Ghost Ship is Too Much for Sloops

  • TheDManBandit25

    Sloops have a hard time handling Ghost Ship spawns.

    The fact that a sloop going in the wind direction cannot outrun the Ghost ship is absolutely ridiculous. With the sloop only supporting a maximum of two canons, it makes the sloop almost unable to run or fight the ghost ship.

    I feel that the Ghost ship should not spawn on sloop teams, and a wild Ghost ship should not pursue a Sloop unless fired upon by the player.

    This is one of the only parts of the game that I feel is unbalanced, even in a Galleon the Ghost Ship is a tough battle (doable, but tough). The other sea events are a good challenge for all the ships, and provide fun stress while sailing the sea. The Ghost Ship is just a Sloop sinker. This is a real mood killer when playing the game and usually ends up with my ship sinking and no one getting the treasure. At least if another player sinks me, they have worked for the treasure and will use it.

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  • JE0RGIE P0RGIE
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    @thedmanbandit25 I disagree, I don't think they're much of a challenge once you've nailed down a useful strategy. My buddy and I just finished a Fleet Cloud in sloop, while fighting a meg, in the fog. We went through a ton of planks but we ended up sinking the captain's galleon and killing the meg. It's absolutely possible to take on a solo skeleton ship in a sloop. Here's how we usually do it:

    • One person boards the skeleton ship with a gun powder barrel and blows it below deck. They attempt to guard the holes for as long as they can to ensure the most amount of water fills up.
    • The player left on the sloop cuts the sails to half and focuses on bailing water and repairing any damage caused by the skeleton ship.
    • Once the sloop is repaired and bucketed the player on the sloop begins firing cannons at the skeleton ship.
    • Rinse and repeat as needed.

    Usually you only need one powder keg to do the trick. Having some cursed cannonballs on board helps out a lot! Also a key thing to remember is NOT TO PANIC. If you get hit with one or two shots while you're alone on a sloop you don't have to repair immediately. The sloop fills with water pretty slowly so you can hold off for a while and pump a few more rounds into the side of that galleon before they get out of range.

    Keep practicing, you'll get it and become a Legend of The Sea of Thieves before you know it :)

  • Schwammlgott
    Champion

    @thedmanbandit25 no it's not...
    When you hear the music, get your supplies and watch from which side they are spawning. For example they come on the right side, put the wheel all the way to the right and take away a bit speed, about the half...so you ram them with the side
    Shoot them 2-3 times, if you have CCB use them also
    You should have a hole from ramming, try to stick next to them and bail water on their ship
    Never been sunk this way from skellie galleons, also a bit luck is needed ;)

  • Geekster T
    Master
    Insider

    @schwammlgott That's always been my successful tactic.

  • TruthfulList56
    Insider

    @schwammlgott I figured this out just from screwing around. We turned in all our loot, but still had our "battle chicken" mounted at the front of the ship. Figured I'd ram him into a skeleton ship repeatedly before hopping off. Without bailing or repairing, I had them almost sunk strictly by ramming them.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @thedmanbandit25 some times it is ok and just try to hide behind a rock.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @truthfullist56 nice battle chicken where can I get one?

  • TruthfulList56
    Insider

    @closinghare208
    Can't post images directly for some reason, But here it is.

    I just dropped it there and thought it was hilarious, so I started calling him our battle chicken. I have yet to sink with a battle chicken onboard lol

  • Clumsy George
    Champion
    Insider
    Founder

    @thedmanbandit25
    Hello Sir , as a Solo Slooper meets a Skeleton Ship , it surely has it's hands full with it , but it can be beaten...Let old George ( * Are you a grandad now, George , you freakin moron ?)give you a few tips...When you hear the music of an approaching Skeleton ship , grab everything you can to the max...10 cannonballs, even use cursed ones if available, take 5 planks , and 5 bananas, lower thy sails to half or even slower , set a course in wich you certainly won't hit an island nor rocks ...Run to thy cannon and shoot very quick..Once spawned you have a bit of time before they shoot back ...Use that time to the fullest , let every shot be a hitter and aim under the water line , not tooo deep because you want to hit the ship. From the moment you get hit , stop firing, repair before you lose the control to repair because you stayed too long behind the cannon... Bail out the water , since you are slower than them , they will turn the ship in wich they can't fire , at that moment you pop back up and throw another 10 cannonballs in their gullit... Keep repeating untill you hear the " sink" sound...

    After that your despair that you can't beat them will be dissapeared like fog under a summer sun...And your self belief will have grown in a way that the next time a Kraken comes to you , you will reply with a big spit on their jelly arms...Try to use this little trick and don't despair , it takes a bit of time to understand this game but you have the Forum and your own speech to ask Pirates for a bit of hints and tricks ....You would be amazed how many would be glad to share their tricks...Because i just wrote down one , while there are so many other tricks that could lead to the same or even faster result...

