A Series O' Questions

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    Ahoy, Mateys!

    I'm sure I could google a few of these until the cows came home; but I like community discourse and participation. :) I originally tried playing Sea of Thieves with my wife; and during our second session we were camped into oblivion and we swore the game off; I even wondered back over to the Suggestion Forums to ask about a PvPless mode for the game (to which ye eviscerated me pretty good, lads. Touchy subject I see). But I took a lot of the kind responses into consideration.

    And since we stopped playing, I haven't been able to ignore the call of the Sea. I think about the game constantly; and I think I projected my wife's disappointment as my own. Getting killed and losing 2-3 hours work may not be her idea of fun.... but it certainly is mine. So no more cowering and begging for a removal of piracy on the open sea. It's time to become more pirate. In order to do that I need to understand the game better. Feel free to answer as many, or as few of these as humanly possible.

    Thanks for ye time, mateys.

    1. What is the actual server sizes?
    I've heard 1 Crew per Outpost; meaning 7(?) crews maximum per server. Meaning between 7 and 28 players to a single server instance at once.

    2. How often do you see nobody?
    During our first session which lasted approximately 4 hours, we saw not a single other player. During our second session, which lasted approximately 3 hours, we got killed and camped by 2 separate crews. For those of you who play regularly; what is it like for you? Was either of these experiences normal? All good either way; just curious!

    3. Are chests persistent in the world?
    I've seen videos of people about to be killed unloading chests onto an island and hiding them in bushes to come and retrieve them later. What is the "timing" on this if you will? Do I need to come right back to get a chest like that? Or will it persist for most of my session and I could come back hours later to retrieve it? By that same logic; is there a chance chests could be stashed on an island by a player in progress of doing this?

    4. Is the Arena good practice?
    I'm considering spending time in The Arena to gain concentrated sailing/combat practice for while I'm out at Sea. Or is this a bad idea, and generally Adventure is the warm-up for competitive Arena?

    5. Is "Evade Evade Evade" a worthwhile tactic?
    Is learning how to sail to the point where simply escaping becomes viable? If my wife were to give the game another try, and we chose a Brigantine since it's faster than the Sloop (sans in direct wind, so I've read) and learn to sale in a tailwind for the purposes of just getting away... could this work? I want to learn how to fight too, obviously. But is "getting good at running away" also worth my time? (Especially since this can kind of run into Question 3 where I could escape to an island, scuttle, and quickly hide our stuff to come back and get later.)

    6. Any particularly useful YouTube?
    There is a LOT of Sea of Thieves YouTube content to learn various tricks of the Sea. Some of it is a bit older; do any of you have a current, up-to-date person you know of making tutorial like content for Sea of Thieves?

    7. Will voice chat help?
    I know you can raise Alliance flags to signal your lack of interest in fighting, but will actually TELLING them you mean no harm help at all, in anyone's experience? Is voice chat proximity based?

    8. Do the Tall Tales offer any reprieve?
    I've heard the final Tall Tale takes place on an island exclusive to those who have made it that far. Are there any other areas of reprieve while doing these story voyages? Or are you at the same risk of everything else; and could lose it all and need to start again?

    9. Are Powder Kegs found on islands?
    We played for about 7 hours in total and didn't see a single one. Curious if we were unlucky or dumb. (Or both. I won't exclude that as a possibility.)

    10. What's your one tip?
    If you had to offer a word of advice to anyone looking to extend their... lifespan if you will on the Sea... what would you tell them?

    Thank you all for any and all participation. I'm looking forward to learning the ropes and forging my own way towards Pirate Legend!

    Take care!

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  • DISLEX fx
    Captain
    Insider

    @superbeast-v, hello.

    1. Server size = 6 ships (A max of 24 players)

    2. It's rare I am on empty servers. I am in the U.S. I've played since beta from Texas, and Florida. I think it really depends on location and time.

    3. Items in water last ~3 mins. Items on land last ~3 hours. (I forget the EXACT times, but I think those are correct) Loot now has a glisten effect added, so it can be seen much easier than before. Hiding loot on an island is a bit harder now, as the glint can be seen from a fair distance.

    4. Arena being good practice is going to be opinion, but... If you're into fighting, it's good. If you're just wanting to get your sea legs back, in my opinion, no, as it's such a different game.

    5. Running can often times be NOT the best option as many players will chase after you for hours. lol I've spent entire sessions chasing, catching and fighting with single ships. It really depends on the loot/supplies you do or do not have. If a crew is chasing you and that crew has people working the sails really well, there is a good chance they will catch you. Running can be really good if it's your crew that are staying on sails. Staying on sails is one of the best ways to run as well as catch. You will want to juggle that with letting people jump off your ship to try and board the chasing ship. If you get on, you can drop the anchor and/or kill the chasers. That will get your ship a nice little distance advantage. Even if you don't make it on the enemy ship, something I do, I shoot towards them and use my in-game voice chat to distract them. I often lie (by pretending that I didn't know my mic was hot) by saying things like "I'm on their ladder". Many times that will get the enemies off of sails and helm. They will run the the ladders to look for you. lol It works! Any little thing to get their attention away from catching you, even if just for a second!

