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Pirates Helping Pirates, (PHP)

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Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Hello to all and Happy Holidays!

In the true spirit of giving that comes along with this time of year, I wanted to start a thread in which seasoned pirates could offer up their best advice, tips and general help to any fellow pirates- whether newcomers or those looking just to gain an edge. The threads purpose is to be a small resource for those looking for general tips on topics such as combat strategies, gear management, ship battles, companion organization, powers ordering and usage, character creation, and anything else associated with Pirate101.

That being said, the thread's purpose is not to act as a plot spoiler or to give away any of the storyline- just simply a tip and advice resource. I know there may be other threads already out there and great guides on various other websites- but I thought an update on these boards would be nice as well! I'll be adding my own tips and advice as it gets going, just wanted to say hello and get the cannonball rolling.

So let us have it Pirate Captains of the Skyways Give us your best tips and strategies. Spread the joy and help out your fellow maties.

Tis the season after all

Thanks to all who read and contribute!

Two-faced Valkoor Ohlen, level 65
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Ok, so here is my first tip. Keep in mind that this is something that worked for me and really made the game so much easier and enjoyable- but it is not necessarily for everyone.

This tip is in regards to crown usage so clearly not everyone will be able to use it, since not everyone has endless crowns just floating around. I know I jumped the blunderbuss a bit by going straight to tips on using crowns but it was the first thing that came to mind as far as what truly made life as a pirate much easier. So here it goes.

I know when it comes to crown purchases most people want the 'shiny new companions' or nifty little mounts which are wonderful by all means. However owning that new companion doesn't always translate into success in the Spiral. With that being said, if you are lucky enough to have access to crowns, I have found that -at least for me- it is far better to spend them on top of the line ships and ship parts for your current level and world. Required ship battles for quests against tough, higher level enemies, can be rather bothersome if your are battling a galleon with your trusty little skiff.

This is especially true if you are not able to nautical farm with friends and have to go solo. Being able to have decisive naval superiority over the enemy is a thing of beauty and makes the sailing that much smoother. Knowing that you can blast enemy ships out of the skyway without popping a vein in your forehead can make the game that much more enjoyable.

Especially, for example, when you get that quest that requires you to collect 8 things of rice from Inoshishi ships but only have collected 1 after 10 battles. Additionally it is nice to not have to board every time you engage in a ship battle, due to the fact that your ship is severely outgunned.

So by all means spend your crowns on what you fancy but for ease of gameplay, in my opinion, it helps to go ship shopping.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BATTLE TIP

Now I know that when drawn into battle the first instinct is to press the attack, and blaze a trail across the battle board, in order to move into striking range against the enemy (especially if your pirate and companions are mainly melee attackers). This can be a good strategy providing your pirate and all of your companions can actually reach the enemy (during the same turn) and in the early rounds to attack the enemy.

A strategy that works for me (and I have seen with many other players) is to let the enemy come to you. I even go so far as to move my companions in reverse, so to speak, (away from enemy) so that one or two of them are not exposed to enemy attacks. If in those first couple of moves, you or your companions can't reach the enemy, chances are they can't reach you. By staying back or even moving one or two spaces away from enemy it will allow your pirate to use buffing powers to shield or to boost stats. This also can free up your other more potent attacking powers that may not have become available yet.

Sure you may not attack in those first couple of turns, but you also don't move that one companion close enough to take damage from multiple enemies. Patience in battle can sometimes make a huge difference in deciding whether you are victorious. Of course there are situations where this can't be applied- small battle board, ranged companions/powers and against ranged/magical attacking enemies.

In closing, be patient, protect and buff companions, and then strike when you and your crew can reach and attack the enemy all in the same turn.
Ensign
Jul 21, 2013
40
These are very nice tips! Thanks for the helpful info! I thought I might add a little tip for privateers: if one of your companions (or someone else's) has turn the tide (the higher the rank the better, obviously)and their health is in the yellow or lower, INSTEAD of healing them, use Valor's Armor on them, protecting them, AND allowing them to keep their turn the tide, so they can do more damage! hope this helps!

Sly Wesley Gaff. 65

*Normal is for people too weak to make their own path in life.*
Pirate Overlord
Mar 10, 2009
6204
That's some good wise advice. Well done.
Lieutenant
Jun 23, 2012
165
Satyrs. Everybody knows them and dread facing them. However, there's something I can offer to make the journey a little easier.

