Ship combat is one of Pillars of Eternity II’s best features but how does it work and how do you win? This Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Ship Combat Guide will tell you everything you need to know to master boat to boat combat with a step by step guide showing you everything from initiation to combat.
Initiating Combat
When you approach a vessel, or one approaches you, you get the opportunity to initiate combat or retreat. There are several factors here that you want to take into account before making the decision. Firstly, in the upper right corner of the screen, is the level and class of your opponent. While the importance of the class depends on your party makeup, the level is vital regardless of your team. If an enemy captain is 2-3+ levels ahead of you, you’re going to have a really difficult time with boarding combat.
Other information to take into account are the resources of both vessels. This is a fantastic way to make a direct comparison between your vessel and their vessel. If the enemy vessel has more hull armor, stronger sails and more crew, it will be a tough one to take down. You can choose to board these ships directly, which is advised if the ship is much bigger than yours, but you will sustain heavy damage and some casualties in doing so. Once you have weighed up your options, you can either retreat, board or enter combat.
Combat Screen & Options
Once you engage in ship to ship combat you are presented with a turn-based battle of will and tactics. While initially appearing shallow and simple, it’s actually a very in-depth and rewarding system that can net you tons of gold and very rare items if you can master it. There are several aspects of the screen that you want to familiarize yourself with.
Firstly, the location of both ships. At the center bottom of the screen you will see a large vessel with a distance marker inside and then a dark vessel on the exterior of the circle. You can click the white vessel to open your ship menu. This lets you glance at the different cannons on both sides to better plan your attack. The white vessel is always your ship, the distance marker is the distance between you and the enemy vessel and the black vessel is the enemies position in relation to yours. If you are heading directly toward one another, turning to port or starboard will turn you left or right respectively, but the enemies vessel will remain unless they choose an action. It is very important that you understand your ships positioning.
The center of the screen displays current and past actions by both vessels. The star icon represents who is taking the first turn and the boxes below are the actions each vessel takes. This is a good way of looking to see when cannons were fired, when they can be reloaded and which side of your enemies ship is ready to fire next.
The actions are the most important aspect of ship to ship combat. Each available action is explained below.
Full Speed Ahead
This is the quickest way of closing distance between the two ships. This is the best offensive move to make if you are trying to get closer for short-range cannons or to board the enemy vessel.
Half Sail
While not as fast as full speed ahead, Half Sail lets you close the distance to the enemy ship while maintaining a higher defensive rating. This is very useful when the enemy port or starboard side is facing you and preparing to fire, especially if they have just used hold position.
Hold Position
Hold Position leaves your ship in its current position. The best benefits to this is that you gain an accuracy bonus on your next volley. If you have powerful guns with a long reload time, or you are firing at your enemies at maximum cannon range, this is a great way to have more chance at a solid hit.
Turn to Port
Port is left, easily remembered as both have four letters (at least that’s what I use. It will turn your ship one to the left. This is usually fast but bigger ships take more turns to move. Useful when you want to launch a volley from your Port cannons.
Turn to Starboard
The same as Port except your ship turns right. Useful for launching a volley from your starboard cannons.
Prepare to Jibe
Arguably the most useful maneuver. Initiating a Jibe is preparing to turn your ship 180 degrees. This is most effective after firing a set of cannons. If you have just unleashed a volley from your port side, use Prepare to Jibe will turn your starboard side to face the enemy. This allows for two full volleys of fire in very quick succession. It can also be a very useful move for retreating. If you are facing your enemy head on, a 180 turn is the best line for a retreat.
Report To…
The Report To command allows you to adapt to the circumstances of the battle. It allows you to move injured sailors to the healing spots and also allows you to use reserve crew to repair parts of the ship.
Brace For Impact
If your enemy has just used hold position and has port or starboard side facing your ship, this is usually a good move to make. It has a 50% chance of reducing all damage taken. This is a fantastic asset when you are dealing with a better armed enemy ship as you move in to board.
