I’m not really a shanty sort of person, but there are plenty of pirates who like nothing better than making music whenever the opportunity presents itself. Lucky for them that there’s no shortage of shiny musical instruments for sale in the equipment shop, though you’ll find a basic concertina, banjo, drum and hurdy-gurdy in your inventory to begin with.

Once an instrument is in your hands, you can either play a random shanty or bring up your Item Radial, hop to the shanties and choose the ditty you desire most. If one pirate starts playing a shanty, anyone nearby can join in on their instrument of choice, so it’s easy to form an impromptu band when you want to celebrate a successful Voyage or taunt your enemies as they sink into the briny deep. Playing while sober obviously gives the most tuneful results, but I’ve been at a few gatherings where the collaborative drunken shanties were something to behold…

Fun as they are, instruments have practical uses too. I heard that old Merrick once gathered a musical troupe to summon a sea monster, but I don’t believe a word of it. What you can try, though, is using music to mesmerise any aggressive snakes you come across. They’ll sit in a happy trance as long as someone keeps playing, which makes catching and transporting the hissy little bootlaces far less dangerous.

Certain parts of the world will react in unexpected ways when music is played. There are riddles that require you to use an instrument in a particular location, and beyond that, I remember once seeing a group of Pirate Legends in a tavern playing a tune while glancing furtively around. Come to think of it, I never did work out where they went…