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1-Cannons are the primary ship weapon in Windrose, mounted in each hull's cannon slot. Every cannon comes in three calibers (12-Pounders, 24-Pounders, and 36-Pounders) with three modification lines (Tempered, Perfectly Ordered, and Devastating), and each modded cannon has a Rare base tier that can be ascended to Epic using Tumbaga Ingot. This page indexes all twelve canonical variants and explains when each one shines.
1+Overview
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3+Cannons are the primary ship weapon in Windrose, mounted in each hull's cannon slot and crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop. Every cannon comes in three calibers (12-Pounders, 24-Pounders, and 36-Pounders) with three modification lines (Tempered, Perfectly Ordered, and Devastating). Each modded cannon has a Rare base tier that can be ascended to Epic using Tumbaga Ingot. This page indexes all twelve canonical variants, explains when each one shines, and documents the crafting recipes, plan vendors, ascension costs, and ship loadout picks for Naval Combat.
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35 How Cannons Work
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5-Cannons use four combat stats. ATK is a hidden base multiplier shared across every cannon (380 at max rank). Damage is the per-volley number and scales with caliber: 1,500 for 12-Pounders, 2,000 for 24-Pounders, and 2,500 for 36-Pounders. Reload Time ranges from 11 seconds (12-Pounder baseline) up to 16 seconds (36-Pounder Tempered and Perfectly Ordered). The Range and Accuracy ranks are ordinal (B, A, S) and are mostly B/A; only the 36-Pounders: Tempered reaches S in both.
7+Cannons use four combat stats. ATK is a hidden base multiplier shared across every cannon at 380 at max rank. Damage is the per-volley number and scales with caliber: 1,500 for 12-Pounders, 2,000 for 24-Pounders, and 2,500 for 36-Pounders. Reload Time ranges from 11 seconds (12-Pounder baseline) up to 16 seconds (36-Pounder Tempered and Perfectly Ordered). Range and Accuracy ranks are ordinal (B, A, S) and are mostly B or A on lighter calibers. The 36-Pounders: Tempered is the only variant that reaches S rank in both.
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7-Heavier calibers hit harder per volley but reload slower and cost more to craft. Each hull class has specific slots that only accept certain calibers, so you can't simply bolt 36-pounders onto every ship.
9+Effective cannon range in the live build is approximately 185 meters for a straight shot. Heavier calibers hit harder per volley but reload slower and cost more to craft. Each hull class has specific slots that only accept certain calibers, so you cannot simply bolt 36-pounders onto every ship. A Ketch is locked to three 12-pound slots; a standard Frigate carries a mix of 12-pound and 24-pound guns; only the Blackbeard Frigate accepts 36-pound guns at all.
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911 Caliber and Hull Compatibility
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11-ImageCaliberDamageBase ReloadFits Hulls12-Pounders1,50011sBrig, Frigate, Ketch, plus Brethren and Blackbeard faction hulls of all three classes24-Pounders2,00013sFrigate, Brethren Frigate, Blackbeard Brig, Blackbeard Frigate, Blackbeard Ketch36-Pounders2,50014sBlackbeard Frigate only
13+CaliberDamageBase ReloadFits Hulls12-Pounders1,50011sBrig, Frigate, Ketch, plus every Brethren and Blackbeard faction hull of all three classes24-Pounders2,00013sFrigate, Brethren Frigate, Blackbeard Brig, Blackbeard Frigate, Blackbeard Ketch36-Pounders2,50014sBlackbeard Frigate only
1214 Modification Lines
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14-ModificationRare EffectEpic Bonus (Ascended)When to UseTemperedAfter reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley's Damage by 40%.Hitting a Weak Spot deals 20% bonus Damage.Patient broadsides; disciplined crews that can hold fire to land the +40% volleyDevastatingHitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked effect for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times.Reload speed increased by 15%.Sustained broadsides against high-HP targets like Brethren Brigs and FrigatesPerfectly OrderedAfter reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22 seconds.Aiming speed increased by 30%.Hulls with stable reload cadence that can chain hits for the rolling reload-speed buff
16+Uncommon baseline cannons have no special effect and are strictly for filling slots when you have not yet unlocked a modded plan. Every modded line comes as Rare by default and can be ascended to Epic. The Epic bonus stacks with the Rare effect; it does not replace it, so an Epic modded cannon is always strictly better than its Rare equivalent once the Tumbaga Ingot cost is paid.
