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33 Frigate is the stock variant of the Frigate ship class in Windrose. A Frigate is a true ship of war, designed to dominate open waters with heavy broadside firepower, a deep hull, and a large crew. Stock variants are the balanced middle ground of each class: no extreme strengths, no exploitable weaknesses, and the full slate of Hull Bracings, Naval Tactics, and Cannons available to the class. Build one at the Wharf with the Ship Design: Frigate plan, then outfit the four gear slots before putting to sea.
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55 Overview
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77 The stock Frigate trades the Blackbeard variant's speed and the Brethren variant's hit points for a round set of stats that never feels outmatched at its own job. Its 18 cannon slots, 160,000 hit points, and 50-strong crew place it well ahead of the Brig and Ketch in raw combat output, while keeping a 40-slot cargo hold large enough to make late-game trade runs viable between battles. It is typically the first Frigate-class hull a captain builds after clearing the mid-game progression wall, and remains a solid choice for any captain who wants one vessel that can handle patrol, escort, raid, and boarding duty without swapping hulls.
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99 PropertyValueShip ClassFrigate (Stock variant)Hitpoints160,000Max Speed18 knotsCargo Size40Main Battery12 guns, 24-PoundersSecondary Battery6 guns, 12-PoundersTotal Cannons18Crew50Restoration CostHighBuilt AtWharfPlanShip Design: Frigate
1010 Strategic Role
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1212 The stock Frigate is the balanced loadout of the class: neither the fastest raider nor the toughest fortress, but versatile enough to handle escort, trade protection, or first-encounter combat. New captains who just finished the mid-game progression wall typically build a stock Frigate first because every Naval Tactics and Hull Bracings combo the class can mount is available out of the box. Compared to the Blackbeard and Brethren variants, the stock hull is cheaper to insure against total loss, easier to keep afloat in a messy fight, and less punishing to crew if you are still learning broadside cycling.
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1414 Against a Brig or Ketch the Frigate wins almost every straight exchange: more hit points to soak volleys, more cannons to return fire, and a large enough crew to make Boarding a realistic finisher if the enemy hull is crippled. The tradeoff is mobility. Smaller classes can disengage, reposition, and dictate wind angles more easily, so a stock Frigate captain who is out of position can get kited by a patient Blackbeard Brig or Ketch running hit-and-run tactics. Staying in a rotating broadside arc with the wind three-quarters off the stern is the Frigate's preferred fight.
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1616 Variant Comparison
1717  
1818 All three Frigate variants share the same hull silhouette, crew cap, and plan progression, but their stat lines push them into very different playstyles.
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2020 VariantHitpointsMax SpeedMain BatterySecondary BatteryRoleFrigate (Stock)160,00018 kn12 × 24-Pounders6 × 12-PoundersBalanced all-rounderBlackbeard Frigate110,00020 kn12 × 24-Pounders or 36-Pounders6 × 12-Pounders or 24-PoundersSpeed and firepower glass cannonBrethren Frigate200,00016 kn12 × 24-Pounders or 36-Pounders6 × 12-Pounders or 24-PoundersHeavy tank, longest fights
2121 Pick the stock Frigate if you want one boat that does every job passably, the Blackbeard Frigate if you plan to rotate aggressively and exploit the twelve 36-pound main battery, and the Brethren Frigate if you prefer a slower, tankier brawler that can take a sustained beating while your crew repairs between salvoes.
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2323 Mobility
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2525 Each gear step is a separate throttle notch. Speed, turn rate, and turning radius in calm wind are fixed per notch; Hull Bracings choice, hold load, and wind angle still modify the effective output. The reverse notch (Gear -1) is the only negative gear and pulls the hull backward while inverting the turn direction, useful for swinging a blocked broadside back onto a target in a narrow channel.
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2727 GearSpeedTurn RateGear -1-7 kn-8.9°/sGear 00 kn8.6°/sGear 13.5 kn8.7°/sGear 25.8 kn8.7°/sGear 312 kn8.8°/sGear 420.7 kn8.3°/s
2828 Full-sail speed peaks at 20.7 knots at Gear 4 with a following wind, but the Frigate's sweet spot for broadside cycling is Gear 3 (12 kn). That notch preserves enough turn rate to rotate the hull between volleys without overshooting the firing arc. Drop to Gear 2 (5.8 kn) when lining up a kill shot at close range, and return to Gear 4 only when closing distance or running from a fight you cannot win.
