Guess who's back... back again... Charles is back... tell a friend...



I never thought I'd be redoing the guide I did for Sea Dogs TEHO, but here I am. The influx of new players, old players, and scurvy pirates requires that I resurrect and polish this guide off.

A big update to the game has changed a great deal about ships in general and some of the options and ship specific perks. I'll be diving back in over the next few weeks to add that content to the guide and update stuff that is no longer correct.

PLEASE NOTE: While I'm doing the update for 1.5, all of the ship screenshots and photos of the stats have not been updated yet. Significant changes have happened to ship stats and how they fall within the rate classes, which requires updated screenshots. I'll be working on those in the coming weeks.



What you can expect to find in this guide:

Descriptions and images of all ships in the game
Important information for owning/using ships
Ship Weapon Stats and Breakdowns
General Naval Tactics
Advanced Naval Tactics
And whatever miscellaneous stuff I come up with

This is NOT a game walkthrough. If you want one of those, I suggest you check this out.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3227894342
At time of posting, this one is currently being actively worked on. Check it out.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS***** I plan to update this as I move through my next play through of the game.

Basically everyone who has been a new player of this game has run into some issue that I will cover in this next section. I consider this to be very important information, which the game doesn't necessarily do a good job of telling you all the intricacies of.

Do I Have My Boating License?

... so no, you don't need a license to operate a boat... at least not in this game. However, you do need to have the necessary skill level to operate the ship you are trying to sail. Ships are broken down into rates which go from 7 to 1. For purposes of explanation, you can use the word Rate interchangeably with Rank or Class. Rate 7 ships are the easiest to operate. At the other end of the spectrum, rate 1 ships require the most skill. If you don't have the necessary skill level to operate a ship, you will suffer massive stat penalties that can cripple your ability to play the game.

If you ever need to know what navigation skill is required for each rank, you can easily look it up yourself. Go to the "character' page in the menu and hover over the "navigation" skill. Right click. That should bring up a table that shows the navigation skill levels required.

The 1.5 update has changed this slightly, as well as shifted a few of the ships around within the rates. Rate 7 now exists, just to occupy the longboat and tartane.

Here's the breakdown:

Rate 7 Ships - Navigation Level not needed (Baby ship)
Rate 6 Ships - Navigation Level 5 (Starting Ship)
Rate 5 Ships - Navigation Level 25
Rate 4 Ships - Navigation Level 45
Rate 3 Ships - Navigation Level 65
Rate 2 Ships - Navigation Level 80
Rate 1 Ships - Navigation Level 95

Again, you can hover over the navigation stat on your character menu and right click it to bring up this list.

If you don't have the necessary skill level, you will incur harsh penalties of your other stats. This is proportional to how under leveled your navigation stat is.

For example: I have navigation skill 45 and want to sail a galleon. I capture one and swap all my crew and goods to it, sinking my old rate 4 ship (which I could sail with no issues). Instantly I incur a 20 skill point penalty to all my other ship stats. That penalty is determined by the difference between what my navigation rank is and what it needs to be. In the example, a galleon is rate 3 and requires 65 navigation skill, but I only have 45... thus the 20 skill point penalty. I also incur harsh penalties to my base P.I.R.A.T.E.S stats, further crippling my character.

Assigning an officer as the navigator will set your navigation skill level to the same as that officer. This is why it is important to check the officers in taverns and try to get ones as quickly as possible that can handle the higher rate ships. The same stat penalties will happen to the player if the navigator doesn't have enough skill to sail a ship, and that penalty will work essentially the same way as if the game was checking against the player's navigation stat.

Do You Have Enough Supplies?

Before you even leave port for the first time, you should be checking to see if you have enough supplies to survive out there on the open ocean. The following is a list of NECESSARY supplies.

• Food
  
• Rum
  
• Medicine
  
• Weapons
  
• Gunpowder
  
• Ammo
  
• Sailcloth
  
• Planks

Food and Rum:
If you don't have any food, your sailors will die. If you don't have any rum, they'll start to get mad and their morale will start dropping. The menus pretty clearly show how many days worth of rum and food you have left. You will get pop-up alerts in the top right during the last 3 days of food supply, urging you to restock. The rate of consumption for both food and rum, is determined by the total amount of crew you have.

