Maelstrom 2018 - PC
Beginners Guide:
----------------
Written by Degnos
A quick rundown on the ships in the game and some basic mechanics.
-=Introduction=-
A very quick bit on strategy.
Strategy is an important part of the game: Playing smart will increase your odds of winning
and overall loot gain. Hiding until only two ships remain is not a good way to play and
neither is going blindly in to the fray.
Pick your fights: Going in head first against a heavier ship with a light ship will most
likely end badly. Take your time and pick your fights. Be smart, not stupid.
Use fogwalls: Hiding inside a fogwall is good, as it hides you from enemy ships that are
outside and not close to you. Especially usefull when two large ships are going at it within
vision range. Winning is as much strategic backstabbing as it is skill. The "Winner" takes
it all, as a dead ship will drop all of it's treasure and upgrades it has picked up when it
sinks, and when it comes to lategame duels, the ship with the most upgrades will (most likely)
win.
Collect upgrades: These will win the game for you. These will drop when you kill AI Ships:
Sloops, Goblin Raiders and Armor Galleons. Treasure Galleons will drop less upgrades but
significantly more gold. Collecting upgrades gives you a marked advantage over other players.
As stated above, a dead ship will drop all of the upgrades it has collected during that game
session.
Aiming: Keep looking for damaged or removed armor blocks. A ship with no "blocks" on a side
means that damage inflicted there will go straight to the hull. Focus fire on them. At the
same time, try to keep these away from enemy fire.
Captain Abilities: Remember to use your captain abilities, they can significantly change the
game and win skirmishes for you.
-=Ammo Types=-
This should become obvious in the tutorial: There's three different ammo types, use them!
Cannonballs: Cannonballs are the default ammo. They do armor damage, and when armor is
reduced to zero, they deal hull damage. This is the only way you can sink your enemy at
range, along with some captain abilities.
Chainshot: This stuff works wonders against Human and Orc ships, and is meant to cut their
biggest asset, mobility down to size. Especially recommended to be used by bigger ships,
like the Fury's Hold, Thunderhead, StormAnchor and Gorger. As a big ship, smaller ships
can easily outmaneuver you. You have more firepower, so cutting their mobility down is key
in dealing with small and fast ships like Cinder and Cleaver. Also fabulous for shutting
down boarding focused Orc ships, as they lose almost all chances of boarding you when their
sails are down
Grapeshot: The bread and butter of Orc ships, the grapeshot is deadly as hell to all enemy
crew. This is what you are meant to kill the big dwarf ships with, as they will beat you in
a battle of hull and armor in every single case. Also works well against Cinder and
Tidebreaker, as they have very few crewmembers. A short range grapeshot critical will be
worth several cannonball volleys, as losing crewmembers inflicts penalties on cannon reload
speed and other things. Use this against Dwarf ships in combination with boarding, as
killing them with cannonballs takes a lot of time.
-=Ships=-
First and foremost: There is no "best" ship!
Some ships are meant to be played at certain ranges, and with a certain playstyle in mind.
Not every ship is going to excel in all roles, but some are better at different playstyles
than others.
In addition, in few good games you can quickly start racking up Gold for more ships. Don't
sweat it too much, you will find the ship that fits your personal playstyle in no time.
A forewarning as well. Due to the way the maps work at this moment, Dwarf ships have a clear
advantage due to their armor and firepower. Their lack of mobility is not a problem, as they
do not have to move at the late-game stage.
This will most likely change very soon. But as of the current version, they seem to be the
"best" faction to play, simply because late-game the map size is significantly reduced and
makes it easy for them to use their reverse and close-range firepower to their advantage.
That doesn't mean you are unable to win with other races, just that the dwarves have a
situational advantage, especially in lower tier games (pretty much anything under 5).
There is a few ways to beat this:
Kiting: The Dwarf ships are slow, which means they are vulnerable to kiting. Keep outranging
them, firing a broadside and running away from them. Especially recommended for Human ships,
as their cannons usually have much longer range than the Dwarf ones.
Powerups: When a ship gets several powerups, it becomes a force to be reckoned with. Killing
AI ships: Windskifs, Armor Galleons, Treasure Galleons and Goblin Raiders will drop these.
Once you have gathered a few of them, especially firepower upgrades, your ship can easily out-
firepower or even outlast them.
