Here is my 500 hour observation... sloop base speed is faster, but wind bonuses from sails billowing are additive, so a galleon with the wind goes much faster, because it has 3 bonuses to the sloop’s 1.

In practice a sloop will gain slowly on a galleon upwind, and lose ground rapidly to a galleon downwind. Now before you ask about sail positioning and all that, if you can’t actually sail your vessel why are you even reading this topic?

Going straight with the wind the Galleon is way faster than the Sloop. But maneuvering wise the Sloop runs circles around the Galleon.

@uberwarrir said in Which ship is faster:

I've heard that the sloop was faster, shouldn't the galleon be faster cause it has 7 sails compares to one

IRL, sloops are much faster than galleons. Those 7 sails are required to make that hunk of wood and iron move. Lots of variables involved, but generally, the less drag/water displacement a hull creates, the faster it will move. This is why the sloop was a popular choice among pirates.

As far as game balancing goes, I’m still on the fence if they should keep the sloop as slow as it is or the galleon as fast as it is.

@k7-issues I understand lad, don't be taking my words as slanderous to you mate. I was just adding some shine to the words you stated.

@zokraitz I didn't say they weren't fair l**o, just that the Galleon is faster. You're not going to see me on these forums complaining about the way the game mechanics work. I love how the game is right now, and except for normal little bugs here and there, I wouldn't change a single thing.

I'd say the Galleon is faster with wind , My mate and I were on our Sloop a mile ahead and it chased us down. However It could not keep with us when we played tricky b*****s and pulled some tight turns around ship wreck bay.

TBH the ship's should not be the same speed as the sloop has it's own advantage in turning... Play to your strengths.

@k7-issues Aye, they can only run to the waters edge.... Heavens to Gertrude if they have to go around rocks of sandbars. The ships be fair matey.

@zokraitz said in Which ship is faster:

@uberwarrir Which direction you be headed, where the wind be blowing, where are your sails aimed, and what ship are you in? There are plenty of variables.

This is true. However, if both ships have decent crews that know what they're doing, even if everything is done correctly the Galleon will STILL outrun a sloop. Not to the point that they'll lose the sloop though. We were able to keep them in sight the entire time we chased them, but could not actually catch them.

@uberwarrir Which direction you be headed, where the wind be blowing, where are your sails aimed, and what ship are you in? There are plenty of variables.

@uberwarrir I think in the comicon panel they mention this design choice. Heavy emphasis on "I think".

Galleon is much faster. Me and a crew mate on a 2 man sloop chased one down for almost an hour and a half, and we would have never caught them if they hadn't stopped to fight us. We were sailing with the wind, against the wind and all kinds of stuff. If a Galleon decides to run from you, and you're in a sloop, you're NOT catching them. All they have to do is stay in open waters, and generally go in a straight line. The ONLY time we gained a little bit was when it was against the wind, and they still had a slight advantage if they angled to get a little bit of wind in their sails.

@firetadpole7469 where can I find rare saying this?

Actually, and this has been proven in gameplay and through the words of Rare, they are both the same speed going with the wind. However, when heading directly into the wind the sloop has a small advantage.

Galleon is faster, but slower with response time & turns due to needing a full crew. Also, it handles like a pig.

Sloop is not faster, but rather agile. Can turn on a dime since it can be manned by a crew of 1 or 2. You can get around a Galleon and stay behind it for safety, or bust a quick turn and run. It will take time for the Galleon to catch up, even with an anchor e-brake turn.

Both ships are the same speed.

@mad-jack-ketch thanks man

@lukexe it say it has better maneuverability but it doesn't say anything about faster

@lukexe What if we called a Galleon a Frigate? Would it be faster then? 😀

The galleon is much faster than the sloop down wind, but the sloop has the upwind advantage.

The one with the better crew.

Spaceships are faster than both.😀

No, the idea is that the sloop is faster 1. Because there's less crew on board so the odds are against you in battles and 2. Its a smaller/lighter weight ship so it travels faster than the big fat hunk of wood (i.e. the Galleon).