Will I still be a Pirate Legend?

@letslipthedogs no

When purchasing levels first became a thing with the bilge rats, there was a lot of discussion on the forums surrounding this topic. I agree with most here, that you are no less a PL than any other even if you choose to purchase levels with doubloons. However with some of the more recent BRA it seems the doubloons are pretty easy to come by and don't require a significant time investment.

That being said, someone mentioned back when this was first being discussed that everyone will know the "true" legends based on their game knowledge. They will know all the skeleton types and their weaknesses. They will be able to identify most islands visually. They will know which direction they need to travel to get to the next island without even looking at the map. They are skilled at ship navigation and sailing.

Most of these things only come with time, and someone who bought a large portion of their levels through stepping foot on islands in the Devil's Roar and decorating their ships with 6 different colored lanterns may not have that breadth of knowledge.

So in a way, I can understand the argument that the "true" pirate legends don't buy their levels.

I would say yes. Can’t be any different then some of our first PL’s obtaining there rank with the merchant cheese and then the order of soul cheese back in the early days of Sea of Thieves.

Don’t buy your last levels from 49-point-something to 50. It’s more satisfying to see the indicator sneak towards 50 and click over when you sell that last golden chicken, villainess skull, or captains chest.

Otherwise: spend away!

When you start doing Athena runs, you will do the work you would have done to get to pirate legend the grindy way, many times over, without earning any more trading company rep. In the long run, it won’t matter.

@letslipthedogs Since PL is worthless, 90% of being PL is community approval. I think the consensus was that doubloons don't count since most PL's wasted their time grinding nothing but voyages. So until a majority of PL get there by doubloons or other means, you're not a true PL.

@letslipthedogs sure?

Some doubloons take skill or knowledge like shooting urself up to a chair up at a mountains peak or finding it hidden beyond eye reach. Other doubloons require patience, and knowledge of the seas. It doesn't matter how you get to PL, once u get to it, you have the experience already. Unless you find a quick shortcut like server jumping to get to PL, ur considered pirate legend when you get it. I'm not PL yet, but I certainly have amassed enough rep to be considered one. Usually people run the other way when they see me, unless they are extremely skilled or hopelessly trigger happy.

I think it's your game, your rep, your doubloons, you do what you want. However, I do fear that the mere fact that you're asking whether you're a true PL or not for buying them is going to take some of the satisfaction away. Here's my PL story, maybe it will help.

I was 50-49-50 with only a few skulls needed to hit PL. So I hopped on a sloop and grinded a few OOS missions. I was on my way to the outpost excited I'd finally hit PL, when the server crashed. I didn't have time to do more OOS missions. Only a week earlier, they had introduced the ability to purchase rep with doubloons. I wanted to just go buy that last level so badly. After all, I technically earned it, right? It wasn't my fault the servers crashed!

The next day I logged on with a few friends, deciding I would earn the rep without purchasing it. Only minutes after logging in, a skull fort popped up! We headed over, and being in a galleon, far across the map, against the wind, the fort was completed by another galleon just as we approached! We decided to fight for it! A guy on their ship said, "You'll never board this boat you (enter horrible expletives here). Well, long story short, we fought them, we sunk them, we took the key.

Within 10 minutes, I turned in the stronghold skull and hit PL. Would I have been any less PL if I had bought it? No. But I would have robbed myself of a pretty satisfying (and very pirate) way of hitting PL.

So, will you be satisfied buying that much of your rep? If so, go for it. I'm very glad I didn't buy that last level. But hey, that's just me. I hit PL without purchasing rep, and now I'm a few Athena chests away from A10. Does that mean I'm better at this game than you? Absolutely not. I went about it my way. You go about it yours, however you see fit. :)

@letslipthedogs Of course. You spent a finite resource on (presumably) merchant levels. Personally, I think it makes you more of a pirate legend, as it means you completed fewer grocery runs. The things you do to get doubloons are often a little piratey, at least.

