ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 26, 2013 wrote:

Excellent tips once again

I remember all too well the sewers and the church where my pet would get in the way or a couple of companions had to sit and watch the battle because they couldn't traverse the crowded, narrow battle board.
Having ranged companions in those situations absolutely makes it easier. Great example of how adjusting your companion list to fit the situation comes in handy. It is easy to put your newest or favorite companion as your first mate and then just sort of sit on the order. Juggling and rearranging your companion order is a great way to help increase the odds of getting a good roll of the dice when it comes to who shows up in battle.

Very well done and thank you

(I apologize for posting after every post, I am just trying to give posters thanks but also keep the thread fresh so there is a greater chance that more fellow pirates looking for tips can come across the great advice and strategies. Don't want it to get lost in the wash. Maybe like you said, it could get sticky'd to remain on message board home page, but I have no idea how that works, who is responsible, or if it is even possible)

Please, no need for apologies for your follow up posts. They are wonderful. They trigger more ideas from you and thus from others and serve a valid purpose for this amazing thread. You are doing a super job of thanking and encouraging us. Th'Blesser is very proud.

Chrissy Th'Blesser on Dec 25, 2013 wrote:

I am not sure the buff stacking works that way. If you use two 50% damage blocks you will not have 100% coverage. You will have 75. The first 50% has you 50% covered (so far so good, lol). Then next 50% coverage will be on the 50, not the total. 50% is also known as half. So you are covered 50% or half way, then another 50 % or half of your now coverage is only 25%. 50 + 25 = 75. I do hope I have said this in a way that makes sense.

I think I get what you're saying. So, start with a base of 50 Agility, and then when you use the the 50% buff, you increase it by 25. When you use the second buff (25%), it will go off of the base of 50, and then it will increase by 13, rounding up. So, your overall Agility buff would be 88.

Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding what you said.

~Quick Pearl

Chrissy Th'Blesser on Dec 27, 2013 wrote:

Ok, my helper button is flashing again..............
1) I have said on other pages that when you need to fight those striped bumbaloons, the first thing you need to do is to re read our beloved One-Eyed Jack's terrific advice in the May newsletter. One other thing that will really help you is to leave all your quests for buffaloons in your quest list until you get the one for the striped ones with your quest for Brother Wolf. Then while you are getting the striped ones you will also, at the same time, get credit for all the other ones. The only exception is the buffaloons for Rooster Cogburn in Cooper's Roost Skyway. Those won't count but when you go back to do them after doing the striped ones, they will seem so weak in comparison that they will be a breeze to tackle. As long as you listen to what Jack taught you and actually do what he says you will do well with them.

2) When you are a privateer and have that critical buff to use that everyone just loves, don't be in too much of a rush and use it right away. Almost every companion and yourself have at least one guaranteed critical hit. Depending on how many are at your disposal, use them first, then use the buff. If you have the buff on first it is wasting turns using criticals that would have happened anyway and if it is a long fight those extra rounds having the buff can make all the difference.

Ok, my helper button is now smiling again, lol. What have you done to me Valkoor? I am now keeping a tablet beside me to jot down tips so I will remember them for here. I do believe you have created some tipster maniacs that will be benefiting the spiral for a very long time.

Lol, Chrissy- I think I may have indeed created a monster. Keep the notes flowing and proceed full steam ahead with the jotting. The more maniacs the merrier! I really hope that you and many others out there keep the tips coming. I really do believe that this thread will be able to help many fellow pirates out there whether they are brand new to the game or seasoned captains. Any tip, big or small, can make life in the spiral that much more enjoyable.

Now I have a couple of notes to add (of course) to your tips.....which are once again superb by the way.

In reference to # 1, I think this is a great strategy for many of the worlds and quests. In each world or skyway your pirate will receive numerous quests to defeat or collect items from the same type of creatures or ships. If you go in and do the quests as you acquire them, you can be in for a long skylane ahead.

Many times you get a main quest to defeat or collect items from one type of creature or ship. So you go ahead complete the quest only to find a side quest a couple minutes later to defeat or collect from the same creatures or ships. You do that and then, low and behold another side quest of the same. By doing this you are adding tons of extra, unnecessary battles and possibly frustrations to your pirates already busy life. Like Chrissy said, collect and do as many of the same creature/ship type quests as possible, so you can multitask and complete them simultaneously.

Usually when I gain access to a new world or even skyway, I pay visits to every area and location my pirate has access to before actually continuing questing. This allows my pirate to collect every side quest he can find, so that multiple quests can be completed at the same time. When you only have to defeat a dozen tough creatures/ships to complete 3 or 4 quests instead of 30 or 40 (by collecting and doing quests one at a time) it can save a lot of time and many headaches.

In regards to #2, that is a very wise tip indeed- no more to say, simply a great tip.

