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Chain Shot is the sail-targeting ship ammunition in Windrose. Two cannonballs linked by a chain, designed to shred sails and masts rather than punch hull. Equipped to a ship's cannons alongside standard cannonballs, selected with the 2 key in combat (the 1 key switches back to standard shot).
Property | Value |
|---|---|
Ammunition Type | Sail and mast targeting (anti-rigging) |
Hotkey | 2 key (1 key returns to standard Cannonballs) |
Primary Effect | Cuts sail and mast integrity, applies a heavy speed and turn-rate debuff |
Hull Damage | Minimal compared to standard shot |
Resource Cost | None; ammunition is not consumable in combat |
Fired By | Any Cannons mounted on your ship |
Effective Range | About 185 meters on a straight shot, the same as standard fire |
Chain Shot hits cut sail and mast integrity. Accumulating enough hits on a target's sails applies a massive speed debuff, slowing the ship dramatically and crippling its turn rate. A slowed ship is far easier to catch, align broadsides against, or pull alongside for a Boarding Combat action.
Chain Shot is one of two ammunition types every ship carries by default, alongside standard Cannonballs. You do not craft, buy, or stockpile it: neither round is consumable, so ammunition is effectively infinite during a fight. The only real cost in a Naval Combat exchange is your Cannons reload timing and the cannons themselves, which are crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop. This means you can switch to Chain Shot freely with the 2 key whenever a target needs to be slowed, then flip back to standard shot with the 1 key, without ever worrying about running out.
Setting up a board: Open with Chain Shot to strip the hauler's speed. Switch to standard cannonballs once the target cannot escape, and stop firing when the boarding prompt appears.
Catching a fleeing patrol: Enemy patrols often attempt to disengage. Chain Shot at long range prevents them from leaving the engagement.
Outnumbered fights: Against two or three escorts plus a hauler, Chain Shot on the nearest escort lets the player reposition while the slowed target waits for a follow-up.
The single most common early-game mistake on hauler farms is to continue firing standard cannonballs after the boarding prompt appears, sinking the target and losing the cargo. Chain Shot avoids this trap by slowing the hauler without adding meaningful hull damage. The reliable workflow is: open with roughly five or six Chain Shot volleys to strip the target's sails and stop it escaping, switch to standard shot to beat the hull down to the disabled state, stop firing, then board and loot.
For escort ships that are not worth boarding, Chain Shot is not the priority. Standard cannonballs finish escorts faster by dealing hull damage directly. Save Chain Shot for targets that need to be slowed or preserved.
On a fast hull such as a Ketch or Brig, lead with Chain Shot at long range so a fleeing patrol cannot open the gap before your guns are in arc.
Heavier hulls like the Frigate turn slowly, so use Chain Shot to pin a target in place and bring a full broadside to bear rather than chasing.
Stop firing the instant the Boarding Combat prompt appears; extra volleys risk sinking a disabled prize and forfeiting its cargo.
Against escorts you intend to sink rather than board, skip Chain Shot entirely; standard Cannonballs clear them faster through direct hull damage.
Ammunition - parent page covering cannon ammo
Boarding Combat - the loot path Chain Shot sets up
Naval Combat - overall naval engagement guide
Cannons - cannon tiers and calibers
Shipwright's Workshop - ship equipment crafting
