Checked against the August 2026 game information; later patches may change exact ship costs, pier requirements, or crew options.
How Do You Unlock More Ships?
Direct answer: Spend Principle Points in the Compass until the ship you want is unlocked. A ship unlock and a completed vessel are different states.
Complete the relevant Quests and Deeds to earn Principle Points, then invest them along the Compass path leading to the desired ship. Unlocking its node makes the design available; you must still select it at a suitable pier, provide its materials, and finish construction before it can take Crew or travel.
How Do You Build a Ship?
Direct answer: Choose the unlocked ship at a pier that supports its tier, then supply every resource shown by the current ship panel.
Use this build order:
- Unlock the ship in the Compass.
- Select a pier that supports the ship's tier.
- Review the current construction panel rather than relying on an older cost list.
- Supply every displayed construction resource, including Sails when listed.
- Keep the required Hands available until construction is complete.
- Assign compatible Crew and confirm that their upkeep can be sustained.
Which Pier Does Each Ship Tier Need?
Direct answer: Current checked information groups tiers 1–3 at the Shallow Pier, tiers 4–5 at the Trade Pier, and tier 6 at the Deep-Water Pier.
| Ship tier | Required pier |
|---|---|
| Tiers 1–3 | Shallow Pier |
| Tiers 4–5 | Trade Pier |
| Tier 6 | Deep-Water Pier |
Checked against the August 2026 game information; later patches may change exact ship costs, pier requirements, or crew options. Use the requirement shown by the current ship panel if it differs.
What Are Sails Used For?
Direct answer: Sails are produced by the Sail Maker from the supported Fabric chain and are consumed as a construction resource by later ships.
Treat Sails like another shipbuilding input. Establish the Fabric supply supported by the Sail Maker, keep that production chain staffed, and deliver the amount shown by the vessel's construction panel. The checked material does not establish separate controls for adjusting sails directly while a ship travels.
Why Can’t You Crew a Ship?
Direct answer: Check completed construction, free pirates, supported crew types, and positive upkeep production.
A vessel cannot use an incompatible pirate simply because that pirate is available. Confirm the ship is finished, inspect its supported Crew positions, and make sure the needed pirates are not assigned elsewhere. Then check that food, clothing, or equipment production can cover the displayed upkeep.
Hands fill island production and construction jobs; Crew serve aboard ships. Freeing a Hand can restore an island production chain, but it does not create a compatible pirate for a ship. See the Workers guide for the full workforce distinction.
How Do You Send a Ship to an Event?
Direct answer: Finish the ship, assign compatible Crew and a captain when the interface requires one, choose a revealed event, assign the vessel, and allow real-time travel.
The ship must be ready before assignment. Open a destination that has already been revealed on the Seven Seas, review its requirements, and choose the prepared vessel. Do not assume every map marker is available immediately; reveal or unlock the destination through normal progression first.
How Does a Second Ship Work?
Direct answer: Build and prepare another vessel supported by your current unlocks, pier access, resources, Crew, and upkeep.
The checked information does not establish a universal maximum fleet size or a separate second-vessel unlock condition. The event restriction is narrower: one vessel occupies a particular event assignment, so assigning a different vessel replaces the existing assignment at that event. It does not mean the entire fleet is restricted to a single vessel.
Which Ship Should You Use?
Direct answer: Compare the event's recommended class and tier with the ship's condition and role; higher tier alone does not erase class specialization.
Review health, available Crew, supplies, gun damage, boarding damage, speed, manoeuvrability, and armour. Choose the vessel whose class and current preparation fit the event rather than treating the highest unlocked tier as automatically best for every assignment.
Ship Troubleshooting Checklist
Direct answer: Trace the chain from Compass access through pier support, construction, Crew, upkeep, destination visibility, and the current event assignment.
- Confirm the ship is unlocked in the correct Compass path.
- Confirm the selected pier supports that ship tier.
- Supply every input shown in the current construction panel.
- Wait for construction to finish.
- Free compatible Crew from other assignments when necessary.
- Restore production for every displayed upkeep need.
- Confirm the destination event has been revealed.
- Check whether another vessel already occupies that event assignment.
FAQ
Can You Build a Second Ship?
Yes. Build another vessel allowed by your current Compass unlocks and pier access, then provide its construction inputs, compatible Crew, and upkeep.
Do You Need to Upgrade a Pier for Every New Ship?
Not for every vessel. You need the pier class that supports its tier: the checked tier groups are Shallow Pier for 1–3, Trade Pier for 4–5, and Deep-Water Pier for 6.
What Do Sails Do?
They are a later-ship construction input produced by the Sail Maker from the supported Fabric chain.
Why Is an Unlocked Ship Unavailable to Build?
Check that you selected a pier supporting its tier and that the ship is unlocked, not merely visible farther along the Compass. Then follow the inputs displayed by the current construction panel.
Can Multiple Ships Go to One Event?
Not at the same time. A particular event holds one vessel assignment; choosing another vessel for that event replaces the first assignment.