When you go to attack the satyrs, space out your companions. Put at least one battleboard space between each of them, diagonal spaces included. This means that their attacks only focus on one companion. It allows your other companions to attack without fear of being hit by an AoE attack.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
ninja pirate on Dec 19, 2013 wrote:
These are very nice tips! Thanks for the helpful info! I thought I might add a little tip for privateers: if one of your companions (or someone else's) has turn the tide (the higher the rank the better, obviously)and their health is in the yellow or lower, INSTEAD of healing them, use Valor's Armor on them, protecting them, AND allowing them to keep their turn the tide, so they can do more damage! hope this helps!

Sly Wesley Gaff. 65

*Normal is for people too weak to make their own path in life.*
Thanks for the tip Wesley. And what a great one it is

Those extra turns with turn the tide, can rack up the damage points against the enemy. Not to mention you can then save the healing power for your pirate or another companion that is in a more dire situation. That is a perfect example of the kind of tip that can help out our fellow pirates. A lot of times, especially for people just starting out, it is a tough task knowing how and when to use powers and tips like this can benefit them greatly.

Keep them coming.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Scarlet Freeman on Dec 20, 2013 wrote:
Satyrs. Everybody knows them and dread facing them. However, there's something I can offer to make the journey a little easier.

When you go to attack the satyrs, space out your companions. Put at least one battleboard space between each of them, diagonal spaces included. This means that their attacks only focus on one companion. It allows your other companions to attack without fear of being hit by an AoE attack.
Excellent tip Scarlet.

Those musical Satyrs can truly be a pain, especially the first couple times you face them. This tip is just what can help someone who encounters them for the first time.

Thanks for sharing
...and keep the tips coming
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BATTLE TIP- Know your enemy

Sometimes it can be easy to get caught up in the heat of battle and go in with blades swinging and guns blazing, attacking anything that looks at you with a devilish grin. Early in the game and as your pirate begins to accumulate more powers and epic talents, it can be just as easy to lose track of what talents your pirate and companions have at their disposal. This can lead to just a rapid-fire, point and click type of attack without paying much attention to what epic talents your fiendish enemies possess. The danger in this, is that without knowing you can trigger multiple epic talents from an enemy- that may not have been the case if attacking with another companion.

So before the battle begins take a deep breath, scan the battle field and mouse over your enemies to become familiar with what talents they can unleash on your crew. Believe me they in no way are going to take it easy on you. Don't be too eager to just start clicking and have your pirate attack an enemy when a better option may lie in attacking with a companion.

Example

Your buccaneer pirate (who is getting low on health) and Bonnie Anne are both within striking range of same enemy. Your pirate has vicious charge waiting in the wings and you are eager to do some damage. Meanwhile the enemy you are attacking is a musketeer with shooty weapon. In haste, you did not notice the enemy has the epic talents- overwatch, burst fire x2 and double tap. You send your buccaneer in and trigger the overwatch, which in turn triggers the first burst fire and devastatingly enough he/she is done for the battle. By finishing your pirate off the enemy's double tap is triggered so he targets Bonnie Anne and possibly the second burst fire. That's a lot of damage received in one turn. The better alternative would be to use your pirate to heal, buff, or hide (if possible) and have Bonnie attack- possibly triggering her own burst fire(s) and double tap. No damage received but plenty dealt.

Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
GENERAL TIP- Leaps and "bounds"

This is a simple little tip for those starting out or just a reminder to veteran pirates out there. This tip can just help you avoid a wee bit of frustration at times.

Throughout the game, there are some quests that take you to locations that seem to span the entire spiral. Occasionally some of these locations do not have their own life fountain for your pirate to be bound to. This is especially true for some of the ship, skyway creatures or vortex battles- but also some of the 'island' locations too.

As you approach your quest destination, it can be easy to lose sight of how far you have traveled and to remember which life fountain your pirate is bound to. So you go into battle at your destination to find that somehow the enemy is one step ahead of you and sure enough...you have been defeated. At that moment of defeat it dawns on you that your pirate is bound to the fountain on the other end of the spiral and sure enough you must begin the long voyage back to try the quest over again.

For me personally when having to travel a great distance to reach my quest, I try to stop in at a location or island closest to my destination- just to be safe. This is to save me the hassle and frustrations of repeating the long journey, just in case the enemy actually gets lucky and wins one. I would much rather be happy from winning the battle and completing the quest and then have to travel back a ways, than I would being dejected about losing the battle and still have to repeat the journey from a faraway life fountain.

