of his ship’s strengths and weaknesses.
Sloops - Quick, but have a shallow cargo hold with a thin hull. Use your speed to get behind your opponent, where your guns do more damage and stay there!
Galleons – Durable, more broadsides with a lot of cargo space, but slow. Keep in mind your gunners will have limited angles of fire from the deck guns, so you will need to keep enemies at your sides.
Frigates – Mix of speed and durability with some cargo sacrifice. The forward guns mean you can engage an enemy as you approach. You do have fewer broadsides than a Galleon, so deck hands are more important.
Sailing skills can compensate for ship weaknesses. Having Top Sail or Full Sail will make up for a Galleon’s lack of speed. Take Cover and Open Fire balance for a sloop’s weak hull and fewer guns. Your sailing style and use of skill points will dictate which ship is better for you.
2. Know your enemy!
The same thing applies to the ship(s) you’re up against.
Sloops are fast, so they will be harder to hit and keep your broadsides to. They may not carry a lot of guns, but War Sloops pack Firebrands and Ghost War Sloops use supernatural ammo.
Galleons are tougher, but have no front guns - stay on their bow if you can.
Frigates won’t be as fast as your sloop or as tough as your Galleon. If you’re in a Frigate, hope your guns and gunners are better.
NO ship has rear guns, but they won’t sit still and let you pound their backsides.
Enemies do not engage unless fired on or you move too close. Beware of your distance.
All EITC ships are tougher than Navy ships of the same class. EITC regular and war class ships pack Firebrand ammo in their broadside guns and all Navy warships do too.
Undead ships use Thunderbolt or Fury and do major broadside damage.
3. Know your crew!
Having a full crew is always best, but just a few cannoneers aboard can make a huge difference. They can engage targets from greater distance, with more lethal loads. If you have a small crew, try to keep enemies on one side of you to concentrate firepower.
A good captain talks to his crew. Inform your gunnies of their targets. This keeps them focused and prevents them from attracting other ships into the fray. Also, remind them what loads to use (Ex. No Firebrand for ships you want to board, or load chain and grapeshot against masts or crews, etc.). Don’t be afraid to speak up; a good player respects that the captain is in charge.
A good captain listens to his crew. The pirates on deck can often see things the helmsman can’t. They can tell you of ships approaching before they’re on radar and give a heads up on the enemy you’re engaging. Before boarding a flagship, make note of which crewmen may be your weak links and try to protect them.
An appreciative captain can keep a good crew. Helping a player finish a quest or giving them time to reload their high-end rounds will foster loyalty and you want good gunnies.
4. Know the sea!
Two of the famous tactician Sun Tzu’s major lessons were ‘know when to fight’ and ‘where to fight’. New ships spawn in certain areas as others are destroyed. Spawning ships can be a headache if one appears on your aft, while you’re already engaged.
Knowing where the enemy will arrive gives you an advantage. Some islands are home to certain classes of ship. Once you know where these pop up spots are, you can exploit them. Your crew can be locked and loaded and get the first volleys as a new enemy materializes.
Padres del Fuego and the Isle de Tormenta are the two best areas for warships. Conversely, the Strait between Port Royal and Tortuga is fertile ground for the beginning sailor with plenty of lightweight ships to plunder and practice on.
Additional Tactics
Enemy ships move in a pattern until they engage a target. Position yourself outside where ships patrol. Don’t sail through or into a group and hammer away. You’ll end up at the bottom.
Gauge your distance as your gunnies fire long-range. Once they make contact, the enemy will come to you. Unless other enemies are near, stop dead and angle your broadsides at it. As the enemy closes, your broadsides and deck guns should have enough time to finish her.
If the enemy is getting too close for comfort, turn and get some distance ahead. Only Frigates will be able to shoot while pursuing. Once comfortably ahead, stop and turn back to face her.
Enemy ships will attempt to angle for a broadside from close range. Except for Frigates, they won’t be able to shoot as they come directly at you. Stopping and staying put will give your gunners more time to fire on an enemy that can’t fire back. And it’s much easier to hit a target when your ship isn’t moving. Staying still also minimizes lag, which affects gunner accuracy.
Trust your gunners! Put your ship in a good position and let’em work. Erratic steering to use your broadsides will only mean the deck guns will likely miss and most gunners do better damage than your ship’s guns.
There will be times when taking a broadside is unavoidable. High-level captains may have Take Cover to protect the ship. If not, use Full Sail or Ramming Speed to pass your enemy as quick as possible. Many big enemy ships tend to shoot chain rounds first, then Firebrand, Thunderbolts or Furies after. If you can skirt past, you may minimize the damage and with a quick turn or Come About, put your guns on their aft.
Also, if you are moving at speed when an enemy fires a broadside, stop immediately and reverse direction – there’s a good chance you can avoid the attack all together. Same with if you are at station keeping when they fire, just quickly dart ahead to avoid the shot.
Watch your radar and right-click to look around you occasionally; especially, if you are going to be boarding a flagship. Nothing spoils a great raid more than coming back to a ship surrounded by Man ’O Wars and losing all those royal chests you worked so hard for.
