I’m ready to plunder!! How do I do that? To enter a battle, first tap “Plunder!” in the bottom right corner of the island screen. You will then have the choice of attacking a rival captain, or exploring. Tap the crossed swords button under “Fight a Rival Captain” to attack another player. Each time you engage in battle, you will have to pay a duty in gold. The amount of the duty depends on your Pirate Rank. You will then be shown the island base of a rival pirate. You can size up their defences, see how much resource you can plunder and gauge whether your pirates are up to the task. If yes, tap “Fight!” and go to it! If no, you can search for another match by tapping “Next”. Note that this requires that another duty be paid. Once you have chosen to fight, select a pirate from your roster at the bottom of the screen and tap anywhere in the water around your opponent’s base to deploy your chosen pirate. Alternatively, you can press and hold to deploy a stream of pirates. Your pirates will go on the attack, destroying and plundering, gold for your coffers and grog for your gullet! To be victorious in the attack, you must obtain at least one star in the attack. How do I earn stars during battles? As the stars guide your ship in the night, use the stars to gauge your success in battle! One star is awarded for destroying your opponent’s Pirate Hall, another can be earned by destroying 50% of their island and the third for destroying 100%. After earning the first star, you can finish the fight and return home with a victory, or show no mercy and go for all three! How do I recruit pirates? You can find pirates where they feel most at home, in the Tavern. Tap the Tavern on your island, and then tap “Recruit”. From here you can choose which pirates you would like to recruit by tapping their icons. They won’t work for free though. You have to buy them a drink (or fifteen) first! With all of that free booze flying into flagons, your tavern may get full quickly. However, you can upgrade the tavern to increase its capacity and recruit more pirates. What are the different classes of pirates? There are all manner of no good ruffians, swashbucklers, and outcasts ready to be recruited. If you only have two choices, the Buccaneer and Gunner, then build and upgrade the Academy to unlock more. They may look like a bunch of barbarians, but each has their own unique talents. Ruthless and violent, yes, but talents none the less. Check below to be sure you’re hiring the right scoundrel for the job. Buccaneer - Your basic run of the mill pirate, the buccaneer isn't afraid to run head long into any battle once he gets a whiff of gold. The term cannon fodder was invented for this chap. Requires: Grog Gunner - Armed to the teeth with two deadly flintlocks, the gunner can nimbly pick his way across an island taking down the enemy defences. Not the strongest in your pirate crew, make sure he has some protection. Requires: More grog Brute - He has a massive hammer and by Poseidon's beard he's going to use it! Destroying defences is his game, and it's a game he just loves to play. He might be slow but boy can he soak up some damage, and with his special taunt he really knows how to cause a distraction. Requires: Level 2 Academy Thief - Like all good thieves, stealth is her middle name. She has a love for anything shiny and will head straight for the enemy's resources to fill her pockets. If you're after maximum plunder she is an essential addition to your crew. Requires: Level 2 Academy Bomber - In hindsight it might not have been a great idea to strap bombs to his back, but what's done is done. Send him into battle, throwing bombs here and there, causing mass destruction. And with his special ability, just make sure you have some ear defenders handy. Requires: Level 3 Academy Witch Doctor - Hey, where did he get that magic staff? It's probably best not to ask, just be happy he's on your side. Powered by mysterious voodoo magic, protection and raising the dead are nothing to this guy. A real team player, add a couple to your crew for a real tactical advantage. Requires: Level 1 Voodoo Hut Priestess - There's nothing wrong with a little glamour in you crew, and she certainly adds it in spades. Surrounded by voodoo magic, she is armed with a devastating projectile and the ability to disrupt the enemy fortifications. Not just a pretty face. Requires: Level 3 Voodoo Hut Juggernaut - Filling an island with traps just isn't playing fair! Thankfully if you dispatch the Juggernaut he'll sniff them out before they can cause too much damage to the rest of your crew. What a trap smells of is a secret within the scouting community so don't even ask. Requires: Level 4 Academy Skellywag - Legend tells of the resurrected remains of long dead pirates fighting alongside the living. Stronger and more resilient than the buccaneer they're happy to be given another chance to clinch victory. With a mighty axe and snazzy horns they'd make even the most style conscious Viking jealous. Requires: Level 2 Voodoo Hut Heavy Gunner - What an impressive weapon! Armed with a handheld, rapid fire cannon, laying waste to all around is no problem for this pirate. Slow and steady is his plan, and with a high pain threshold he's going to keep going and going until his ammo runs dry. Requires: Level 5 Academy My pirates are dumber than a bag of sand. How can I make them more betterer? Train your pirates in the academy to improve their skills and give them special abilities. You can find the Academy in the Market under “Buildings”. Once the Academy is built, tap the Academy building and then “Train” to open it. Tapping “Skills” will open the skill tree for the selected pirate. Here you can trade grog and gold for increased range, toughness, speed, and damage. For the pirates that use magic (e.g. Witch Doctor and Priestess), the Voodoo Hut is the place to hone these pirates’ abilities. Upgrade your Academy and Voodoo Hut to gain access to more skills, new pirates, and special abilities. What are Battle Points? How/why do I earn them? Every victorious battle will earn you a number of Battle Points (BP). Some items require that you prove your mettle in the form of BP in order to use or build them. Just maintain a healthy plundering schedule to keep your BP at a respectable level. If I am defeated in a battle, do I keep the gold and grog that I earned? Aye. Any booty plundered during battle remains yours to keep. However, you will not earn Battle Points if defeated, and your Pirate Rank will decrease. Do my pirates return to my island after a battle? As long as pirates are not deployed into a battle, they will return to your Tavern after a battle. However, if a pirate is deployed in a battle, there is no turning back. They cannot return even if they survive the fight. Don’t worry Cap’n. There’s plenty more where that one came from, so long as you have enough grog!