Simple, somewhat obvious tip- but one that can help avoid unnecessary frustration.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Chrissy Th'Blesser on Dec 19, 2013 wrote:
That's some good wise advice. Well done.
Thanks Chrissy

Feel free to add your own valuable two cents. I am sure with all of your various pirates' travels through the spiral, you have a plethora of good tips and advice of your own. In my opinion you can never have too much wise advice- granted you don't have to abide by all of it and can choose what works best for you. But the more that is out there the better off for everyone.

Plus it can help others that struggle with the game to maybe think in broader terms and possibly come up with their own strategies. By doing this they may be more willing to 'figure it out' on their own instead of just seeking help from higher level players every time they run into a rough spot.

Hope to hear some of your advice and tips!
Captain
Oct 26, 2012
524
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 19, 2013 wrote:
BATTLE TIP

Now I know that when drawn into battle the first instinct is to press the attack, and blaze a trail across the battle board, in order to move into striking range against the enemy (especially if your pirate and companions are mainly melee attackers). This can be a good strategy providing your pirate and all of your companions can actually reach the enemy (during the same turn) and in the early rounds to attack the enemy.

A strategy that works for me (and I have seen with many other players) is to let the enemy come to you. I even go so far as to move my companions in reverse, so to speak, (away from enemy) so that one or two of them are not exposed to enemy attacks. If in those first couple of moves, you or your companions can't reach the enemy, chances are they can't reach you. By staying back or even moving one or two spaces away from enemy it will allow your pirate to use buffing powers to shield or to boost stats. This also can free up your other more potent attacking powers that may not have become available yet.

Sure you may not attack in those first couple of turns, but you also don't move that one companion close enough to take damage from multiple enemies. Patience in battle can sometimes make a huge difference in deciding whether you are victorious. Of course there are situations where this can't be applied- small battle board, ranged companions/powers and against ranged/magical attacking enemies.

In closing, be patient, protect and buff companions, and then strike when you and your crew can reach and attack the enemy all in the same turn.
Great tips and advice Valkoor! I will try and expand on your tip. In a long-range battlefield, (these companions are max leveled in my examples) it would be good to have either:
a-A Musketeer with Overwatch 2 and burst fire 2
b-Old scratch or any other witchdoctor with Mojo Echo 2 and Mojo Blast 2
c-A powerful melee unit of your choice (The most typical being El Toro)

Point A-

Overwatch 2 enables you attack around 3-4 enemies that come in your companions shooting range. Burst fire 2 adds a few extra hits to your normal shots. If you mix these two combinations together, you are most likely going to end up with the following scenario: All enemies will suffer 250 damage from overwatch and 250 from burstfire. This means that around 3 enemies will receive 500 damage before they even come near you! Of course it could vary, one enemy could get 1000 damage and another 250. Companions I suggest: Bonnie Anne, Zeena

Point A Downside-
Only works in long range attacks. If your in a small battlefield it would be good to have a companion with over watch 1 and burst fire 2.

Point B-
Old Scratch would be amazing once you give him mojo blast 2 and mojo echo 2! Mojo Blast 2 enables him to attack any enemy within a three by three square zone. I have once attack 6 enemies at an epic hit doing this, and they suffered 600 damage each! Mojo Echo 2 works just like burst fire 2, and is a great addition. Bonus tip: His fizzling would also be greatly reduced by El Toros accuracy buff. Examples of witchdoctor companions would be: Old Scratch, Necromancer pig.

Point B downside-
DONT EVER use old scratch against witch doctor enemies! At a high level in aquila he will experience the fury of "witch-hunter" from enemies such as the satyr or purple snake. He would die before he could do any good attack!

Point C-
Choose a dangerous high damage dealing companion, such as El Toro. Buff this companion as much as you can before sending him to battle. He would do serious damage and make quick work of most enemies. A compulsory talent for any powerful melee companion is riposte. Riposte deals more damage than any other epic talent (thx to those who taught me that), so use that if available. Companion suggestions include: Subodai, Catbeard, El Toro, Sarah Steele, Iago and Toreador Novierllo

Point C downside:
Melee companions are not the best chargers. Dont let them charge right at the enemy or else a musketeers overwatch and burst fire could quickly end a melee companions life. Like Valkoor said, wait back and let the enemy come to you. Then and then only use your melee companions.