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3030 Build Cost
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3232 Construct the Frigate at the Wharf after learning the Ship Design: Frigate plan. The following materials are consumed when the keel is laid:
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3434 IngredientQuantityNails300Foothills Iron Ingot120Wooden Plank320Timber160Tarred Planks80Linen Fabric240Tarred Fabric80Rope80Shipwright's Tools50
3535 The build consumes eight raw crafting materials plus a stack of 50 Shipwright's Tools. Expect several trips to the foothills and tar pits to stockpile enough Foothills Iron Ingot, Tarred Planks, and Tarred Fabric for the first hull. Most captains chain-craft two or three Frigates back to back once the supply lines are set up, so the incremental cost of a second stock hull drops sharply.
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3737 Equipment Loadout
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3939 Every Frigate carries four gear slots that you fit at the Wharf interface once the hull is built: a main cannon battery, a secondary cannon battery, a hull bracing, and a naval tactic. A crew equipment slot holds Boarding Party Gear for melee engagements. Combat effectiveness is almost entirely determined by what sits in these slots, so treat the hull itself as a blank canvas and plan the loadout before sinking materials into the build.
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4141 Cannon Slots
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4343 The Frigate carries a main battery of twelve 24-pound guns and a secondary battery of six 12-pound guns, for eighteen cannons total. Each slot can mount the baseline cannon of its caliber or any of three ascendable variants: Devastating, Perfectly Ordered, and Tempered. Both batteries share the same caliber options as the other Frigate variants, with the exception that only the Blackbeard Frigate can swap main-battery slots up to 36-Pounders. For the stock hull, stick to 24-pound main and 12-pound secondary.
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4545 BatterySlot CountCaliberVariants AvailableMain1224-Pounders24-Pounders: Devastating, 24-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered, 24-Pounders: TemperedSecondary612-Pounders12-Pounders: Devastating, 12-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered, 12-Pounders: Tempered
4646 Recommended cannon mix: 24-Pounders: Devastating on the main battery and 12-Pounders: Devastating on the secondary. The Devastating ability inflicts a raked debuff for 25 seconds on any target struck by more than 50% of a volley, adding 10% extra damage taken per stack and stacking up to three times. Running Devastating on both batteries lets you pile the stacks faster than any other combination, and the epic ascension adds reload speed on top. If you prefer a patient, high-burst playstyle, 24-Pounders: Tempered rewards waiting six seconds after reload for a 40% damage bump on the next volley, which pairs well with Ambush openers. 24-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered suits captains who prefer pure sustained-fire uptime, especially on the smaller 12-pound secondary where frequent hits refresh the reload buff.
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4848 Hull Slot
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5050 The hull slot accepts the baseline Hull bracing or any of three rare-tier ascendable variants. Hull bracing adds defensive modifiers, influences how repair kits behave under fire, and is the single biggest survivability stat on the ship. See Ship Cannon Loadouts for the full bracing reference table.
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5252 BracingEpic EffectBest ForHull Bracing: KeelholdRepair kit duration is not reduced by incoming damage, plus 30% longer duration.Sustained fights, the default choice for most captains.Hull Bracing: Iron ResolveScaling damage resistance up to 25% as hull drops below 30% health, plus 30% bonus to repair effectiveness.Brawlers who expect to fight at low HP and need a comeback cushion.Hull Bracing: StandfastEight reactive stacks that absorb a burst hit and cut damage 25% for three seconds.Burst-shy builds that want to shrug off an alpha volley.
5353 Recommended bracing: Hull Bracing: Keelhold. In drawn-out Frigate fights you will usually pop multiple repair kits, and Keelhold's guarantee that damage does not cut the heal short (plus 30% extra duration at epic) is worth more than raw damage reduction on a hull this large. Iron Resolve is a strong alternate if you enjoy finishing fights at low HP, and Standfast works for single-burst encounters like raiding merchants.
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5555 Naval Tactics Slot
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5757 The Naval Tactics slot holds a passive trait that is always active while the ship is crewed. Tactics cannot be upgraded or ascended like cannons or hull bracing; you simply slot the one that matches your mission profile. Stock Frigates can slot any of the five standard tactics.
