Piracy

Piracy is a large part of the game, posing as one of the main threats to merchants. Piracy is mainly practiced by Hallengard and Blackwind. Piracy is the act of taking cargo from a merchant’s ship, often without their consent. Most merchants do not like having their cargo stolen, and will defend themselves from pirates. This is one of the threats pirates face in this job. To successfully pirate (or raid, as most call it) you must steal cargo and escape with it to sell at a port for profit.

To escape from sword wielding merchants, pirates may have to kill the merchant, causing his ship to sink. The important part to remember is to throw off all of the cargo before it sinks with the ship.

One of the important parts of piracy is having a crew. If you feel you need backup, or a helping hand, or just want to share profits, you can invite people to your crew to help you.

This article will go over the different parts of piracy.

Finding a target
To raid, you need a victim. Sailing downwind from Blackwind Cove, you can usually spot mercantile ships sailing from Whitecrest or Nova Balreska. Make sure that the ship you have your eyes on has cargo.

Obtaining the cargo
Many crews prefer different methods. Some crews sink the mercantile ship before killing the crew and grabbing the cargo. One of the problems with this method is the cargo may sink with the ship. To prevent this from happening, try to sink only ships that don’t have cabins or cargo below deck. To grab the cargo off before it goes underwater, you have to move fast to grab it. This can be difficult if you have not killed the crew yet, so bring some crewmembers to help.

Other crews prefer hit and run tactics, moving swift and launching deadly attacks. Crews that like to use this method use fast maneuverable ships to quickly get near the merchant’s ship, allowing your crew to board them. You should have some crewmembers attack the crew while your other crewmembers throw off the cargo. If the helmer needs to provide backup, make sure your pirate ship is stopped. You can’t transport cargo very well without a ship! When the merchant crew is dead and all the cargo has been grabbed, sell at the best port to get the most profit. Since most fast ships have a low cargo storage, some of your crewmembers may need to hold it.

Selling the cargo
Like trading cargo, the same rules of profit apply. The farther away you go, the more money you get. Usually pirates will complete the merchant’s planned route, only the difference is the cargo is being transported by a different party! Pirates don’t get taxed by a port, so they get more money for each cargo. (At least 200 more). With decent rates, regular cargo can sell for 400. In some rare cases, regular cargo can sell for up to 600-800!

And that’s how piracy works. Remember that piracy is basically transporting someone else’s cargo, so the same merchant rules apply.

Trivia

 * Premium cargo sells for more than regular cargo, so pirates set a high priority on getting premium cargo before regular cargo.