Great Thread Valkoor, and nice tips everyone
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Golden Guardian on Dec 21, 2013 wrote:
Great tips and advice Valkoor! I will try and expand on your tip. In a long-range battlefield, (these companions are max leveled in my examples) it would be good to have either:
a-A Musketeer with Overwatch 2 and burst fire 2
b-Old scratch or any other witchdoctor with Mojo Echo 2 and Mojo Blast 2
c-A powerful melee unit of your choice (The most typical being El Toro)

Point A-

Overwatch 2 enables you attack around 3-4 enemies that come in your companions shooting range. Burst fire 2 adds a few extra hits to your normal shots. If you mix these two combinations together, you are most likely going to end up with the following scenario: All enemies will suffer 250 damage from overwatch and 250 from burstfire. This means that around 3 enemies will receive 500 damage before they even come near you! Of course it could vary, one enemy could get 1000 damage and another 250. Companions I suggest: Bonnie Anne, Zeena

Point A Downside-
Only works in long range attacks. If your in a small battlefield it would be good to have a companion with over watch 1 and burst fire 2.

Point B-
Old Scratch would be amazing once you give him mojo blast 2 and mojo echo 2! Mojo Blast 2 enables him to attack any enemy within a three by three square zone. I have once attack 6 enemies at an epic hit doing this, and they suffered 600 damage each! Mojo Echo 2 works just like burst fire 2, and is a great addition. Bonus tip: His fizzling would also be greatly reduced by El Toros accuracy buff. Examples of witchdoctor companions would be: Old Scratch, Necromancer pig.

Point B downside-
DONT EVER use old scratch against witch doctor enemies! At a high level in aquila he will experience the fury of "witch-hunter" from enemies such as the satyr or purple snake. He would die before he could do any good attack!

Point C-
Choose a dangerous high damage dealing companion, such as El Toro. Buff this companion as much as you can before sending him to battle. He would do serious damage and make quick work of most enemies. A compulsory talent for any powerful melee companion is riposte. Riposte deals more damage than any other epic talent (thx to those who taught me that), so use that if available. Companion suggestions include: Subodai, Catbeard, El Toro, Sarah Steele, Iago and Toreador Novierllo

Point C downside:
Melee companions are not the best chargers. Dont let them charge right at the enemy or else a musketeers overwatch and burst fire could quickly end a melee companions life. Like Valkoor said, wait back and let the enemy come to you. Then and then only use your melee companions.

Great Thread Valkoor, and nice tips everyone
Excellent, excellent stuff Golden Guardian!

I was hoping to see some advice/tips from you and some of the other veteran/mainstay pirate captains on here. This was my hope in starting this thread- that some of the more experienced players that know how the game really works would share some of their wisdom to help out any who were looking for tips or possibly struggling with certain aspects of the game.

I really like your all of your points- very well stated. Old Scratch is very underrated in my opinion and your points on him are spot on. If you buff him with increased accuracy (from El Toro or your pirate) he is quite the damage dealing companion, like you said. I have seen many posts and threads where players state that he fizzles too much, but by using your tip it greatly reduces the chances of the fizzle. A lot of people just avoid using him in combat. Knowing this tip may change their opinion of him and see the effectiveness he has in battle and the damage he can deal. Although like you noted, using him or any witchdoctor against those forsaken high level witchdoctor enemies with multiple witch hunter epic talents, can end his battle board appearance in a heartbeat.

All of your examples are exactly what new players need to know in order to have greater success in the game.

Pay close attention to details and know what class of enemies you are dealing with and what powers/epic talents they possess. By doing this and planning accordingly with your own companions (when able to choose of course) you can gain a tremendous advantage in combat situations.

In non-epic battles (where you don't get to choose your companions), I even go as far as switching my 1st mate right before going to battle- depending on which type or class of enemy my pirate is going up against. This way I know that I will at least get that one companion that is the best for that battle scenario. Nothing says that you have to keep the same 1st mate from battle to battle, so take advantage and choose wisely before heading into attack. The right 1st mate for the job often just depends on the enemies in that particular battle.