Keep them coming and for goodness sakes, keep that helper button happy

Congratulations Valkoor for this thread going "Hot". It is a brilliant idea and you are managing this thread well and doing a great job encouraging others to participate and in the long run helping out so many other pirates. Your Flame is well deserved. *Hands a tankard of yum to celebrate.*

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 28, 2013 wrote:

GENERAL TIP - Common Courtesy Tip.........(of the hat that is)

This is just a friendly reminder to any pirates out there that need or have ever needed a hand in battle (let's face it, that is pretty much the majority of us). This is more along the lines of advice to think about in regards to asking your fellow pirates for help. If you find yourself in dire need of aid in battle, it is understandable to send out a request to a pirate on your friend list. This is part of the reason the friends list is there. Just remember that a little courtesy can go a long way. Here are a few words of advice and things to remember when it comes to asking for help:

• If you require help, try not to badger or overwhelm your fellow pirates with a barrage of HELP requests.
• If you have text chat or open chat ask for help in a non demanding and appreciative way.
• If you only have menu chat try the option that says "can you please help me" instead of simply "Help".
• Try your hardest to 'solve' the problem on your own before asking for help- using tips from here can help.
• Don't always ask for help the first time you get into trouble. You can learn a lot about strategy this way and trying again can make you a better pirate.
• Sometimes your friends are in the middle of long dungeons or helping others already. This doesn't mean that they don't want to help you, it just means that at the moment they can't. Try not to take it personally.
• After a fellow pirate helps you don't just simply leave them in the dust as if they weren't there. Maybe instead, ask them if you can help them with something.
• Give thanks when a call for help is answered. A simple thank you can be the difference in whether that person is willing to come to your aid the next time.
• If your friend is unable to help or doesn't respond, don't badger or heckle them- it won't help the situation you are in, nor will it make for positive gameplay interaction in the future.
• Overall, just be nice, be polite and be thankful.

Smooth sailing everyone

Excellent advice Valkoor. This should be the first post on this thread and the first one everyone reads. So many young pirates were not raised to respect others nor were they exposed to the nuances of manners and this teaches those concepts brilliantly.

I especially enjoyed the part about waiting until you have tried a few times. This kind of failure is just the fuel a good pirate needs to learn how to change your fighting style and learn how to think outside the box a bit. Losing your companions and coming out of a fight with your health in the red is not a fail. You walked away, it was a glorious win. That is the whole reason for life fountains, companions are expected to fall as are we, for that is what healing and privateers are for. It is extremely frustrating to answer a plea for help from a friend to only show up and everyone is in the green and it was a simple matter of the pirate panicking at the amount of baddies that showed up for the fight. There is nothing like that WOOP of celebration when you win a battle by a slim margin. That is what makes a good battle. The thrill of victory. It never hurts to remember that the agony of defeat is a great teacher to help us learn why we lost and how to counter it the next time. How else are you gonna learn unless you are stretched?
I know my friends have been frustrated when I ask them "Have you tried it alone yet?" and they know they haven't. Yet I hear so much excited yelping a little bit later as they message me "I did it, I did it!!!" Nothing like that thrill of shared victory when I know you listened to the tips I was feeding you during the battle and you listened and used them and you did it yourself. There is nothing like that kind of victory.
Don't get me wrong, I love helping out my friends, and there are battles that I need help with too. Ganging up on those baddies can be a blast. And farming parties are the most fun ever. I just don't want those times to overshadow how important it is to listen, grow and become a stronger player because you allowed yourself to be challenged.

*Gets off of soapbox and sheepishly hands it back to Valkoor.*

Chrissy Th'Blesser on Dec 28, 2013 wrote:

Congratulations Valkoor for this thread going "Hot". It is a brilliant idea and you are managing this thread well and doing a great job encouraging others to participate and in the long run helping out so many other pirates. Your Flame is well deserved. *Hands a tankard of yum to celebrate.*

Thanks so much Chrissy.

I feel somewhat proud to be considered hot....I mean my thread that is. Truthfully I don't even know what requirements are needed for a thread to become Hot. Is it based on views, replies or posts, or maybe consecutive days on the updated topics list? Whatever makes it Hot, I am honored for it to hold enough merit to earn that title. I really enjoy interacting with my fellow pirates and trying to help in any way I can. I hope to continue to help in co-op with all the other great tip and advise givers out there. They are the biggest reason the thread has continued to keep up momentum and I appreciate all of their input immensely.

Oh by the way, this may seem like a silly question, but where did the * insert phrase * and/or x insert phrase x first come from. I see it used in the game a lot and on the message boards as well. I was just curious as to where it originated and being fairly new, I am way behind the curve when it comes to the many 'traditions' on the boards and in the game. Thanks again!

Here's another tip....keep the tips coming!

