Too poor to sail - about ship management and upgrades

[Pus-in-Boots]

Hello there.

 

I've been playing for around 40 hours already and I've got a feeling that I'm earning very little from quests and looting, considering the outlandish prices of ships and ship upgrades. I'm very reluctant to buy equipment for my party for this very reason and because of the cost of exploration (food and drinks to keep the crew happy).

 

Am I doing something wrong? Are my finanses supposed to be so strained or have I simply not played long enough to be rich?

[guildwriter]

The only reason to invest any money in buying other ships is for achievements or personal satisfaction.  I've beaten every enemy ship with the starting sloop and a set of Royal Bronzers and some minor ship upgrades from the Bardatto/Valera quest line.  Make a trip to Sayuka or Port Maje and just buy tons of ale/rice wine and rice and you're set.  It's so hard to get your crew to mutiny that you practically have to force it so don't worry about morale too much.

 

Money gets a lot easier once you're past the midgame and the game just throws exceptional and superb trash gear at you.  Also investing in some sneak and mechanics to steal unique gear helps a lot as well.  If you feel like you want to hoard cash, just board every ship.  Sinking nets you less items than boarding.  High level ships are money pinatas.

 

Enchanting though is a huge money sink.  Keep in mind that certain fights and items in the game will give you free upgrades from exceptional->superb and superb->legendary.

[Pus-in-Boots]

The only reason to invest any money in buying other ships is for achievements or personal satisfaction.  I've beaten every enemy ship with the starting sloop and a set of Royal Bronzers and some minor ship upgrades from the Bardatto/Valera quest line.  Make a trip to Sayuka or Port Maje and just buy tons of ale/rice wine and rice and you're set.  It's so hard to get your crew to mutiny that you practically have to force it so don't worry about morale too much.

 

Money gets a lot easier once you're past the midgame and the game just throws exceptional and superb trash gear at you.  Also investing in some sneak and mechanics to steal unique gear helps a lot as well.  If you feel like you want to hoard cash, just board every ship.  Sinking nets you less items than boarding.  High level ships are money pinatas.

 

Enchanting though is a huge money sink.  Keep in mind that certain fights and items in the game will give you free upgrades from exceptional->superb and superb->legendary.

 

So enchanting is the way to go spending-wise? 

[Gromnir]

 

 

Am I doing something wrong? 

probably.

 

you don't need ship upgrades to make money from ship combat, at least not initially.  the sloop is good enough to cruise 'round the deadfire and loot shipwrecks to improve your cannons w/o having to pay for such weapons.  save scum if you wish to enhance your chances for long guns or whatever.  for more cheaty strategy, do same save scum at ruined towers and shipwrecks to gain a spyglass w/o paying.  typical takes a few reloads at a ruined tower or shipwreck to get a spyglass if you are trying to stretch money as far as possible. the sloop with upgraded cannons and spyglass is more than good enough to complete initial tier o' ship bounties.  after completing a few such bounties, you should have enough money to purchase a dhow, which when upgraded is sufficient to ez succeed in combat 'gainst any ship foe save one.  do all ship bounties and sink all deadfire slavers and named vessels for nice 1007 rewards and even better xp offerings.

 

we typical go with a combo o' water and taar loaf to provision our crew, but particularly if you stop at every island with water, fruit trees and abandoned villages, you will not need replenish supplies as frequent. 

 

ship combat is actual the most simple xp and 1007 exploit in the game.  you need not do anything but ship combat after leaving port maje and by time you are done, you will be level 11 with a fully upgraded dhow, multiple superb gear items and a nice bit o' 1007. if you are playing potd, ship combat difficulty does not actual increase.  additional, your low level character will have no more difficulty in ship combat with a level 16 potd ship than would be the case at lower difficulties.  ship combat ignores class levels-- is ship and crew stats.

 

there is some meta stuff which improves your ship combat efforts considerable.  example: crew skill.  maximize crew capabilities is actual counter-intuitive.  hire crew who only has a single skill, even if such a crew member initial sucks.  your crew will improve skills quick through combat or through intentional  entering storms.  a one-star navigator will eventually be able to become a four-star navigator.  only way to get to four-stars is if your crew member has only a single initial ship skill.  stop at every port and hire anybody with a single skill.

 

*shrug*

 

put money into ship upgrades is not a bad idea by any means.  the thing is, you don't need spend much to maximize usefulness.  a decent crew manning a dhow with improved warship hull, and a few other items, will be able to sink most any deadfire ship.  is good investment as doing so provides much early experience and 1007.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps ship combat is not the best way to earn money in deadfire, and upgrading a ship is an intentional money sink.  however, is no better way to gain experience and gear early in the game than ship combat, particularly when doing a potd run.  get a few upgrades and thank Gromnir later.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Gromnir

[guildwriter]

I'd say so.  Everything in the game can be solved by with character combat, including ship combat.  So enchanting is always a safe place to invest.