    6. I am going to link you to 3 Youtubers that have awesome SoT videos on how to #BeMorePirate:

    @Sneakler - Link
    @PhuzzyBond - Link
    ?CaptainFalcore - Link

    1. Voice chat REALLY, REALLY helps. I know a lot of attackers will stop attacking if you're friendly. I know I personally have felt bad before. lol I love to sink every ship I see. I LOVE PVPing non-stop. BUT... If they are friendly, I feel bad. There have been many times my crew and I have actually repaired a ship and given loot away. There is a 99% chance that won't happen if they are not using a mic.

    2. If you lose your Tall Tales items before getting where you need to be, you will have to start all over. I recommend doing them will a full crew. There are a couple of spots, once you're deep in a Tall Tale; if you die there, you respawn right back there. Overall, to answer your question, you will have to start all over.

    3. Powder kegs are everywhere now. Even skeletons spawn with them now.

    4. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS watch out for other players, other player's ships and other player's mermaids. Tip: Mermaids despawn now when a player is on a rowboat. So, a player could be hiding on a rowboat, watching you! Keep an eye out for rowboats. Speaking of, always get a rowboat! If you sink, you can load all your loot into the rowboat and have a second chance of getting the loot sold!

    Spam: If you're ever looking for a crew, come check out M.S.T. and see what y'all think!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @dislex-fx Thank you very much!

    These were great pointers, thank you very much!

    Question 2 wasn't as much about how often are the servers empty... even on populated ones, how long will you go simply without encountering another person because they're off doing their own thing? (Is there a way to tell how alone you are or aren't?)

    But really, I appreciate the time put into your replies. I know I need to play to get better; but I'm always more comfortable learning something manually if I've had verbal(or written) discussion first.

    Cheers!

  • DISLEX fx
    Captain
    Insider

    @superbeast-v, you're welcome.

    It seems to vary, how often you see other ships. It may be a bit harder for me to answer, as I am always looking for a fight. lol If I had to take a wild guess, I would say I could maybe, on a slow session, go about 15 minutes without seeing another ship. On a session with a lot of action, I would say you could see another ship about every 5 minutes. Of course, that all changes day to day, region to region and server to server.

    Rare seem to do a decent job at not having empty servers. You server merge much more often than you used to, so even if you're not seeing ships, more than likely, y'all just happen to be going to different areas of the map, at the right/wrong times.

  • Poslio
    Commander
    Insider

    I love this post.

    If more new players took the time to try to understand the mechanics of the gameplay, and LEARN the game, instead of asking the game itself to change......we would all be better off..

    Also, you asked mostly relevant questions in regards to improving your play.....THIS is how to approach our community as a new player!

    There are many old salts around here willing to teach you a trick or two if you're willing to learn!

    Others will answer your questions here, and if you'd like some in-game assistance feel free to add me and join my crew for a couple of sessions.....we've all been around since launch and are happy to help new pirates who are willing to learn!

    Good luck out there - I have a feeling you're gonna be alright.......

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @poslio Thank ye matey! :D

    These were the most burning questions I had; and @DISLEX-fx did a great job of answering the bulk of it. As more crop up I'll be sure to post them.

    I understand where the folk who want change are coming from; I do. We've all been there when every aspect of something speaks to you-- except one part that ruins it, you know? I get their view... but counter to that I also understand this communities desire for it to remain as is, especially given you were here first. And as wonderful as the game is on its own (graphically, mechanically)... I can tell that the "special sauce" is absolutely the shenanigans than ensue as a result of everyone being lumped in together. I didn't entirely get that at first; but I've come around. Something special has been fostered here... and this guy wants in on it. ;)

    Thanks for your words again; and I look forward to seeing you and everyone on the Seas!

    (Note: I won't actually be playing until mid-February. I have a big trip from Feb 1st to the 14th; so I'm spending January preparing for that... and amassing knowledge online until then so I can hit the Sea's with a bit of know-how when the time comes! :D)

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    Although @DISLEX-fx gave already a good answer i want to share mine as well

    @superbeast-v sagte in A Series O' Questions:

    1. What is the actual server sizes?
    I've heard 1 Crew per Outpost; meaning 7(?) crews maximum per server. Meaning between 7 and 28 players to a single server instance at once.

    afaik it's 6 not 7, because the Devils Roar was added later year one and Morrows Peak is no Spawnlocation. I dont think that has changed. So between 6 and 24 players per server on 6 ships of any kind.