Medicine:
If you don't have any medicines, you can randomly lose crew to outbreaks of disease. You can expect to take a massive hit to morale if you start losing sailors like this.

Weapons:
Arms like pistols and cutlasses for the regular crew to use in combat. Not having enough will make the crew ineffective in boarding or fights.

Gunpowder:
Necessary for the cannons to actually fire. Can also be used at the cost of 200 gunpowder for deploying a floating mine. Overloading the ship with gunpowder can cause it to both randomly explode if shot, and can turn it into a fire-ship or brander. There is a perk that allows you to sail a ship into a cluster of enemies and detonate it on purpose. This does loads of damage.

Ammo:
What, did you think I'd let the crew shoot pesos out of the guns? You need ammunition for the ship's guns. The options are Cannonballs, Knippels (Chainshot), Grapeshot, or Bombs. Cannonballs are average and have the longest range of firing. Knippels are used to shred enemy sails. Grapeshot is for close range, and is used to cull the enemy crew for a boarding action. Bombs are used to utterly destroy an enemy ship, and do the most hull damage.

Planks and Sailcloth:
Necessary to be able to repair the ship mid-combat. You will need the combat repair perk unlocked, either for yourself or your shipbuilder officer. I would prioritize sailcloth over planks. If you can't catch the wind to maneuver or sail away, you are dead in the water and screwed. Mobility and positioning is everything in ship combat.

Do I have Enough Crew?

You need to have crew to actually sail the ship. Without crew it will be hard to even move the sails or load the guns... and forget about defending from boarding. You can hire crew in the taverns. You may also see sailor npcs wandering around the streets of towns that want to enlist in your crew. These often have buffed stats, and will help improve the skills of your whole crew. And yes, your crew has a skill rating, which you can see on the same page as their overall morale. This skill improves overtime as you higher more skilled crew, or do the actions that the skill represents.

There will be a section on your ship stats that shows you the minimum crew, current crew, and max crew levels. Without the minimum crew, it is often impossible to appoint an officer to command a ship, or even leave to the world map. Max crew is the total amount you can take on with no penalty. However, you can overload your crew (to around 25%). This can help you win when boarding, but does come with penalties in the form of quicker morale decrease, and higher rum/food consumption.

With the new 1.5 update comes some massive changes to ships and game balance. Some of the ships are no longer in the same rate, but what is more important is the new Classes and Traits system.

Ships can now be separated into 4 classes.

• Warrior
  
• Raider
  
• Trader
  
• Multipurpose

With the exception of the Multipurpose class, each individual ship gets a "trait" that improves stats or grants special abilities. The available traits are class specific.

Encounters on the global map are also now ranked using a Fleet Power system. All of the ships in your fleet go into a calculation that ranks how strong your fleet is and that can discourage enemies from attacking you.

"Warships are specially designed for sea battles. They have the strongest hulls and the largest caliber guns, but such firepower imposes limitations on speed characteristics."



Fleet Power Bonus: Very High



Improved Recoil System:
Increases damage and reload speed 6% per salvo. Max 35%. Bonus disappears when firing from any other boradside.



Rapid Landing:
The ship's design features and winch system make it possible to land troops on the move, allowing the assault to begin much earlier without endangering the crew.
Reduces the threshold for destroyed guns for fort assault by 15%



Pivoting Carriages:
The gun ports and carriages have been specially reconstructed increasing the firing sector of the guns. Increases firing sector by 7 degrees.



War Paint:
Bright marks of succesful raids on the hull and regular bribes to the right people make extortion much easier, turning the ship into a terrifying legend. Governors are more willing to share money and goods, and nations set higher ransoms for captains. Ransom value bonus 35%, Warehouse value bonus from colony raids 15%

"Raider ships are ideal for raids and piracy - nimble, maneuverable, and well-armed, they are a formidable force, but pay for it with a small hold and modest hull strength."

