Gameplay

Okay, so you're a seadog on a ship. What now?

* Use the WASD keys to move your character to the edges of the ship and make the ship turn left or right.
* Mouse to aim; click to shoot
* Upgrade your stats by clicking the stat upgrades at the bottom or pressing `5`, `6`, and `7`.

### Starting as a Raft

If you started on a Raft, there are several ways you could gain enough money to upgrade to a Boat 1 and make life a lot easier.

#### Fishing/Collecting Crabs and Clams

Really, its the best starting strategy. Go to an island (or start on an island) and collect the klams and krabs while fishing. This will get about $1000 per minute.

#### Attack a Raft

Find another low level raft and fight to the death. This strategy is more dangerous, and depends on suitable ships being present. You must be vigilant, as other rafts and boats will often look for Rafts to attack.

#### Scavenge

You could go near 2 ships which are fighting each other and steal the winner's spoils. The winner is often pissed off at thieves, so get away as quickly as possible!

#### Picking the Ideal Island

Once you have enough money ($3,000) for a Boat 1 you must now pick an ideal island to upgrade. You'd think the island with 1 raft is better than the island with 10 rafts fighting each other. But no! More conflict is actually **better** for Rafts. Many won't focus on a Raft if they're already fighting a Boat 3. And the island with the 1 raft could have a level 50 captain which could easily sink a low level Raft.

### Trading Ships

If you are content with staying away from conflict and are focused on trading, you should get a Trader. Traders have low health and low maximum krew, but have thousands of cargo space. A Trader 1 is very effective and also not very much. 5 minutes of grind should yield one and money can be acquired easily after. Alternatively, travel in a fleet of other ships who have an alliance with you. Try to have enough money to fill up your cargo space to make the best of trading ships. It would be advisable to go straight for a Trader 3, as it is relatively cheap but has the most space and health among the trader ships. The Traders' slow speed and low health mean that it is easily sunk by pirates, and its large amounts of cargo makes it an even more valuable target, hence the best sailing route will be one that is safe, profitable and short. The Fortune Trader is the largest and best dedicated trading ship, boasting 12,000 cargo space. Go to the economy tab for more tips about trading.

### Starting as a Krew Member

If you started as a krew member, you will start with 50 damage credit shown in the top left. Get more damage credit by successfully hitting enemies. The more damage credit you have, the more you get for yourself when the ship picks up supplies. This is a proportional value, meaning that 100 damage credit out of 200 gets 1/2 of the supplies, and 1000/2000 also gets 1/2 of the supplies.

#### Breaking Free

Once you get enough money to buy a ship, you can break free from your captain, either by abandoning ship or politely asking your captain to go to an island. While abandoning ship is much quicker, you only get a wood plank, which can be easily sunk as it has only 50 hp. The more conflict surrounding the area, the more likely your escape is to be successful. If there is no conflict, the krew members of the ship you were just on will turn on you and sink you. On the other hand, politely asking usually only works if you have been serving for your captain for a long time, a form of honorable discharge.

### Moving On Up

So you've been a Boat 1, merrily fighting in raft battle-royales that occur around supplies, and maybe you've had a close call or two with an imposing boat or destroyer. When should you become a boat 3? Then, how should you command a boat? You think a boat would be so powerful. Yes, on paper, boats are so much more powerful than rafts. But in practice, this advantage is nullified by:

1. Destroyers thinking that boats are yummy targets.
2. Many boat captains are terrible, and their krew is even worse, at times not even fighting back against a Raft 3.
3. Many boats are either a Boat 1 or Boat 2, meaning they are slower than rank 3 ships.

Despite these disadvantages, the purchase of either a boat or baby fancy is generally best for newer player who don't want to mess with trader ships. If possible, save up for a Boat 3 ($20,000)

#### Boat Acquired

After you get a boat, it is recommended to stay away from corners, where destroyers can trap and destroy you. Most of all, don't chase after targets which are far away. There is a certain distance where the defender can shoot back while the attacker cannot. Bring your improved amount of krew to bear, and try to hug the enemy. Target weaker ships such as Rafts, Boat 1, Boat 2, or even Trader 1. Use your high speed to run from larger ships such as Destroyers.