 

As far as xp harvesting risk free for solo runs I've found that mechanics and harvesting high level locations of their traps is nice and safe.

Edited December 7, 2018 by guildwriter

[Gromnir]

I'd say so.  Everything in the game can be solved by with character combat, including ship combat.  So enchanting is always a safe place to invest.

 

 

common misunderstanding 'bout ship combat.  at what level does a potd deadfire character need be to successfully win a boarding combat with captain "fyrgist" and his crew?  fyrgist is a level 15 barbarian and his crew is large and well equipped.  play on potd and chances are you wanna be similar level, no?  

 

with an upgraded dhow, you may defeat a potd fyrgist in ship combat before you do a single quest other than ship bounties after leaving port maje, and the xp and 1007 rewards is proportional far more valuable at low levels as 'posed to high levels.  in addition, ship combat rewards, xp and 1007, is actual superior to boarding actions. 

 

purchase a dhow asap and add a few other upgrades.  is the most practical use o' your money early in the game.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

[guildwriter]

common misunderstanding 'bout ship combat.  at what level does a potd deadfire character need be to successfully win a boarding combat with captain "fyrgist" and his crew?  fyrgist is a level 15 barbarian and his crew is large and well equipped.  play on potd and chances are you wanna be similar level, no?  

 

 

 

 

with an upgraded dhow, you may defeat a potd fyrgist in ship combat before you do a single quest other than ship bounties after leaving port maje, and the xp and 1007 rewards is proportional far more valuable at low levels as 'posed to high levels.  in addition, ship combat rewards, xp and 1007, is actual superior to boarding actions. 

 

purchase a dhow asap and add a few other upgrades.  is the most practical use o' your money early in the game.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

 

I think it's worth stating that I approach the game mostly from a solo perspective so that colors some of my advice.  So I don't really feel like anything I've said discounts what you're saying.  I've never needed to harvest ships for XP because frankly, I can hit level 11 without leaving Nekataka running solo and that covers the point where most builds I run start functioning properly.  Once XP gets split, sinking ships is definitely an easy way to gain levels and gear.

 

Especially now that trash ships respawn it's probably the best approach period for people running full teams.

 

I will say I force vengeance ships early and sink them though as I don't like waiting for those drops and those fights are intensely irritating.

[Gromnir]

our suggestion 'bout advantages o' ship combat actual is most salient a solo run.  if you do not scale difficulty upwards, then starting nekataka quest at level 11 is a serious advantage over finishing nekataka at level 11.  sure, if you want more o' a challenge you might prefer to initial level slower.  'course is all kinda ways you could self gimp to increase challenge.

 

HA! Good Fun!

[Enoch]

purchase a dhow asap and add a few other upgrades.  is the most practical use o' your money early in the game.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

But...  There are skillpoints to be bought!!! 

 

The cheapest morale-neutral provisions are Cuttlefish/Water.  Cuttlefish is unique in being a +1 Morale food that you can buy in unlimited quantities (from the fish vendor in Queen's Berth) for only 7 cp each (that is, the same price as most 0-morale foods like Rice or Hagfish).  Also, they look delicious.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Enoch

[guildwriter]

our suggestion 'bout advantages o' ship combat actual is most salient a solo run.  if you do not scale difficulty upwards, then starting nekataka quest at level 11 is a serious advantage over finishing nekataka at level 11.  sure, if you want more o' a challenge you might prefer to initial level slower.  'course is all kinda ways you could self gimp to increase challenge.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

Yeah I play PotD upscaled only so there is that.

[Gromnir]

 

our suggestion 'bout advantages o' ship combat actual is most salient a solo run.  if you do not scale difficulty upwards, then starting nekataka quest at level 11 is a serious advantage over finishing nekataka at level 11.  sure, if you want more o' a challenge you might prefer to initial level slower.  'course is all kinda ways you could self gimp to increase challenge.

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

Yeah I play PotD upscaled only so there is that.

 

again, potd makes early ship combat more significant.  ship combat is not affected by level or upscaling or difficulty slider.  and while upscaling does diminish the power gulf resulting early xp boost, as a solo potd player you are no doubt aware that upscaling does not actual work to fully balance encounter difficulties.  upscaling reduces the power margin from being overlevel'd, but does not eliminate.

