Nothing to stop a Skeleton Ship

  • x EL1T3 B3A5T x
    Marauder
    Insider

    Let's start off by saying that when you're doing voyages there's obviously going to be some resistance such as players, Kraken, megeladon and Skeleton ships.

    With Players, you can alliance, sink or flee or negotiate.

    With Kraken you can kill it or hold out until you leave the ink. mostly impossible for a solo player but more likely to escape with all your loot before it sinks you.

    With the Meg, you can sail near an island and it will leave you be or you can kill it.

    But with Skeleton ships they just pursue until you die or you sink them. When you're on your own and a skeleton ship spawns on you or engages on you, then you are basically screwed. There's no way of winning unless you have a gunpowder barrel because of the spawn rates and quick building of the enemy crew. And even then you need to leave your ship to sink while you swim off to board the skeleton ship. Even when you go near an island they will just pepper you with shots until you run out of planks or get sick of the cursed dancing they just constantly hit you with. I don't mind a challenge but this is ridiculous. My suggestion would be, just like the random skeletons on cannons on the islands, if you sail near an outpost, there's friendly NPC's on cannons that will fight off a Skeleton ship. At least that gives a solo player a chance at surviving and keeping their hard earned loot.

    Any suggestions are appreciated or fixes are appreciated.

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  • EVA1977
    Captain
    Insider

    I have had it happen multiple times where you get close to an island and when they are chasing you then they crash in to the island getting confused or something and giving you enough time to get away from them or sinking them since they get stuck on the actual island.

  • IISrgntWolfII
    Captain
    Insider
    Founder

    I've sank several skeleton ships solo while on a sloop.
    Tips:

    1. Always be stocked for battle. I know this isn't always possible, and sometimes they spawn at the worst times.
    2. Cursed Cannonballs are your friend. Peaceball, then a few regular cannons, then Weary or Jig, then Ballast. Helps immensely.
    3. As Eva Said, use terrain if you can. Often times they'll crash into a rock or island. This should allow you time to get behind them.
    4. Vary your cannon shots. Make sure you're hitting on all parts of the hull to maximize holes. Also throw a couple at the cannons to by you time to bail/repair.
  • Xultanis Dragon
    Sailor

    @x-el1t3-b3a5t-x

    Kraken is real easy to kill solo. I do it all the time. Its not impossible solo. Its actually really easy.

  • SprungNickel427
    Marauder
    Insider

    if you sail towards and island and then cut around that island prompting the skellie ship to run into the island, you can get away. I had 6 rum bottles aboard a skellie ship that jumped out of the water next to me. I turned towards the nearest Island and circled it and sailed away when the skellie was on the opposite side of the island. They ended up ramming the island and the pursuit was off.

  • LucianSanchez82
    Legend
    Boatswain
    Founder

    @x-el1t3-b3a5t-x They're actually quite easy with the right tactics. Here's a few tips of my own,hope they help!

    https://www.seaofthieves.com/forum/topic/76802/skelly-ships-solo-players-need-not-fear-them

  • xCALYPT0x
    Master
    Insider
    Boatswain

    @x-el1t3-b3a5t-x I shall bestow upon you the master cheese solo skeleton ship strat!