    2. How often do you see nobody?
    During our first session which lasted approximately 4 hours, we saw not a single other player. During our second session, which lasted approximately 3 hours, we got killed and camped by 2 separate crews. For those of you who play regularly; what is it like for you? Was either of these experiences normal? All good either way; just curious!

    in my experiences the times of "empty" servers are gone. It happened more often to me during summer in year one (2018), at least since the anni update i rarely see "no ships" at all.
    But just today i had a very calm server for roughly 3 hours between 01-04 p.m. i saw 1 Sloop far away, nothing else sailing in in the wilds. It depends on playtime and region and how often and serously keep an eye on the horizon.

    3. Are chests persistent in the world?
    I've seen videos of people about to be killed unloading chests onto an island and hiding them in bushes to come and retrieve them later. What is the "timing" on this if you will? Do I need to come right back to get a chest like that? Or will it persist for most of my session and I could come back hours later to retrieve it? By that same logic; is there a chance chests could be stashed on an island by a player in progress of doing this?

    dont know better as @DISLEX-fx has said already.
    But recently someone posted in a thread of mine aksing if and when the gifts pop away on the reapers hideout it's ~2hours loot will not disappear on land.

    4. Is the Arena good practice?

    i didnt play Arena seriously, so what i say is just my opinion and thoughts.
    Arena will for sure train your combat skills with guns and cutlass and fighting pirate to pirate, but also sailing and maneuvering, shooting cannons, boarding, doing the right decisions at the right time...
    BUT... sand seabox adds some more imho: the knowing of the map, ambushes, protecting the ship watching out for agressors is also a part of the seabox pvp gameplay and much more that is not part of the Arena, because of the matchmaking and "arena" gameplay like you also have in shooters or moba's, but not in "open worlds". To me sailing away is viable part of PvP.
    You can make your chasers react to you and if you a re good and lucky you can outmaneuver them, trap them into Rocks or just be better at sails and wheel, Board them while they're after you, drop a keg if they are very close behind you. Stuff you dont do in the Arena that much, because other of other things you are going for. You also never fear to loose a well equipped ship and loot that much, because of session time. To me these aspect play still a little bit into the PvP experience. just to say, but sure Arena will give you good and general practise in fighting in all ways.
    All fights in SoT are different depending on the environment, the map, the conditions. And these are different in Arena compared to Adventure mode and play into pvp as well. So you dont learn in Arena how you catch another ship on the whole Map or how to ambush someone, steal something unnoticed or lay a trap.

    I'm considering spending time in The Arena to gain concentrated sailing/combat practice for while I'm out at Sea. Or is this a bad idea, and generally Adventure is the warm-up for competitive Arena?

    depends of wha you want, i doent think it matters.
    You will learn other things in Arena than in Adventuremode.
    Or at least focus on different things in both modes.
    Adventure is a PvEvP mix. Both is required to make sense and fun to play. The one without the other wnt work imho.
    Arena's PvE is something different, a rush to quickly pick up as many as possible in short time, then sell or defend and harass others to prevent them cashing in.
    I think if you play Adventure you spend way more time figuring out where to find what and to keep an ey on the horizon to not get surprised and maybe overwhelmed ^^

    5. Is "Evade Evade Evade" a worthwhile tactic?
    Is learning how to sail to the point where simply escaping becomes viable? If my wife were to give the game another try, and we chose a Brigantine since it's faster than the Sloop (sans in direct wind, so I've read) and learn to sale in a tailwind for the purposes of just getting away... could this work? I want to learn how to fight too, obviously. But is "getting good at running away" also worth my time? (Especially since this can kind of run into Question 3 where I could escape to an island, scuttle, and quickly hide our stuff to come back and get later.)

    No no no :D
    If you are chased by a Galleone, then they will catch you in a Brigantine. See this for what ship is how fast and when

    Sailing away to make your chasing ship react to you can give you an advantage. There are severel tactics i already mentioned above you can try. Board, keg while they are behind you. Sniper their Crows nest in case of they have kegs there.
    Know your ship and how to set sails depending on the wind, outmaneuver them, use anchor turn or better turn hard with harpoons...

    7. Will voice chat help?
    I know you can raise Alliance flags to signal your lack of interest in fighting, but will actually TELLING them you mean no harm help at all, in anyone's experience? Is voice chat proximity based?

    Will help for sure, but won't be a guarantee ever.
    And its not neccesarily toxic. It depends on the crew, their mood, intentions, their aims, loot...

    8. Do the Tall Tales offer any reprieve?
    I've heard the final Tall Tale takes place on an island exclusive to those who have made it that far. Are there any other areas of reprieve while doing these story voyages? Or are you at the same risk of everything else; and could lose it all and need to start again?