Thank you again Golden Guardian I look forward to any more tips and advice you have to offer. I am always willing and eager to expand my knowledge of the game and I am sure others appreciate the wisdom as well.
Ensign
Jul 21, 2013
40
BATTLE TIP

As you most likely know, many people will have someone on their team who is just MEANT for countering attacks, and are given epics like Vengeance Strike(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart),Riposte(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart), and Repel Borders(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart), and there are two ways(that I know of) to deal with them.

  1. Use your counter unit on their counter unit. This will trigger long epic chains and deal heavy damage to BOTH sides! recommended for use only when opponent has lower health and/or defensive stats.
  2. Use another class type. If it's a melee attacker, use a Musketeer or Witchdoctor, if it's a Musketeer, use a Witchdoctor or melee, if it's a Witchdoctor, use or melee Musketeer.
hope this helps! (and lets you KICK ENEMY TUSH!)

Sly Wesley Gaff. 65

*Normal is for people too weak to make their own path in life*
Lieutenant
Jun 23, 2012
165
Gear Tips

For all the newer pirates out there, getting their first piece of gear is a big accomplishment! As times goes on, you can continue to buy new pieces of gear, however, it gets harder, as you now have to choose between several different sets of gear.

What do you choose? How do you know that other stats are just as important as health?

Well, let me tell you one thing I learned through my journeys in the Spiral. Health is not everything. I focus more on the stats that boost my damage, dodge and accuracy more than I focus on gear that increases my health. (Please note that, as a Swashbuckler, I'm using the gear that suits me best. I get Agility, damage, dodge, accuracy and some health boosts. Keep in mind that if you're a different class you may have to switch out some of these stats for other stats.)

Boosting these other stats along with health leads to a much more balanced pirate and a much easier gameplay for you. I'll throw in another tip right here and say that keep balanced companions also helps. I'd recommend accuracy, dodge, armor and damage boosts first but keep in mind that those Agility, Will and Strength boosts add up eventually and they will help you in the long run, should you choose to train them.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
ninja pirate on Dec 21, 2013 wrote:
BATTLE TIP

As you most likely know, many people will have someone on their team who is just MEANT for countering attacks, and are given epics like Vengeance Strike(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart),Riposte(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart), and Repel Borders(or ranged or Witchdoctor counterpart), and there are two ways(that I know of) to deal with them.

  1. Use your counter unit on their counter unit. This will trigger long epic chains and deal heavy damage to BOTH sides! recommended for use only when opponent has lower health and/or defensive stats.
  2. Use another class type. If it's a melee attacker, use a Musketeer or Witchdoctor, if it's a Musketeer, use a Witchdoctor or melee, if it's a Witchdoctor, use or melee Musketeer.
hope this helps! (and lets you KICK ENEMY TUSH!)

Sly Wesley Gaff. 65

*Normal is for people too weak to make their own path in life*
Another excellent tip ninja pirate

Using companions to counter and expose the enemies weaknesses is a strategy that can surely lead to swift and decisive victory. As you stated- attacking with a strong melee fighter (say a buccaneer) against a ranged enemy can lead to dealing a lot of damage.

The ranged enemy more than likely has low armor, strength and possible dodge as well. Since buccaneers are loaded with strength (their primary stat) and the musketeer is probably not, due to the battle scenario calculations- the damage your buccaneer deals would be much higher than against another strong melee enemy with stats closer to your fighter. Once again as you noted, this can lead to triggering many critical strikes because of the big difference in stats. Attacking a musketeer with a musketeer will more than likely do less damage due to the fact that they share the same primary stats and those stats may be closer to the others.

Same can be said for all of the other classes. If they are much higher in one of their classes primary stats than when comparing that enemy's same stat, they will simply overpower the enemy- dealing more damage and producing greater chances of super, mega, and epic attacks. By adding and equipping a weapon that gets boosted by your pirates primary stat only adds to the effectiveness and damage inflicted.

Again thanks for the superb tip.
Ensign
Jul 21, 2013
40
Another thing I thought I might add, is that sometimes you might have noticed, some epics do more damage than others. ok, so that's pretty useless, right? WRONG! This info can be very useful, IF you know how to use it.

Weaker: Preemptive and movement based attacks, such as overwatch and first strike.
Same as: Attacks that are triggered by your attacks, such as second chance and relentless.
Stronger: Attacks that are triggered AFTER the enemy attacks, like riposte and vengeance strike.

The reason I'm telling you this is for one reason, triggering epics intentionally. Now that you know what epics are stronger than others, you can use that to your advantage.