    1. As soon as you hear the tun indicating a skeleton ship is going to target you, locate the closest islands to you. You want to pick an island that will offer decent cover from cannonballs for your ship, so bigger islands are obviously better, and that you can get to quickly. Immediately sail for the island. You might also want to factor in wind direction.
    2. While you are sailing to the island, you should be below deck. The skeleton ship can knock you off your ship if they hit you with cannonballs or their eye-of-reach. If you get knocked off your ship you are most likely going to sink.
    3. Park your ship in shallow water near the island. You have two options here. You can be risky and park by going above deck early to raise the sails and come to a gradual stop. If you do this, operate the sails on the side closest to the skeleton ship so you are less likely to be flung off the ship. The second option is to let your ship crash into the island and then immediately drop your anchor. This will create a lot of holes if you had good speed so you need to immediately go patch & bail. Afterwards, raise your sails and your anchor.
    4. Once you are close to the island, the skeleton ship will start to circle the island. They can only hit you when they have line of sight on you. Turn your ship so that your broadside is facing a direction that the skeleton ship will pass by.
    5. When the skeleton ship is on the same side of the island as you, and in your firing angle, you unload on the ship. Try to spread your shots out across their hull, and make sure you are hitting below the water line. Do not stop to repair until they are out of your firing window.
    6. Once the ship is no longer in your firing window/angle, head below deck and repair your bottom holes. The holes in the back part of the sloop ("mid-deck") will not leak if the water around the island you have chosen is calm, ignore them. Once you have patched up and bailed the water out, resupply on planks, bananas, and cannonballs, and get read on your cannon for the next pass of the skeleton ship.
    7. Repeat steps 5 & 6 until they sink.
  • Galactic Geek
    Seafarer
    Founder

    I use an anchorball the the moment they surface - using this strategy, I can manage to sail with the wind outside of their "zone of influence" and watch as they give up the chase and disappear beneath the waves.

  • Ruigtand NL
    Master
    Insider

    I dunno im sailing 5 hours now.. i have not seen megan, no karen, no kellyships..

    A galleon allied but just left...
    2 brigs sunk me..

    I think after next island im gonna solo sloop a fort -.-

  • SprungNickel427
    Marauder
    Insider

    @ruigtand-nl said in Nothing to stop a Skeleton Ship:

    I dunno im sailing 5 hours now.. i have not seen megan, no karen, no kellyships..

    A galleon allied but just left...
    2 brigs sunk me..

    I think after next island im gonna solo sloop a fort -.-

    you're just too good man, they're all afraid....

  • entspeak
    Captain
    Insider

    @x-el1t3-b3a5t-x First, you don't kill the Kraken, you defeat it. It's the same beast everytime - there has been only one since sometime before the days of the Pirate Lord - and he blinded it (which is why it doesn't rear it's head above the waves).

    Second, I've been able to evade a Skellie Ship, it usually involves getting them to go one way around an island while you anchor turn on the other and get out of dodge.

  • K1LROYw4sH3R3
    Captain
    Insider

    You can sink a skeleton galley with one cannon shot to register the hit so it will count for ships sunk. Then ram them and keep your wheel turned into them. Some multitasking is required here and is actually great for practice. You’ll have to work the sails so you don’t speed past and keep the wheel turned into the ship as they try and maneuver out of you. Just keep your ship stuck to the rear of theirs. You may have to ram them multiple times as they will get away but you basically don’t want to pull ahead of them.

    As you are behind them keep a hole or two in the bottom of your sloop to allow it to fill with water then just bucket the water onto their ship from yours. You’ll need to practice with the arc of water from your bucket. But you should be able to sink them in a few minutes. I’ve sunk about 40 now since shrouded spoils released. Great practice for sharpening your seamanship in this game.

  • Shinten Rai
    Marauder
    Insider

    You have to make sure that you are hitting their lower deck. It is the same as with player ships. Aim where the sea is, not their ship. You got to keep those holes below the water line to keep it flooding in. You don't need to even use a single CCB or keg to get the job done. They can't bail water, only repair. So if you can get enough wet holes in their bottom even the AI won't be able to keep up and then you hear that nice noise when they sink.

  • gaseousxihro

    I think one great way to balance skeleton ships would be to change the number of skeletons to a finite number. Particularly for solo sloopers, the positioning required to poke a sufficient number of consecutive bottom deck holes is pretty circumstantial.

    The ability to whittle down the combat + movement capabilities of the ship by killing the skeletons would be my suggested fix. Infinite enemy spawns are stupid when they can volley 3 accurate cannonballs at a time from a distance.

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