 

regardless, am gonna once again concede how the ship combat methods we suggest is actual a bit exploitive.  start nekataka quests at level 11 with superb gear and a few unique items is, regardless o' solo or potd, getting a white stilton gold rating on the deadfire cheese spectrum.  

 

HA! Good Fun!

 

ps good call on the cuttlefish by enoch.  makes even  cheaper.  however, the skill upgrades is actual a reason to do the ship combat.  is only a couple randomn ship-specific encounters.  most skill checks will take place via quests and dialogues.  so Gromnir gets enoch extra levels worth o' skills previous to such questing, and by purchasing to dhow to sink ships which provide superb weapon drops, you will have enough money to actual purchase more than a couple o' those along with persistent private dance bonuses from the wild mare inn when you first begin actual questing.

Edited December 7, 2018 by Gromnir

[Boeroer]

I agree that ship combat is the easiest, fastest and most reliable way to level and make money with very little investment. Solo or not, PotD or not.

 

I don't even bother to buy another ship. I'll sink nearly all unique ships before char lvl 8 with a normal sloop - only upgrades are better cannons. For the Deck of Many Things I like to buy the Red Dream Hull upgrade (for safety reasons - don't want to reload ) and that's it.

[Frak]

Sinking nets you less items than boarding.  High level ships are money pinatas.

 

 

 

I've heard conflicting opinions on this. Guess I'll have to do my own testing when DLC drops.

[Boeroer]

Sinking gives you the same loot but more XP overall. At least that was that case. Don't know if that changed, but I read nothing in patch notes.

Edited December 8, 2018 by Boeroer

[guildwriter]

Sinking does not give the same loot.  Have tested several times on the same ship and definitely got better rewards for boarding.  Have no idea if it's linked to how many crew members you've killed in ship combat.  All I know is I've consistently gotten more trash superb/exceptional/fine gear each time I've boarded while sinking has generally netted me lower amounts.  There is some variance but I'm not sure what it's linked to.

 

Early game it's generally not worth it, just sink them.  Not until you at least get fine or exceptional gear should you consider boarding targets.

Edited December 8, 2018 by guildwriter

[baldurs_gate_2]

Hello there.

 

I've been playing for around 40 hours already and I've got a feeling that I'm earning very little from quests and looting, considering the outlandish prices of ships and ship upgrades. I'm very reluctant to buy equipment for my party for this very reason and because of the cost of exploration (food and drinks to keep the crew happy).

 

Am I doing something wrong? Are my finanses supposed to be so strained or have I simply not played long enough to be rich?

Never bought any ship upgrade. I don't like the mini game, so i board the other ship and kill everyone. There only 2 or 3 ships, where it is difficult to do so, but with a party, it should not be a problem at all.

[Pus-in-Boots]

Okay, I've played 20 hours more and was able to afford the best hull and sails upgrades, switch to a dhow and replace my cannons with double bronzers. Naval battles are sort of fun now.

[Haplok]

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

[Pus-in-Boots]

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

Does the game inform you that completing this quest is the path of no return and you will be married to a faction as a result?

[Kaylon]

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

You can do that, but the Fonferus can't be upgraded and will have slow travel/attack speed.

[Boeroer]

Basically it's trash - unless you want to sail to Ukaizo - then it's not.

[Haplok]

 

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

Does the game inform you that completing this quest is the path of no return and you will be married to a faction as a result?

 

Well, I don't complete it, as I don't "turn it in".

[Haplok]

 

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

You can do that, but the Fonferus can't be upgraded and will have slow travel/attack speed.

 

 

Meh, it still has the cannon and crew capacity of a galleon, as well as hull durability of an (un-upgraded) one.

Was a huge upgrade over my sloop overall and more then enough to beat the enemy ships.

 

Bonus points for the nice fog effect that it creates. And its FREE!

[brasilgringo]

 

 

Personally I buy some cheap upgrades, like Warship hull (plus get Valera sails). Get some good guns (I think they sell decent ones in Sayuka) and the initial sloop lasts me well till after mid-game.

Then I tend to rush the Principi questline and get the Engoliero de Espirs estoc, as well as Fonferrus Ghost Galleon for free. If you don't report back with the ship to the pirates, you're still free to join other factions and ally with whomever you wish.

You can do that, but the Fonferus can't be upgraded and will have slow travel/attack speed.

 

 

Meh, it still has the cannon and crew capacity of a galleon, as well as hull durability of an (un-upgraded) one.

Was a huge upgrade over my sloop overall and more then enough to beat the enemy ships.

 

Bonus points for the nice fog effect that it creates. And its FREE!

 

Weren't they going to fix the submarine so it can be upgraded - or am I thinking of a mod I saw?

I know it's not the Fonferrus, but it was another unique ship.