    You can always go to ribute Peak if you want, if you have the Shroudbreaker and activated the Quest. You can loose everything. But if you get sunk while on the island and cannot notice it, your ship will spawn at tribute peak, so sinking someone parking there and doing the quest is pointless.
    Getting their Loot and sail away is not ^^

    9. Are Powder Kegs found on islands?
    We played for about 7 hours in total and didn't see a single one. Curious if we were unlucky or dumb. (Or both. I won't exclude that as a possibility.)

    there are powederkegs and even fortkegs all over.
    It's.... i have no words, you cannot imagine :D

    10. What's your one tip?

    keep an eye on the horizon and be prepared and think about the horizontal only cosmetics progression what is completely seconded. You didnt loose x hours of playing. You lost loot and gold maybe, but remember Ramsey Singh, the Piratelord himself:
    It's not about the gold, it's about the glory.
    Really you miss a greenish glowing hat and a creepy figurine, but you can have it 5 hours later, maybe, if you #bemorepirate next time :D

    If you had to offer a word of advice to anyone looking to extend their... lifespan if you will on the Sea... what would you tell them?

    WATCH THE GOOD DAMN HORIZON :D
    find a crew, no not one bilge rat, (wo)man a Galleone and rock the Seas.

    Thank you all for any and all participation. I'm looking forward to learning the ropes and forging my own way towards Pirate Legend!

    Take care!

    Good winds to you
    ~Bill

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @bugaboo-bill Thank you kindly, Bill.

    The notion of WATCH. THE. HORIZON. has definitely been ingrained in me. I did see one video where someone would fire themselves straight up out of a canon, landing back near their ship. They could get an excellent 360 view of the Horizon while up in the air.

    I'm also learning our lack of seeing a keg was a total fluke. XD

    And good winds to you, matey.

  • AugspaCussh
    Captain
    Insider

    It sucks to get sunk and looted. I applaud you for coming back and asking advice instead of quitting for good after a sour experience. Respect.

    I just have a quick note about question # 2: Reaper's chests (the glowing fountain of lights erupting from random shipwrecks) won't occur on a server with less than 3 ships, so this is a way to at least get an idea. If you see one, there are at least 2 other ships out there on your server.

    Welcome back to the Sea of Thieves!

  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    @superbeast-v

    To know who is around is key for everything, no matter if you focus on pve and beeing friendly or PvP and plunder.
    If you are alone make sure your tasks dont take that long, distract you from your ship, your home, your respawn, your loot, your supplies.
    If solo you sometimes have to leave, enter a cave e.g.
    I male sure i k in there is nobody near, i make sure i dont waste too much time there not seeing my ship and potential aggressors.
    But you can also aproach it more ruthless solo or duo. Stock upy check out others while having nothing to loose.
    You will get sunk, you will loose loot, you will have unfair encounters.
    It's about you how to deal with it.
    Best advice is, find 2 more, maybe another couple like you and your wife.
    I'm 43, i know some who play with their partners and others.
    You just need to find some nice, relaxed, maybe experienced Persons and it will be a gamechanger.
    Suddenly thinks become clear, more easy, dont matter that much because a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved.
    And think of it as a Seabox without progression. It's only cosmetics.
    I met pirates, low levels who were cooler, more experienced and practiced than some Legends who got their title by cheesing it, knowing nothing at all.

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @bactatankbill Thank you very much!

    I'll keep this in mind about the Reapers Chest!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @bugaboo-bill My wife is going to give the game another try as well as long as, and I quote, "we don't just get killed and every session is a waste". But I've already learned a lot in my reading on this forum and elsewhere.

    • We seldom ever watched the horizon. Ever.
    • We didn't know how sails work; I would face the straight forward in all situations, instead of into the wind.
    • We didn't realize it's a session based game that "resets" each session. We stockpiled canons, bananas, wood etc; assuming it would be on the ship when we went back. Also assuming we'd be at the same Outpost we logged out at.
    • From the previous point, we also assumed we saw no one because we had just started playing; but this isn't this case. Meaning, our first session was in the same circumstances as the second session, proving that sometimes it goes good and sometimes it doesn't!
    • We had a mentality problem to; we didn't realize that the ONLY separating factor among people is skill. That learning how to play properly is really, the most valuable "currency" you can earn.

    The second go will be much better I think. :)

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    An Additional Question:

    What are people's thoughts on ship repair priority? We were attacked by a skeletal ship at one point; we were sunk and killed.

    • At many points, it felt like the damage was so heavy that if we weren't BOTH on repairs & water bailing we'd sink. But if we're both doing that... no one is steering or firing back.
    • I felt like damage inside the hull was too heavy. We were trying to bail water and patch holes; but incoming canon fire was causing heavy damage to our pirates specifically, so we also had to eat on top of that.
    • I'm also aware that lack of experience and panic causes these things to seem more unwinnable than they are haha.
  • Stundorn
    Castaway
    Insider
    Founder

    That's the mindset we all apreciate in the Sea of Thieves, no matter fighting or cooperating!