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18+ModificationRare EffectEpic Bonus (Ascended)When to UseTemperedAfter reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley's Damage by 40%.Hitting a Weak Spot deals 20% bonus Damage.Patient broadsides. Disciplined crews that can hold fire to land the +40% volley, or Blackbeard Frigate skirmishes where the S-rank range lets you open from maximum standoff.DevastatingHitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times.Reload speed increased by 15%.Sustained broadsides against high-HP targets like Brethren Brigs, Brethren Frigates, and Blackbeard boss encounters. The reload bonus helps maintain the stack uptime.Perfectly OrderedAfter reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22 seconds.Aiming speed increased by 30%.Hulls with stable reload cadence that can chain hits for the rolling reload-speed buff. Strong default pick on Ketch and Brig because the 30% aim-speed ascension helps swing the view between targets on smaller hulls.
1519 Complete Cannon Catalog
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17-ImageCannonRarityDamageReloadRangeAccuracyEffect12-PoundersUncommon150011sABNo effect; baseline cannon12-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic150012sAAAfter reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley's Damage by 40%.12-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic150012sABHitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked effect for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times.12-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic150013sBBAfter reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22 seconds.24-PoundersUncommon200013sBBNo effect; baseline cannon24-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic200014sAAAfter reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley's Damage by 40%.24-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic200013sBBHitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked effect for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times.24-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic200014sBBAfter reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22 seconds.36-PoundersUncommon250014sABNo effect; baseline cannon36-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic250016sSSAfter reloading, waiting 6 seconds before firing increases the next volley's Damage by 40%.36-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic250015sAAHitting a target with more than 50% of a volley applies Raked effect for 25 seconds. All Damage dealt to affected targets is increased by 10%. Stacks up to 3 times.36-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic250016sABAfter reloading, hitting an enemy within 4 seconds increases reloading speed by 30% for 22 seconds.
21+All twelve canonical variants, with their verified stats from the Rare or Uncommon tier. Epic tier shares the same Damage, Reload, Range, and Accuracy numbers as Rare; only the effect text grows.
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23+CannonRarityDamageReloadRangeAccuracyEffect12-PoundersUncommon150011sABNo effect. Baseline cannon.12-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic150012sAAWait 6s after reload for +40% Damage on next volley. Epic: +20% Weak Spot damage.12-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic150012sAB50%+ volley hit applies Raked for 25s, +10% damage taken, stacks x3. Epic: +15% reload speed.12-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic150013sBBHit within 4s of reload grants +30% reload speed for 22s. Epic: +30% aim speed.24-PoundersUncommon200013sBBNo effect. Baseline cannon.24-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic200014sAAWait 6s after reload for +40% Damage on next volley. Epic: +20% Weak Spot damage.24-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic200013sBB50%+ volley hit applies Raked for 25s, +10% damage taken, stacks x3. Epic: +15% reload speed.24-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic200014sBBHit within 4s of reload grants +30% reload speed for 22s. Epic: +30% aim speed.36-PoundersUncommon250014sABNo effect. Baseline cannon.36-Pounders: TemperedRare / Epic250016sSSWait 6s after reload for +40% Damage on next volley. Epic: +20% Weak Spot damage.36-Pounders: DevastatingRare / Epic250015sAA50%+ volley hit applies Raked for 25s, +10% damage taken, stacks x3. Epic: +15% reload speed.36-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRare / Epic250016sABHit within 4s of reload grants +30% reload speed for 22s. Epic: +30% aim speed.
1824 Ship Weapon Plans
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20-All Rare cannon variants require a corresponding recipe paper to unlock the crafting recipe. Plans are bought from the Rogue Buccaneers Provisioner at ascending reputation ranks.
