Complete Shipbuilding Guide

Avast, ye landlubber! So ye have a thirst to craft yer own vessel, to feel the timbers ye laid yerself groan against the tide? A fine ambition! I’ve sailed every charted sea and built ships from humble caravels to great galleons. Mark this well: shipbuilding is an art, a dance with wood and wind. This here be the lay of the land, stripped to its bones.

The First Steps: Getting Yer Sea Legs

Before ye can command the shipyard, ye must learn its tongue. This be the very foundation.

• Learn the Skill: Ye cannot build a ship without the Shipbuilding skill. There be no shortcut or trinket that replaces it. Find a teacher in a proper port town.
• Grind the Skill: Like any craft, it takes practice. Ye must get yer hands dirty to earn yer rank.
• The Basic Build: The first ship is a simple affair. Find a Shipyard Master, choose yer hull and its paneling—iron for stoutness, teak for speed—then set yer hold capacity within the "no penalty range" to avoid sluggish handling. Give her a name, wait at sea, and claim yer prize!

Once built, any shipwright can refit her, shifting space between cargo, guns, and crew to suit yer needs.

Custom Crafting: The True Art

So the basics don't stir yer blood? Good. Now we speak of Custom Shipbuilding, where legends are forged. This is where ye make a ship truly yer own, but the path is steeper.

• Special Ships: Some glorious hulls—marked by a star—are hidden. To see 'em, ye need the correct FS Hull in yer hold and often a hefty investment in the port. The resulting ship starts bare, a blank slate for yer improvements.
• Modding (Improvements): This is where ye pour ducats and rare FS Parts into a ship, boosting her stats. Ye can push beyond her natural limits—overmodding—but each step risks failure and a lighter purse, unless ye use premium parts for a sure thing.
• The R20 Advantage: Why strive for the highest rank? A Rank 20 builder can shift a ship's base Load more drastically before refitting. Want a trader with a cavernous hold or a warship lean and mean? That be the power of R20.

Giving Yer Ship a Soul: Skills

A ship without a trick up her sleeve is just timber. Ye can grant her special abilities.

• Optional Skills: Ye may have two of these by default, changin' 'em as ye please with the right parts. More slots can be added through fusion or special items.
• Original Skills: This be a permanent, powerful skill, requiring a rare Original Ship Permit (OSP). A ship can bear only one of these, but it defines her.
• If ye regret yer choices, ye can reset all optional skills in a blink, though any inherited skill from fusion remains.

Fusion: The Final Forge

This be the pinnacle. Fusion is the alchemy of sacrificing one ship to empower another. The base ship grows in grade (G1 through G8), permanently raising her stat limits and granting bonuses.

• Benefits: More durability, sails, cargo space—ye name it. At certain grades (G1, G3, G6), ye can add extra cannons, a new skill, or improved acceleration.
• The Risk: It's a gamble, matey. Success is never guaranteed, and the material ship is always lost to the deep. Many a sailor has a superstition or a technique to better the odds.

So there ye have it—the map to becoming a master shipwright, from yer first wobbly raft to a fused leviathan of the waves. The sea respects those who build as well as they sail.

If yer blood is stirred and ye want the full chart—every secret of grinding, modding costs, fusion plans, and where to find every rare part—then set a course for the complete log. I’ll show ye how to seize glory proper.

Read the complete guide here