Welcome to the Brethren. Here's what you need before your first voyage.
Sailing the Ship
Two thumbs and you're sailing.
- Steer by dragging the wooden wheel in the bottom-right corner. (Keyboard:
A/Dor arrows.) - Trim sails with the slider on the right edge — top closes the canvas, bottom spreads it. (Keyboard:
W/Sor arrows.) - Fire a broadside with the red FIRE button. Cannons mount on the sides, so swing broadside-to-target before firing. (Keyboard:
Space.) - Drop sails to coast — and to repair at a friendly harbor. (Keyboard:
Shift.) - SHIP LOGS opens the world map, ranking, and settings. (Keyboard:
M,Ctrl,Tab, orEnter.)
The first voyage shows three yellow tutorial chips over the wheel, slider, and FIRE button for ten seconds. After that you're on your own.
The Situation
It's the close of the 17th century in the Caribbean. Jamaica is your home water, ringed by seven liberated isles the Brethren of the Coast have held for generations. The British Crown disagrees. Patrol brigs and the occasional naval frigate fly the Cross of St George at each island and choke the trade routes.
Two Regions to Liberate
Pick from the Main Menu.
British Waters — your home region. Seven islands, Crown Cove at the heart. Royal Navy brigs guard every isle; a frigate anchors at Crown Cove and one elite satellite. Open from your first voyage.
Spanish Waters — the southern campaign. Ten islands in three coastal clusters around a Spanish stronghold. Spanish brigs and cutters defend every harbor; four armada islands (the center plus three satellites) add a Galleon. Unlocked after your first complete British voyage.
Or Hold the Line at Tortuga
The third voyage isn't a campaign — it's a siege. Invasion drops you into the Brethren's home water at Tortuga and her sister island Île à Vache with both Crowns' fleets bearing down. Waves arrive every 60 seconds, scaling in count and weight. Your score is the highest wave you reached.
Both islands fly the Jolly Roger from the start. They're also vendors with skill trees. Dock at Tortuga for Powder & Steel (combat: cannon damage, hull HP, Galleon refit at T4). Dock at Île à Vache for Wind & Sail (mobility: sails, pickup radius, Frigate refit at T4). One tree per island, every node permanent for the run. Gold drops off every kill.
Invasion shares the Infamy ledger and Cursed Cargo hold with Liberation. The TIME leaderboard adds an INVASION sub-tab ranking captains by max wave.
Your Mission
Free every isle of the region you sailed into. One at a time. Sink the patrol, weaken the garrison, sail to shore, and claim the island under the Brethren flag. Each liberated isle adds Infamy — the reputation ledger that follows you between voyages.
Liberate every island in the region (seven on British, ten on Spanish) and the voyage is complete.
Your Vessel
Brig. Two masts of stacked square sails, plus a jib forward and a spanker aft. Quick on a beam reach, agile in stays. Your starting ship on every voyage. Armament: five-pellet bow burst for chase, two cannons per side.
Mid-voyage the dockyards refit you into the region's flagship — three masts, four cannons per side, more hull, slower to turn:
- British — Brethren Frigate. Commissioned after four islands liberated. Four cannons per side.
- Spanish — Galleon. Commissioned after six islands liberated. Half the brig's top speed but the heaviest broadside in the game: five cannons per side.
The flagship lasts the voyage. Every new voyage resets you to a brig.
Convoy — Friendly Wingmen
- British. The brig sails alone; the frigate refit hands you a single allied sloop wingman.
- Spanish. You weigh anchor with a pet cutter already in formation. After the galleon upgrade an allied brig joins. After eight islands liberated a second cutter falls in.
A sunken wingman rejoins from the nearest liberated harbor within ~15 minutes, in the same hull class.
The Enemy
British Waters
Royal Navy Brig. Standard Crown patrol. Sticks close to its island. Garrison: two brigs.
Royal Navy Frigate. Heavy escort. Three masts, twice the cannons. Defends Crown Cove and one elite satellite (two elite islands total).
Spanish Waters
- Spanish Cutter (1 mast). Fast and light. Standard garrisons get one; armada garrisons get two.
- Spanish Brig (2 masts). Same weight as a Royal Navy Brig, repainted. Backbone of every Spanish garrison.
- Spanish Galleon (3 masts). Heavy capital ship. Slower than the frigate but commands the armada. Spawns only at armada islands (the center plus three satellites — four of ten).
| Region | Standard garrison | Armada garrison |
|---|---|---|
| British (7 isles) |
2× Royal Brig | 2× Royal Brig + 1× Royal Frigate (2 elite islands) |
| Spanish (10 isles) |
2× Spanish Brig + 1× Cutter | 1× Galleon + 1× Spanish Brig + 2× Cutter (4 armada islands) |
At an armada island the Spanish ships orbit the live Galleon. The armada moves as a fleet.
Sink enough enemies in a single voyage and the Crown takes notice. Hunter Fleets dispatch at 15, 30, and 50 kills. These frigates have no home and don't retreat.
How You Earn Infamy
| Action | Reward |
|---|---|
| Each ship sunk | +10 Infamy |
| Each common treasure recovered | +10 |
| Each rare treasure | +50 |
| Each legendary treasure | +100 |
| Each enemy boarded | +30 |
| Each island liberated | +40 |
| Voyage completed | +500 |
| New best time (per region) | +500 |
Infamy persists between voyages. Captains who go down with their ship keep what they earned.
