Schooners are small and agile like the slightly smaller Ketches. Typically equipped with more armament, and more health and crew. They make good upgrades from the starter ketch you get at the beginning.

Larger than the schooners, brigantines make great jack of all trades or as support ships for your fleet. If you're starting off, these would make great ships to use until you start fighting larger ships.

Bigger but sometimes less armed than brigantines, brigs are the most common military ship you could find. And for good reason, they are fast and well armed and very effective at pirating brigantines or smaller vessels. In the right hands these ships can be pretty deadly.

These ships are simply upgrades from the brigs, fast and pack a punch. They serve a similar role in combat as the brigs.

Fast an agile but still durable, snows are great hunting ships or solo ships. Normally packing about 20 cannons, they can sink most common vessels like brigs and other snows.

Corvettes are fast and agile, more so than snows. But they sacrifice armor and endurance. These ships are very good choices for captains that wish to have a fast and efficient vessel.

Standard corvettes but with a steam engine slapped onto them. They are by far the fastest ship in the game. They still have the weaknesses and strengths of the normal corvettes. But keep in mind these ships are hard to get.

Possibly the most popular ship, galleons are well rounded ships. With a large cargo capacity, slightly higher than normal speed, great firepower, and great durability. These ships are by far the easiest to use, maintain, and fight with. Normally with a crew of about 120 to 140, the crew costs wont be very expensive for someone at this tier. This is my biggest recommendation due to being so well rounded.

War galleons are another one of the best ships in my opinion. Slightly more expensive, they come equipped with more firepower than the normal galleons. Other than firepower, they are almost identical to the standard galleons.

Frigates are a step up from the purpose of the corvette. Faster, stronger, more agile, more durable, and better equipped. These vessels are great in the right hands, they still lack the durability of the galleons however.

These vessels are larger frigates essentially, equipped with more cannons they make better upgrades from the frigates.

2nd-rate vessels are the step up from galleons, slower but more armed and durable. Equipped with 80 cannons, this vessel can sink many smaller ships with just one salvo from a broadside. These ships are not good trading vessels however, they are pure combat ships. These fine vessels are a force to be reckoned with in combat.

1st-rate vessels are the scourge of the sea. Equipped with around 118 cannons, they put the 2nd-rate to shame. These ships are enough to wipe out entire towns, alone. These floating forts are insanely durable and dangerous. One drawback is that these ships are slow, and their costs to maintain are very high as well. Which is historically accurate considering these ships were never privately owned and were only made by different governments.

These ships were the French 1st-rate vessels. They have slightly more firepower than the normal 1st-rate ships and had similar speed and armor. Other than that they are just as dangerous as 1st-rate ships.

I wont go in depth on the civil ships. They are just less armed, less armored, and slower versions of the military ships which I already covered. They do have more carry capacity than militay ships, but not by a lot. I do recommend you get military ships instead of civil ships.

I hope this helped you figure out what your next ship will be.

Also, check out my Youtube Channel @ Irish Cabbage if you feel like it.
P.S Due to me not updating this guide, other people are freely able to use my info as long as Im credited somewhere in the guide.

Good luck and Godspeed!


I will NO LONGER UPDATE THIS GUIDE. Please note this before asking about a ship that isn't in the guide.