Surrender
You offer your surrender to your enemies. They will demand certain resources and gold for doing so. Only cowards use this option. A captain goes down with his ship!
That wraps up our Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Ship Combat Guide. If you’re still struggling, post a comment below.
Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Guides
Posted May 9, 2018 by captaincamper
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Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Ship Combat Guide
Ship combat is one of Pillars of Eternity II's best features but how does it work and how do you win? This Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Ship Combat Guide will tell you everything you need to know to master boat to boat combat with a step by step guide showing you everything from initiation to combat.
Posted May 8, 2018 by captaincamper
in Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Guides
Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Histories Guide
Wandering what histories to pick at the start of Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire? This Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Histories Guide will explain the basic mechanics of the histories feature so you can choose a path more suited to your personal alignment.
Posted May 8, 2018 by captaincamper
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Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Attributes Guide
Wandering what all of the attributes do in Pillars of Eternity II? This Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire Attributes Guide explains the basics of each of the attributes in the game, providing details on what effects they have on your character and the choices you can make.
Posted May 8, 2018 by captaincamper
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How To Get A Bigger Boat In Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire
Got plenty of crew members and want to find yourself a bigger ship? This guide will tell you How To Get A Bigger Boat In Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire so you can take to the seas with more crew, more cannons and better equipment for your vessel.
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FAQs
What is the best ship for combat in Deadfire? ›
The Junk is the best for gun power. The others are smaller and more nimble. well you can buy them, check them out and then reload. The junk is the best for gun combat as it has the most cannons.
How do you fire cannons in Pillars of Eternity 2? ›You need a gunner, ammo, cannons, be at the right range (most cannons have a minimum range as well as a max range) and you have to be facing the right direction (the guns are on the sides, not the front). Here's a video from beta showing a ship battle where he fires cannons. Footage was recorded during the Closed Beta!
What is the best elite ship for combat? ›The Ship. The best ship for this build is the Federal Corvette. The Corvette is one of the best large ships in the game, and it's impeccably specialized for combat.
What is the best placement for ships in sea battle? ›Place a ship on the edge of the board.
Many players will fire most of their shots the middle of the board. Having at least one or two ships on an edge may give you an advantage. But don't place all your ships on the edge as then r your opponent may guess the pattern.
Bows and crossbows have the largest attack range among all the ranged weapons in the game. Bows are the fastest to use.
How long does it take to beat Pillars of Eternity Deadfire? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is about 42½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 93 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
What is the most powerful battle ship? ›The Story of The Battleship Yamato, The Most Powerful Ship In World War II History.
What ship is best for Thargoid fighting? ›In general, players should stick to ships explicitly dedicated to a combat role when weighing options. The absolute best choices for players new to Thargoid hunting are the Alliance Chieftain or Krait Mk. II. Medium ships will be a lot more forgiving and are the best way to learn how to properly fight Thargoids.
Is the krait mk2 better than Fer de Lance? ›Krait II is actually a far superior combat craft when you factor in all the bonuses. It just isnt when you have no idea how to fly / evade fire. Then the FDL is pretty much idiot proof once you get boosters for your shields and engineer them.
Is there a strategy to battle ships? ›Spread Your Shots Early On
This is the most common strategy of Battleship but also one of the most effective. Use a radar-like approach when targeting the opponent's ships early on in the game. Since your opponent will rarely concentrate all their ships on one part of the board, this strategy usually pays off.
How do you beat battle ship? ›
Begin by striking above, below, or to one side of the space you have hit to discover and hit more of the ship. If one of your strikes is a miss, try the area on the opposite side of the space that was a hit. Keep striking until you have taken your opponent's battleship.