Fleet Power Bonus: High



The Quick and the Dead:
The crew is required to undergo training in covering tracks and stealth. Reduces the impact of piracy on relations with nations, and reputation recovery becomes more effective. Reduces penalties to relations by 50%, lawyer effectiveness increases by 50%



Brandskugel:
Chase and retreat guns are specially tempered to withstand high temperatures, and their ports are treated with a special compound against fires. This allows the use of incendiary mixtures with any universal ammunition, dealing periodic damage to enemy ships. Additional damage to hull and sails: 200%, chance of fire 200%, Duration 15 seconds.



Pillaging:
The ship operates under special rules for extracting materials from boarded ships. Sinking a ship by boarding restores hull and sail strength. The amount restored depends on the quantity and quality of materials, the extent of damage, and the class difference. Hull restoration 5-15%, Sails 12% (No mast restoration)



Hit and Run
A shifted center of gravity, sharp hull lines, and a special rearrangement of gun ports increase the ship's wave-passing ability and stability during gun recoil, raising the permissible speed limits during battle. Ship speed bonus for an unloaded broadside is 5%, and decreases gradually when loading.

"A merchant ship usually sacrifices caliber, speed, and the number of guns in favor of a large hold. Only a very skilled captain can afford to go on a solo voyage on such a ship."



Fleet Power Bonus: Low



Current Map:
Complex navigation tools made to order by European craftsmen and an accurate map of the archipelago's underwater currents allow you to save significant travel time. Increases sailing speed on global map by 5%, Stacks.



Emergency Studding Sails:
In case of critical danger to the ship, sailors set up special quick-assembly studding sails on the yards and raise them, temporarily increasing the ships speed. Hull strength threshold for activation: 40%, speed increase 20%. Effect delay of 20 seconds when repairing above 40%



False Documents:
An impressive set of patents, documents, and nameplates allows this ship to enter almost any port incognito, and the inconspicuous hull reduces the risk of encountering patrols during smuggling deals. Deception chance up 15%, reduced chance of encountering patrol by 50%.



Quality Packaging:
A thorough overhaul of the hold, bulkhead thickness, and standardization of the cargo storage system allow you to carry more cargo and distribute it more efficiently throughout the ship without causing imbalance. Reduces speed penalty from hold load by 15%



Mark of Quality:
A set of glyphs, seals, and patents makes the cargo from this ship recognizable, and its arrival in port a good sign for local merchants. Succesful trade deals improve relations with the port's nation, and good relations make trade more profitable. Reduces sales penalty 3% per relationship level. Profit threshold for improving relations: 25000

"Multipurpose ships are the choice of captains who want to do everything at once. They are equally suited for trade, piracy, and war, but such flexibility makes them comparatively worse than any specialized vessel. At least until these ships fall into the hands of a skilled shipbuilder."

Fleet Power Bonus: Medium
Bonus to Stat Improvement: 15%

These were formerly the Rate 6 ships, but after the 1.5 update they have been downgraded to a class of their own. (Ignore the 6 still on the screenshots)

There is no nice way to say this. The Rate 7 ships are cheap and utter garbage. If you have one of these in your fleet, it is most likely for purposes of a quest or special event, and not because you chose to have one.

This thing doesn't even have any guns...

The Rate 6 ships now occupy the starting ship slots. These require almost no skill to sail and are all pretty small in comparison to the other rates. These ships don't have a lot of hull strength (HP), firepower, or crew capacity. However, several of them are speedy and sail really good against the wind. Trying to fight anything over rate 4 with one of these would be foolish.

Fast and reliable. Your first ship. A very steep sailing angle against the wind will allow it to flee from engagements against the larger, heavily armed ships that have to sail with the wind. Very useful for courier missions, sea races, and missions with extremely steep timelines. This and the courier lugger are the only ships that can be used in the Regatta sailing race.




Very similar to the standard lugger in practice. This can have higher caliber guns, but often has less of them, or a lower capacity in general.




Not as speedy as the lugger, but better suited for fighting. Sloops carry more crew and guns, and usually have a greater deadweight. The mission "A chief of ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥" has a naval battle that requires you to either use a sloop or lugger.




Horribly downgraded in 1.5, this ship is designed to be a trader for someone with a low navigation skill. The weight this can carry is pitiful, so it just plain sucks as a trading vessel.

Rate 5 ships have improved stats over rate 6, but not so much so that they completely outclass them.

