There are tons of solo sloop tactics but rarely solo brig tips.
I have some insight into what its like, your potential, pros and cons and how to make your life at sea relatively comfortable manning the brigantine.
I also have info on why you may choose her over a sloop in some instances. Ive been sailing her for almost since she released in all kinds of scenarios. Im at a stage where im just as comfortable sailing a brig solo as i am a sloop. It does take some getting used to, you will have advantages in certain activities and disadvantages is others but i promise you, the brigantine is more versatile than most people think.
Pull up a stool, pour a grog and hopefully you may find something interesting. Feel free to chip in with your own.
First things first.
Why?
The sloop is amazing, a jack of all trades ship. But it can get boring after a long time. Its really easy to sail and its reliable and you are oretty safe against every PVE enemy and any player crew with less experience than you but its not incredibly fast. Its that speed you gain from the brigantine that makes it feel fresh and fun. I think of the two ships as a sloop being a warship and the brigantine being a fast smuggler. A ship you use to go fast, hit hard and disappear. Your experience will be familiar yet different.
- Modes of travel.
Brigantine has 2 modes.
Sloop mode and Travel /Escape mode.
With a sloop you can drop the sails when you see barrels at sea. You can do this too on a brigantine and turn around and harpoon that loot, but you gotta be ready. Have only your main sail down if you plan on stopping now and then and grabbing stuff you pass.
Going somewhere specific or are hunting skelly ships or anything else? Activate travel sails. Both sails down. Cross winds is the optimal speed, approx 230m/s, youll be the fastest thing that floats.
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Visibility is important.
You have 2 choices.
Get torn sails and keep your sails fully down for maximum speed or slightly raise main sail to provide visibility. You are usually fine in open waters but its wise to keep visibility near rocks and islands etc. I use to use torn sails but its not much different slightly raising and when caught wind you can see well. -
You turn slower than a sloop but its manageable if you can multi task.
Most important sail is main.
Second sail is a little booster.
When you turn, dont turn all the way. Turn part way then move sails. By time thats done youll have turned properly. Turning circle isnt that bad and you mostly travel is straight lines anyways but you will be shocked just how efficient and easy it is once you are used to it.
Its good for both sails but prioritise main. -
You are a formidible skelly galleon hunter but you are weaker than a sloop.
Essentially you have traded the relative tanky safety of the sloop for more speed... To find targets quicker. Mitigate the trip and from the ammo barrel by putting a storage crate on the top grate near 4 cannons. You can grab food, cannon balls from it in an instant, you can peak below to see water level and run down when you need to. You cant take endless hits like a sloop, after 4 or 5 shots or so from enemy you best go repair (which is the price you pay for speed)
However speed is your friend here....
Skelly galleons are pretty easy in travel sail mode. They will get their hits on you but eventually end up chasing you from behind in a circle unable to hit you. You can raise main sail to let it catch up then just before you get into their range lowee it again. You cna find you can hit them hard and not take a single shot most of the time and is a very quick way to sink them.
Downside is once its sunk...
Its possible to lose where it sunk due to your speed so best thing is drop anchor as soon as you hear the music note (Check for other ships first because usually anchor down is a no no), As you anchor quickly check where galleon is with compass, memorize it, finish repairs if any and sail over to where it went down.
Its worth noting.
Travel sails (Both down) are best whwn fighting skelly galleon. Using just main gally gets a lot of hits on you. Double and you will only take a couple. Skelly sloop tho you can do whatever, its only like 10 hits so just use main for them.
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Point both front cannons forward and two back cannons back.
As you pass a target you can get a cheeky second hit. Useful for ghost fleet. -
Coming up to an island raise front as its coming up. Go from travel mode to standard mode. Youll have slightly better turning circle and have main right by your side for those last minute adjustments like you would do on a sloop.
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Two interiors.
Many people think inside the cabin is cramped. I think its due to the darkness. If you wanna make it brighter put on either parrot hull or night parrot hull. It has a white brighter wood and makes it more inviting at night. -
You can still pvp.
But not as directly as a sloop.
Get them to chase you, pass a fort and grab the cannon there. Chain them and then sink them. Your ship will be safetly out of harms way but you can do it. Or use a rowboat and do some strategic kegging on unsuspecting ships. -
Cursed cannonballs are your kryptonite. If a player anchor balls you and they board, its over unless you can kill them quick because anchor takes too long. If anchorballed by a skelly ship its tense but prioritise getting it back up. Your speed is your best defense. You will survive, just get moving and eventually as mentioned above, skelly gally wont be able to get you as you on blind spot.
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When you need to do voyages and cant be bothered to get in prolonged chase, use the brigs speed to escape. You can flee a brig using a brig by using the skelly fort tactic if you have a persistent one on yoyr tail.
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You can kill every pve threat as a solo except the Kraken. Kraken comes just run. They been patched where they cant block you in anymore.
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Never forget you are a glass cannon. You trade safety and tankiness for speed. Sail over a keg patch it asap.
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Ghost fleets can be challenging but possible. Theres 2 methods.
Sail into the path and stop with sails. Shoot as they come close and rotate or...Sail by them at high speed firing at them, repair then come back, rinse and repeat.
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Escape skelly galleons by anchor balling them or rigging ball in cross wind or use passing rocks to cause an obstruction. If there isnt any go to an island, let them rotate and slip away.
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Dispatching megs is easy if you just stop. Just use the cannons and repair after every hit. Slower than a sloop but you dont want to be messing with the wheel, just focus on firing and repairing.
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Your speed is great for snagging those reaper chests before sloops can get them and you can do last minute escapes of approaching ships.
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Patience. Its difficult at first. But it does get easier and enjoyable. Then going back makes you a better sloop pilot too as all of those things you did in advance you do on a sloop making sails and helms work super efficient.
Thats pretty much it.
A ship that lets you do everything, almost.
Sloop will get you there slower but you are a warship. Brigantine lets you glide faster at the expense of more fragility. But its managable.
Theres something nice about being the fastest thing on the seas and sometimes its nice to just do lengths of the map as full speed looking for interesting happenings when you run out of voyages.
Thanks for dropping by.
