The goal
You start as a white belt with a tiny boat and one crewmate. Hunt down the rival captains on the bounty board, belt by belt: the Junior Crew, then your teammates (blue, purple, brown), then the coaches. Earn your black belt and you can storm Flatline Keep and take the Pirate King's crown.
Beat a rival and you can recruit them. Each crewmate gives your ship a perk, and higher-belt crew give bigger perks. Bigger ships carry more crew.
Sailing and fighting
- A D
- Turn
- W S
- Raise or lower sail (speed)
- ← →
- Fire the left or right broadside. Space fires both.
- F
- Dock at a pier, or go ashore on a treasure island
- M / N
- Big map / your treasure maps
- P
- Pause
- ◀ ▶
- Hold to turn
- Sail + / −
- Speed
- Port / Starbd
- Fire the left or right broadside
- Dock / Land
- Shows up next to a pier or a treasure island
Cannons fire out of the sides of your ship, so turn side-on to an enemy before you shoot. Your hull slowly patches itself when nobody is near.
The map
- The Shallows in the middle are calm. Start here.
- The wilds (northwest and southeast) are full of islands and mid-level ships.
- Pirate waters (northeast) lead to Flatline Keep. Lots of pirates.
- Navy waters (southwest) surround Fort Octagon. Its cannons and patrol ships attack pirates and anyone wanted.
Ports
Market: buy cargo cheap, sell it where it's wanted. Shipyard: repairs, upgrades and bigger ships (bigger ships unlock as your belt goes up). Tavern: jobs, rumors and the map dealer. Bounty board: who to hunt next and where. Crew: choose who sails with you.
Each port has its own prices. Cornerman's Cay repairs for half price.
Wanted level
Attack the wrong ships and you earn skulls. More skulls means more navy ships chasing you, and lawful ports turn you away. Skulls fade over time, or pay a harbor official to clear them.
Treasure maps
Maps come from bosses, bottles floating at sea, the map dealer and merchant cargo. Sail near the right island (it glows gold) and go ashore.
On the island, solve the puzzles to rebuild the island map, then find the X and dig. The guardian will come for you, so win the MMA minigame to claim the chest. Lose and you're off to training camp before a rematch.
- WASD / click
- Walk
- E
- Interact, dig, turn, answer
- M
- Look at the island sketch
Talk to the guardian at their camp if you're stuck. They'll grudgingly point you in the right direction. Hidden caches sparkle in the sand.
Relics
Rare and legendary maps lead to relics that power up your ship. Legendary relics take a chain of three maps. Cursed relics are strong but come with a catch.
After the crown
Pirates: once you're Pirate King, the Royal Navy declares war. Open the War room at Flatline Keep to launch operations against them, then lay siege to Fort Octagon. Sinking navy ships wakes the Kraken: when its meter is full, press K (or tap Summon) to drag your enemies under.
Navy officers: you climb the ranks from Midshipman to Admiral as you earn belts. Once you're Admiral, the pirate Silas Crowe seizes Flatline Keep. Run the war from Fort Octagon's War room, then lay siege to the Keep. Sinking pirate ships readies the Armada: summon it with K and a fleet of navy ships sails in to fight beside you.
Sound
Music and effect volume are in the pause menu.
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