Revision 19

Windrose's naval combat is built around broadside cannon volleys. The April 14, 2026 Early Access launch ships with three base cannon weight classes (12-Pounder, 24-Pounder, 36-Pounder) at Uncommon rarity, plus three variant modifiers (Tempered, Devastating, Perfectly Ordered) that appear only at Rare and Epic rarities, for 21 distinct ship weapons in the in-game weapons database (3 Uncommon baselines plus 9 Rare and 9 Epic variants). All cannons are crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop and equipped via the Wharf's ship management interface.

Cannon Weight Classes

The base classes determine cannon size, damage, recoil, and which ships can mount them. Heavier classes deal more damage per shot but reload slower and add weight to the ship.

Cannon Variants (Rare and Epic Modifiers)

Each base class has three variant modifiers that appear at Rare and Epic rarities. Variants change the cannon's behavior beyond raw damage.

Combining a class and variant yields the full named cannon: e.g. "Tempered 24-Pounder (Rare)" or "Devastating 36-Pounder (Epic)." Higher rarity within the same class+variant combo carries higher base damage and longer effect durations.

Recipe (12-Pounder, Uncommon Baseline)

Higher-tier cannons (24-Pounder, 36-Pounder, and the variant modifiers) require additional materials including Iron Ingots and Tumbaga Ingot, plus a recipe paper for each Rare variant. Cannon plans are sold by the Rogue Buccaneers Provisioner at ascending reputation ranks; the Smugglers of Port Royal sell the three Hull Bracing plans and the five Naval Tactics, not the cannon plans.

Ammunition Types

All cannon classes can fire two ammo types, switched mid-combat:

The recommended naval combat opener is 5 to 6 bar shot volleys into the enemy's rigging to slow them, then switching to regular cannonballs for sustained hull damage. Bar shot does little hull damage on its own; its value is forcing the enemy out of the chase phase into a slow-trade phase.

Cannon Slot Counts by Ship

Each ship class mounts a different number of cannons. The Ketch carries 3 slots, the Brig carries 6, and the Frigate carries 12 in its main battery plus 6 more in a secondary 12-pound battery. Blackbeard Frigate mounts 12 heavy-caliber slots (24 or 36 pounds) plus 6 secondary slots.

Hull Bracing and Companion Equipment

Cannons are one of three core ship equipment categories. The other two are Hull Bracing (5 Copper Ingots + 30 Wood + 5 Nails; reduces incoming damage) and Boarding Equipment (improves NPC crew effectiveness during boarding actions). All three slot types can be upgraded at the Shipwright's Workshop Upgrade tab. Hull Bracing plans at higher tiers come from the Smugglers of Port Royal.

Combat Repair Kits

Combat Repair Kits are consumable items crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop. They restore hull HP mid-battle while you remain under fire. Always carry several when engaging multiple enemy ships or boarding higher-tier vessels.

Fire Strategy

Effective cannon use combines positioning, ammo selection, and timing:

1. Reduce sail to roughly 3/4 to tighten your turn radius and bring cannons to bear

2. Open with bar shot into the enemy's sails (5 to 6 volleys)

3. Switch to regular cannonballs once the enemy is slowed; aim for the waterline for maximum hull damage

4. Watch the wave pattern: large waves can block cannonballs at long range. Close distance reduces this issue

5. Use the F key zoomed-out camera for situational awareness when surrounded

6. Time "Perfectly Ordered" cannon variants by hitting consecutive shots within 4 seconds for the +30% reload buff

Future Cannon Types

The roadmap mentions additional cannon variants (carronades, long cannons) planned for Early Access updates. Carronades are short-barreled close-range cannons in real history; long cannons trade rate of fire for range. Whether these will be variants of the existing classes or entirely new categories has not been formally announced.

See Also

• Naval Combat - full naval combat guide including ship controls, ammo strategy, and boarding

• Ship Types - Ketch, Brig, Frigate stats and roles

• Boarding - the boarding mechanic that follows successful cannon engagements

• Shipwright's Workshop - the crafting station for cannons and ship gear

• Wharf - the equipment management station required to fit cannons to a ship

Perfectly Ordered 12-Pounders

The Perfectly Ordered 12-Pounders is a named Rare variant of the 12-pounder sold by the Buccaneers provisioner at reputation rank 2. Its effect triggers on a hit: landing a cannonball within 4 seconds of the previous reload grants +30% reload speed for 22 seconds.

In practice, a baseline 12-Pounder reloads in 11 seconds and the Perfectly Ordered variant carries a 13-second base reload. When the buff is active, the 30% reload-speed increase trims roughly four seconds off the cycle, dropping the Perfectly Ordered variant from 13s toward about 9s per volley. The 22-second buff window easily overlaps into the next shot, keeping the buff refreshed so long as you continue landing hits. Against a single target it is a straightforward sustained-fire upgrade. Against multiple targets it requires discipline: switching fire to a second ship mid-rotation can let the buff lapse if you miss.

To reach Buccaneers rep 2, turn in Deckhand insignias (dropped by Blackbeard's sailors during boarding) and ship-sinking insignias at the Bounty Agent in the Buccaneers hideout. Completing the Buccaneers' side quest lines, including the 50-bag gunpowder delivery, grants 50 silver plus five letters of favor, which can be traded at any other Tortuga-archipelago faction for additional reputation.