A slow tub that is fitted to be a trading vessel. Not very maneuverable. You're going to struggle to make a profit as a trader with this vessel because of the low deadweight in comparison to the trading ships available in the later rates.




This fills a "middle" role in this rate of ships. Capable as both a trader and a fighting ship.




Has more guns than the schooner and can hold it's own with the brigs and brigantines of rate 4.




Has less cargo room than the Fleut, but seems to be easier to maneuver... big plus is that it actually can come very well armed for a ship of this rate. Not a bad ship at all.

The 4th rate ships have better weapons, deadweight, and crew capacity than the 5th rate and will start allowing you to take some risks and win more difficult engagements.

A combat oriented ship with a decent amount and size of guns and good sailing capabilities for chasing down ships against the wind. Good for raiding small trade convoys and winning early-game sea battles




Very similar to the Brigantine, but with sails that are designed for sailing with the wind rather than against.






Actually a decent trading ship. You can start turning a profit on trading ventures with a ship like this.




Used to be in rate 3, has been bumped down to rate 4. Various reasons for this, but it was always more maneuverable and less tanky than the Polacre that it is often compared to.

The Third Rate ships offer tons in in-rate variability. You have three ships tailored for trading: Caravel, Pinnace, Carrack. You have three ships that are suited for combat and raiding: Corvette, Polacre, Xebek. And finally, you have the iconic galleon, which can fill the roles of trader or fighter.

Can feel awkward to control, but has a large deadweight. Should really only be for trading only.




Average compared to the other trade ships in this rate. Nothing really stands out.




Can have a very capacious hold, but poor sailing stats.




Can be used both for attacking other ships or ferrying cargo. Not really the best at either category, but you will encounter plenty of these in the game.




Relatively speedy with the wind. Enough guns and crew to beat down other rate 3's and lower. Not my first choice in this rate... but to each his own.




NOW THIS!!! THIS IS A SHIP. WHEW LORD. Good cargo capacity, good guns, good crew. Excellent sailing stats and angle to the wind. This is perfect for catching up to enemy ships, boarding, and stealing cargo.

These are large ships, with large crew capacities, and many-many more guns than the ships in the previous rates. You should be cautious when engaging with any of these ships in battle, as they often have the hull and firepower to engage in heavy fighting. You'll probably have been chased down by heavy galleons at least a few times while playing the game.

You will get tired of seeing these. Large crew capacity, tons of guns, surprisingly quick with the wind... Will be very dangerous for you for a long period of the game. Not the best maneuverability, and very susceptible to having the sails shredded and being unable to move.




Can have a very high deadweight and an impressive number of cannons. Has good sailing characteristics for a trading ship. When attacking fleets, prioritize shredding the sails on these, otherwise they can easily escape.




Basically a heavy galleon without the same number of guns... in my experience, it tends to have less overall deadweight. You'd honestly probably be better off with a true heavy galleon or east-indian.




Good sailing characteristics and a ton of guns. Truly a military ship. Typically comes with cannons in 20lb or 24lb, or with 18lb coleuvrines.




More guns than the regular frigate. Can have up to 32lb guns. Very strong ship for combat.

These ships are all massive, have tons of guns, and are very expensive to maintain. Your crew costs alone are going to be very high. Don't forget, you'll have to have enough foodstuffs, rum, and medicines to sustain such a crew. Even if you get one of these early in your playthrough, it would be wise to moor it with the harbormasters until you have the economy (and/or navigation skills) to support one of these. None of these ships can be purchased from a shipyard. You have to find and 'liberate' them from their captains.



The generic rate 1. Stolen ship and hot raid quests can commonly have these at higher levels. These can also be randomly encountered in colony siege fleets, and are present in many late game quest fleets.




The following ships are nation-specific. What this means, is you can only find them naturally under the command of the nation listed below. You have a random chance to find one of these leading a colony siege. You could steal one of these ships... but you should know that you will not be able to fool the nation whose ship it is. They will recognize it and forts will start firing at you.

I'll give an example. I attack a french siege fleet with a Warship as the flagship. I steal it. In addition to taking a relations hit with france, I also will be unable to take that ship to ANY french port without being recognized and attacked. The admiral's hat (you can get one from Hero of the Nation) removes this penalty and lets you sail one of these ships into the same nation port regardless.

