SlightlyMadWizard on Jan 18, 2014 wrote:

On my machine, Ctrl-r (for run) also seems to open the chat window where I can type something. I have to close this by hitting 'enter' and then it works fine. When I can type something in the chat window, I can't direct my character so all he does is run straight ahead till he runs into something. So I have to close the chat window before I can direct my running character correctly.

Ctrl-m to change realms works fine on my computer.

I'll have to try Ctrl-N. It sounds like a neat short cut.

A few other shortcuts that I use most of the time:

Pressing 'u' by itself opens the Companion Management window. Pressing 'n' by itself switches on and off the display showing which direction a map location is in (the current map that you are on). Pressing 'b' by itself opens up the Backpack window. Pressing 'e' by itself opens up the Ship Management window. Pressing 'c' by itself opens the Character Management window. Pressing 'm' by itself opens and closes the map showing what map you are on and your location.

Pressing the number (not mentioned in shortcuts, but in ship combat in Player's Guide):
1 - activates the first button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.
2 - activates the second button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.
3 - activates the third button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.

4 - activates the fourth button in the right hand corner for your ship's powers.

I have found that, if I position my fingers correctly, I can use my ship's powers faster as long as I don't forget which finger is over which key. LOL.

As you said, everyone should check out what the shortcuts do. At least some of them are very worthwhile.

Nice addition to the shortcut tips. I'll have to check the Ctrl-R and Ctrl-M on my desktop as well. I did notice that Ctrl-R with the chat window open does cause my pirate to just barrel ahead in a straight line- and like you stated once chat window is closed, it does operate normal. For some reason the Ctrl-M didn't work on my laptop but I have to check it on the desktop as well.

Thank you for the info on the ship battle/powers keyboard shortcuts, you know for some reason I never checked out the ship combat in the Player's Guide- just always used point and click. I will surely have to check it out in the guide and give it a shot and it is good to know. For everyone else here's a link to the ship combat shortcuts.

The other shortcuts you mentioned are great shortcuts as well and ones that are very, very useful.
Thanks again for the added info.

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 19, 2014 wrote:

Nice addition to the shortcut tips. I'll have to check the Ctrl-R and Ctrl-M on my desktop as well. I did notice that Ctrl-R with the chat window open does cause my pirate to just barrel ahead in a straight line- and like you stated once chat window is closed, it does operate normal. For some reason the Ctrl-M didn't work on my laptop but I have to check it on the desktop as well.

Thank you for the info on the ship battle/powers keyboard shortcuts, you know for some reason I never checked out the ship combat in the Player's Guide- just always used point and click. I will surely have to check it out in the guide and give it a shot and it is good to know. For everyone else here's a link to the ship combat shortcuts.

The other shortcuts you mentioned are great shortcuts as well and ones that are very, very useful.
Thanks again for the added info.

Control M worked from my laptop so maybe there is some quirky thing blocking it. Nice tip, I love that one now and will use it a LOT when bouncing through realms trying to find that furstunkin Marleybone Turret lol.

Wicked Victor Arms... on Jan 20, 2014 wrote:

This is a tip for any pirate that doesn't want to wait a minute before changing realms or teleporting to a friend after fleeing to a life fountain. Simply, press Esc on your keyboard, go back to the pirate select screen, and then come back on your pirate and voila you don't have to wait anymore!

I've been farming Captains Pluton and Spartacos all day today by realm hopping so this tip is extremely helpful with that in mind. As well, if you use any of your ship's powers (i.e. heal/wheel) before changing realms, when you get to the new one, you won't have to wait X amount of seconds before using it again. The log out trick mentioned above also works great if you're stuck on a friend's ship and want to unbottle your own but can't because they're already fighting the enemy ships.

Lastly, here's an excellent guide on for all the best gear you can get for your ships and the bosses who drop them. The bosses in Aquila are each near a stormgate whirlpool (not the one we come out of from Monquista) with Sparatcos near the left one and Pluton near the right. In Marleybone, Captain Brocks is behind Rooke's Vortex and the Armanda Assault Station is behind Beachhead. Hopefully, my general locations help somewhat because when I first read the guide I had no idea where the bosses were, link below.

http://www.pirate101central.com/forums/showthread.php?33913-Illustrated-Guide-to-Equipping-Your-Eagle-Ship

Thanks for the tips Victor. Excellent ones once again. The log out trick is pretty nifty and one that I have used on occasion- it is also a great one to use if you like to farm treasure chest circuits for gold- (By the way thanks to a certain someone for that tip- keep roaring). Although a bit boring, in certain places (like Ithaca) it can be one of the fastest way to accumulate mass amounts of gold. Perfect for purchasing training tomes. Just farm the circuit of chests, change realms, ESC, and hop back in the Spiral. Several thousand pieces of gold in just a couple of minutes. Just keep rinsing and repeating.