Fitment Rules

Not every ship can mount every cannon weight. 12-pounders fit every hull in the game, including all Ketch, Brig, and Frigate variants for both stock, Brethren, and Blackbeard factions. 24-pounders fit the stock Frigate, Brethren Frigate, Blackbeard Ketch, Blackbeard Brig, and Blackbeard Frigate; the stock and Brethren Ketch and Brig cannot mount them. 36-pounders are the heaviest caliber at launch and fit only the Blackbeard Frigate, which can replace its default 24-pounders with 12 x 36-pounder slots. The Frigate design itself is sold by the Brethren of the Coast at their highest reputation tier, and both Brig and Frigate hulls require Foothills-tier crafting resources.

Upgrading Each Cannon Individually

Cannon upgrades apply per cannon, not per ship. A Ketch with 3 installed cannons takes 3 trips through the upgrade flow; a Brig with 6 takes 6; a Frigate with 12 main-battery cannons plus 6 secondary takes 18. Each upgrade costs Copper Ingots and Wooden Planks, with costs scaling by upgrade tier. Keep fast-travel bells near every island that has known copper deposits and mine at each pass; pull old bells down with the disassembly function (full material refund) and re-plant them in the Foothills and beyond as the starter region runs dry.

Assign the Master Salvager NPC Jasper Crow (500 piastres to hire in Tortuga) to the disassembly or upgrade stations for a 30% chance to refund resources on each upgrade. The refund is applied during armor upgrades most reliably, but the total resource savings across a full cannon-and-armor upgrade session are substantial.

Bar Shot Opener Timing

Regardless of cannon class, the optimal opening of a naval engagement uses 5 to 6 bar shot volleys into the enemy sails. Bar shot does almost no hull damage; its job is to reduce the enemy's speed enough that you can position for a full broadside and stay there. Once the enemy is slowed, switch ammo to regular cannonballs and rake the hull along the waterline for maximum damage.

Lowering sails to roughly 3/4 speed tightens your own turning circle noticeably, making it much easier to keep your broadside aligned. Use the F-key zoomed camera to track multiple targets simultaneously; it also helps spot bounty barrels along the engagement line, which can be looted between volleys if an escort breaks off.

Independent Side Cooldowns

Cannons are organized into three batteries on every ship: the front chasers, the port (left) broadside, and the starboard (right) broadside. Each battery has its own independent reload cooldown. Firing all front cannons does not touch the port or starboard timers, and vice versa. This is why the Windrose naval combat loop is built around rotating between sides rather than spamming a single bank until it reloads.

Practical consequence: if your ship mounts six cannons split two in front and two on each side, you effectively have three small volleys on staggered timers rather than one big volley on a shared timer. In the starter Ketch, two-side alternation (front + port) is the sustainable rhythm because the hull cannot turn fast enough in a 1v1 to also bring the starboard side to bear before the port side reloads. In larger ship classes, or in group engagements where enemies sit on different arcs, three-side rotation becomes possible and maximizes uptime.

Ammo Hotkeys

Ship cannons can swap ammunition mid-combat with no reload penalty beyond the natural cooldown. On PC the hotkey for the secondary ammo type, bar shot (also called chainshot), is 2. Pressing 2 switches every mounted cannon to bar shot for the next fire; pressing 1 returns to regular cannonballs. The swap is per-cannon, so you can fire a bar shot volley from the port broadside to slow the target, then immediately swap back and rake the hull with the front chasers on the same pass.

Bar shot is aimed higher than regular cannonballs, targeting the sails rather than the waterline. Landing enough bar shot volleys applies a visible Hindered debuff icon on the enemy hull, after which the target slows dramatically and becomes far easier to hold at a broadside distance.

Rarity Passives on Cannons

Every cannon carries a fixed base profile (Damage, Reload, Range, Accuracy); Rare (purple) adds a named modifier effect on top of that baseline, and ascending to Epic (orange) adds a second, Epic-only bonus. The Epic bonuses are Tempered +20% Weak Spot damage, Devastating +15% reload speed, and Perfectly Ordered +30% aiming speed. Because upgrades apply per cannon at the Shipwright's Workshop, the practical farm loop is to pull a Rare cannon whose modifier line you want to keep, mount it, then pour Copper Ingots and Wooden Planks into that specific cannon's upgrade track. A Rare cannon in the same caliber as an unmodded Uncommon is almost always better, since every Rare and Epic variant shares the base damage number but carries an active effect.

Ascending Cannons to the Next Rarity

Ascension turns a Rare (purple) cannon into an Epic (orange) cannon by combining it with Tumbaga Ingot at the Shipwright's Workshop. There is no Legendary tier in the current build; Epic is the ceiling for every cannon. Ascending keeps the Rare-tier modifier effect active and layers an Epic-only bonus on top (+20% Weak Spot damage for Tempered, +15% reload speed for Devastating, +30% aiming speed for Perfectly Ordered), so an Epic cannon always out-performs the matching Rare input.

Ascension is expensive in rare materials. The practical path is to identify one or two cannon rolls you actually want to keep for the rest of the playthrough, then ascend those rather than spraying the materials across every cannon in the hold. See the Rarity System article for the full progression and the Ascending Gear entry for the material costs per tier.

Hotbar and Wharf Flow

After crafting a cannon at the Shipwright's Workshopit sits in your inventory doing nothing until you equip it. Head to the Wharfopen the Manage Ship interface, and drag each cannon into an open Ship Gear slot. Missing this step is a common mistake on the first sail out. While you are at the Wharf, move your repair kits and grog to the hotbar hotkeys so you can trigger them mid-combat without opening the inventory.