Around 66 guns. Fairly good sailing stats for a ship this size. Looks really cool.




Nearly 80 guns. Not as slow as the manowars, but still fairly bulky.




Around 100 guns. Slow as hell, but deadly




Same as the spanish, but slightly more guns. A truly monstrous ship.

The following section covers unique ships that can only be earned through completing quests. In each game there is only one of these. If you sink these, there is no way to get them again. A lot of these are overpowered compared to the ships in the same rate.

Folks that have the Vile Little God DLC will need to sacrifice one of these ships to Aruba in order to complete the entirety of that overpowered quest line. You'll get the opportunity to get several different ships on list during the main story playthrough, so I'd suggest picking one of the weaker ones to sacrifice.

The Dutch Gambit

Any one of these is an excellent rate 4 ship. Which is best comes down to personal preference. Due to changes with the subsequent companion quests, you can now get TWO quest ships from the English Route. (See below)


The Meifeng is extremely fast and agile with a sharp angle against the wind. Armed with 20lb cannons by default. A great ship.





The Mirage is fast, well armed, and extremely capable. Personal preference would call this the best ship you could get out of the Dutch Gambit.






What happens when you take the Mirage, upgrade everything about it, and slap the capacity for 24lb cannons on it? You get this monster. Hands down the strongest ship in the 4th rate. You can earn this ship by besting it in boarding and accepting a 100k English Bounty. (Yikes)





Also a speedy sailor with 20lb cannons. Doesn't sail as steeply against the wind as the other 2 options, but is still a great ship.




Flying the Jolly Roger


Extremely strong ship. A true boss fight. Very difficult to obtain if not engaging with a rate 2 ship or multiple rate 3's. Comes with 24lb cannons, and can equip up to 32lb cannons. I believe this has the highest deadweight of any Rate 3 ship, and has decent sailing stats too. Again, be warned. Can be a very difficult fight.





A Polacre itself is a very capable ship. This heavy polacre comes with 24lb cannons and great stats. A beneficial angle of sail makes this among the strongest ships that can sail against the wind.




Caleuche


A monstrous ship that inspires fear in sailors everywhere. Comes with around 56 36lb cannons. While it is rate 1, patch notes claim that you need 100 navigation skill to sail this ship. Despite being so large, it is rather speedy. The ship can be taken to master Alexis at Isla Tesoro and "cleaned up" for a nominal fee. The new model is stunning.



Defense of St. Pierre


A speedy sailor with numerous guns. Feels outclassed by the existence of the Torero and El Casador. The ship doesn't have any issues, but by the time you get it, you'll have better options, or will need something bigger to get you through the coming fights.



The Guardian of Truth


In my opinion, the absolute strongest ship in the game. Buffed from it's appearance in TEHO, the Fortune comes with numerous guns, extremely good sailing stats, and a massive crew capacity. This can go toe-to-toe with any other ship in the game and come out victorious. The only ships with more crew are the absolute largest rate 1's. The only thing I would not use this for, would be long-range fort bombardment. The manowars would be better suited for such a job.





Black Mark DLC


An interesting new addition to the lineup of ships. Bridges the gap between rate 5 and 4 and is a menace to smaller ships. Can be gotten fairly early and before the Dutch Gambit. For folks with the Vile Little God DLC, this ship is rejected as a sacrifice to Aruba unless you do several of the smaller tasks for him (check the documents tab for details on Aruba's list).

Late in 2024, a new DLC was released and it's only part 1 of 5 DLCs that will include new ships. To be clear, these ships are OPTIONAL BOSSES. As more details get added and these DLCs get released, I'll add the necessary information here.

Firstly, it appears that you can approach the shipbuilders at any of the capital ports and ask about information on these ships. They'll give you some limited knowledge or tips about them. The ships travel around the islands and visit ports. You can actually meet the captains in towns or in some cases at sea and talk to them to see if you can gather information. When meeting one of these on the world map, it has a different ship icon. SEE BELOW:

Each fight involving one of these ships is unfair in at least one way or another and will require some skill and planning to pull off succesfully.


