The game’s navigation system and sprawling world can feel like a stormy sea without a compass. Fear not! I’ve got some tips to help you chart the waters efficiently and make the most of your high-seas journey.
Understanding the Navigation System: Your Ship’s Lifeline
The navigation system in Uncharted Waters: New Horizons is the heart of your exploration. You’re not just pointing your ship and hoping for the best—every move consumes time, supplies, and crew morale. Here’s how to master it:
- Know Your Controls: On the SNES, you steer your ship using the D-pad while sailing on the world map. Pressing A brings up the menu for commands like Sail, Go Ashore, or Quick Sail. Familiarize yourself with these options early—Quick Sail is a lifesaver for zipping to visible ports or points on the map without manual steering.
- Assign Your Crew Wisely: Your crew’s roles—navigation, lookout, and combat—directly affect your ship’s performance. For exploration, prioritize navigation (to move faster) and lookout (to spot ports, villages, or discoveries). Make sure your navigation is not red or you will lose speed!
- Monitor Supplies: Food and water dwindle as you sail, and running out spells starvation. Always stock up at ports before long voyages—fill your cargo hold to the brim with provisions. The Ration command lets you stretch supplies by lowering consumption, but be careful: low rations tank crew health, making them prone to scurvy.
- Watch the Weather: Typhoons, seaweed, and sandbars can wreck your plans. Tropical waters often bring storms that damage ships and scatter your fleet. Keep an eye on the horizon and use the item Balm or use the Wait command (On land) to ride out bad weather safely. Actually there are only a few specific spots that may trigger a storm.
Pro tip: Hire a mate with the Celestial Navigation skill. This lets you use a sextant or theodolite to sail directly to specific coordinates, making long-distance travel a breeze. You can snag these tools in ports like Amsterdam or Mecca.
Exploring the World Map Efficiently: Charting Your Course
The world map in New Horizons is massive, with 120 ports, 100 villages (50 spawn per playthrough), and countless discoveries like the Great Auk or Victoria Falls. Exploring it all can feel daunting, but these strategies will keep you on course:
- Start with a Plan: Each of the six playable characters—João Franco, Catalina Erantzo, Otto Baynes, Ernst von Bohr, Pietro Conti, or Ali Vezas—has a unique storyline tied to exploration, piracy, or trade. If exploration is your goal, pick Ernst, the Dutch cartographer, whose story revolves around mapping the world. His starting mate, Hans, has Celestial Navigation, and his mission to create a world map aligns perfectly with efficient exploration.
- Use Ports as Checkpoints: The game’s 120 ports are your lifelines. Each offers supplies, trade goods, and info via the Gossip command. Start by hugging coastlines to discover nearby ports—Lisbon to Bordeaux, for example—before venturing into open waters. Check the Port Location command to mark known ports on your map, helping you plan routes.
- Maximize Discoveries: Discoveries (animals, artifacts, or wonders) boost your explorer fame and earn gold when reported to cartographers or collectors. To find them, sail near villages and use the Search command, but only if you’ve befriended the locals via Entertain. For example, Ernst can find the Saber-toothed Cat near Greenland or Victoria Falls in Africa early on. Keep a lookout active to spot these treasures.
- Remodel for Exploration: Big ships are great for trade or combat, but for exploration, you want a lean vessel. Remodel your starting ship (like Ernst’s Caravela Latina) to minimum crew and zero guns to maximize cargo space for supplies. This cuts costs and lets you stay at sea longer. Visit the shipyard and select Load Capacity to tweak it. Or just buy a light galley.
- Track Your Progress: The Chart command shows explored areas on the world map, helping you avoid retracing steps. For a real-world vibe, skip modern maps and sketch your own as you go, just like 16th-century explorers. Grab a notebook and jot down port coordinates (available at lodges or via sextant) to plan efficient routes.
Navigating Like a Pro: Advanced Tips
Once you’ve got the basics down, these tricks will make you feel like Magellan himself:
- Boost Your Luck: Donating to the Round Earth Society (available in some ports) increases your luck stat, reducing the effort needed to befriend villages for discoveries. I share how it works here.
- Contract with Cartographers: If you’re playing as Ernst or have the cartography skill, sign a contract with a cartographer’s guild to earn gold for your maps. Report discoveries regularly to rake in fame and funds, but don’t switch contracts mid-journey, or you’ll lose progress.
- Island Hopping: The Pacific is sparse on ports, so plan stops at places like Easter Island carefully. Stock up heavily before crossing vast oceans, as supply ports are rare.
Why Exploration Feels So Rewarding
What makes exploring in New Horizons so special is the sense of freedom. The game doesn’t hold your hand—you’re free to sail wherever the wind takes you, whether it’s trading carpets in Istanbul, dueling pirates off Cuba, or finding a lost village in the Amazon.
The world map, while not perfectly accurate (Victoria Falls in 1522? Sure, Koei!), captures the thrill of the unknown. As one Reddit user put it, “Just the idea that I could sail the Atlantic to see what’s there made me feel more free in a video game.” That’s the magic of New Horizons.
Uncharted Waters Online
Did you know that Uncharted Waters Online is the spiritual successor to Uncharted Waters New Horizons?
Why not download and try it? Here is how to start to play the smart way.
Here are some reviews.
And if you need help I'm here to help!
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