EXAMPLE

Unit A has: First StrikeX2, Repel Borders, and Cheap Shot.
Unit B has: Nothing.
Unit C has: Vengeance StrikeX2, RelentlessX2, and Second Chance.

It's unit C's turn, and both A and B are within range, so if unit C attacked unit B, he would do minimal damage and turns would progress, HOWEVER, if unit C attacked unit A it would go down like this: A: Repel Borders, A: First Strike, A: First Strike, C: Vengeance strike, C: Vengeance Strike, Miss, Second Chance, Relentless, Relentless, C: Vengeance strike, C: Attack.

Now it could go down quite different than this, and it's risky if you have low health, but this may help you do maximum damage to the enemy in as little time as possible, hope this helps, and keep on KICKIN' ENEMY TUSH EVERYONE!

Sly Wesley Gaff. 65
Sneaky Kai Bristol. 31

*Normal is for people too weak to make their own path in life*
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Scarlet Freeman on Dec 22, 2013 wrote:
Gear Tips

For all the newer pirates out there, getting their first piece of gear is a big accomplishment! As times goes on, you can continue to buy new pieces of gear, however, it gets harder, as you now have to choose between several different sets of gear.

What do you choose? How do you know that other stats are just as important as health?

Well, let me tell you one thing I learned through my journeys in the Spiral. Health is not everything. I focus more on the stats that boost my damage, dodge and accuracy more than I focus on gear that increases my health. (Please note that, as a Swashbuckler, I'm using the gear that suits me best. I get Agility, damage, dodge, accuracy and some health boosts. Keep in mind that if you're a different class you may have to switch out some of these stats for other stats.)

Boosting these other stats along with health leads to a much more balanced pirate and a much easier gameplay for you. I'll throw in another tip right here and say that keep balanced companions also helps. I'd recommend accuracy, dodge, armor and damage boosts first but keep in mind that those Agility, Will and Strength boosts add up eventually and they will help you in the long run, should you choose to train them.
Another great tip Scarlet

I too agree that health is not the only stat that you should concentrate on when deciding what gear to obtain and equip. Many factors go into deciding the outcome of battle and extra health alone will not produce a sure fire victory. I equip my pirate much the same as you, in the fact that I like to boost my pirate's damage and the stats more suited to his class.

Being that my pirate is a buccaneer I like to find gear that will boost damage, health and armor all at once. I often also boost strength but you have to pay attention to whether the damage your weapon deals out is greater with boosting damage or strength. I have found that by experimenting and trying on various combinations of damage/strength boosting gear I can optimize the damage inflicted on the enemy.

I also try to find a balance between stat boosting gear and gear with attached power cards from some of the other classes. I may choose 3 items that provide boosts to damage or strength, health and armor- and for the other 3 items I will go with some of your swashbuckler's high damage stealth powers such as walk in shadows, assassin's strike, back stab or sneak attack. Or I will use one piece of gear with a privateer's high end healing power.

Thanks again for the great advice
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
GENERAL/BATTLE TIP- Change of Clothes

This tip is basically about not letting your pirate become a 'one-trick pony' or become too one dimensional, so to speak. This tip actually kind of goes with Scarlet's tip about gear. For most players, including myself, when it comes to equipping gear there is a tendency to stick with items that primarily boost the same stats. Which stats largely depends on your pirate's class. For example, with my buccaneer I mainly equip gear that boosts damage or strength, health and armor (and a few that add powers). There are many times though that the gear my pirate is wearing would not be as effective when engaging certain enemies in battle.

So, for this reason I tend to have my pirate carry around an extra set of gear that boosts a different set of stats. When I have to go into battle against certain foes, occasionally, I quickly equip the extra set in order to be more effective in battle. I will still have all of my buccaneer powers to deal damage but will now be better prepared to counter the enemy. If it is primarily a witchdoctor I will equip magical damage resistance and dodge boosting gear. My buccaneer's vengeance strikes will most likely not come into play due to the ranged magical strikes so I might as well try to have him dodge as much as possible. Of course the dodge boost bodes well against musketeers as well, as again my pirate will not be facing melee attacks and thus will not be vengeance striking.

