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Let's be honest, the thing we all love most about pirate games is sailing around in an absolute unit of a ship. Windrose is no different, and thankfully there are a lot of ways for you to make sure your ship is the fiercest around.
In this guide, we'll be running through all the gear you can get for your ship, how the upgrade and ascension systems work, and which upgrades are worth going for first.
We also have a guide that lists all of the ships you can get in Windrose if you haven't seen them all yet.
Ship Gear Categories
Every ship (other than the Boat, bless) has four gear slots that are managed at the Wharf. Every gear slot is for a different piece of ship gear, and with the exception of Boarding Party Gear, they can all be swapped out for various different variants, and upgraded through the ascension system.
The ship gear categories are:
- Cannons: Your primary source of damage during naval combat, it is essential to keep these upgraded.
- Hull Modification: Increases your ship's DEF stat, reducing incoming damage. Without it, you will be blown away by enemy cannons.
- Boarding Party Gear: increases the combat power of your crew during boarding actions.
- Naval tactics: Provides an additional passive buff for your ship.
Other than the Boarding Party Gear, all of the powerful ship gear is locked behind having certain Reputation Levels with the various Factions in the game.
Ship Gear: Cannons
In this section we'll break down all of the available options for the cannon gear slot, and make a recommendation. It's worth noting upfront however that all of the cannon options are good so you can't go far wrong, don't worry if you want to just pick something that suits your playstyle.
All Available Cannons
Following is a list of all available Cannons and their stats:
| Cannon | Damage | Reload | Range | Accuracy | Source (Plans) |
| 12-Pounders | 1,500 | 11s | A | B | Level 1 Ship Workshop |
| 12-Pounders: Devastating | 1,500 | 12s | A | B | Buccaneers (Level 2) |
| 12-Pounders: Perf. Ord. | 1,500 | 13s | B | B | Buccaneers (Level 2) |
| 12-Pounders: Tempered | 1,500 | 12s | A | A | Buccaneers (Level 2) |
| 24-Pounders | 2,000 | 13s | B | B | Level 2 Ship Workshop |
| 24-Pounders: Devastating | 2,000 | 13s | A | A | Buccaneers (Level 3) |
| 24-Pounders: Perf. Ord. | 2,000 | 14s | B | B | Buccaneers (Level 3) |
| 24-Pounders: Tempered | 2,000 | 14s | A | A | Buccaneers (Level 3) |
| 36-Pounders | 2,500 | 14s | A | B | Level 3 Ship Workshop |
| 36-Pounders: Devastating | 2,500 | 15s | A | A | Buccaneers (Level 4) |
| 36-Pounders: Perf. Ord. | 2,500 | 16s | A | B | Buccaneers (Level 4) |
| 36-Pounders: Tempered | 2,500 | 16s | S | S | Buccaneers (Level 4) |
Important: Make sure that your ship can support the cannons you are crafting. Only the Blackbeard Ketch, Blackbeard Brig and all Frigates can support 24lb cannons, and only the Blackbeard Frigate can support 36lb cannons.
Cannon Abilities
As with your weapons and armour, you can upgrade your cannons 'rarity' from Rare to Epic. Doing so will unlock a new ability for any of the named cannons that you bought from the Buccaneers. The effects of each of the cannons is listed below:
| Cannon Type | Rare Effect | Epic Effect |
| Devastating | Hitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked effect for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times. | Reload speed increased by 15%. |
| Perfectly Ordered | After reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22s. | Aiming speed increased by 30%. |
| Tempered | After reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley’s Damage by 40%. | Hitting a Weak Spot deals 20% bonus Damage. |
Best Cannons in Windrose
As previously mentioned, all of the cannons in Windrose are powerful but when you only have access to one set of Cannons (Ketch and Brig), our opinion is that the Perfectly Ordered cannons (highest lb version your ship can support) are the best cannons you can currently equip in Windrose.
The reason Perfectly Ordered Cannons have slightly worse stats (Reload Speed, Range, Accuracy) is because their passive effect is so strong. Hitting an enemy within 4 seconds after reloading is incredibly easy to do so you are pretty much always at 30% faster Reload Speeds.
However, when you get access to the Frigate and you can equip two sets of cannons, we'd recommend constructing the 36-lb Devastating Cannons (if you have the Blackbeard Variant) or the 24-lb Devastating Cannons (if you have either of the other variants).
There's no point in double stacking Perfectly Ordered cannons because the increased Reload Speed doesn't stack but the Epic effect of the Devastating Cannons reduces the reload speed even further, allowing you to launch salvo after salvo, quickly reaching 3x stacks of the Devastating debuff.
Ship Gear: Hull Modifications
Your Hull is incredibly important in Windrose and is essentially what is going to keep you alive during naval combat.
