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Dhow Defiant

A dhow Defiant on the high seas.

PE2 Ship Management

The ship management interface.

The Defiant is the ship that belongs to the Watcher, used to explore the Deadfire Archipelago during The Hunt for Eothas. Like Caed Nua in Pillars of Eternity, it is Deadfire's main player hub, albeit in a more portable form. It also features much more extensive customization.

By clicking the arrow at the top of the screen while on the world map, you can "zoom in" on your ship, allowing you to navigate abovedeck and belowdeck. Whilst on the ship you are free to talk to companions, and interact with The Steward in your cabin. The layout of the ship changes depending on the type.

Note that access to the ship and the management interface is unavailable until the quest Stranded has been completed.

Background[ | ]

The Defiant was chartered with what remained of the Watcher's wealth after the destruction of Caed Nua by Eothas, in order to bring the comatose Watcher closer to the retreating god. For one reason or another, Eothas's proximity kept the Watcher alive throughout the travel, but the vessel itself came under pirate attack when it entered Deadfire, beaching near Port Maje.

Management[ | ]

Your flagship is one of the pillars of gameplay, allowing you to explore the Deadfire Archipelago, fight other vessels, store companions and followers, and of course, pursue Eothas.

Ship management is a core element of gameplay and encompasses gathering your crew, making sure they are nourished, and keeping morale high. There are six core resources you need to look after:

Icon ship morale Morale measures the crew's overall attitude and sense of common purpose. The mental and emotional health of the crew is vital to success in combat. Poor morale may lead to brawls among the crew - and even mutiny.
Icon ship food Food is the stock of edible items available to the crew. A hungry crew loses morale, and if they suffer fifteen days without a meal, their chance of dying increases significantly.
Icon ship water Drink refers to the quantity of beverages available to the crew. A thirsty crew loses morale, and if they suffer three days without a drink, their chance of dying increases significantly.
Icon ship health Medicine: The stock of supplies available to heal the crew's injuries. To be healed, a crew member must be resting in the reserves. Surgeons help conserve medical supplies by healing injured crew more swiftly.
Icon ship ammunition Ammunition: The current stock of cannonballs and gunpowder on the ship. Each cannon uses ammunition with every shot.
Icon ship carpenter Repair: The stock of pitch, lumber, and sturdy linen used to repair damage done to the ship. Repair supplies deplete hourly as the crew mend the hull and sails.

Supplies are the biggest ongoing expense of maintaining your ship and should be replenished regularly - especially living supplies.

Morale[ | ]

Main article: Morale

Wages[ | ]

Wages Copper pires (cp) are paid directly from your coffers to your crew members each day, the amount of which scales depending on their cumulative ranks and capabilities, at a rate of one copper pire per trait/job rank. For example, a sailor with two "seasoned" traits will cost Copper pires (cp)4 per day, regardless of if they're actually assigned to the jobs matching those traits.

Wages are collected both while at sea, and while docked at port. You lose 6 Morale if you end the day without enough money to page your entire crew wages.

Food and drink[ | ]

Food Icon ship food and drink Icon ship water are among the biggest ongoing expenses of maintaining your ship and should be replenished regularly.

Each day at sea, your crew consumes a required amount of food and drink. Some crew members eat and drink more than others, but normally each crew member consumes one unit of food and water per day. Thankfully, neither food nor water are expended while the ship is in port (wages are collected as normal). Having a skilled cook assigned on your ship reduces the amount of food needed by the crew by 10%.

Food is replenished by buying foodstuffs and placing whatever you find in the ship's food stores. You can replenish your water supply by buying drinkable water or alcohol.

Without enough food and drink to go around , the crew will lose Morale every day. The type of food and drink you feed them will adjust their morale. More expensive provisions make them happier. Cheap food and drink will lower their morale over time. Morale from food and drink is granted per day, calculated from the average of the morale bonus (or penalty) of each of the articles of food or drink consumed by the crew.

Few things will impact your crew's morale as badly as letting them starve. A starving and thirsty crew are less effective, and those with low morale may mutiny.

Without food or drink, your crew are not actually any less effective at their jobs as the game might suggestion. This feature exists in the game code, but is not implemented.

