Embarking on your Sea Dog Journey in Skull and Bones can be quite daunting at first. With numerous ports, materials, and customization options to navigate, getting your sea legs can be challenging. In this guide, we'll delve into some useful tips and tricks to swiftly set you on course for plundering and pillaging ships in Skull and Bones.

1. Collect All Items Found In The Water

Near Sainte Anne, the initial major port you encounter, various Skull and Bones Items populate the waters. From torn sails to jute, broken planks, and rusty nails, the high seas offer abundant loot early on.

Though coconuts aren't constantly floating about, collecting them while sailing with your saw can prove highly profitable. Coconuts replenish 20% of your stamina while sailing, but cooking them yields a 40% stamina boost. Given their prevalence across the red aisles, they serve as a convenient snack to stave off stamina depletion during looting and exploration.

Different materials are essential for ship upgrades, obtaining weaponry from the Blacksmith, and crafting repair kits for instances of sea water ingress. Ensure to thoroughly scavenge and collect any floating items you encounter.

2. Acquire Resources From Shipwrecks

As you navigate the map, you'll begin to notice lilac-purple ship icons dotting the shores of various islands. These icons indicate shipwrecks, ripe for exploration. Armed with the crowbar crafted during the tutorial, you can unearth substantial loot left behind.

Typically, these shipwrecks contain silver, ammunition, food, and ingots, valuable resources essential for future ship upgrades. Precise timing with the crowbar accelerates the process, ensuring quicker access to loot and enabling swift progression to the next wreck.

Additionally, it's crucial to upgrade your crowbar at the carpenter to access higher-level shipwrecks. Therefore, we advise promptly upgrading all tools to maximize efficiency in looting and material gathering.

For those who find the gathering mechanic tedious, there's an auto-harvest feature in the game settings menu. Simply navigate to 'Settings', access the 'General' tab, and activate 'Auto Harvest' to streamline material collection without the need for precise clicking timing.

3. Gather Silver Currency

Silver serves as the cornerstone for aspiring pirates aiming to reign supreme across the seven seas, given its indispensable role in virtually every aspect of the game. But for those just starting out, how does one amass this wealth?

Any cargo item labeled as commodities presents an opportunity to fetch a substantial sum by selling it to vendors. Here's how you can leverage the market to your advantage.

As you navigate your map, you'll observe delineated zones within different areas. These zones are subdivided, with tabs indicating "plentiful supply" and "highest in demand." Here, you'll find a list of commodities that these territories either lack or possess in abundance. Opting for areas with high demand for specific items, like uncut sapphire, for instance, ensures vendors in these zones offer better prices compared to others on the map. Swiftly traveling to locations with high demand and offloading your goods proves the most efficient method to accumulate silver with minimal effort.

Especially in Sainte Anne and Telok Penjarah, commodity vendors specialize in selling specific items at a lower cost, which you can then resell at a premium within zones where the material is in demand. This strategic maneuver not only capitalizes on economic fluctuations but also generates silver without venturing far from safe havens and outposts.

4. Enhance Your Ship

Certainly, while it may appear obvious, we're not referring to an upgrade from the dow. Instead, the emphasis is on consistently enhancing your ship as much as possible from the outset.

To progress, you'll need to locate outposts with vendors offering various blueprints for new ships. Currently, there are 10 ships available for collection and creation, with each ship having a maximum base level of 5. Enhancing this base level involves equipping more potent weapons, armor, and furniture. However, the crucial aspect is adapting and evolving alongside your environment to match the challenges posed by adversaries in new zones.

The Shipwright is your go-to for upgrading to the next best ship, and each one comes with both ship type and perks depending on the vessel. Take the Sentinel, for example. This handy ship is a support type that aids friendly ships if they begin taking damage while you're around. When working with a team, a support ship helps out significantly to turn the tides in battle in your favor by repairing your boat without any repair kits. This ship's perk is that it will restore severe damage by 5% and whole health by 5% per second, which may not seem like a lot until you're bombarded by several ships in all directions. This boost of restoration can be the difference between you meeting Davy Jones and living to pillage another day.

There are also tanking ships, straight DPS ships, and more options to cater to your favorite play style.

Also Read: Skull And Bones: How To Craft The Best Endgame Ship? - Brigantine Build Guide

5. Attack Low-Level Ships

Before you find your footing, it can be intimidating to engage the random enemy ships you encounter while sailing.

However, this action is pivotal not only for accumulating substantial silver but also for acquiring materials that may otherwise be inaccessible. These materials include bronze ingots and higher-quality refined items like fine jute or iroko planks, essential for crafting advanced-level ships.

Additionally, these materials are integral in crafting more potent weaponry necessary for confronting formidable adversaries. Engaging ships within your level range or slightly higher can lead to disaster at sea if you're not adequately prepared and cautious. We suggest targeting lower-level ships initially, ideally between levels 1 and 3, to increase your Infamy rank and amass resources for vessel upgrades and enhancements.

From our experimentation, engaging ships weaker than yours still yields a respectable amount of Infamy, making it worthwhile to engage smaller targets to fortify your ship.

Another crucial consideration is the use of repair kits, which become indispensable as you progress. These kits, obtainable through looting or crafting, are essential cargo items while engaging enemy vessels. However, they have a substantial cooldown period, necessitating prudent usage to sway the tide of battle effectively.

6. Keep An Eye Out For Blueprints

When it comes to weaponry, blueprints are central to becoming the most formidable pirate to ever navigate the seven seas. These blueprints are forged by the Blacksmith in Sainte Anne. While some weapon blueprints can be acquired from him through purchase, other vendors also offer a selection.

Visiting every outpost and exploring their offerings is essential, as they may house some of the most potent cannons and ballistas. With a vast array of weapons available, it's normal to feel overwhelmed initially. Starting with the blueprints offered by the Blacksmith is a solid starting point. Furthermore, as you venture forth, completing bounties and contracts, you'll encounter vendors offering superior options.

Almost every vendor, including the Shipwright, requires specific blueprints to craft items, ships, weapons, and even meals. Thus, it's crucial to remain vigilant and keep an eye out for these blueprints as you progress further into your journey.

7. Master Ship Control

Mastering ship control can be challenging for new pirates, but it's essential for survival in treacherous waters. Maneuvering out of incoming attacks can mean the difference between life and death. Therefore, mastering the controls is crucial for navigating the perilous depths of the sea.

Lowering your sailing speed when making turns is advisable, as it's easier to control your ship at lower speeds. Additionally, pay attention to the arrow next to your speed indicator at the bottom right-hand corner of your UI.

This arrow serves as a crucial indicator: it turns red when sailing against the wind, indicating significant slowing. When it turns white, you can achieve moderate speeds, almost in harmony with the wind's flow. Finally, a green arrow signifies optimal sailing conditions, indicating that the wind is fully in your sails, allowing you to reach maximum speed based on your ship's capabilities.

Always strive to sail with the wind rather than against it. Otherwise, not only will you exhaust your stamina attempting to navigate against strong headwinds, but you'll also prolong your journey significantly.

Speaking of stamina, it's a delicate resource to maintain while cruising the waters. Essential for reaching maximum speed, running out of stamina will automatically throttle your speed down to the second notch on the speed wheel.

To ensure you can maintain maximum stamina consistently, always carry some form of food with you. Whether it's cooked coconuts, durian, or fish, having food readily available can help you avoid sticky situations. Remember to add food to your quick action bar so you can consume it swiftly while evading enemies.