### Early Builds

As a boat captain attempting to upgrade to a Destroyer 2, it is time to start buying items and using levels wisely. As a newer player, upgrading damage to 10, and focusing on leveling fire rate after that is recommended. Buy the Damage Upgrade ($5,000) early on to boost your damage against other ships, or the Ship Speed Upgrade ($3,000) early on to boost your speed.

### The Next Level

After a dozen or so minutes as a Boat 3, you'll notice that you've gathered up a decent amount of damage credit and maybe a few loyal krewmates who are decent marksmen. It's time to go to the next level. Aim for a Destroyer 2 ($100,000). Destroyer 1 ($60,000) is acceptable, but provides less bang for your buck. Other alternatives to destroyers at a similar price range are the Calm Spirit (120,000), Royal Fortune ($160,000) which boast higher speeds, but these generally aren't chosen due to their lower hp. Alternatively, skip this step and go straight to an intermediate ship like the Junkie ($160,000).

#### Destroyer Life

Destroyer life is hard at first. You must get used to the very unwieldy turning of the destroyer, and you'll probably lose a few boats because the destroyer is not very maneuverable. The destroyer is not for chasing; it is for sheer brute force. The maximum amount of krew on a Destroyer 2 is a powerful threat in the game, provided that all of them are at least half-decent at aiming.

### Baby Fancy/Silent Dragon

This is probably the best choice if you are solo pirating. A Baby Fancy can handle a lot of damage and many others miss shots on it due to its sleek body shape. It has a good damage output (3 krew slots) for firing and has been known to create several glitches, often incorrectly referred to as "hacks". It also has a sail that allows it to go really fast (7.2 units) and 300 health, or in the case of the Silent Dragon, 500 health. The cargo is either 600 or 800, which allows a little trading to be done on the side.

### Intermediate Builds

Now that you have a formidable ship, you need a formidable build as well. The best intermediate items are Bruiser ($30,000) Steel Barrel ($45,000), Air Pegleg ($40,000), and Sinker's Gloves ($90,000). Bruiser gives +10 to damage and firerate, giving an useful dps increase to low damage players. Steel Barrel gives +25 to distance, which is useful for increasing both range and damage because the longer a cannonball is in the air the more damage it does. Air Pegleg gives +1 to speed, useful for trading ships or slow destroyers needing more speed. Sinker's Gloves gives +35 to fire rate, useful for close range, high damage builds.

### Intermediate Ships

Once you have acquired a fairly large amount of money, it is time to upgrade from your Baby Fancy or Destroyer 2. The best intermediate options are the Raider ($150,000) and the Junkie ($120,000). The Raider is best for pirating due to its high speed of 6.5, while the Junkie is an excellent all around ship with good health, cargo space, and speed. There are other options, such as the Calm Spirit 2 (150,000) and Queen Barb's Justice (175,000), but despite their higher costs, they don't perform as well as the Raider and Junkie.

### Big Mamas

Big mamas are larger and cost more than destroyers. They tend to be fast, with moderate to larger health (4000-7500). The most affordable big mama is the Queen Barb's Justice 2 ($275,000). The most powerful pirating big mamas are the Black Oyster ($550,000) and the Night Wind ($500,000), while the Fortune Trader ($600,000) is better for trading. It is recommended that you have a moderate to large size of krew (4-10) when buying ships of these kinds. They have been known to fall to the Raft with sniper builds due to their ship being so insanely large and easy to hit. At this level, a high level item and focused builds are recommended.

### A Word of Warning

Be careful; if your ship sinks, you will lose your gold (and sometimes all of your progress) and you have to respawn. It's more desirable to retire when at a peaceful island, so your krew can continue your legacy under a new captain.

Ships
**Raft** | Raft

**Boats** | Boat 1 • Boat 2 • Boat 3

**Traders** | Trader 1 • Trader 2 • Trader 3

**Destroyers** | Destroyer 1 • Destroyer 2

**Big Mamas** | Queen Barb's Justice • Night Wind • Black Oyster • Fortune Trader • Flying Dutchman • Queen Anne's Revenge

**Others** | Baby Fancy • Silent Dragon • Raider • Junkie • Echelle • Calm Spirit • Royal Fortune • Battalion • Pinta