Play dirty: Ganking is a valid option. You will notice that in a game where you play as the
StormAnchor, you will get focused by the enemies. Why? Because you will most likely come out
on top if you survive the fight. Hiding and ambushing an enemy after they have killed another
ship is also a splendid idea when it comes to killing Dwarf ships.
Boarding: The way the Dwarf ships are meant to be countered: Using grapeshot and boarding
action. Due to the way the game works as of now, this practically feasible for Orc ships. A
few volleys of grapeshot, a few lucky crits and a Dwarf crew is basically dead. When you
manage to reduce their crew, they begin to lose cannon reload speed, which makes it even
easier to finish them off.
-=Human Ships=-
The human faction is characterized by having the best pound to pound firepower, and will
most likely win in fights that they can best use this strength in. To put it simply, long
and protracted fights at medium-long range, means the Humans will win. They have a huge
broadside of very low damage but very accurate cannons, which means you have to change your
firing direction when shooting. Human guns typically have a slightly longer range than other
races, in addition of having a significantly more accuracy. All of the human ships are rather
mediocre in early tiers, but they really begin to shine in higher tiers (especially tier 10).
-=Cinder=-
The quickest and also most fragile ship in the game, the Cinder packs a solid punch, with
better than average accuracy and damage. The armor is pretty much paper, so you will most
likely lose all fights you take part in. It can barely take one broadside from any ship, and
has barely any crew to defend against boarding, so keep your distance and swoop in on easy
kills when you can.
It is by far the quickest ship in the entire game, and get even faster when the unique ability
kicks in. Use your speed to your advantage: gather loot from around the map while avoiding
fights, flank and shoot from longer range than your enemies and hit their weak spots: in
particular the Orc ships suffer form nearly nonexistent rear armor. You can literally spin
in circles around enemy ships, due to the ludicrous speed the Cinder has.
-=Ashborne=-
The default ship for Humans, the Ashborne is meant to be the jack of all trades ship: good
at everything, master at nothing. In reality, it is a glass cannon at it's finest. It packs
a mean punch at default, which gets increased even more when you factor in the innate ability,
granting even more damage when all the cannons are reloaded. Keep in mind that this powerful
broadside is made up of a large number of canno
----------------
Written by Degnos
A quick rundown on the ships in the game and some basic mechanics.
-=Introduction=-
A very quick bit on strategy.
Strategy is an important part of the game: Playing smart will increase your odds of winning
and overall loot gain. Hiding until only two ships remain is not a good way to play and
neither is going blindly in to the fray.
Pick your fights: Going in head first against a heavier ship with a light ship will most
likely end badly. Take your time and pick your fights. Be smart, not stupid.
Use fogwalls: Hiding inside a fogwall is good, as it hides you from enemy ships that are
outside and not close to you. Especially usefull when two large ships are going at it within
vision range. Winning is as much strategic backstabbing as it is skill. The "Winner" takes
it all, as a dead ship will drop all of it's treasure and upgrades it has picked up when it
sinks, and when it comes to lategame duels, the ship with the most upgrades will (most likely)
win.
Collect upgrades: These will win the game for you. These will drop when you kill AI Ships:
Sloops, Goblin Raiders and Armor Galleons. Treasure Galleons will drop less upgrades but
significantly more gold. Collecting upgrades gives you a marked advantage over other players.
As stated above, a dead ship will drop all of the upgrades it has collected during that game
session.
Aiming: Keep looking for damaged or removed armor blocks. A ship with no "blocks" on a side
means that damage inflicted there will go straight to the hull. Focus fire on them. At the
same time, try to keep these away from enemy fire.
Captain Abilities: Remember to use your captain abilities, they can significantly change the
game and win skirmishes for you.
-=Ammo Types=-
This should become obvious in the tutorial: There's three different ammo types, use them!
Cannonballs: Cannonballs are the default ammo. They do armor damage, and when armor is
reduced to zero, they deal hull damage. This is the only way you can sink your enemy at
range, along with some captain abilities.