    Yes sessionbased for good reasons.
    I love the game because it's only about experience and skill. Not about time grinding cosmetics ;-)
    Think of it as a long session of a PvEvP mixed game.
    The PvE is challenging and fun in the beginning, you dont know all about it, searching islands on the map, searching chests on islands for hours, fighting skeletons takes longer, you die more often because not cautios or whatever.
    This all distracts you from beeing prepared for PvP if it happens, but with time and experience you know the map, the islands, the riddles....
    But as said before, use the mic and the Megaphone. SoT is meant to be a social experience.
    Well we have some sweaty tryhards, who only set sail to sink and kill for no reason than to sink and kill you.
    It's a bit limited aproach imho, but fine, its mostly not that fun to fight them, but if you manage to sink them, even the trashtalk you get can be fun.
    My last encounter at the Fort of the Damned with an Athena 10 Galleone, so 4 practiced pirates was very sad.
    They sunk us, but we came back and sunk them, it was more or less a draw, we fought back and forth in the end we sunk them got some loot and then we let it be, let them do the fort a second or even third time as they were grinding it.
    The bad about it. They insulted us via voice, M...F.... Idiots and such.
    I answered: please dont cry, we just have fun fighting. You even sunk us and won the first aproach, we made that mistake with the fort keg, why so salty?
    Answer: shut up you beepbeepbeep
    You know it happens, but there are also nice people, even if they PvP.
    We like PvP, we are mostly successfull, we are always playful, we dont harass beginners, we dont need to spoil your game and we are sorry if we did, but it's good sports in winning and loosing.
    And we loose too for sure and also do we risk loot, because we have too much gold and dubloons :-)
    We also gift stuff to poor pirates...
    I always say be a nasty and dread pirate, but a nice and caring player in the community.
    It's not neccessarily a contradiction.
    The PvP is immanent and important for SoT, without it it would be boring like hell.
    But to have socializing, nice opponents, aproaching it playfull and caring for the other players is something hard to find.
    I welcome everybody to the Sea of Thieves who is a respectfull foe to me/us.
    Oh and this said.
    You dont loose anything. Just time.
    The Sessions are your Adventures.
    Some Adventures end with plenty of gold and Grog in the tavern dancing and puking, other adventures end on davy jones locker ;-)
    It's still an adventure.
    Play the Tall Tales, hear the Piratelord words and you know what Rare and some old timers want it to be.

    Old thread of me about loosing loot.
    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/93061/a-message-to-all-pirates-who-got-salty-over-loosing-loot

  • SpiralOut46and2
    Captain
    Insider

    @superbeast-v said in A Series O' Questions:

    An Additional Question:

    What are people's thoughts on ship repair priority? We were attacked by a skeletal ship at one point; we were sunk and killed.

    • At many points, it felt like the damage was so heavy that if we weren't BOTH on repairs & water bailing we'd sink. But if we're both doing that... no one is steering or firing back.
    • I felt like damage inside the hull was too heavy. We were trying to bail water and patch holes; but incoming canon fire was causing heavy damage to our pirates specifically, so we also had to eat on top of that.
    • I'm also aware that lack of experience and panic causes these things to seem more unwinnable than they are haha.

    I'm sure everyone plays a little bit different, but I'll share how my own personal playstyle is. 😊It can get a bit hectic but it's not too bad. The main priority of course is keeping the water level inside the ship down as that will sink you and end the battle, possibly causing you to lose loot and supplies if you are well stocked. If there are two of you, I personally would keep one person on the wheel and sails at all times (if you are on a Sloop), and the other person would do cannon fire and run downstairs for repairs and bailing, if necessary.

    If your ship has a huge amount of water in it and you suddenly realize that it is in danger of sinking, then both would run down to quickly bail and get the water level down as low as possible. From there, usually one person can start repairing the holes and alternating with throwing a bucket of water or two out of the back windows as needed, while the other person gets back up top on the wheel and sails.

    Being mindful of the damage below and how much water you have, and how quickly it is filling up, should always take priority over firing cannons. Only fire cannons to fight back when you know you are good down below and have the time to fire without worrying about holes and water in your ship. 😅👍🌊 You don't have to run back down to repair every single time you get hit though, as your ship can still last (usually) while you unleash a full pocket of 10 cannonballs if your ship has only taken 1-2 holes. Just try to pay attention and keep an idea of how many times you've gotten hit, so you know a rough idea of how many holes you have below. If you know you just took 5 full hits on the side of your hull, then I would forget the cannons and get down there to bail and start repairing.