26+Every Rare modded cannon requires a corresponding plan (recipe paper) to unlock the crafting recipe. All nine modded plans drop from the same NPC: the Rogue Buccaneers Provisioner at ascending reputation tiers. 12-pound plans unlock at Rep Level 2 for 300 Piastre each. 24-pound plans unlock at Rep Level 3 for 400 Piastre each. 36-pound plans unlock at Rep Level 4 for 500 Piastre each. Plans are consumed on use, but one copy unlocks the recipe permanently, so you never need to buy the same plan twice.
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22-ImagePlanCannon UnlockedVendor TierPricePlans: Tempered 12-Pounders12-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Perfectly Ordered 12-Pounders12-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Devastating 12-Pounders12-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Tempered 24-Pounders24-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Perfectly Ordered 24-Pounders24-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Devastating 24-Pounders24-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Tempered 36-Pounders36-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 4Piastre x500Plans: Perfectly Ordered 36-Pounders36-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 4Piastre x500Plans: Devastating 36-Pounders36-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner - Level 4Piastre x500
28+PlanCannon UnlockedVendor TierPricePlans: Tempered 12-Pounders12-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Perfectly Ordered 12-Pounders12-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Devastating 12-Pounders12-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 2Piastre x300Plans: Tempered 24-Pounders24-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Perfectly Ordered 24-Pounders24-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Devastating 24-Pounders24-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 3Piastre x400Plans: Tempered 36-Pounders36-Pounders: TemperedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 4Piastre x500Plans: Perfectly Ordered 36-Pounders36-Pounders: Perfectly OrderedRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 4Piastre x500Plans: Devastating 36-Pounders36-Pounders: DevastatingRogue Buccaneers Provisioner, Rep Level 4Piastre x500
29+The three Uncommon baseline cannons (12-Pounders, 24-Pounders, and 36-Pounders) do not require any plan. They are learned automatically once the Shipwright's Workshop is built, which is why they are the fallback option whenever you outfit a new hull before farming reputation.
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31+Crafting Recipes
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33+Every cannon is crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop. The recipe changes with station tier: each upgrade unlocks access to the next material pipeline while the old recipe stays available. Craft time is 1 second at every tier, meaning output is effectively batchable at 60 per minute. The station itself needs 15 Wood, 10 Coarse Fabric, and 5 Copper Ingot to build, and it must sit under a roof within bonfire range.
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35+Baseline Uncommon Cannons
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37+CaliberStation Tier 1Station Tier 6Station Tier 1112-PoundersCopper Ingot x10, Wood x10Foothills Iron Ingot x10, Timber x4Mire Metal Ingot x10, Tarred Planks x5, Shipwright's Tools x224-PoundersCopper Ingot x15, Wood x15Foothills Iron Ingot x15, Timber x6Mire Metal Ingot x15, Tarred Planks x7, Shipwright's Tools x336-PoundersCopper Ingot x20, Wood x20Foothills Iron Ingot x20, Timber x8Mire Metal Ingot x20, Tarred Planks x10, Shipwright's Tools x4
38+Modded Rare Cannons
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40+All three modifications of a given caliber share the same ingredient list. The only difference from the Uncommon base recipe is that modded versions use Wooden Plank instead of raw Wood at Tier 1 and gain a Shipwright's Tools requirement at Tier 6.
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42+Caliber (Modded)Station Tier 1Station Tier 6Station Tier 1112-pound (any modification)Copper Ingot x10, Wooden Plank x5Foothills Iron Ingot x10, Timber x4, Shipwright's Tools x2Mire Metal Ingot x10, Tarred Planks x5, Shipwright's Tools x224-pound (any modification)Copper Ingot x15, Wooden Plank x7Foothills Iron Ingot x15, Timber x6, Shipwright's Tools x3Mire Metal Ingot x15, Tarred Planks x7, Shipwright's Tools x336-pound (any modification)Copper Ingot x20, Wooden Plank x10Foothills Iron Ingot x20, Timber x8, Shipwright's Tools x4Mire Metal Ingot x20, Tarred Planks x10, Shipwright's Tools x4
2343 Ascending to Epic
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25-Every Rare cannon variant can be ascended to Epic rarity at the Shipwright's Workshop by combining the base Rare cannon with Tumbaga Ingot. The Tumbaga requirement scales with caliber: 7 ingots for 12-Pounders, 8 for 24-Pounders, and 9 for 36-Pounders. Ascending keeps the Rare-tier effect active and layers an Epic-only bonus (+20% Weak Spot damage for Tempered, +15% reload speed for Devastating, +30% aiming speed for Perfectly Ordered).