What is the best great sword in Deadfire? ›| Name | Damage | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Superb Great Sword | 26-35 | 3,610 |
| Effort (Unique) | 23-31 | 2,410 |
| Rathun Iron Sword | 26-35 | 2,410 |
| Whispers of the Endless Paths (Unique) | 12-20 | 1,810 |
1) SC WIZARD (BLOODMAGE)
Unsurprisingly, it is the strongest of all by a huge margin, because it has so many mind-blowing tricks available from beginning to end. The true god of cheese in the Deadfire if there ever was one.
Race Choices in Pillars of Eternity
Rangers are built mostly upon the attributes, might, perception, and dexterity. With this in mind, let's go over the best race options for this class. Elves make a good choice for a ranger with their starting stats as a plus one to dexterity and perception.
One of the best subclasses for single-class Rogues in Pillars of Eternity 2 is the Trickster, which adds a splash of Deadfire's Illusion magic to the Rogue's Abilities. Although they deal less Sneak Attack damage, a Trickster Rogue can guarantee their Sneak Attacks much more often by providing their own debuffs.
Why is Godslayer Greatsword so good? ›The Godslayer's Greatsword scales primarily with Dexterity and Faith, with mediocre scaling in Strength, and is a good Weapon for inflicting fire-based damage. Godskin Apostles before her defeat at the hands of Maliketh.
How good is Marais Executioner sword? ›The Marais Executioner's Sword scales primarily with Strength and Arcane and is a good Weapon for melee users who want to perform a corkscrew attack. Infuse the sword with energy, then fling it forwards in a corkscrew attack. The sword continuously deals damage while violently spinning.
Where is the godslayer Greatsword? ›Once the player has reached the Divine Tower Site of Grace, they will then need to move inside and descend all the way down to the basement of the tower, where the Godslayer's Greatsword is kept.
What is the max level in Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire? ›In Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire, the level cap is 20.
How many hours is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire? ›When focusing on the main objectives, Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is about 42½ Hours in length. If you're a gamer that strives to see all aspects of the game, you are likely to spend around 93 Hours to obtain 100% completion.
Does Race matter in Pillars of Eternity 2? ›
Race never affected quests in any way. Race, Gender, and backgrounds in general didn't matter. You're The Watcher, and that's it. It certainly didn't affect choices available, as choices didn't actually matter in PoE.
What race is best for fighter DDO? ›Recommended Races[edit]
Half-Orc: have high strength and bonus damage with two handed weapons, they make great fighters. Human:Great for the new player or the veteran, extra healing amplification, up to +3 to stats while an action boost is active, up to +6% extra glancing blow chance. They make very good fighters.
- The two best ranged weapons in the game seem to be the Blunderbuss and Arbalest. ...
- Bows are very underwhelming against anything above a few DR, even more so if you're wearing armor.
- The pistol is slightly better than the Arquebus at lower DRs, while the Aruqebus is slightly better than the Pistol at higher DRs.
Godlike are one of the civilized races that inhabit Eora. They are beings that are thought to be "blessed" by the gods before birth. While far less common than the other races due to their rarity and inability to reproduce, godlikes exist throughout Eora, albeit in low numbers.
What is the strongest Rogue subclass? ›- 1 Soulknife. The Soulknife is the strongest Rogue subclass in the game.
- 2 Arcane Trickster. ...
- 3 Assassin. ...
- 4 Phantom. ...
- 5 Swashbuckler. ...
- 6 Thief. ...
- 7 Scout. ...
- 8 Inquisitive. ...
Because their premise and their features are so simple, the Assassin is one of the easiest rogue subclasses to play. They don't have resources to track or complicated additional mechanics, so if you're comfortable with the complexity of the Rogue's core features you're already ready to handle the Assassin.
What Elf is best for Rogue? ›Half Elf may just be one of the best species overall, and they add interesting things for a Rogue. Charisma bonus along with two other ability scores of your choice, extra skill proficiencies, and Darkvision. They have a lot to offer. You also get access to one of the best feats in the game, Elven Accuracy.