    Also, listening to the audio cues in the game helps a lot. As your ship fills up with more water, you will hear audio of this, as you'll hear lots of creaking, rumbling and groaning sounds coming from your ship as it fills up more with water lol. 😅👍🛁💧

    If you're down below trying to repair, as you said in your post, and they are still firing cannons to the point it's hitting you and giving you health damage inside your hull, then you need to steer your ship out of their aim. This can happen if you are sailing side-by-side, or you are in a bad position where the way you are angled versus how they are angled makes you a sitting duck for their cannon aim. 🎯💣😅

    What I would do there, is keep one person below to keep bailing water, and get the other up above and on the wheel to steer out of their aim. For instance, if they are on your left and you're sailing side-by-side, you can turn your ship to the right and in a large circle to loop back around behind them. While you're turning around in your big circle, this will make the skelly ship lose you as a target temporarily, and have to turn and readjust their direction too. This buys you some time. Make sure there is nothing around you (islands or rocks) and you can actually leave the wheel if you need to, and leave your ship turning like this in a big circle going backwards, giving you 20+ seconds to run below and help with bailing or repairs. Usually, this will buy you enough time, along with having your partner down below already, for you guys to finish repairing and bailing. Now, get back on the cannons and wheel and you're back in the fight.😄🥳 Hope this helps a little!🌊☠🏴⚓🤝😊👍

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @spiralout46and2

    This was incredibly helpful; thank you very much. This was helpful strategically and with my mindset. It highlights many things I know I did wrong with our sailing. Many things haha.

    I appreciate it!!

  • SpiralOut46and2
    Captain
    Insider

    @superbeast-v

    You're very welcome, I hope it helps a little! Happy sailing! 👍😊🌊

  • dlCHIEF58
    Legend
    Insider

    @superbeast-v said in A Series O' Questions:

    An Additional Question:

    What are people's thoughts on ship repair priority? We were attacked by a skeletal ship at one point; we were sunk and killed.

    • At many points, it felt like the damage was so heavy that if we weren't BOTH on repairs & water bailing we'd sink. But if we're both doing that... no one is steering or firing back.
    • I felt like damage inside the hull was too heavy. We were trying to bail water and patch holes; but incoming canon fire was causing heavy damage to our pirates specifically, so we also had to eat on top of that.
    • I'm also aware that lack of experience and panic causes these things to seem more unwinnable than they are haha.

    The biggest thing to keep in mind with battling the skelly ships is to not lose your head and panic. Now with the addition of the skelly sloop it evens the odds as in the past you'd have a galleon spawn on you, and that is no fun if you are in a sloop - sepecially if you are solo like I am most of the time. Here are a few tips that may be of use from my own strategies.

    First and foremost, work on your aim with the cannons. Landing successful hits on their ship makes them work on repairs and less likely to fire back at you. Also when you are hit, check if it was a cursed ball that hit you as you may have to lower your sails or raise the anchor if you come across one with the appropriate ball - if you are dead in the water then your odds for survival decrease. By the same token, cursed balls are your friend - but do no good unless you land the shots which is why I stressed working on your aim first. The most helpful I've found is the fire bombs, since these have been introduced I sink many more skeleton ships with a lot less effort.

    Try to manage any damage the best you can, it is not always necessary to repair it all at once so you can keep pressure on the other ship. Get the water level down to a manageable level (about halfway down the stairs) then repair a hole here and there. If your mast drops, get that sucker up as fast as you can - being dead in the water will result in you being dead. In regards to fire, don't panic on that either as it takes a lot for it to sink your ship. Work on extinguishing it in areas where you may need to go so you don't catch on fire - and in these cases it is sometimes helpful to have one leak still in the boat so you have water ready to put it out without having to pump it from the barrel, thus saving you time. Fire on the bow is generally not a big issue as long as you keep it contained and away from the cannons as you will need to use them. It can also be a weapon, simply ram your ship into the other boat with the flaming bow if you have the opportunity.

    Some other more advanced techniques/strategies:

    • Have one of you board the skelly ship and drop the anchor, throw fire bombs, and try to kill the skeletons - they will respawn however. Just cause as much havoc as you can while on board, don't worry if you're killed as you will respawn on your ship as long as it hasn't sunk.

    • If you are close enough beside them, bucket water onto their ship. Combine this with a ballast ball you can sink them with just water.

    • If you happen to have a Chest of Sorrows on board (which would make the encounter all the more difficult), try to board their ship with it and leave it aboard. It will flood their ship in short time.

    • Gunpowder! Board the ship while having one of these in your hands and ignite it in a suicide run. Also works if they happen to be trailing you and you drop them behind like mines, though that isn't going to happen too often and can be difficult to pull off - usually works better with player ships.

    • Use the environment to your advantage. You can sometimes get the skelly ships tied up in rocks or islands. You can also get in a position where you anchor next to an island and the skeleton ship will circle around it in order to get you. This tactic gives you time to wait for each pass and make any repairs or plan for your next attack.

  • MarsMayflower
    Captain
    Insider

    Week 1 was a bloodbath. I'm glad I didn't quit. It's worth it. Enjoy yourself and dont sweat losing everything. You live, you die, you learn.