This my no means is always necessary to do before every battle. But if your pirate has extra room in his/her backpack, by all means don't be afraid to carry that extra set of gear all tailored to boosting a totally different stat or two. You never know when it could come in handy against a particularly tough adversary and especially if it is one that has been giving your pirate fits. A little change of pace, or clothing, could be just what the witchdoctor ordered.
First Mate
May 01, 2012
402
ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 19, 2013 wrote:
Ok, so here is my first tip. Keep in mind that this is something that worked for me and really made the game so much easier and enjoyable- but it is not necessarily for everyone.

This tip is in regards to crown usage so clearly not everyone will be able to use it, since not everyone has endless crowns just floating around. I know I jumped the blunderbuss a bit by going straight to tips on using crowns but it was the first thing that came to mind as far as what truly made life as a pirate much easier. So here it goes.

I know when it comes to crown purchases most people want the 'shiny new companions' or nifty little mounts which are wonderful by all means. However owning that new companion doesn't always translate into success in the Spiral. With that being said, if you are lucky enough to have access to crowns, I have found that -at least for me- it is far better to spend them on top of the line ships and ship parts for your current level and world. Required ship battles for quests against tough, higher level enemies, can be rather bothersome if your are battling a galleon with your trusty little skiff.

This is especially true if you are not able to nautical farm with friends and have to go solo. Being able to have decisive naval superiority over the enemy is a thing of beauty and makes the sailing that much smoother. Knowing that you can blast enemy ships out of the skyway without popping a vein in your forehead can make the game that much more enjoyable.

Especially, for example, when you get that quest that requires you to collect 8 things of rice from Inoshishi ships but only have collected 1 after 10 battles. Additionally it is nice to not have to board every time you engage in a ship battle, due to the fact that your ship is severely outgunned.

So by all means spend your crowns on what you fancy but for ease of gameplay, in my opinion, it helps to go ship shopping.
I agree spending Crowns on ship equipment makes a lot of sense. I disagree that spending Crowns on ships makes sense because only 1 Pirate can actually use the ship you buy (they can't be traded between Pirates - even if they are on the same account) and then that ship may only be useful for a short period of time till you need to get a new and more powerful ship.

At least so far, my strategy has been to buy ships for Gold and 1 set of ship equipment which I then trade between my 6 Pirates using my Shared Bank.
First Mate
May 01, 2012
402
Scarlet Freeman on Dec 20, 2013 wrote:
Satyrs. Everybody knows them and dread facing them. However, there's something I can offer to make the journey a little easier.

When you go to attack the satyrs, space out your companions. Put at least one battleboard space between each of them, diagonal spaces included. This means that their attacks only focus on one companion. It allows your other companions to attack without fear of being hit by an AoE attack.
Sounds like Satyrs are a buffed up version of the Tengu Sorcerers in MooShu. With the Tengu Sorcerers, make sure that your forces are not diagonal to each other. That way, the Tengu Sorcerer can only damage 1 of your forces at a time if their spell doesn't fizzle.
Bosun
Sep 09, 2010
352
If you need help to solo the hydra look at the post called can someone help me with the hydra boss?i provided tips for it.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
SlightlyMadWizard on Dec 23, 2013 wrote:
I agree spending Crowns on ship equipment makes a lot of sense. I disagree that spending Crowns on ships makes sense because only 1 Pirate can actually use the ship you buy (they can't be traded between Pirates - even if they are on the same account) and then that ship may only be useful for a short period of time till you need to get a new and more powerful ship.

At least so far, my strategy has been to buy ships for Gold and 1 set of ship equipment which I then trade between my 6 Pirates using my Shared Bank.
Hey there SlightlyMadWizard, welcome aboard

Those are very, very good points and ones that I thought of as I was writing that post. I am really glad that you brought them up. That tip was mainly for those who are truly struggling in the ship battle department of the game. I have seen and read lots of posts and threads where pirates are extremely frustrated with having to collect items through ship battles and having to defeat ships for quests due to inferior ships and ship equipment. It was more or less to suggest that if the player is having trouble in the nautical area, instead of spending crowns on companions and mounts- go for the ship and parts. Just as you stated with ships, you also can't trade companions between pirates. Although as you noted those bought companions will be with you throughout the game- so that is something to keep in mind.

In my experiences, my pirate has never really run into trouble in the "land battle" department and for the most part it didn't really matter which companions I used in battle, as long as I trained them properly. For me personally, the biggest headaches came from being outgunned in naval warfare. Even when buying the best ship and ship parts from vendors or bazaar, the difference between the in-game top of the line, gold bought ships/parts and the crown bought ones is significant.