The first of the new DLC Bosses. This thing is insane. Absolutely ludicrous sailing capabilities compared to the standard galleon. It can spin so fast that it will make you dizzy. Enjoy the awesome music while it shreds you to pieces. The game will recommend that you attack it at sea so that it doesn't get support from allied ships and forts. Regardless, attacking it will cause two branders to spawn at the edge of the battle area which chase you down and will explode, shredding your hull. The ship will sail around the Caribbean, travelling to all the Spanish Ports. When in town, you can get special dialogues from citizens which are scared to act up with the Holy Mercy in port. Notably, the brothels will close and smugglers will refuse to do business. You can meet with the Captain in town and speak with him. In my experience, try looking for the heavily armored guy in the church.


2nd in the DLC lineup. To progress the events with this ship and the scripted land battle needed to claim it, you need to speak with the captain at least 3 times when this ship is in port. It travels between the french colonies and Cayman. The way you talk to the captain is by going to the tavern and trying to rent a room. You will be informed that it's occupied, but you can enter and have a conversation. After doing this enough times, you will be able to catch the Lady Beth on Cayman Island and make the decision to attack.


The enemy of all slavers. This ship can be attacked freely whenever you wish, but you may want to take a longboat over and talk to the captain and crew first to get the full experience. It travels between the pirate settlements.

You can look at your ship information screen to tell what size and number of guns can be mounted on your ship. These are the values to the right of the "Armarment" section. It gives you a gun port size (20 pound), and a number (20). In this example, you can mount up to 20 guns that are at the maximum 20 pound cannons. You cannot mount more guns than 20, and you cannot mount any larger calibers. Ships come with a range of calibers that you can find them equipped to handle. For example, you find a heavy frigate and capture it. It may come with a max caliber of 24, but you can find them up to 32. The total number of guns can vary somewhat too.

When you steal a ship at sea, it comes with guns installed on it. It is possible that it may have some spare in the cargo hold, but it is also possible that in the combat leading up to getting captured, it had some get destroyed. Any ship that you buy from the shipyard will come with NO guns installed. Thus it is important to know how to install guns on your ship. Pull open your ship menu and look at the bottom. There should be a hotkey (default S) that lets you open up the guns page. Here you can assign and remove guns from your ship, and view the arrangement of them. You CAN NOT assign guns of two different calibers. They all have to be the same caliber. It is recommended to use this screen to remove and re-install your guns every so often to avoid defects. Repeated use of guns without doing this will lead to failures and they will rupture and explode due to wear and tear. Quickly resetting the guns is something you can do whenever you land in port, and doesn't take much time or effort to do.

There are two types of guns. Cannons and Culverins. Generally speaking, Culverins have longer ranges than cannons of similar weight, at the cost of doing less damage. All ship guns can be purchased at shipyards except for 36 pound cannons, 42 pound bombards (cannons), and 36 pound full-Culvernins. These can only be found on 1st rate ships that you capture, or as loot from destroying a fort and winning the landing fight.





















The 1.5 update has changed the cannon and Culverin stats. The biggest changes are to the damage stats, which have trended upwards due to the addition of some intermediate calibers. For reference, the 24lb cannons used to do x4 damage, and are now rated at x5. The standard Culverin (18lb version) now does x3.2 damage instead of x3.

The weight chart refers to the actual weight of the guns on the ship and NOT the caliber. The name of the gun has the caliber that you should refer to for knowing if the cannon can be fitted on your ship. For reference, the Culverin calibers are 8, 18, and 36 respectively. HOWEVER, the 36 pound full-culverin can NOT be loaded into 36 pound gun ports. This changed several updates ago and you can only load them on ships with 42 pound gun ports. This pretty much limits the full culverins to the largest class 1 ships.

The next sections of this guide has miscellaneous tips, strategies, and play-styles, which I hope will be beneficial to you. Some of these are very opinion-based, and at the end of the day, whatever methods work for you, are the best methods for you to use.

One of the best features from the 1.5 update is the improved manual aiming system. Right clicking while sailing now brings you down to the gun deck of whichever direction you were pointing your camera at. It locks you in at the firing angle, not allowing you to look left or right outside your range, and shows you the number of guns (via crosshair) that are pointing out that side of the ship.