  • vorondil1394
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @thedmanbandit25 aye, the skalleon definitely be the toughest challenge on the waves...but even a solo sloop can handle it! There are some excellent suggestions above for a duo sloop, but just to toss out the safest solo strategy:

    Point the sloop towards the largest island in quick sailing distance. Use a sea rock if you have to. Then run below deck so that you don't get shot off the ship. Once you're near the island/rock (like, about to ram it), hit your anchor and start repairing damage. The skalleon will start circling the island, which means it will pass by your ship, giving you (and it) a chance to start shooting, and then it will go out of range for a bit, allowing you to repair and bail. This will take a while, and cannonballs will be your limiting resource, but I've had great success with this. Even against the ones with jig and weary balls.

    Good luck!

  • NunoAzuldimeter
    Champion
    Insider
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @thedmanbandit25
    I'm a slooper (most of the time) and I don't agree Skeleton ships are too much for sloops.

    I can take them easily, even playing solo.
    We just need to accept we cannot run from them, we need to defeat them.

  • BumBumBac
    Castaway

    @thedmanbandit25 Brother, you can sink skelly ships with the bucket alone.

    Take your solo sloop and ram it into their ship.
    Crank the wheel fully the way they are turning and match their speed by adjusting the sails.
    Let the water fill your hull from 1-2 holes you get after ramming, take the bucket and bail the water onto the skelly ship.
    Keep yourself at full health if skellies land shots on you, rinse and repeat until you hear a ding sound.
    Enjoy your loot!

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @truthfullist56 still tell me where to get one mate lol

  • ViperishEmu2992
    Marauder

    At least not on Solo Sloops. I usually just quit when they "pop-up". I can sink them but I don't need to the grief and wasted resources and time.

    If I wanted to fight Skellie Ships I would go fight the Fleet.

  • Genuine Heather
    Captain
    Insider

    Lots of good advice here so I won't repeat it. But please don't nerf skellie ships, or anything else for that matter. Keep playing for a while and you'll find that the current challenge level is rather low for most threats. Skellie ships offer a pretty good PvE challenge for a solo slooper, but you can sink them 99% of the time barring any minor disasters, like getting killed or knocked off the ship at just the wrong moment. If you make them easier, they won't be a challenge for experienced players. And that would make me very sad. They've already nerfed the megalodon and kraken to the point where they're laughable as a solo player. Please don't nerf skellie ships, too.

  • PaladinDH
    Master
    Insider

    I agree some what. I think there should be skeleton sloops, Brigs, and galleons. Not always be a galleon. When one rises up to attack it could be one of the 3.

  • ThiefCloud
    Insider

    @closinghare208 said in Ghost Ship is Too Much for Sloops:

    @thedmanbandit25 some times it is ok and just try to hide behind a rock.

    Yeap, shipwreck cove is amazing for "fighting" single ghost ships. Pretty much take themselves out. xD

  • CaudipteryxZoui
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @TheDManBandit25
    I'm not sure it has already been said, but skeletons cannot bail. They do repair holes, but cannot lose water. So if you manage to stay afloat and occationally hit them with a cannonball, you will eventually win.

    Also, skeleton galleons have (just like our galleons) two decks. In the beginning you want to aim your shots just under the waterline to hit the lower deck. Any holes in the middle deck won't hurt the skelleon in the beginning. If you have a ballast ball, you can aim anywhere as long as the skelleon is ballasted.

    I found that some skelleons go down with maybe 4 or 5 good shots. Others take half an hour of fighting. It's always worth a try, maybe you have one of the weak ones against you.

    To me, the hardest (AI) fight on the waves is a kraken. 99% of the time I sink to it. My playstyle suits solo-galleoning and I don't often sink to a lone skeleton ship. The only times I do is when they have an unfortunate set of cursed cannonballs.

  • Festis1337
    Master

    @caudipteryxzoui Not even the Kraken is hard, especially not for sloops. Two tentacles killed usually makes it leave. And solo-galleoning, mate... what are you even doing -_-

  • RTCoaster1
    Marauder
    Insider

    Well, I solo sloop occasionally (not as how I was earlier this year), and it's not that hard to take down a Skeleton Ghost Ship, unless you have the right curse cannonballs (peaceballs, riggingballs, balastaballs, etc.). If not, just keep maneuvering through, repair if needed, and hit the lowest part of the ship. The only thing that I don't like about them is that, not matter how far you are from them after coming into contact with you, they will be on you like a moth to a light. They will even circle the island you parked at, until you leave and they will resume the carnage on you.

  • Jack Flintlock
    Marauder
    Insider

    I think Rare just needs to eliminate the never-ending cannonball supplies for the Skalleons. The supernatural speed and endless crew could each be addressed as well, but are not as annoying, IMO.