All Available Hull Modifications
Once again, there is no 'bad choice' when it comes to Hull Modifications in Windrose. That being said, here's the full list:
| Hull Modification | Source (Plans) |
| Hull Bracing: Keelhold | Smugglers (Level 2) |
| Hull Bracing: Standfast | Smugglers (Level 2) |
| Hull Bracing: Iron Resolve | Smugglers (Level 2) |
Hull Modification Abilities
Hull Modifications can also be ascended to Epic rarity and they also gain an additional ability.
| Hull Modification Type | Rare Effect | Epic Effect |
| Keelhold | Taking damage no longer affects the duration of repair kits. | Repair Kit effect duration is increased by 30%. |
| Standfast | Grants 5 stacks of Standfast effect over time. Taking damage consumes 1 stack and reduces incoming damage by 25% for 3 seconds. | Provides additional 3 stacks of Standfast effect |
| Iron Resolve | As Ship Health drops, Damage Resistance increases, reaching up to 25% at 30% Ship Health. | Repair Kits effectiveness increased by 30%. |
Best Hull Modification in Windrose
We think that the best Hull Modification in Windrose is Hull Bracing: Keelhold. In long naval battles, repairing multiple times using Combat Repair Kits is essential so being able to receive the full heal and for 30% longer at Epic is invaluable.
Ship Gear: Naval Tactics
Naval Tactics are different to Cannons and Hull Modifications in that they cannot be upgraded or ascended, and instead simply provide a passive benefit to your ship.
All Available Naval Tactics
A full list of all available Naval Tactics is shown below:
| Naval Tactics | Source (Plans) | Cost |
| Naval Tactics I: Ambush | Smugglers (Level 3) | 500 Piastre |
| Naval Tactics II: No Quarter | Smugglers (Level 3) | 500 Piastre |
| Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply | Smugglers (Level 3) | 500 Piastre |
| Naval Tactics IV: Shipshape | Smugglers (Level 3) | 500 Piastre |
| Naval Tactics V: Silence The Guns | Smugglers (Level 3) | 500 Piastre |
Naval Tactics Passive Buffs
As mentioned, Naval Tactics cannot be upgraded or ascended, so there is only one effect to note.
| Naval Tactics | Effect |
| Naval Tactics I: Ambush | If you neither deal nor take Damage for 2 minutes, the next volley deals 130% increased Damage. |
| Naval Tactics II: No Quarter | Destroying an enemy ship within 50 meters restores 30% Ship Health over 10 seconds. |
| Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply | Increases consumable duration: Repair Kits by 30% and Grog by 200% |
| Naval Tactics IV: Shipshape | While out of combat, restores 3% Ship Health every 3 seconds. |
| Naval Tactics V: Silence The Guns | Hitting an enemy applies Broken Rhythm effect for 30 seconds, reducing their Reload Speed by 20% and Damage by 20%. |
Best Naval Tactics in Windrose
First of all let's be clear, Naval Tactics IV is for sure the worst option. With that out of the way, we think that the best Naval Tactics is Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply.
Not only is the additional 30% Repair Kit length insanely valuable when paired with Hull Modification: Keelhold as above, Grog is also super powerful providing either +15% damage, +15% damage resistance or +15% reduced reload times.
Ship Gear: Boarding Party Gear
Boarding Party Gear is a bit of an oddity when compared to the rest of the ship gear. It is crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop (along with all of the other ship gear) at Uncommon rarity but there is only one option and it cannot be ascended to a higher rarity. It can however be upgraded from Level 1 to Level 15.
The upgrades are expensive but with good reason, a high level Boarding Party Gear allows your crew to handle the enemies when you board a ship, making the whole process much easier, safer and faster.
Upgrading & Ascending Ship Gear
Upgrading Ship Gear
All ship equipment is upgraded at the Shipwright's Workshop using the Upgrade tab. Each upgrade increases the item's level by one and improves its core stat; a level 1 item at 100 ATK or DEF, becomes 120 at level 2, for example.
Note: You cannot upgrade or Ascend ship items unless they are in your personal inventory, which means you need to remove them from your ship first at the Wharf.
After you complete the 'Local Threat' in each zone, you will unlock the next 5 upgrades for each item, and you'll be able to craft the item at the next level. So for example once you complete the Coastal Jungle zone, you can craft Ship Gear at Level 6 and upgrade it to Level 10.
Ascending Ship Gear
Ascending works in the same way it does with weapons. Take the item you want to ascend to the Shipwright's Workshop. When you ascend from Rare to Epic you will unlock the second ability for that piece of gear. Note that you will need Tumbaga Ingots to ascend any item, including Ship Gear.
Check out our other content for more in-depth Windrose guides including our Piastre guide which will ensure you're able to afford all of these ship upgrades!