If neglected for long enough, some may even die. After 15 days without food, the crew member must pass a 2 x (days - 15) Constitution check per day, otherwise they'll die. After 5 days without drink, the crew member must to pass a 4 x (days - 5) Constitution check per day, otherwise they'll die.

Medicine[ | ]

Medicine Icon ship health is used to heal injured crew members. Crew can be injured during ship combat, or as a result of scripted interactions. Injuries heal per day, and injured crew members can only heal once they're taken off their posts and they're resting in the reserves.

You can purchase Medical Supplies from all ports, but may only carry a limited amount depending on the size of the ship. Supplies are consumed at a rate of 5 per day per resting injured crew member. Once docked at port, all sailors will recover fully, as long as the requisite supplies are available.

At sea, having a skilled Surgeon assigned to your crew will improve the amount healed per turn in combat, as well as the rate of healing outside of combat - effectively reducing the amount of days required to heal an injury, and in turn the amount of supplies required in total to heal a crew member.

Repair[ | ]

Repair Icon ship carpenter is used to repair damage that the ship's hull and sails sustains during combat, or as a result of scripted interactions.

Repair supplies deplete hourly as the crew mend the hull and sails, at a rate of 2 repair per hour. You can purchase Repair Supplies from all ports, but may only carry a limited amount depending on the size of the ship. Once docking at port, all the requisite supplies are used to repair the ship.

Ammunition[ | ]

Ammunition Icon ship ammunition is used to fire your ships' cannons during combat. Cannon Shot can be purchased from ports to replenish your ammunition supply. While relatively cheap, due to their weight, ships can only carry a certain amount of cannonballs.

Other[ | ]

Supply limits
Ship Ammunition Medicine Repair
Sloop 100 200 50
Voyager 80 160 40
Dhow 120 240 60
Galleon 160 320 100
Junk 200 400 150
Submarine 50 200 50
Longship 50 50 50
Tips
  • Remove your crew from the ship while you're in port at Neketaka, this can save you from paying wages.
  • If you're low on Icon ship food Food and Icon ship water Water, it is recommended you buy cuttlefish (Copper pires (cp)7) from Osa in Queen's Berth and water (Copper pires (cp)2) from Port Shop. Both have an infinite supply so there's no worry of running out.
  • Recruit Haema to save on food expense. A good cook reduce the food consumption so buy more water than food.
  • Recruit Worthless Idiot. The faster you get to your destination, the less the resources consumption.

Combat[ | ]

PE2 Ship Combat

The start of combat.

Main article: Ship combat

Combat is a fact of life in the Deadfire and your ship will have to engage in it repeatedly. As befits the age of fantasy sail, combat is resolved primarily by shooting your enemy until they sink, the crew is turned to kibble, or they otherwise stop shooting and let themselves be looted. Your performance in combat depends on the upgrades you have installed (see below), the crew you have, and of course, the choices you make.

Why should you fight? Looting enemy ships, whether from flotsam left behind or from intact stores you take, is an excellent source of loot for sale and supplies for travel - plus, you can distribute the coins captured from the enemy crew among your own for a quick +10 to morale.

Ship types[ | ]

The player is able to own one of each type of ship (from sloop, voyager, dhow, galleon, junk, and submarine) New ships can be obtained either by purchasing them at the port in Neketaka, or otherwise during the game. Each type of ship has its own strengths and weaknesses. Smaller ships don't require many crew members to operate, and are more maneuverable and agile - but can be weak and are limited to a small number of cannons. Bigger ships on the other hand require more crew to operate, are slower, easier to hit, but are hardier and come equipped with more firepower. Ships can be bolstered by equipping them with better upgrades, which can mitigate the weaknesses of a particular type of ship.

Each ship that the player currently owns is displayed at the top of the ship management interface. A ship may have its own crew and equipped upgrades, but you may only control one ship at a time. Swapping to a ship is done while at Neketaka via the "Set Active Ship" button on the left side of the interface, or by clicking the desired ship in the lower right port interface.

Upgrades[ | ]

Main article: Ship upgrades

The ship can be extensively upgraded throughout the game, which affects not only its appearance, but also performance in naval battles, capacity, and so on and so forth.

Crew members[ | ]

Main article: Ship crew

The Defiant requires a proper crew to be seaworthy and maneuver on the high seas. Each crew member requires food, water, and wages. Without a proper crew, your ship gets a -25% move rate penalty.

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