  • DarthMaxor1991
    Master
    Insider

    Don't know if anyone has commented this already but here it goes...

    1. In my experience you have two type of skelly ships. The one with black or purple sails is your normal skelly ship. They are relatively easy to take out and don't have the serious cursed balls on board. The second one is the captain's ship which has yellow sails and a captain with red lettering above his/her name. These are a little bit harder as there are more skellies and repair faster. Also have higher chance of having good cursed balls (anchor, ballast etc.).

    2. Solo slooping is tough. I get it. I did it for seven month from game drop because my friends are losers and only play FPS games. (I gave up on those after pubg). Thing is there are alot of strats for solo slooping and some of my most favourite and ingenious are the ones for the sloop. First off, if you have any cursed cannonballs then hold on to them. Peaceballs are the best. If you have those you can essentially turn a ghost galleon into a sailing ship with no offense. If you don't then I recommend slowing your sloop down to where you are always behind the ghost ship but off to the left or the right and then try to keep up with the galleon on its turns, angling your sloop just enough that you can nail it with cannons but they can't hit you. It works everytime for me. If it pops up right beside you then hit it with as many cannons as you can before proceeding to your wheel and sails and adjusting accordingly.

    After sinking a couple of ghost ships in the sloop you'll come up with your own little tips and tricks but I highly recommend trying some of the idea I (and others) have come up with. Happy sailing!

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @thiefcloud I hope this helps you

  • D4m0R3d
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    its not if you arent terrible at the game

  • xPIQUANTx
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    I have no issues with solo sloop, pretty easy providing you do not make a mistake...know when to repair, eat bananas and avoiding a direct hit from cannon. Quite fun. Slow turn I find the sloop better equipped to do away with a skeleton ship. It gets exciting when you are doing shark and skeleton ship at same time.

  • Ruigtand NL
    Master
    Insider

    Its the ferry.. the black screen.. if i get dancing and then shot its over -.- if i respawn im at a different island then take mermaid and another black screen and it sunk :D so i dont like pop up pve stuff solo but i love it in a crew...

  • ThiefCloud
    Insider

    @closinghare208 Was there meant to be a link or point with that or were you referring to the posts that came after me? because infact they do help lol. But i didn't really have an issue in the first place. Thanks for the mention either way I will put those other tactics into practice.

  • ClosingHare208
    Marauder
    Insider

    @thiefcloud ok thanks

  • OhhEvolve
    Seafarer
    Insider

    Nah they are balanced tbh, if you have cursed cannon balls it is easy but still challenging, they are fine how they are please don’t touch them rare. Also a ghost brigantine would be very cool

  • CursedWraith829
    Ship Mate
    Insider

    @thedmanbandit25 I used to think so too. However I've learned that the cursed cannon balls are the best thing for handling the Ghost Ships. Just go to different forts after you load in and gather as much supplies as you need, pick up all the CCBs and as soon as one pops out the water hit them with one. Various types obviously but anything that stops them from using the cannons is the best. I used to run from them but my crew mate and I were on the sloop today and sank 5.

  • RCSnipes100
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    Lots of good replies to your concerns. And I agree with them, particularly with the cursed cannon balls. Make sure you have them and since you can carry a ton on your person, I never bother to put them in any barrels because if I do end up sinking, then I do not lose those cannon balls.
    They are very useful when a skellie ship pops up right next to you.
    Another tactic I would share is to use rocks in the ocean as a form of cover. In a sloop you can turn really fast and hug rocks much better than a skellie galleon. And it enables you more time to put yourself in a better position to hit them as well as some time to repair from hits. And watch for when those ships get themselves positioned facing into a rock because you can them park yourself behind them and hit them with a ton of cannon balls without taking hits yourself.
    I have taken out many skeleton ships while solo in a sloop. It gets easier the more often you do it.
    Happy hunting.

  • B1TTRB1SK1TS
    Castaway

    @thedmanbandit25 I don't know about that. My boyfriend and I play, and I literally JUST started playing this weekend. We are a two-pirate crew on a Sloop, and we encountered two ghost ships yesterday, and we took both of them out while still managing to keep our sloop afloat. Again, I'm a total noob, but the one thing I have going for me is that I'm a natural on the cannons as far as aiming goes. While I shoot, the boyfriend repairs any damage and removes water, throwing firebombs when he's in range. The team effort seemed to work perfectly for us. I was intimidated by them at first, but now I'm not so wary of them, as I know that he and I are able to handle 'em just fine. You just have to work out a system and take it all in stride!

  • Marrl
    Lord
    Insider
    Founder

    Hi @b1ttrb1sk1ts,

    As this thread is over 10 months old I have locked it. If you would like to continue the conversation please create a new thread.

    Thanks!

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