Pickups in the Open Water
Loot Chests drop from sunken ships. Sail through one to collect. Bigger hulls drop more — a frigate or galleon drops 2, a brig drops 1. Sloops and cutters drop none.
Powder Barrels. +60% cannon damage, temporary.
Grog Barrels. +40% sail thrust, temporary.
Sea Encounters
The Caribbean is never quiet. Roughly once a minute, an encounter surfaces. Sail through to trigger.
Mermaid Pod. Coin flip: +30 HP or −15 HP.
Drifting Wreck. Free loot plus a random barrel.
Castaway. A survivor in three rarities. Red (common) +50 HP. Green (uncommon) +75 HP plus a common treasure. Purple (rare) +100 HP plus a guaranteed rare treasure. Castaways are twice as likely near an island.
Whirlpool. −20 HP for a rare treasure. 0.7% chance a Reef Crab clings to the hull as a Sea Companion.
Dark Cloud Front. −12 HP plus a common treasure roll. 1.0% chance a Stormling peels off as a Sea Companion.
Sea Monster Shadow. −35 HP and an 8% legendary / 92% rare treasure roll. 1.5% chance the kraken follows you home as a Sea Companion.
Treasures & Cursed Cargo
Each region's voyage hides 38 historical treasures from real Caribbean pirate folklore. Each entry links to the Wikipedia article behind it. Three tiers:
- Common (18 per region, +10 Infamy). Coins, navigational tools, period artifacts.
- Rare (12 entries, +50). Iconic pirate hauls.
- Legendary (8 entries, +100 plus a voyage-long buff). The Cursed Cargo.
Every Cursed Cargo you recover stays in your permanent hold. Between voyages you pick what to carry — British Waters gives one slot, Spanish Waters gives two.
In Spanish Waters you can stack effects. Pair the Black Pearl (one-second cannon reload) with the Aztec Cursed Gold (+25% damage / −25% hull) for a glass cannon. Or the Trident of Poseidon (+20% thrust) with Treasure Island's Map (double barrels) for a coastal race.
Sea Companions
Three rare creatures roam the seas. Befriend one on its encounter and it joins your roster for life, sailing alongside any Cursed Cargo you carry.
Kraken Companion. 1.5% drop from a Sea Monster Shadow. Latches onto enemies within 220 px and chews for 6 HP every 0.75 s.
Reef Crab Companion. 0.7% drop from a Whirlpool. Scuttles between enemies and claw-slaps for 3 HP plus a 0.6 s rudder stun.
Stormling Companion. 1.0% drop from a Dark Cloud Front. Hovers in your wake and zaps the nearest enemy for 9 HP every 2.5 s.
The Climb: Ranks of the Brethren
Infamy climbs the captain through ten ranks. Each adds a more ornate seal to your dispatches. The top five unlock prestige paint: hull tint, sail stripes, glowing bow gem.
| Tier | Title | Threshold |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Deckhand | 0 |
| 1 | Powder Monkey | 800 |
| 2 | Sea Dog | 2,000 |
| 3 | Buccaneer | 4,500 |
| 4 | Privateer | 9,000 |
| 5 | Pirate Captain | 16,000 (cyan paint + bow gem) |
| 6 | Dread Pirate | 24,000 (purple paint + silver-purple sail) |
| 7 | Brethren Lord | 40,000 (forest-green paint + gold-green sail + emerald bow gem) |
| 8 | Brethren King | 100,000 (ivory + gold paint + gold X sail + royal-gold bow pearl) |
| 9 | Neptune's Chosen | 200,000 (matte black + gold paint + black skull sail + gold bow pearl) |
A complete voyage pays around 800 Infamy.
Ranked Duels — The Brethren Ladder
Take the fight to other captains at DUEL ARENA under the PVP COVE tab. Eight tiers — Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Emerald → Ruby → Kraken → Tempest — driven by your MMR (matchmaking rating). Independent of your Infamy rank, so you can be a Brethren Lord wearing a Bronze duel badge until you've sailed against a peer.
| MMR | Tier |
|---|---|
| 0 — 899 | Bronze |
| 900 — 1,199 | Silver (starting tier — 1050 MMR) |
| 1,200 — 1,499 | Gold |
| 1,500 — 1,799 | Platinum |
| 1,800 — 2,099 | Emerald |
| 2,100 — 2,399 | Ruby |
| 2,400 — 2,699 | Kraken |
| 2,700+ | Tempest |
A few things to know before your first duel:
- First 5 matches are placement. Your rating moves fast — ~30-40 MMR per win — so the ladder finds your level quickly.
- Streaks pay. Three wins in a row earns a +5% bonus, four wins +10%, five or more +15% (capped). Lose once and the streak resets.
- Dunks pay. Finish a match in under 60 seconds OR with above 75% hull remaining and you earn a +10% multiplier. Both at once is a Perfect Dunk worth +20%. Only winners get dunks — your losses are never worse than normal.
- Beating a higher-ranked captain earns more; losing to a lower-ranked captain costs more. Standard chess-style upset math.
For the full match history, current tier, and rating, the DUEL HISTORY page (linked from the menu or any post-match screen) is your ledger.
Set Sail
Pick your Cursed Cargo, weigh anchor, and find your first patrol. The wind is up.
For the full breakdown of every ship, treasure, encounter, and companion, see the Lore Codex. For wind, trim, and points of sail, see the Sailor's Manual.