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @dlchief58 Thank you very much for this! This helped a lot!

    One thing Im recognizing is I was placing FAR too much value on my own life. Suicide runs, under various circumstances, is totally acceptable.

    Appreciate it!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @marsmayflower Ill keep that in mind! :D

  • Teufelwulf
    Castaway

    @superbeast-v

    New player here.

    I spend a lot of time solo and avoiding encounters. When I approach an island I like to come in slow and circle 1/4 to 1/2 way around scanning for loot and other ships. The masts are very easy to see, just gotta take the time to scan for them. The closer you park to shore, the less visible you are. Make your excursions short if possible. I suck at pvp so if I get rolled up on im usually dead. As said before, a skilled crew can run you down on the seas. I try to make myself a target not worth chasing :)

  • Inkar Agobi
    Lord
    Insider

    @superbeast-v said in A Series O' Questions:

    Getting killed and losing 2-3 hours work may not be her idea of fun.... but it certainly is mine.

    There are lots of posts with really good tips here, so I will add my 2 cents:

    • Until you have enough pvp experience, do NOT sail for 2-3h without stopping at an outpost to sell. Do one or two voyages and sell what you got.

    • Keep in mind that you never know exactly how many ships are in the game or where they are. One moment you can't see any, and 5 minutes later you see 4 in islands next to each other.

    • Stay up to date on patchnotes and current events. For example, if there is an event right now that asks crews to deliver items to Reaper's Hideout, you can expect players camping that spot, and ships going in and out of that island.

  • Red0Demon0
    Commander
    Insider

    Wow there might be a lot to talk about, I have the same feeling about this game as you do. It's a game that is not meant to be learned quickly but if u allow it, it will grow on you.

    First off, im not sure about the server size but at any given time their is no more than 6 or 7 ships per server. Sometimes you will encounter them frequently and sometimes you will have a dry gameplay session for a long time without a ship in sight.

    How often? well idk somewhat frequently. Not sure if it's true but according to some players, dropping anchor initiates a server hop if the server doesn't have many ships left. Once u master ship navigation, u wont need to anchor much if at all, which means u can delay server hopping for a very long time. In any case it depends on time zone and other factors.

    Chest// treasure persistency: to this I say "yes" if they are on land. Once they are on water they only last a few minutes, like around 5- 10 minutes so make haste if they fall in water.

    Is arena good practice... I want to say yes but I absolutely WOULD HATE IT to see a new player in Arena. I don't think arena is the right place to train. If u want to train just play normally and u will learn over time, again every failure is a genuine learning experience. It sucks to loose but over time you do learn and end up succeeding.

    Is evade evade a good tactic? Well to be honest it depends on 2 things

    1. How good do you know how to evade: Did u know that a sloop is the slowest ship with the wind and a galleon the fastest (On a sloop when being chased by galleon try to go against the wind)? Did you know that a sloop is slightly faster with sails forward when against the wind (Instead of to the sides). Do you know how to pull the harpoon to make sharp turns (There's a button to reel in the harpoon). Brigantines are a good middle ground between sloop and galleon, they are slightly faster than a sloop and only slightly less nimble than a sloop. If ur on a sloop and being chased by a brigantine, be wary it might be difficult to evade these guys.

    2. The situation demands it: Sometimes pirates are relentless and will stop at nothing to steal ur loot. Make sure ur prepared and always ready to fight, it's a good learning experience. Learn attack and run tactics like anchoring other ships first when jumpng out of ur own ship, where to shoot cannonballs to actually sink ships (Shoot below water lvl, try not to aim in the same place)

    3. Yes voice chat is proximity based and if u use the megaphone speaker tool it will be heard/ seen in a farther distance. Does it help, well not sure, sometimes it does and sometimes people are just out for blood, again BE PREPARED TO FIGHT by using telescope to focus on enemy ships cannons and being loaded with ammunition of all types and on standby on the ship, if a player is on a cannon, they sure aren't there to make friend with u.

    Do tall tales provide any reprieve? The last one is a little different, it's worth a lot more gold and it's a culmination of all other tales, its absolutely jam packed. Be warned it takes a long time to do and the way its set up forces you to WALK (not run) a huge section of the map. However, it's designed for the tall tales and nothing else, so it's unique to say the least. Never encountered another ship here, but if it's POSSIBLE to encounter another crew is beyond me. The chances though are minimum if it isn't none. Think of it this way, not many people are out doing tall tales (some don't even know how to find the starting point for them), much less doing the last one so they can't sail into the island, much less because it takes so long, much less because incentives to redo them are even lower. HOw much more reprieve do u need? lol just make sure the trip from and to the outpost is clean and smooth

    Are powder kegs found on islands? YES, you will find some sometimes. If ur looking for some go to any fort though, they offer a lot more, but yeah u will find 1 or 2 from time to time while sailing to different islands, and even if they don't have any, u can knock a skelly with a barrel on hand by using the flintlock pistol on the skelly (Missing the powder barrel) to kill the skelly and leave the barrel for ur own use.