1. Know your ship!
Sounds simple, but a captain must be aware of his ship’s strengths and weaknesses.
Sloops - Quick, but have a shallow cargo hold with a thin hull. Use your speed to get behind your opponent, where your guns do more damage and stay there!
Galleons – Durable, more broadsides with a lot of cargo space, but slow. Keep in mind your gunners will have limited angles of fire from the deck guns, so you will need to keep enemies at your sides.
Frigates – Mix of speed and durability with some cargo sacrifice. The forward guns mean you can engage an enemy as you approach. You do have fewer broadsides than a Galleon, so deck hands are more important.
Sailing skills can compensate for ship weaknesses. Having Top Sail or Full Sail will make up for a Galleon’s lack of speed. Take Cover and Open Fire balance for a sloop’s weak hull and fewer guns. Your sailing style and use of skill points will dictate which ship is better for you.
2. Know your enemy!
The same thing applies to the ship(s) you’re up against.
Sloops are fast, so they will be harder to hit and keep your broadsides to. They may not carry a lot of guns, but War Sloops pack Firebrands and Ghost War Sloops use supernatural ammo.
Galleons are tougher, but have no front guns - stay on their bow if you can.
Frigates won’t be as fast as your sloop or as tough as your Galleon. If you’re in a Frigate, hope your guns and gunners are better.
NO ship has rear guns, but they won’t sit still and let you pound their backsides.
Enemies do not engage unless fired on or you move too close. Beware of your distance.
All EITC ships are tougher than Navy ships of the same class. EITC regular and war class ships pack Firebrand ammo in their broadside guns and all Navy warships do too.
Undead ships use Thunderbolt or Fury and do major broadside damage.
3. Know your crew!
Having a full crew is always best, but just a few cannoneers aboard can make a huge difference. They can engage targets from greater distance, with more lethal loads. If you have a small crew, try to keep enemies on one side of you to concentrate firepower.
A good captain talks to his crew. Inform your gunnies of their targets. This keeps them focused and prevents them from attracting other ships into the fray. Also, remind them what loads to use (Ex. No Firebrand for ships you want to board, or load chain and grapeshot against masts or crews, etc.). Don’t be afraid to speak up; a good player respects that the captain is in charge.
A good captain listens to his crew. The pirates on deck can often see things the helmsman can’t. They can tell you of ships approaching before they’re on radar and give a heads up on the enemy you’re engaging. Before boarding a flagship, make note of which crewmen may be your weak links and try to protect them.
An appreciative captain can keep a good crew. Helping a player finish a quest or giving them time to reload their high-end rounds will foster loyalty and you want good gunnies.
4. Know the sea!
Two of the famous tactician Sun Tzu’s major lessons were ‘know when to fight’ and ‘where to fight’. New ships spawn in certain areas as others are destroyed. Spawning ships can be a headache if one appears on your aft, while you’re already engaged.
Knowing where the enemy will arrive gives you an advantage. Some islands are home to certain classes of ship. Once you know where these pop up spots are, you can exploit them. Your crew can be locked and loaded and get the first volleys as a new enemy materializes.
Padres del Fuego and the Isle de Tormenta are the two best areas for warships. Conversely, the Strait between Port Royal and Tortuga is fertile ground for the beginning sailor with plenty of lightweight ships to plunder and practice on.
Additional Tactics
Enemy ships move in a pattern until they engage a target. Position yourself outside where ships patrol. Don’t sail through or into a group and hammer away. You’ll end up at the bottom.
Gauge your distance as your gunnies fire long-range. Once they make contact, the enemy will come to you. Unless other enemies are near, stop dead and angle your broadsides at it. As the enemy closes, your broadsides and deck guns should have enough time to finish her.
If the enemy is getting too close for comfort, turn and get some distance ahead. Only Frigates will be able to shoot while pursuing. Once comfortably ahead, stop and turn back to face her.
Enemy ships will attempt to angle for a broadside from close range. Except for Frigates, they won’t be able to shoot as they come directly at you. Stopping and staying put will give your gunners more time to fire on an enemy that can’t fire back. And it’s much easier to hit a target when your ship isn’t moving. Staying still also minimizes lag, which affects gunner accuracy.
Trust your gunners! Put your ship in a good position and let’em work. Erratic steering to use your broadsides will only mean the deck guns will likely miss and most gunners do better damage than your ship’s guns.
There will be times when taking a broadside is unavoidable. High-level captains may have Take Cover to protect the ship. If not, use Full Sail or Ramming Speed to pass your enemy as quick as possible. Many big enemy ships tend to shoot chain rounds first, then Firebrand, Thunderbolts or Furies after. If you can skirt past, you may minimize the damage and with a quick turn or Come About, put your guns on their aft.
Also, if you are moving at speed when an enemy fires a broadside, stop immediately and reverse direction – there’s a good chance you can avoid the attack all together. Same with if you are at station keeping when they fire, just quickly dart ahead to avoid the shot.
Watch your radar and right-click to look around you occasionally; especially, if you are going to be boarding a flagship. Nothing spoils a great raid more than coming back to a ship surrounded by Man ’O Wars and losing all those royal chests you worked so hard for.
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