I know there are so many more wise pirates out there with great tips and strategies at their disposal. Please, for the sake of helping your fellow pirate friends out, keep the generous offerings coming. The life you save could be the life of one of your dear friends.

And by all means don't worry if you think that it is a silly tip or one that others won't think is a good idea. We are not here to judge at all. We respect your input and will support your advice and possibly add on if there is something helpful we think we can offer.

Don't forget to add any tips on defeating certain enemies, creatures or bosses. They are more than welcome as long as you try to keep them from giving away any of the storyline (if it applies). Other than that bring them on and help your friends out.

And to all those who have already contributed- thank you so much and keep up the great work!

SHIP BATTLE TIPS- Naval Superiority

As you move along in the game, the enemies you face become much tougher- this holds true for the countless enemy ships you face throughout the skyway. If your pirate seems to be struggling in the ship battle department, there are a few things that you may be able to do to help out your perilous situation.

• Don't ignore side questing- both gathering and completing. Try to pick up as many side quests as possible and complete them. So many side quests give you Nautical XP, which by themselves doesn't seem like that much help- but combined they will add up and possibly gain you a Naut. level or 2. Plus your character may likely level as well, allowing you access to better, higher level ships and ship parts.

• Use gold to buy the best possible ship and ship parts for your current level. Or if possible try to defeat ships a little higher in level than your ship, in order to try to get better ship parts dropped.

• Look around in your current world to see if there are any other pirates in the skyways fighting ships as well. Work tandem with them and take turns leading the charge to make the battles easier. Many times there will be small groups of fellow pirates engaging in Naut. farming that you may be able to join. This can tremendously help raise your nautical level.

• When battling a superior ship, for me, it always helped to constantly move in a reverse, circular motion around the enemy- just far enough to avoid being boarded. This way you can keep a watchful eye on the enemy and it seemed easier to control then moving forward. When your ship hits yellow, keep healing and back off a little and continue to move in reverse while circling the enemy. So many times I was able to defeat much higher level ships doing this.

• Use your blue yum only when necessary, most of the time just repetitive healing of my ship was enough to ensure victory. After each ship is defeated, if your ship sustained damage, just park it in the skylane....(continued)

Chrissy Th'Blesser on Dec 29, 2013 wrote:

Re: your question; I am not really sure. I just saw it being used and thought it was a clever way to show that this was showing and action happening instead of just talking. I saw it being used on Wizard to show someone doing something that their wizard was not graphicly capable of doing, for example: Someone would get stunned and would them type x Sits x . I thought it was clever and funny and just used it too. I have seen others use the " * * " and I like that one even better because it can not easily be confused as a partial word and confuse the reader before they figure out what you mean. It's just that I have been using the x's for over 5 years and it is a hard habit to break. That is why you guys see me using both. I am trying to convert to what seems to be a more logical one but my fingers have movement memory ingrained in them when ever I think "Ok, I am typing an action" they just seem to take over, lol. Even if it all happens too fast for me to think that anyway. I call them "Verb punctuation" but I am sure that they have a 'real' name or maybe they are just one of those things that have society has morphed into that the sociologists haven't quiet caught up with yet.

Ok, thanks- I was just curious were it originated and wasn't sure if there was a story behind the story, so to speak. I have missed out on a lot that players who were here from the beginning were introduced to. So I am just trying to come up to speed on some things- I guess you could say that I am in catch up mode. Thanks again for the info.

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 29, 2013 wrote:

Great Post Chrissy

I do absolutely wish there was a way to reorder the posts to organize the thread so that post could be the first one seen- and also to place the other posts in a more suitable order as well.

I knew that you would enjoy the part about maximum effort leading to producing the greatest results and perhaps the most fulfilling sense of accomplishment. Just like in life, things aren't going to be simply handed to you- you have to work hard and put effort into earning your rewards. It is vital to success in life and in the Spiral.

I have never asked for help in battle, not necessarily because I was too confident in my abilities but because I just had to figure out a way to defeat the most stubborn enemies myself- I can be pretty stubborn too, but in a good way (at least I think so). Early in the game (especially in Cool Ranch) there were a few tough times but I stuck it out and it paid major dividends for me and my pirate. I learned an invaluable resource- how to truly play the game and use effective strategies. It has paid off as my pirate and crew now easily defeat even the toughest, highest level enemies I face.

Everyone should at least try to accomplish things on their own first just for the sake of learning. There is no shame in asking for help, that's what other pirate friends are there for, but 'dusting yourself off and getting back up on that Pennyfarthing mount" can teach you so much.

Again great post- very well stated and delivered.

By the way- don't be silly get yourself back on the soapbox, there is more than enough room for all of us.

