The following guide compares the values of the different guns in the game considering three main values: Damage per minute, crew damage per minute, and an overall score calculated using various data points. This should be helpful to new, returning, and veteran players alike.

After the June patch, you may have asked yourself: why not simply slap 4 or 6 pounders on all decks of my Santísima and shoot to my heart's content? After all, these two gun calibres have the highest DPS and little to no downsides, right? Well, now that we have access to more detailed information, the answer is not as simple as it may seem.

In this guide, I will discuss the base guns in the game (that is, no Navy, Blomfields, Obusers, etc.). When I can afford them in-game, I may add them to the guide.

Disclaimer: I do not consider range in this guide as they all have similar penetration values at operational ranges (inside the in-game radar, where engagements typically occur). If you are planning on kiting at 1,000 yards, then you should always pick long guns.

Disclaimer 2: I just noticed the images were not inserted properly. It is fixed now.

For the following analysis, I considered the main values available within the game itself (excludes patch notes or other guides).

• Base damage
  
• Crew damage
  
• Reload times
  
• Crew per gun
  
• Gun HP
  
• Horizontal dispersion

To calculate DPM, the formula is quite simple: Base damage divided by reload time, times 60.

Example: Medium 4pd Base Damage = 49; Reload = 50 seconds
--> (49/50)*60=58.8

To calculate Crew DPM, the formula is the same, substituting Base Damage for Crew Damage

Example: Medium 4pd Base Damage = 2; Reload = 50 seconds
--> (2/50)*60=2.4

To calculate overall score, I added the two previous value, minus crew needed per gun, plus gun HP. Please keep in mind this is arbitrary and only serves as a comparison on equal terms. As I mentioned above, DPS is not the whole story here.

Example: Medium 4pd DPM = 59; CDPM = 2.4; Crew per gun = 2; Gun HP = 49
--> 59+2.4-2+49 = 108.2

Therefore, the overall score for the Medium 4pd is 108.2

Finally, this total is divided by horizontal dispersion to factor in the advantages of long guns. I picked horizontal as the vertical dispersion values change proportionally but are considerably higher, which affects the score dramatically. Again, this is for comparison purposes only.

Example: Medium 4pd Score = 108.2; dispersion = 7
--> 108/7=15

The final score for those who consider dispersion would be 15

This section compares medium guns and is the one that drove me to do this analysis. The findings go as follows:


As you can see, things seem pretty simple until we hit the 12 pounder mark. When looking at the final score, we can notice that 6 pounders are more suitable than 9 pounders due to the reload time differences. I am sure some people will find upsides for the 9 pounders; however, based on numerical data only, 6 pounders make more sense.

Moving into 12 pounder territory, scores increase considerably due to gun HP and Crew DPS. Considering that bigger ships carry more guns and more crew, it is essential to inflict more casualties while keeping your own guns safe. It would seem attractive to use 6 pounders; however, they would probably not survive the battle long enough to sink the enemy and many guns might be destroyed in one broadside. Conversely, it would take an eternity to decrew a 600 or 800 men ship with a gun that inflicts 4 damage versus one that inflicts 20 or 26.

When considering smaller vessels, I would suggest that the difference between 6 and 9 pounders in crew damage is not high enough (one) to make 9 pds viable. Particularly when considering that it takes 10 seconds longer to reload.

The following graph stacks the data for easier visualization.



Despite DPM gradually decreasing as we move into higher calibres, both Crew DPM and final scores improve considerably. As mentioned above, the dramatic increase in the final score is closely linked to gun HP, essential to survive long engagements against similar or heavier ships.

For this section, I will only include the table screencap and a brief analysis on the main differentiator: dispersion. For this section I had lost some steam and did not include all values accurately; however, the differences are small and should not affect results too much.


If you check above, the scores with Dispersion taken into account vary considerably.

For medium guns:

• 4pd --> 15
  
• 6pd --> 15
  
• 9pd --> 15
  
• 12pd --> 27
  
• 18pd --> 27
  
• 24pd --> 28
  
• 32pd --> 28
  
• 36pd --> 28
  
• 42pd --> 30

For long guns:

• 4pd --> 21
  
• 6pd --> 20
  
• 9pd --> 19
  
• 12pd --> 39
  
• 18pd --> 39
  
• 24pd --> 39
  
• 32pd --> 40
  
• 36pd --> 41
  
• 42pd --> 43

Some things to note: the greatest score increase happens in long guns after 12 pd. In lower calibres, the trade-off between dispersion and reload times may not be worth it. Additionally, I would argue that long guns are only worth it if you plan to engage at more than 500 yards, where mediums would be inaccurate and carronades would be ineffective. At the end of the day, this may depend on personal style and the numbers may not even reflect real-world behaviours.

Here is where things get interesting. It is common knowledge that carronades pack a punch and are good at killing crew. What the chart reviews is that they are REALLY GOOD at killing crew.


DPM remains comparable to their medium gun counterparts. Where things change is in Crew DPM. A 12pd medium has a CDPM value of 10.3, vs 18 for the 12pd carronade. The biggest jump occurs at 32 pounder, with a CDPM of 31.6 for carros and 14.1 for mediums. Over TWICE as much. Considering that the same poundage takes 4 seconds less to reload, carronades are about 3 times better at killing crew. If we consider that 32 pounders are available for higher ship ratings only, carros are clearly the tool for the job if you want to stern rake or board smaller or medium vessels. And of course, carry them on the top deck of your larger ships.

An evident drawback comes when we factor in dispersion, where carronades rank miserably, and range. A carronade will be useless at above 400 yards. Make sure your ship can catch up and disengage quickly.

• When sailing 7-6 rates and light frigates, consider using 6 pounders as opposed to 9 pounders.
  
• Long guns may only be valuable above 12 pounds and for long-range engagements only.
  
• If sailing a fast ship or engaging NPC ships, carronades may be the way to go.
  
• Above 12 pounds, guns have considerably Crew DPM and HP, making them more suitable for protracted encounters.

I hope this was of help and that the pictures are easy to follow. Feel free to hit me up if you want more information or have observations/suggestions.

Yours, Baron de Guevara