Signal Flags: What do they mean to you?

I fly the white flag a lot to signal that I am peaceful.

I thought about the rainbow flag but figured it could also mean LGBT. Which is fine, but it doesn’t mean friendly. Plenty of LGBT scoundrels on the seas I am sure. And is it appropriation if I fly it and I’m straight? I may have overthought things.

I recently discovered the bilge rat flag and used it when I was doing commendations.

I’m curious whether seeing a flag actually changes anyone’s behavior. I wish we had an agreed-upon standard.

@danny-boomtime I totally agree, pirates in history would do the exact thing to lure in enemy vessels. It adds another level of detail to player encounters.

@theaccordionguy

Reaper flag, come at me! Let's fight!
Alliance flag, I am trying to lure you in to kill and sink you or I believe that it indicates I don't want to fight... and I am new.

All other flags usually mean little.
Jolly Roger and Rainbow flags usually means a bit more aggressive.
Bildge rat surprisingly usually means they are doing a tale or friendlier ones.

The rest seem to be more of I think it looks cool and not much else.

Personally I tend to forget to raise it at all.

i dont attach any particular meaning to any of the flags, with the exception of the reapers mark. these days, that flag indicates the player is probably quite inexperienced. outside of that, they are so open to self-interpretation that they are meaningless.

@theaccordionguy said in Signal Flags: What do they mean to you?:

Black Flag: (Undetermined)

Will fire if approached

Blue Flag: (Undetermined)

OOS

Checkered Flag: Up for a race (for the achievement).
Flag of the Reapers Mark: Down for PVP, Reaper Commendations.
Jolly Roger: Playing as a pirate, steer clear.

Will chase if they spot you

Rainbow Flag: Friendly crew.

Jerks/unfriendly pirates. Everyone I've seen woth this flag has been extremely unfriendly and unwilling to cooperate

Red Flag: (Undetermined)

Merchant

White Flag: New player, peaceful player.

Surrender

Yellow Flag: Banana Enthusiast? (Undetermined)

GH

@puggins7318 white flag means you will surrender your loot to keep your ship. Bilge rat flag is the closest to an "im peaceful flag". At least my crew of reapers will engage or not engage based on your flag or emissary

@captain-fob4141 swap blue for red and you’re spot on

@yungkrusty well if you look at the colors for oos and merchant then no, oos is blue and purple and merchant is red and blue (thus the ceremonial and regular admiral hulls)

Flag Meanings

Jolly Roger: Pirates. Don't trust them.
Black: Mysterious pirates. Don't trust them.
Red: Angry pirates. Don't trust them.
Blue: Sad pirates. Don't trust them.
Yellow: Hungry pirates. Don't trust them.
White: Sneaky pirates. Don't trust them.
Bilge Rats: Busy Pirates. Don't trust them.
Checkered Flag: Fast pirates. Don't trust them.
Rainbow: Gay pirates. Don't trust them.
Reaper's Mark: Obvious pirates. Don't trust them.
All Other Flags: Pirates. Don't trust them.

Upon further thought, I decided to elaborate upon my Flag Meanings post (above) for added clarity. Hopefully this will serve as a handy guide.

@captain-fob4141 Merchant alliance is blue/yellow. OOS is like a maroon-purple kinda color.

@yungkrusty outfit wise, yes. Ship cosmetics wise, no

Rainbow flag for me, always turned out to be trolls or griefers. I don't know about LGBT, but a lot of them, give chase or engage even if they know I have nothing on board. I'm rarely sunk, so I know these guys determinations. They are high.

I usually fly The Inevitable Reaper Flag. I play tactics so I attack only if it's favourable for me and I have a reason to, otherwise I try to indicate with it that I am seasoned and will not put up with any tomfoolery.

@genuine-heather said in [Signal Flags: What do they mean to you?](/forum/post/14

Rainbow: Gay pirates. Don't trust them.

Hold up a minuit there.

I like the idea too. But it would need a lot of community support to work.

Bilge Rats, running tall tales seems to be the most common meaning. A request to leave out of combat as they have little to no treasure and are running a story line. Lets set that as standard.

Jolly Roger or reapers, means we will chase you and take your stuff. Usually raised after a ship is lured in with a more friendly flag.

White flag is a surrender. A request to stop firing on that ship so they may join alliance with you and offer their services in a fight as alliance members so they may take a share in profit of the treasure.

Alliance flag is, we want to join an alliance and very obvious. It may also be used as a surrender flag in a fight. The reasons for wanting to join an alliance are very wide. To gain trust so you can sink them, to share in their profits, to share the profits you are about to get. The message is simple, "I want to join an alliance with you."

Checkered flag is we want to race for the commendation.

Black flag is a warning flag that we will not engage but are not afraid to fight if engaged.

Red flag is a notification that we don't have any treasure and a request to stop chasing as it would waste both of our time.

Blue flag is a please come to me and assist flag. I need your help with something. Imagine being used as you bucket your ship without enough wood to patch the holes.

The yellow flag is flown when you wish to initiate the flag code.

You start sailing with no flag raised and see another ship on the horizon. Raise your yellow flag. Watch their ship. If they know the flag code they will raise their yellow flag as well. Now you can begin to send flag messages.

When its an alliance flag i usually think, oh they are friendly.

However some clever pirates used it to disguise themselves and get close and instead greet me with a broadside.

However a ship with cannons raised and flag raised are usually legit

I find that flag indicators is a thing of the past and thats why it hasnt been updated, but flag of the reapers mark normally means a new player who doesnt know wut they’re doing because all the good reapers use the emissary flag

@genuine-heather gay pirates don’t trust them sounds a little homophobic to me.

I fixed this for you.

@herrdave3849 said:

Jolly Roger: Pirates! Will attack if they think they can win. Usually raised after you've been baited in with a more friendly flag. (Easily replaceable with your favorite flag!
Yellow Flag: An attempt to initiate flag code, raise your yellow flag to initiate as well.
White Flag/Alliance Flag: Surrender, please join alliance with me and you can have the treasure.
Bilge Rat's Flag: I'm running tall tales and likely don't have much treasure, if any at all! Please leave me alone and let me run the story line.
Checkered Flag: I'd like to get an achievement or commendation with your crew.
Reaper Flag: I'm probably a pvper looking for a fight. (Or I, at least, want to seem like that.)
Alliance Flag: I'd like to be friendly with you, possibly join alliance.

@doomscorp said in Signal Flags: What do they mean to you?:

@genuine-heather gay pirates don’t trust them sounds a little homophobic to me.

Your comment is absurd for several reasons. First, you're ignoring the fact that I said "don't trust them" about all pirates, not just gay pirates. Second, you're assuming I wasn't using the term "gay" in the happy, lighthearted sense, which I was. Third, you're overlooking the possibility that I could be a woman married to a woman and quite incapable of homophobia (which I am). Finally, the mere fact that you even went there "sounds a little homophobic to me." This post clearly wasn't about that. It was a humorous (but not entirely inaccurate) take on the Sea of Thieves flag system. It was not a political commentary.