    My one tip is this: If NO storm in sight, NEVER DROP THE ANCHOR!!!
    and as an added tip, "ALWAYS TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO SCAN THE SEAS OF THE ISLAND OR SHIP UR ON" - Using spyglass if u need to

    Also take note of what the other guy said, before me, frequently make stops at outpost and sell. Make sure u scan the outpost first, a mermaid or another ship docked is a huge red flag for u to stay away from it.

  • Look Behind You
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Moderator
    Founder
    Deckhand

    Well...this is an incredibly refreshing thread!

    Normally either one side or the other is hurling abuse by now...Kudos all round!

    @Superbeast-V I can't really add much as questions have been pretty well covered!

    I solo sloop a lot and have gradually learned that one hole won't sink you so don't panic and patch straight away if you have more pressing concerns...conversely, one hole CAN sink you if it is left whilst you busy yourself with other stuff.

    I would say if you take damage, bailing is often enough for the immediate future, as you don't sink from holes but from water ;) (obviously if it looks like Swiss cheese you might have a few problems a bucket won't fix..)

    My main words of advice:

    • other ships VERY rarely "come out of nowhere" as some claim. Silhouettes are visible from a fair old distance.
    • Cashing in loot is a bonus! As soon as the realisation that loot and progress are ultimately not that important and will come eventually, the game becomes all the more fun! You will sink, you will die and you will lose time and loot...everyone has/does..but if you can get to the point where it doesn't bother you, you will probably enjoy the game a whole lot more! Sure it would be nice to cash in 10 million every session, but at the end of the day, everyone else is a Pirate as well and might just want your loot too! ;)

    Hopefully, Sea of Thieves Round Two is a smoother experience for the both of you!

    SIDENOTE: Play the Maiden Voyage, available from the main screen...it's beautiful!! (Unfortunately, it can only be played solo so will not be doable together)

  • D Jaguar
    Captain
    Insider

    @superbeast-v I can only repeat what others have posted on your questions.

    Advice:

    • trust no one
    • learn the map
    • sail the seas as there are uncharted rocks in the seas that are useful to know
    • explore islands in order to dock your ship near cannons. This helps to get back to your ship faster and defend from land
    • as others have said, learn to raise sails and always keep the anchor raised. The ship is a moveable turret. Anchoring it only lets you attack from two angles. Anchor up provides you to have a 360 range when you turn the ship. Also let's you get away faster
    • shiny clothes and weapons look neat but give away your position
    • take on skeleton ships for practice. Helps to aim cannons. Remember to aim low then higher on the hull. You Want holes that bring water in at first. Higher holes help sink a ship once the lower level has flooded.
    • sloops are almost unsinkable. Bail out the window from the ladder and keep bailing until the water is low. Then you can patch. May be slower, but I love the sloop.
    • learn how to do an anchor turn.

    Enjoy the Seas!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @teufelwulf Vigilance is definitely a lesson I've learned too. Thanks!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @red0demon0 This was all really, really helpful. Thank you.

    I can definitely see I need more sailing practice; both in method and execution. I also didn't realize not dropping anchor on calm seas was an option; but it makes sense.

    I need to practice to learn how the ship feels; that just takes time.

    Thanks again!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @d-jaguar Thank you! I had no idea about holes and where they fall on the hull; I just assumed the ships had a certain "HP value" if you will.

    Great stuff; appreciate it!

  • Superbeast V
    Seafarer

    @triheadedmonkey Thanks for your input!

    I'm glad you appreciate the polite discourse. I was able (and quickly) to identify the "vibe" around here, and embracing it has made a world of difference.

    I will be sure to play the Maiden Voyage! Thank you! Could I in theory sail around a little undisturbed here? For practice?

  • Look Behind You
    Vanguard
    Insider
    Moderator
    Founder
    Deckhand

    @superbeast-v You will be entirely alone (other than a ghostly guide) and can spend as long as you like there undisturbed!

    There is a ship too but limited room for it to move and there is no rep to be found (though there is 25,000 Gold and a handful of Doubloons hidden away...) as it is intended as more of a gentle introduction into some of the core aspects of the game, rather than being thrown straight in at the deep end.

  • Fllw3rb0y
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    most of the general stuff has been covered but i wouldlike to add: spend as little ammount of time on the ferry of the dammed alot of the worst situations only get worse when you cant bail or repair especially when youŕe solo. so get good at pvp (i use a flintlok and a cutlass which is generally a good all rounder build) if im doing nothing and my crew is sailing ill just pratice shooting the bell on the ship, if it rings you know your aim is true. its really fun to pratice in harsh weather and choppy seas too! but in general you just need time to get a hang of it i think.

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