Naval combat

Naval combat was one of the most distinctive features of the ArcheAge franchise. Players built ships, crewed them with guildmates, and fought on open water for trade pack supremacy, territorial control, and the thrill of broadsiding an enemy galleon.

Ship types

The original game had a full range of vessels, each with distinct roles:

• Rowboat - A free starter craft built from 10 Lumber. Speed: 4 m/s. One passenger seat. Mostly used for short trips to larger ships.

• Adventure Clipper - The fastest standard ship at 11.1 m/s. One cannon. Cost: 50 Gilda Stars. Used for scouting, quick trade runs, and hit-and-run piracy.

• Harpoon Clipper - Variant clipper with harpoon cannons that could pull enemy ships and players. A pirate favorite for stopping fleeing traders.

• Merchant Schooner - The trading workhorse. Speed: 10 m/s. HP: 42,000. Two cannons. 20 trade pack storage slots. Essential for large-scale guild trade runs across the ocean.

• Lutesong Junk / Eznan Cutter - Standard galleons. HP: 52,000. Eight cannons (four per side). Crew spaces, a crow's nest, and a war drum for buffing crew speed. The backbone of naval warfare.

• Enoan Galleon - Upgraded galleon variant. HP: 65,000. Deck transformation abilities that could shift the ship's configuration mid-battle.

• Fish-Find Longliner - Specialized fishing vessel equipped with sonar for locating fish schools.

• Turtlecraft - An armored vessel reaching 15 m/s with oars. Featured closable entry points, making it resistant to boarding. Used for protected cargo runs.

Combat mechanics

Ship-to-ship combat involved maneuvering for broadside cannon shots while crew members repaired the hull, fired harpoons, or boarded enemy vessels. Cannon damage could sink ships in minutes, dropping all trade packs and crew into the water. Ships could be despawned and resummoned, but only at certain docks.

Boarding was a common tactic for pirate crews. Harpoon clippers would grapple a target, pulling it to a stop, while a galleon moved alongside for crew to jump across and fight on the enemy deck. Killing the helmsman could leave a ship drifting and vulnerable.

Piracy on the seas

The ocean was unregulated territory. Players carrying trade packs across the sea were targets for anyone willing to accept the crime points. Some players and guilds specialized entirely in piracy, camping shipping lanes between continents. Counter-piracy escort services emerged, with guilds charging fees to protect trade convoys.

The Kraken and naval bosses

The Kraken was the game's most famous world boss encounter. A massive sea creature spawning in deep ocean zones, it required multiple ships to defeat. Other naval encounters included the Leviathan and the Delphinad Ghost Ship. These fights combined PvE mechanics with open-world PvP, as competing guilds often arrived to contest the kill.

Naval content in Chronicles

ArcheAge Chronicles confirms the return of naval combat including large-scale ocean battles and boss fights. Ship crafting remains part of the game. Ocean exploration joins land and air traversal as part of a seamless Unreal Engine 5 open world. The developers have indicated that naval combat will be adapted for the new action combat system, meaning ship-mounted weapons and boarding fights will feel different from the original's tab-target implementation.