45+Every Rare cannon variant ascends to Epic at the Shipwright's Workshop by combining the base Rare cannon with Tumbaga Ingot. The Tumbaga requirement scales with caliber and is identical across modifications: 7 ingots for any 12-pound variant, 8 for any 24-pound, and 9 for any 36-pound. Ascending keeps the Rare-tier effect active and layers the Epic-only bonus on top, so the Epic cannon is strictly better once the ingots are available.
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47+CaliberTumbaga CostTempered Epic BonusDevastating Epic BonusPerfectly Ordered Epic Bonus12-PoundersTumbaga Ingot x7+20% Weak Spot damage+15% reload speed+30% aiming speed24-PoundersTumbaga Ingot x8+20% Weak Spot damage+15% reload speed+30% aiming speed36-PoundersTumbaga Ingot x9+20% Weak Spot damage+15% reload speed+30% aiming speed
48+Tumbaga Ingots come exclusively from chests tied to Blackbeard Treasure Maps. Each treasure chest typically contains three ingots. The maps drop from named encounters and boss-tier enemies in Blackbeard's fleet. Because Tumbaga is scarce and competes with every other Rare weapon and piece of gear you might want to ascend, most captains ascend their ship's primary caliber first and leave secondaries at Rare.
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50+Weak Spots
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52+Every enemy ship has a weak spot on its stern, directly below the wheelhouse. Hitting this spot registers a critical hit and scales with the Tempered Epic bonus for a straight +20% damage. The stern is also the blind angle of the target: ship cannons are broadside weapons, and very few enemy hulls carry rear-facing guns, so a captain who can maintain a position behind the enemy's stern fires freely while receiving almost no return damage.
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54+Practical weak-spot engagement looks like: slow to three-quarters sail to tighten the turn radius, angle diagonally across the target's wake, fire the aft-side broadside into the stern, then break off before the target swings its own broadside around. Tempered Epic cannons are built around this loop. The Rare-tier +40% buff for holding fire for 6 seconds stacks multiplicatively with the Epic-tier +20% Weak Spot bonus, which is why Tempered on a Blackbeard Frigate with S-rank range is the highest single-volley damage configuration in the game.
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56+Ammunition
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58+Cannons alternate between two ammunition types during combat. Standard Cannonballs are selected with the 1 key and deal raw hull damage. Chain Shot is selected with the 2 key and shreds sails and masts, applying a speed and turn-rate debuff rather than hull damage. Neither round is consumable: ammunition is effectively infinite in combat. The finite cost is the cannon itself (unlocked via plans) and the reload timing, not the shot.
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60+The standard workflow on a hauler farm is: open with five or six chain-shot volleys to strip the target's sails, switch to cannonballs, beat the hull down to the disabled state, and stop firing the moment the Boarding Combat prompt appears. Continuing to fire cannonballs after the prompt sinks the ship and loses the cargo. Against escort patrols that do not carry loot worth boarding, standard cannonballs finish them faster; save chain shot for anything that might try to flee.
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62+Wave Mechanics
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64+Cannon fire is physics-based, not stat-based, which means it interacts with the ocean. Waves physically block cannon shots: when a large swell rises between your hull and the target, the volley hits the wave crest instead of the enemy. Greater distance and higher tides make this worse, which is one reason why closing range matters as much as aligning broadsides.
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66+Cannonballs also travel in a natural arc. Aiming at the visual center of a distant target overshoots, so the community convention is to aim slightly lower than center and let the arc land on the waterline. Right-click shows a white trajectory arc that turns red when the line crosses the target, which is the fastest way to judge lead and drop on a moving enemy. Time broadsides for the moment your own hull peaks on a wave rather than when it troughs, or shots will plow into the water a few meters short of the target.