Chainshot: This stuff works wonders against Human and Orc ships, and is meant to cut their
biggest asset, mobility down to size. Especially recommended to be used by bigger ships,
like the Fury's Hold, Thunderhead, StormAnchor and Gorger. As a big ship, smaller ships
can easily outmaneuver you. You have more firepower, so cutting their mobility down is key
in dealing with small and fast ships like Cinder and Cleaver. Also fabulous for shutting
down boarding focused Orc ships, as they lose almost all chances of boarding you when their
sails are down
Grapeshot: The bread and butter of Orc ships, the grapeshot is deadly as hell to all enemy
crew. This is what you are meant to kill the big dwarf ships with, as they will beat you in
a battle of hull and armor in every single case. Also works well against Cinder and
Tidebreaker, as they have very few crewmembers. A short range grapeshot critical will be
worth several cannonball volleys, as losing crewmembers inflicts penalties on cannon reload
speed and other things. Use this against Dwarf ships in combination with boarding, as
killing them with cannonballs takes a lot of time.
-=Ships=-
First and foremost: There is no "best" ship!
Some ships are meant to be played at certain ranges, and with a certain playstyle in mind.
Not every ship is going to excel in all roles, but some are better at different playstyles
than others.
In addition, in few good games you can quickly start racking up Gold for more ships. Don't
sweat it too much, you will find the ship that fits your personal playstyle in no time.
A forewarning as well. Due to the way the maps work at this moment, Dwarf ships have a clear
advantage due to their armor and firepower. Their lack of mobility is not a problem, as they
do not have to move at the late-game stage.
This will most likely change very soon. But as of the current version, they seem to be the
"best" faction to play, simply because late-game the map size is significantly reduced and
makes it easy for them to use their reverse and close-range firepower to their advantage.
That doesn't mean you are unable to win with other races, just that the dwarves have a
situational advantage, especially in lower tier games (pretty much anything under 5).
There is a few ways to beat this:
Kiting: The Dwarf ships are slow, which means they are vulnerable to kiting. Keep outranging
them, firing a broadside and running away from them. Especially recommended for Human ships,
as their cannons usually have much longer range than the Dwarf ones.
Powerups: When a ship gets several powerups, it becomes a force to be reckoned with. Killing
AI ships: Windskifs, Armor Galleons, Treasure Galleons and Goblin Raiders will drop these.
Once you have gathered a few of them, especially firepower upgrades, your ship can easily out-
firepower or even outlast them.
Play dirty: Ganking is a valid option. You will notice that in a game where you play as the
StormAnchor, you will get focused by the enemies. Why? Because you will most likely come out
on top if you survive the fight. Hiding and ambushing an enemy after they have killed another
ship is also a splendid idea when it comes to killing Dwarf ships.
Boarding: The way the Dwarf ships are meant to be countered: Using grapeshot and boarding
action. Due to the way the game works as of now, this practically feasible for Orc ships. A
few volleys of grapeshot, a few lucky crits and a Dwarf crew is basically dead. When you
manage to reduce their crew, they begin to lose cannon reload speed, which makes it even
easier to finish them off.
-=Human Ships=-
The human faction is characterized by having the best pound to pound firepower, and will
most likely win in fights that they can best use this strength in. To put it simply, long
and protracted fights at medium-long range, means the Humans will win. They have a huge
broadside of very low damage but very accurate cannons, which means you have to change your
firing direction when shooting. Human guns typically have a slightly longer range than other
races, in addition of having a significantly more accuracy. All of the human ships are rather
mediocre in early tiers, but they really begin to shine in higher tiers (especially tier 10).
-=Cinder=-
The quickest and also most fragile ship in the game, the Cinder packs a solid punch, with
better than average accuracy and damage. The armor is pretty much paper, so you will most
likely lose all fights you take part in. It can barely take one broadside from any ship, and
has barely any crew to defend against boarding, so keep your distance and swoop in on easy
kills when you can.
It is by far the quickest ship in the entire game, and get even faster when the unique ability
kicks in. Use your speed to your advantage: gather loot from around the map while avoiding
fights, flank and shoot from longer range than your enemies and hit their weak spots: in
particular the Orc ships suffer form nearly nonexistent rear armor. You can literally spin
in circles around enemy ships, due to the ludicrous speed the Cinder has.
-=Ashborne=-
The default ship for Humans, the Ashborne is meant to be the jack of all trades ship: good
at everything, master at nothing. In reality, it is a glass cannon at it's finest. It packs
a mean punch at default, which gets increased even more when you factor in the innate ability,
granting even more damage when all the cannons are reloaded. Keep in mind that this powerful
broadside is made up of a large number of canno