I was able to use crowns to purchase the Eagle Epic Hero galleon just before starting Marleybone and what a huge difference it made. Ship defeating/gathering quests were a piece of cake (yum, I love cake) and my ship was pretty much indestructible (well except when I would go to raid the fridge and forget to park it in the skyway lane). Same thing in Aquila- my ship's health never made it into the yellow, unless I was busy text chatting in the middle of the battle. Being able to use that ship for 2 worlds (plus whatever next one is), at least for me, has taken the most challenging/frustrating part of the game and turned it into something extremely enjoyable. Plus it has allowed me to help so many pirates out in the skyways, something I truly enjoy doing. Being able to lend a hand on the skyways to so many pirate friends has made it worth the crowns spent.

I do agree with you completely that it is wise to trade gold purchased parts and other gear between your other pirates to get the most use out of them. But if you are focusing on making the game that much easier for a particular pirate- purchasing ships and parts with crowns can make a world of difference. You can still trade the crown bought ship parts between your account linked pirates, just not the ships. And like I noted the crown bought parts are far superior than the vendor/bazaar ones.

Thanks again for your tip(s). They are greatly appreciated and I hope to get more input and advice from you.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
BATTLE TIP- Stacking Powers

This is a tip on a topic that most who have been playing the game for a while are aware of and use frequently. A lot of players just starting out may not know about this though- so I thought to include it as a tip. This is just a general, beginner tip and any of you veterans with specific examples, feel free to share.

As you play the game and your pirate becomes a higher level, he/she will train and gain access to new buffing (or stat boosting) powers. Some of these powers just increase in potency (ex- increased strength, will, accuracy, shielding and damage reduction) so you will end up with 2 or 3 of the same type of powers, they will just become stronger as your pirate becomes more powerful. You can also gain these other levels of the powers through equipped gear. When I first started playing my pirate would gain a new power through training and I would put the better power at the top of the power list and place the weaker one at the end of the list- basically thinking that the stronger one, in effect, took the place of the weaker one and it become somewhat irrelevant.

However, by doing this I was missing out on a great strategic battle resource- stacking powers. When you stack powers you use multiple powers of the same type (ex. boost or buff accuracy) and there effects combine and stack on to the previous power(s) of same type. This is an incredibly useful tool to keep in mind in battle.

Basically by stacking you can combine multiple buffing powers of same type to 'create' one super power that can save your pirate's hide in battle.
Dread Pirate
Jun 17, 2013
2743
Example of Stacking Powers

At level 65 a obtains reckless frenzy, allowing to consecutively strike multiple, adjacent enemies until they block or dodge. The downfall is that with every successful strike your will lose 5% total health per strike.

In this example, my is lvl 65 with 3380 health and has 4 shielding/damage reducing powers. When using reckless frenzy without first using shielding powers my pirate sustains 169 damage per every successful strike. This can quickly add up. As you can see, 169 damage per strike for 20 consecutive strikes (which my has done) can deplete my pirates health.

Here is an example of how to stack your shielding/damage reducing powers.

  • 1st turn- I use Leviathon's Call- blocks 50% damage from melee and ranged weapons
  • 2nd turn- Kraken's Lament- blocks 50% damage from melee weapons
  • 3rd turn- Triton's Song- blocks 25% damage from melee weapons
  • 4th turn- Valor's Shield- blocks 25% of all types of damage
By stacking these powers prior to using reckless frenzy, I have greatly reduced the damage my pirate will sustain per successful strike. Here's how.

Damage sustained before stacking is total health times 5% damage per turn- 3380 x 5% = 169 damage

After 1st turn- 169 x 50% = 85 damage (rounded up)
After 2nd turn- 85 x 50% = 42 damage
After 3rd turn- 42 x 75% = 32 damage (42 damage minus 25% of 42 = 10)
After 4th turn- 24 x 75% = 24 damage (32 damage minus 25% of 32 = 8)

As you can see, by stacking all of the powers before using reckless frenzy, I have decreased the damage my pirate sustains- from 169 to 24. That is a huge difference and can be a life saver in battle. By stacking other buffing or stat boosting powers as well you can inflict much more damage and increase battle effectiveness.

*NOTE- If your pirate has power with hidden ability, I recommend using it prior to stacking to protect him/her. Also, another alternative before using reckless frenzy is to use Valor's Armor to absorb damage- didn't fit with stacking example though.
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