Also thank you for including the link on central for the ship gear and the info on the ship bosses. As you stated they are fantastic for farming for ship gear. And I am sure most everyone is aware, but just in case some aren't, in order to get the great ship gear drops you must sink the ship and not board or get boarded. Although they also have some pretty good gear for your pirate as well.

I have to spend more time on central to find some more of those great tips and guides. I have seen a few and want to put some more links on here for them. Time is rather tight these days but that is why I am glad someone such as yourself is providing such great insight and links to guides from over on central.

Again we appreciate your input and tips.

The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.

Golden Guardian on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:

The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.

Great tips on how to defeat the Hydra, Golden Guardian

I have not progressed that far in the main quest storyline but I have helped several others out with fighting the Horrendous Hydra. These are all fabulous tips and when I go in solo (which should be very soon), I will be sure to implement these strategies. I enjoy your tips on specific boss battles, as they are always very thorough and detailed.

Thank you again for all the wise and stellar input and keep it coming.

This is a link to the Pirate101 site Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page that has some great information on the following and more:

• Pirate101 Game Questions- Info on how to play, chatting, realms, general account info and more.
• Pirate101 Billing Questions- Info on costs of playing, Crowns, redeeming cards or codes and membership and more.
• Pirate101 Technical Questions- Info on forgotten passwords/usernames, parental controls, system requirements, error messages and more.
• Sanction Questions- Info about being muted, reporting players or getting reported yourself, and what offenses are considered reportable and non reportable.
• Pirate101 and Wizard101- Info about having accounts for both games and what options are or are not available in regards to both games.

Golden Guardian on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:

The extensive Encylopeida of pirating, volume 66, chapter 32 Section 17-B: The horrible Hydra

The hydra is a foe that you face, it is a dreaded beast. Kill one of its many heads and two more appear, taking its place. Here is a book I found in Valencia's library, giving nice tips for the hydra.

EBON HEAD TIP:
In order to defeat this instance, players must defeat one black head, known as EBON to win. Most players usually charge with full force against this head. DONT do that. This head vanishes when it's health bar drops every 25% (based on observation). Have around two companions attack every time the head pops up. It should vanish after that. The other companions should attack the other foes.

THE BIG HEADS TIP:
Aside from EBON, there are 3 other dangerous heads, with over 2000 health. Kill them one by one. They are a strong force together! and probably the hardest part of the dungeon. Focus on one head at a time, DO NOT attack the lesser health heads until these big boys are defeated.

MASS ATTACK TIP:
Kill the little heads quicker with AoE attacks. Save these for the little heads. An epic hit can send many flying! I recommend using shooty/stabby or another combo of shooty weapons. AoE spells such as hurricane round, barrages, and mojo storms will send these heads flying!

TRAPPED TIP:
This is probably the most sneakiest part of the dungeon. Everytime you try to reach the EBON head, you are surrounded by so many heads that you can't move. I recommend you have your pirate on an empty zone, away from the chaos. When the EBON pops his head up, you are free to move and attack him without other heads as obstacles.

Hope dis helps. And as a request for KI, can we have a better reward! It is such a hard fight, and one treasure chest is not worthy.

Really wonderful tips here and masterfully organized. I really feel armed up and ready to go with this one, just like I am now totally comfortable with Scylla and Satyrs, thanks to all the wonderful tips I have read here. Well ok some of it is from my own experience but I got the confidence to try them and thus learn things from my mentors right here on the boards.
By the way, Any chance I can get a copy of that wonderful encyclopedia?

ValkoorTheVictorio... on Jan 21, 2014 wrote:

Great tips on how to defeat the Hydra, Golden Guardian

I have not progressed that far in the main quest storyline but I have helped several others out with fighting the Horrendous Hydra. These are all fabulous tips and when I go in solo (which should be very soon), I will be sure to implement these strategies. I enjoy your tips on specific boss battles, as they are always very thorough and detailed.

Thank you again for all the wise and stellar input and keep it coming.

Here is a great tip especially for buccaneers like you. Wear clothes that give you A LOT of armor. Those little heads only do 150-200 damage at critical, but at times they have been lower than 3 for me. Wear armor, and you will absorb and resist anything. This is a great fight with buccaneers!