* Grabs hands and allows to be pulled back unto soapbox, links arms with fellow tipsters as we all start to sing We Wonder As We Wonder.* Lol Sorry couldn't resist.

Scarlet Freeman on Dec 31, 2013 wrote:

Boarding Tip (Or perhaps just a general battle tip.)
When boarding, I usually find my ship laden with traps after doing my best to avoid it. I find that these become very cumbersome when in your battle. My first and foremost piece of advice would be to get rid of those nasty fire and trap tokens on your ships if possible, however, if not possible and you're stuck between them, I'd like to add one more thing.

If you're in a bottleneck situation and you can only move your ranged fighter or melee fighter up with you or ahead of you, always choose to move the melee fighter. Remember that ranged fighters have a longer range and thus can hit enemies that are further away. Also, they're kind of squishy in hand-to-hand combat. Your melee fighters aren't as squishy and they can take a bit more damage and dish it out faster if you're facing other melee fighters.

I just want other pirates to avoid the inconvenience that has proven a problem to me many times. (And no matter how much it happens I never seem to learn. Happened to me a few minutes ago and the first person I moved forward was Bonnie Anne. That was a rough battle. )

Lol Oh you make me feel so normal. I am constantly facepalming for doing that very same thing.

Scarlet Freeman on Dec 31, 2013 wrote:

Boarding Tip (Or perhaps just a general battle tip.)
When boarding, I usually find my ship laden with traps after doing my best to avoid it. I find that these become very cumbersome when in your battle. My first and foremost piece of advice would be to get rid of those nasty fire and trap tokens on your ships if possible, however, if not possible and you're stuck between them, I'd like to add one more thing.

If you're in a bottleneck situation and you can only move your ranged fighter or melee fighter up with you or ahead of you, always choose to move the melee fighter. Remember that ranged fighters have a longer range and thus can hit enemies that are further away. Also, they're kind of squishy in hand-to-hand combat. Your melee fighters aren't as squishy and they can take a bit more damage and dish it out faster if you're facing other melee fighters.

I just want other pirates to avoid the inconvenience that has proven a problem to me many times. (And no matter how much it happens I never seem to learn. Happened to me a few minutes ago and the first person I moved forward was Bonnie Anne. That was a rough battle. )

Once again Scarlet, you have delivered admirably- great and very wise tips.

Those damage traps can be quite a nuisance and getting rid of them to avoid any unnecessary damage to your crew should be a top priority, especially if they are impeding your crew's advancement.

Also, really good advice on which fighter to advance first and in fact this can be great advice for any battle. Having your melee fighter advance first and being able to deliver damage and take the brunt of the damage is a smart way to go indeed. As you stated it can also provide a barrier for your ranged fighters and offer them protection seeing how in most cases they have less health and armor- not to mention far superior range.

Hope your pirate and Bonnie Anne made it with their hides intact.

Thanks again for your tips and input.

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Dec 30, 2013 wrote:

SHIP BATTLE TIPS- Naval Superiority (continued)

• ..... After regaining ship health target the next enemy ship and repeat the process. If you need to use the blue yum and run out, hit the closest island or teleport to Avery's court- there is usually enough there to fully stock up. Then head back with the 'return to location' button.
  
  
• Lastly if all else fails, kindly and politely ask for help from a fellow friend pirate- either in game or on the message boards. If you do the later make sure to include your pirate's name, your time zone, date and time you can be available to be helped, an in game meeting place and the realm that you play on or would like to meet. Since the message boards take a bit to update, chose a date at least 2-3 days from when you post because you will have to not only wait for your post to update but will also have to wait out the delay for any responses.

NOTE/ADVICE

If your pirate is low in level and you chose to Nautical Farm with other pirates, try not to take advantage of the farming system by asking a high level pirate to let you tag along, in say, Aquila to gain nautical XP (when you are worlds away from reaching there yourself). In my opinion is good advice to try and farm in your current world or maybe one world up. Exploiting the nautical farming system to power level your Nautical XP isn't how the game was meant to be played- at least not in my eyes. You won't really gain ship battle strategies or tactics by doing this and your ship will more than likely not last more than a second or two if attacked.

Hope these tips help in the skyways and smooth sailing to all!

About the Note/Advice section, I don't believe it's possible to power level with NXP.

I once took my little brother to Marleybone (who was trying to complete Cool Ranch at the time) to fight Armada ships and help him gain nautical XP while still letting me get nautical XP. (I had already beat Aquila, and I had the Marleybone Galleon at the time, so I was trying to get the Aquilan ships.) After each battle, my little brother got the same nautical XP that he would get from fighting Cool Ranch ships (about 294), and I got the same nautical XP that I would get from fighting the Armada ships in Marleybone (around 413 I believe).

Moral of the story folks, don't try to power level your nautical XP. It won't work, the system won't allow it!

~Quick Pearl