Hey there pirates. We all know how difficult it can be to find a reliable crewmate(s), so a lot of us out in the sea solo. I have some tips for those who get forced in that position where survival can get increasingly difficult and especially agrivating.
Lets begin with ships-
- Your sloop is what will get you through anything and everything, as long as you take the proper precautions.
First, you need to turn off all or most of your visible lanterns. I personally leave the 2 very bottom deck lanterns on and sometimes the map table lantern depending on if there are ships in the area or not.
Next, you must know when to drop your anchor and not, depending on the situation. Dropping your anchor means you are valid of a server merge. Also if another ship catches you off guard, instead of dropping your sail in a matter a seconds for a quick getaway, you have to take the time to raise your anchor, which leaves you exposed for boarders and other more obvious dangers, like a cannonball in your gut.
An alternative to dropping anchor is simply raising your sail and straightening the wheel. - Lets move on to general sailing.
Remember that your ship isn't the perfect autopilot. When your sloop catches the wind, your gonna have to fight your boat to stay on course as a sloop can easily be tossed around by the waves and turn you the opposite direction. If you zoom in on your destination on the map table, you can peek from the top deck over the railing behind the anchor and see what kind of adjustment you need to make. Only occasional slight adjustments are needed when you are not in the wind.
Last, remember that you have a compass, which is extremely reliable when you know how to use it. - Order of Souls
Many have trouble single handedly killing waves upon waves of skellys.
Go for small islands. These skeletons are easy to kill with cannonballs.
With bigger islands, find choking points like a small cave opening or doorway. This way, skeletons can get clogged and easily be slashed and held at bay with s sword.
Know your skeletons weakness. Plants get killed easily with a sword when not in contact with water, Gold's weakness is water, and is an instant kill with a well placed blunderbuss shot up close when gold is in contact with water. (Use your bucket)
Night skeletons need a lantern on them at night, so you can switch off a weapon and raising a lantern in quick succession.
Not gonna lie, order of souls is still going to be a pain soloing, so I reccomend the Devil's Roar, because there is less skeleton waves, the geysers help you out greatly, and there is lots of reputation and money involved. - Protecting yourself
Big and important bit of info here so pay close attention.
Know how to identify ships. If you see a ship in default ship cosmetics, or a "noob sloop" with it's lanterns on, know that they are most likely hostile. Noobs don't know that there is more to this game than killing others, and trying to be a pain to literally everyone else but themselves. A move they generally make is what I call a noob ram, where you can unload on the front of their ship while they try to ram you. These noobs usually suck at PvP, but don't underestimate them. For all you know they could be a pirate legend looking for some fun.
As a solo player, you will almost always be at a disadvantage, so be as cautious as possible. Trust no one but yourself. Avoid ships with the the reaper's mark. Some ships will act friendly with or without an offer allaliance flag, so if you want to give being friends a shot, park in their ship's blind spot. Don't ever let anyone come on board your ship unless you have absolutely zero doubts about them. Most of all, make sure they can trust you, in case you are forced to stab them in the back.
When faced with the challenge of fighting a crew or vessel much larger than yourself, think smart. If you are being pursued by a galleon, face your sloop out of the wind. Sloops go much faster than galleons out of the wind. If they continue to chase you, board them continuously while making sure there are no islands in your sloops path. When fighting in another scenario, listen for swimming for people trying to get on your ladder. Think smart, take your time aiming your cannons and time the shot right with the waves. If you remain 1 step ahead, you will be successful.
Ask any question you like, I will answer it. I left quite a bit out, so I might add on to this in another post.