Golden Guardian gave a good tip regarding Zeena, and I believe I have another one. If you have her in a battle facing musketeers or witchdoctors, adversaries that are likely to stay in place as they attack you, have her shoot her 'rain of fire' into the area they have moved into (or you expect will do so). You don't have to target any of the adversaries, just leave a seriously trapped area that will damage anyone who is standing next to a square of flame.

You need to be careful, of course, as this fire will damage you and your allies as well, so plot how your buccaneers and swashbucklers are going to move into the area to fight your foes as you set Zeena's fire traps.

Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

Scarlet Freeman on Jan 22, 2014 wrote:

Thanks.

I thought I'd put that in there after encountering some (very) unpleasant wizards in Wizard101. I was questing with a partner and they were on the sidelines of our battle. As soon as I began casting a Tempest to make way for my friend's killing spell, they joined, bringing in two more enemies. Luckily, I fizzled, but my friend didn't. He didn't kill the enemies, but this made the battle drag out quite a bit longer as I took a while to set up for a killing Tempest.

During the set up my friend said something along the lines of "Come on, dude." (Which may have been the cause of what was about to happen. I think he might have to shoulder some of the blame for it, and, I admit, I myself might have given my suggestion to switch realms in whisper chat instead of regular chat, but I do not think the fault lies entirely with us.) I then suggested that we switch realms after the battle was finished. Lo and behold, a few seconds later I was greeted with the report notification to which I had done nothing to earn.

That experience made me want to remind people not to let others get under their skins. Stuff like that happens and you just have to walk on and stay strong.

With that I'd like to add a friendly reminder to players. Please remember to ask before joining battles and to be polite and courteous if your offer is accepted or declined. If it is declined, don't be mad or sad. The person may want to solo things or they may be waiting on other people to port to them. Heck, they may just want me-time. If they accept the offer, try to help the person out. They may need healing or buffs when you join and if you did give them some I doubt that they would be angry about it. If they don't then use both of your powers of awesomeness combined to take down the enemies and save the day! You might make a new friend.

Good advice Scarlet. Asking to join battles is just as important in terms of being polite and considerate of other pirates. Like you said, many time players want to go through the game questing and battling by themselves. I actually have spent probably 95% of my pirate's time, questing and doing the main storyline, solo. The other times are when someone joined in with me without asking. I have spent several months helping others but when it comes to my own pirate I prefer to solo- at least with my first pirate.

Many times I see a high level just swoop in and destroy a ship or join battle, reek havoc and then split- all without asking if the person they are joining even needs or wants help. Sometimes it is almost as if the max character is thinking I am a high level so I can do whatever I want. Or it seems as if they just assume that the other person needs help. But I have also had numerous lower levels teleport to me while I am in battle without asking, so it is a various level issue. I always try to ask a pirate if they need or want help before I join in. Sometimes they don't respond but I still just stick around watching for a few minutes to make sure they are ok. If still no response then I send a chat of 'good luck' or 'have fun' and then go about my business.

Only a couple of times I have joined when there was no response and this was only because I clicked on their pirate and saw that they were dangerously low on health and I wanted to heal them and help with the battle. Even then, it is still a bit rude of me to just jump in but there are times that the other pirate only has menu chat, and I am afraid they weren't able to see my chat asking if they needed help- so if I think this may indeed be the case I give them a hand.

As you noted, it is much more polite and courteous to at least ask first if they need help and then wait for a response. Great advice once again Scarlet.

Anne Radcliffe on Jan 23, 2014 wrote:

Golden Guardian gave a good tip regarding Zeena, and I believe I have another one. If you have her in a battle facing musketeers or witchdoctors, adversaries that are likely to stay in place as they attack you, have her shoot her 'rain of fire' into the area they have moved into (or you expect will do so). You don't have to target any of the adversaries, just leave a seriously trapped area that will damage anyone who is standing next to a square of flame.

You need to be careful, of course, as this fire will damage you and your allies as well, so plot how your buccaneers and swashbucklers are going to move into the area to fight your foes as you set Zeena's fire traps.

Virtuous Anne Radcliffe

Thank you Anne, definitely a great tip.

Nice to have a fresh face on the thread, posting some really good advice. Zeena is a must have companion against those kind of enemies as they will just stay trapped and take on lots of extra damage in the process. Your tip on being careful of where to place your melee crew and picking a proper route to engage the trapped enemies, is also a great one.

Thanks again for the input and great tip. And please keep the tips coming!