The benefit here is twofold. Aiming manually often seems to do better than the auto aim from firing in the regular sailing mode. This will be noticeable better for a lower level character that doesn't have good accuracy yet. You're also able to choose what you're aiming at, meaning that if you want to aim for the sails, you clearly can, versus just hoping that the auto-aim is getting the right angle or loft to shred the sails.

Of course, in large battles with multiple enemies, this also allows you to be sure of which ship you're firing at if there are multiple in range of a volley. Typically the autoaim tends to prioritize whichever ship is the closest and in the middle of the firing area.

You can pretty easily split ship combat in this game into two categories. I dub them, Slugger and Sniper. By my definition, a Slugger sails up close to the enemy and tries to maximize damage done by every volley. Alternatively, the Sniper engages the enemy from a distance, out-ranging them when possible, and hopefully weakening them over time.


Advantages

• High Damage Output
  
• Easier to initiate boarding
  
• Can take advantage of "blindspots"
  
• Quick and Decisive fights
  
• Easier to hit the opponent

Disadvantages

• Get hit more often (crits)
  
• In range of enemy bombs
  
• more likely to get boarded
  
• hard to escape if things go poorly
  
• Gets "Ganged up on" in squadron battles

The goal of this playstyle is to get as close as possible and do the most amount of damage to the enemies. Being so close makes it easy to do high damage to enemy crews, and then initiate a boarding action. Alternatively, the same is true against you. Battles end up being quick and decisive because more shots are hitting their targets. There is a method to reduce the enemies ability to fire on you by taking advantage of "blindspots" (See Next Section). In my experience, this playstyle can help at the very beginning of the game when your stats are terrible. Any long-term fighting is going to end up with your ship destroyed or crew shredded, and your accuracy is terrible. You can get in close, get off a volley or two of close range grapeshot, and initiate boarding. Towards the end of the game, when you start having to face well equipped enemy squadrons, you can solo entire fleets with the right ship, if you get into close quarters combat and press your advantage. If you're going to adopt this strategy, do yourself a favor and use a gun that will do decent damage. I would not suggest this with anything less than a 20 pound cannon. 24 pounders have just enough range and x4 damage multiplier, making them well suited for such a strategy. Of course, the larger calibers are great too.


Advantages

• Can engage enemies outside their firing range
  
• Prevent escape by shredding enemy sails
  
• Longer effective range of grapeshot
  
• Can easily escape

Disadvantages

• Longer fights, high gunpowder and ammo usage
  
• Still needs to approach for boarding
  
• Less damage per volley due to range
  
• To be optimal, requires a high cannons and accuracy skill

A sniper is going to engage the enemy from a distance. While doing less damage, this opens up the player to less chances to receive damage themselves. You can chip away at the enemy's sails and hull slowly, while taking little damage yourself. Unfortunately, you will still have to give up the range advantage if you wish to board. If you are going to use this play-style, you really should use a Couleuvrine style of gun. Even if you can only use the 8-pound demi-couleuvrines, those match range of the longest cannon caliber (24 pound). 18 pound couleuvrines are the standard starting point for this strategy to be effective. The full-couleuvrines mounted on large ships, while rare, are perfect for this type of gameplay. The massive distance and high damage can ruin many enemies before they even get in range. Also, they are perfect for destroying forts while staying away from the fort's "killing zone"

Why even go this indepth on this discussion? The whole point of this section is to encourage you to try different ways of playing and see what works for you. Understand this, you have different options when it comes to the guns you have on your ship, and the way that you choose to use them. Not doing enough damage? Trade out couleuvrines for higher damage cannons. Getting picked off by the enemy? Switch to a couleuvrine to match their range. Warehouses in capital city ports make changing out ship guns a very easy process. Frustrated that your heavy frigate is both slower and has less available deadweight when picking off traders? Consider switching to 18-pound couleuvrines or 24 pound cannons. The ONLY weapon change that I would caution against, is swapping 18-pound couleuvrines out for 20-pound cannons. Both deal the same damage, while the couleuvrines have a much larger range, albeit at the cost of taking up more deadweight.