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68+Naval Tactics Synergy
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70+Cannon effects stack with every active Naval Tactics buff and with Grog crew drinks. Notable pairings:
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72+Broken Rhythm reduces enemy damage and reload speed by 20%, which widens the window to stack Raked on a Devastating loadout.Gunroom Grog gives a flat -15% reload time for 30 minutes per brew. It multiplies with the Perfectly Ordered +30% reload buff, turning the 12-pound reload cycle from 13s into roughly 8s during the buff window.Stretch the Supply extends Grog duration by 200%, which is the difference between a single fight on Grog and a full patrol route on Grog. Strong pick on any cannon build that relies on reload or Weak Spot cadence.Hull Bracing: Keelhold keeps repair kits active while taking damage, which matters during broadside duels where the Devastating Raked stack keeps the target pinned.
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74+Best Cannon by Ship Class
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76+There is no universal best cannon. The right pick depends on the hull, the typical engagement, and which plans you have already unlocked. The table below covers the community-converged loadouts for every hull that exists in the launch build.
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78+Ship ClassCannon SlotsRecommended LoadoutReasoningKetch3 (12-pound only)12-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered x3A nimble starter hull cannot waste reload cycles. The rolling +30% reload bonus pays off every time the small 12-pound volley actually lands.Brig12-pound battery12-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered for sustained DPS, or 12-Pounders: Devastating for boss huntsThe Brig is the workhorse PvE hull. Perfectly Ordered shines for patrol and trade-route work. Devastating is the pick when you expect a long, high-HP duel.Blackbeard BrigCan upgrade to 24-pound slots24-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered x6Swapping to the 24-pound option is the main reason to grind the Blackbeard Brig. Perfectly Ordered keeps the heavier reload cycle from stalling.FrigateMixed 12- and 24-pound slots24-Pounders: Devastating on the main battery; 12-pound Devastating on secondariesFrigates want stack maintenance across both decks. The reload synergy between Rare Raked uptime and Epic +15% reload keeps three stacks live during long brawls.Brethren FrigateHeavy Brethren-themed hull24-Pounders: DevastatingBrethren hulls reward raw durability. Raked stacks multiply their long-fight damage advantage.Blackbeard FrigateOnly hull that mounts 36-pound slots36-Pounders: Devastating main battery; swap a row to 36-Pounders: Tempered for long-range opensThe endgame PvE cannon. 2,500 base damage per volley plus the Devastating Raked stack is the highest theoretical broadside DPS in the game. Tempered's unique S/S range and accuracy matters on specific engagements where you need to land a single crushing opening volley before the target closes.
79+Uncommon baseline cannons are not wasted. They are still the correct fallback on a new hull or when you are rebuilding a fleet after a wipe. A Ketch with three baseline 12-Pounders can clear any patrol tier up through mid-game; the upgrade to Perfectly Ordered is a convenience buff, not a requirement.
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81+Boarding and Cannons
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83+Cannons and boarding are paired systems. Cannons exist to bring a target into boarding range. Over-firing cannons after the Boarding Combat prompt appears sinks the ship and loses the cargo, which is why the single most common early-game mistake is continuing standard cannonball fire past the disabled state. The full loop looks like:
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85+Use Chain Shot to disable the target's sails and prevent escape.Switch to Cannonballs and drop the hull to the disabled state.Stop firing the moment the boarding prompt appears above the target.Press Space to initiate the Boarding Combat sequence.After the board, repair at a Wharf if the cannon row took hits, and refit from the Shipwright's Workshop if any cannons were destroyed.
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2787 See Also
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29-Ships: the hulls that mount cannonsNaval Combat: broader combat systemShip Plans: overview of every ship-related recipe paperShipwright's Workshop: crafting stationWindrose Naval Tactics: combat buffs that stack with cannon effectsRogue Buccaneers: faction whose Provisioner sells most cannon plans
89+Ships: the hulls that mount cannonsNaval Combat: broader combat system, controls, and wave mechanicsShip Plans: overview of every ship-related recipe paperShipwright's Workshop: primary crafting station for cannons and fittingsShip Customization: pairing cannons with hulls, hull mods, and tacticsNaval Tactics: combat buffs that stack with cannon effectsRogue Buccaneers: faction whose Provisioner sells every modded planTumbaga Ingot: weapon ascension material used for Rare-to-Epic upgradesCannonballs: standard ship ammunitionChain Shot: sail-targeting ammunitionBoarding Combat: the loot path that cannons set upWharf: where cannons are equipped, repaired, and removed