Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts

@wolfmanbush The loot from the other ships tends to sink before you can finish the fleet and the loot from the commanding ship is not great. I don't know where you got the idea that the fleets have the best loo in the game you get more from a merchant shipwreak quest or a legend of the veil

@mintharp184509 said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

Third, prevent ram damage from fixed environmental objects like rocks from affecting skeleton ships to ensure they can’t sink themselves with there horrible helming into rocks.

Boo! Why?!? Kiting them into getting stuck on rocks is a valid strategy and makes the Fleet doable by a solo sloop. I see no reason to make this change. If they want to improve the AI so they are less likely to hit objects, fine, but taking away damage when I successfully timed their approach and put myself at the correct vector to make them smash into rocks? No thank you.

@mintharp184509 That's the problem it's decent no one will fight over only decent loot, that's what made year one skeleton forts so good, the loot was very valuable and sought after, that's what I want to bring back with the skull fort and fleets

@wolfmanbush Loot in general seems to stay afloat longer than it used to, so I'm not sure it's specific to the Skeleton Fleet. That said, it is now pretty easy to gather all the loot before it sinks...the key (that I've found) is marking it on your map in case the next wave spawns quick and is a little more aggressive than you anticipated.

For the current Skeleton Fleet, I'd support there to be an additional 15(ish) seconds between waves spawning. I'd also like to see the AI be a little smarter about avoiding rocks & sinking themselves. Outside of that, I think it's one of the best events in the games.

@shady-espresso What you've described seems like a great idea for a FoF-esque version of the Fleet...call it the Fleet of Fortune. More challenging, but more rewarding. There could be a Flying-Dutchman sized ship as the final boss wave and make it a brutal battle with some more tactical and intelligent AI.

The Skeleton Fort definitely needs a loot buff to at least get it in line with the Ashen Winds event from a time/reward perspective.

@sweetsandman NO, they should just improve the normal fleets

@wolfmanbush said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

@sweetsandman said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

I'd also like to see the AI be a little smarter about avoiding rocks & sinking themselves. Outside of that, I think it's one of the best events in the games.

this is already happening more since fleets returned

they are avoiding the rocks more and not randomly sinking themselves nearly as much

unintentional or intentional, one never knows in this game, but it's happening

Good to hear. Haven't done one since the bug was fixed, but hopefully you're right.

As a personal rule of thumb, unless they put it in the patch notes, I don't believe suspected changes unless I experience them repeatedly and with a significant sample size.

Sounds like I'm going to be science-ing the Fleet this week

@mintharp184509 Reaper chests and Bounties are fine they don't need any changes, also 100k for 1 chest?! Nope

@mintharp184509 10k for 1 chest is good, 20K for a major world event bad

@mintharp184509 if it's an emissary I would say it's like 40k

@mintharp184509 said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

@shady-espresso

The only emissary you should be running is reapers. The hideout is literally just south of the event and reapers allows you to get 2.5x on everything you sell.

Bro what? "the only Emissary you should run is Reapers"?? that is such a silly thing to say

@shady-espresso said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

@sweetsandman NO, they should just improve the normal fleets

The Fleet is the only non-PvP thing that can get you from Reaper G1 to G5 in under 30 minutes. It produces a ton of loot...increasing it isn't going to make more or less people compete over it. Even the FoF will go uncontested most times these days and that's got the best loot pool in the game.

If your goal is to get back to Y1 competition over events, I don't think this is the right way to do it.

We need cosmetic rewards.

Look at the Raider of Cursed Strongholds commendation for example...that's a LOT of effort to do 120 Skeleton Forts...and all you get is a useless title.

Look at the Legend of The Sea of Thieves commendation...500 skeleton ships isn't a quick commendation...all you get is a title and a set of cannons that round out an otherwise ho-hum ship-set.

We need more. Something worth the effort. Gold is...meh.

@sweetsandman
Alright you said some stuff I agree with and disagree with so I'm going to go over it

The Fleet is the only non-PvP thing that can get you from Reaper G1 to G5 in under 30 minutes. It produces a ton of loot...increasing it isn't going to make more or less people compete over it. Even the FoF will go uncontested most times these days and that's got the best loot pool in the game.

It's not the best loot in the game, Legend of the Veil has got that covered. It is also not the only non PvP thing that can get you from Grade 1 to 5 Legend of the Veil and FoF can both do that with even more profit.

If your goal is to get back to Y1 competition over events, I don't think this is the right way to do it.

We need cosmetic rewards.

Absolutlely, I was orginally going to add in my orginal post about how you could add commiadations to doing the new activites that would unlock a reskin of the bone crusher set but I didn't want to make it too long

Look at the Raider of Cursed Strongholds commendation for example...that's a LOT of effort to do 120 Skeleton Forts...and all you get is a useless title.

This is subjective as completionists would probably disagree with you

Look at the Legend of The Sea of Thieves commendation...500 skeleton ships isn't a quick commendation...all you get is a title and a set of cannons that round out an otherwise ho-hum ship-set.

The title is on of the best sounding in the game and the cannons are actually pretty good

We need more. Something worth the effort. Gold is...meh.

I kind of agree with you on this point, gold is still good but cosmetics are more rewarding than gold

@mintharp184509

Captains chests base value: 2000 - 3000
Villainous skulls base value: 2500 - 3500
Exquisite spices base value: 2500 - 3500

Those values are wrong, these items can go as low as 800 gold and as high as 1300

@mintharp184509 if the normal loot value is incressed to that point athena loot would still need an increses as to Incentivize becoming Pirate Legend

@mintharp184509

I do not think it would be easier to improve their AI. I'm saying if you don't want them to think themselves, then that's the solution, whereas if you take away from them taking damage on rocks it removes current viable tactics to both damage the Skelly ships and get a certain amount of protection. Tools not rules. If you remove the damage they take from rocks and such, then you are removing a current legitimate strategy that players use to take on the fleet.

Sure, yes, I could ram them with my boat (and do at certain opportune moments when they are low in the water and I want to sink them with my bucket), but why leave any viable strategy off the table just because?

I'd like to see cursed cannonballs be a loot item from skelly ships with a bonus amount for the skeleton fleet event and removed from barrels entirely. The skeleton fort needs a loot buff, maybe some unique loot items and milestones adding for completing the forts to unlock trophies, maybe a replica fort for your ship.

@mintharp184509

I'd be fine with them not taking environmental damage when no player is within the activation zone. Honestly I'd be perfectly fine if they submerged back underwater and completely repaired (effectively "despawned") if no player were in the activation zone for maybe 5-10 minutes? That way you can go repair and restock if you want, but you effectively restart that wave.

@a10dr4651 said in Improving the Skeleton fleets and the Skeleton forts:

I'd like to see cursed cannonballs be a loot item from skelly ships with a bonus amount for the skeleton fleet event and removed from barrels entirely. The skeleton fort needs a loot buff, maybe some unique loot items and milestones adding for completing the forts to unlock trophies, maybe a replica fort for your ship.

Absolutely 100%. Make some of the high-impact ammunition be locked behind activity instead of getting 10 or more cursed cannonballs just from the outposts. This is a great idea.