They're your doubloons. You earned them. I wouldn't waste them on a lot of levels, though. They're more valuable for the exclusive cosmetics. You can always spend more time playing to reach PL, but you can never go back and get those cosmetics once they're gone. But if you can spare the doubloons and just want those last couple levels...absolutely, go for it. It doesn't make you any less a legend. You've already put in a lot of time to get there, right? If you don't feel ready, don't do it. When you're ready, you'll know it. So take your time, think it through. Don't be in a big rush. After all, once you reach PL...you never again earn reputation for the loot you turn in (except for Athena's chests, of course). So really, no reason to hurry. That said, I definitely understand the excitement of getting close with only a few levels to go!

@letslipthedogs said in Will I still be a Pirate Legend?:

Thanks for all the feedback mate's. I'm going hold on to these doubloons for awhile and think about it.

Best thing you can do right now. You got a lot of very good advice from everyone here.

Right now being a Pirate Legend is the journey to get there and not what comes after. So there is no need to rush. When you start out you think you may not get there at all, but you will. Like @Clumsy-George said the most important thing is what you do along the way. Sitting on a nice little next egg of doubloons means you will always have choices when new things come along without any pressure to complete something on time.

So, do not sell yourself short on all the possible great experiences along the way. Pick the voyages you have fun doing the most while still making sure you help out all the factions. Other than that, just open up your sails and see where the wind takes you. Before you know it, you will get there. You will be a Pirate Legend with a lot more stories to tell.

This is a question many of us have had to think about.

I was late to become PL, and by the time dabloons were released most of my group had already achieved the status. I figured I would buy the final levels as soon as my dabloon total was enough, but when that time came... I didn’t feel the urge.

I decided i wanted to grind it and do it the original way. I was shocked at how my community of PL friends reacted to this. I found myself never doing the grind alone. There was always a PL offing to snatch up a couple chickens with me and return the favour that i had done so many months before. It was a great experience.

I wouldn’t judge anyone buying those levels. For me, I didn’t want to put in 90% of the effort then deprive myself of the final sprint. Having bought it I would have been no more or less of a legend in the community, my skill would have been more or less the same... but to me I would have deprived myself of that experience and accomplishment. I am glad I took the long route. Now I have a ridiculous amount of dabloons and no where to spend them lol

I think it is entirely dependent on what YOU think of it, yourself.

While I was getting there, I realized I could easily use my doubloons to finish off the last bunch of levels and debated it a little.
I decided, for myself, that I didn't want to. That was just my decision for myself though, and I don't hold anyone else to that way of doing it.

The reasons I decided to never buy any levels was, I just couldn't find a reason to "skip over levels" (as that's how I thought of it). There was nothing on the other side of the finish line that I actually needed. I've been playing since before launch, but, once I saw what the live game was like (what Pirate Legend offered), I decided I did not need to race toward anything and I'd just casually get there when I got there. If I had decided to race, early on, to be one of the first, maybe I'd have done anything I could to speed it up... but I'm happy with the path I chose, for myself.

That being said... I was Merchant 41 or 42 when I hit 50 in both of the other trading companies. And, there were many chases of animals that had me muttering, "If I had this to do over again, I'd easily spend those doubloons", LOL.

Still... I wouldn't actually change a thing.

Only offering that to share my own, personal, thought processes during the journey.
To each their own.

I don't care what ranks or titles a pirate has. And definitely don't concern myself with how they got there. I just care about how they are as a person, and as a sailor.
Their skill to humility ratio is the best thing about my fellow pirates and crew-mates.

Don't listen to anyone who says no mate..

Look at it this way.. We pirates pride ourselves on finding short cuts to get our way.. We're all about taking that easy road when we're able.

Far as I'm concerned, you earned your Legend. But I would advise you not to use all of your doubloons on it though. At least get yourself up to 48-49. Just my suggestion though, do as you see fit mate!

A question just occurred to me:

I wonder if Duke will offer letters of commendation to the new Sea Dogs trading company, so we can all become Arena Level 50 without ever playing in the Arena? :-)