Strategies

So I'm new to the game, but I'm finding that the slower pace of combat lends itself very well to strategy. I was impressed that I, a low rank pirate, could team up with higher rank pirates and still be helpful.

So I'm working up some strategies that could be explained here on this forum and then put into practice with us in combat. Things like using the weather gage in combat, and how to cut into the wind to keep an enemy from shooting at you.

Any help is appreciated. Just start throwing some tips to this message in reply.

Open seas: Fit for damage, sail to >100 yards, remove armor, wait for reload, remove hull. For added convenience, control-click your salvage button.

Going to try out a Raa Heavy tonight, and that's the plan.

Lines! Lines! LINES.......

Lines are important! Having a good line and holding it, may make the difference in most battle's!
and were there are a mixed lvl group!

It will be best to be: High Lvl-lower lvl-high lvl-lower lvl-highlvl

The NPC ships will focus on the higher level while all ship's(band) must focus on one then down the line!

Npc ships will abandon quicker based on the rate that their armor goes down! Then it is easier to fucus on the remaining ships!

Lines cannot be stressed enough, I say!

Most of us are actually pretty good at forming and keeping lines, I thought. We just need to be told to do it, which is bad, haha.

And when we're doing it, some ranges are different so people have to get closer, so try to be aware of the people behind you so that you aren't blocking their line of sight.

Range! good point!

Something that Henk and I seem to make good use of when we're fighting in a duo ...

Big ship goes in and distracts our victim, taking her broadsides. The little guy goes in and starts slamming on the debuffs ... foul lines, cut shroud, and destroy rudder. Then our victim is sitting there helpless for about 1 minute while we blast her out of the water.

Solo, I tend to get behind my opponent and then blast away her rudder and start pounding away at the stern. In the 1 minute it takes for her to turn with no rudder I can get in at least 5 full stern shots. If she's higher level than me I use grapeshot and cut her crew to pieces before I board. If she's lower level I use round ball and go through her armor and structure until she surrenders. Either way, few ships of any size can take 5 point-blank range shots to the arse. I'm either then boarding a ship with a crew of less than 20 defenders, or I'm sinking a weak ship.

Using that strategy, I took a level 34 Raa Frigate this morning at level 17. I can't do it consistently, but when the wind is in my favor to let me get behind their stern ... I can be a monster.

Aye another good approach is when attacking a ship with multiple attacker's only one er two of ya should be using round shot..others should be utilizing the opportunity to shred their sails or decimate the crew....I have found that this approach gets them quicker.... especially in PvP some ships by other nations are too fast fer us and we need to even the odd's by slowing them down......hehe I love it!

If you haven't tried stone shot for grinding, you're missing out.

Kitty Luckshot wrote:

If you haven't tried stone shot for grinding, you're missing out.

I am glad you pointed that out! Here are some things I have noticed with the Ammo!

Stone Shot = Most rounded in dealing damage (Structure, Sails & Crew)
Heavy Shot = Most commonly used
Bronze Shot = Only slightly better, noticed you get same result with Heavy + Course Pwdr
Explosive Shot = Disappointment, generally Bronze + Course Pwdr

Naturally the better cannon (Perfected Cannons) only increase a little more........