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5959 TacticEffectNaval Tactics I: AmbushAfter two minutes without dealing or receiving damage, the next volley deals 130% bonus damage. Rewards patient first strikes on unaware targets.Naval Tactics II: No QuarterDestroying an enemy ship restores 30% hull health over ten seconds, useful for chaining skirmishes.Naval Tactics III: Stretch the SupplyExtends Repair Kit duration by 30% and Grog duration by 200%. The default pick for long engagements.Naval Tactics IV: ShipshapeOut-of-combat hull regeneration, handy for patrol runs where you rarely dock.Naval Tactics V: Silence the GunsHitting a ship slows its reload and reduces its damage by 20% for 30 seconds, strong into other Frigates and heavy broadside trades.
6060 Recommended tactic: Naval Tactics III: Stretch the Supply. Paired with Keelhold hull bracing, it turns every Combat Repair Kit into a significantly stronger heal, and the Grog duration boost doubles the uptime of crew morale buffs. Ambush is the pick for premeditated first strikes on convoys, Silence the Guns for Frigate-versus-Frigate duels, and No Quarter for fleet patrols where you expect three or more kills per sortie.
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6262 Crew Equipment Slot
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6464 The crew slot holds Boarding Party Gear, a single uncommon-rarity item that is crafted once at the Shipwright's Workshop and then upgraded through fifteen levels rather than ascended. Higher levels give your fifty-strong crew far better survivability and damage output when you grapple an enemy ship and initiate Boarding. Because the Frigate's large crew makes boarding a realistic finisher for most duels, upgrading boarding gear is a higher priority on a Frigate than on a Ketch.
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6666 Recommended Builds
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6868 The Frigate can be tuned in three broad directions without changing the hull. Pick the build that matches the job; you can always reequip at the Wharf.
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7070 All-Round Patrol Build
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7272 Main battery: 24-Pounders: Devastating × 12Secondary battery: 12-Pounders: Devastating × 6Hull bracing: Hull Bracing: KeelholdNaval tactic: Naval Tactics III: Stretch the SupplyCrew: Boarding Party Gear at the highest level you can afford
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7474 This is the default loadout for a captain who cannot predict the next fight. Devastating on both batteries stacks the raked debuff fast, Keelhold keeps repair kits active under fire, and Stretch the Supply extends both healing and crew buffs through longer engagements.
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7676 Burst Ambush Build
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7878 Main battery: 24-Pounders: Tempered × 12Secondary battery: 12-Pounders: Tempered × 6Hull bracing: Hull Bracing: StandfastNaval tactic: Naval Tactics I: Ambush
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8080 Built around a massive opening salvo. Ambush adds 130% damage to the first volley after two minutes of peace, Tempered cannons add a further 40% if you hold the trigger six seconds after reload, and Standfast provides a burst-shy cushion if the ambush fails to cripple the target.
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8282 Anti-Frigate Duel Build
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8484 Main battery: 24-Pounders: Devastating × 12Secondary battery: 12-Pounders: Perfectly Ordered × 6Hull bracing: Hull Bracing: Iron ResolveNaval tactic: Naval Tactics V: Silence the Guns
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8686 For Frigate-versus-Frigate brawls. Silence the Guns cuts the enemy's reload speed and damage by 20% for 30 seconds on every hit, Devastating main battery layers raked stacks, Perfectly Ordered 12-pounders keep reload speed high from frequent small hits, and Iron Resolve scales damage resistance as the fight grinds your hull below 30% health.
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8888 Sailing Tips
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9090 A Frigate lives or dies by broadside cycling. The hull is too large to out-turn a Brig or Ketch at close range, so the goal is to force the enemy to cross your firing arcs while you rotate out of theirs. Keep the wind three-quarters off the stern when possible; a true beam reach is fastest but pushes your turn circle wide, and running directly downwind gives up the turn rate that broadside trading needs.
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9292 Do not sail in a straight line under fire. Stock Frigate speed peaks at Gear 4, but sailing in a straight line while an enemy maneuvers hands them a free volley. Drop to Gear 3 and start turning the moment incoming shots start landing.Manage hold load. The 40-slot cargo is useful, but a fully loaded hull accelerates slower and turns slower. Dump heavy low-value cargo before engaging a fleet.Pre-load both batteries before the opening volley. The secondary 12-pounders reload faster than the mains and can stagger the raked stacks so they overlap rather than refresh.Aim for the hull, not the sails, in most fights. Damage kills ships; sails matter only if the target is trying to flee. Against a Blackbeard hull you usually want to kill the ship in the first three volleys, not chase it.Pop Combat Repair Kit under fire; save a long-duration Repair Kit for after the fight. Combat Repair Kits restore 30% over ten seconds and keep ticking through incoming hits (especially with Keelhold). Long Repair Kits restore more overall but any stray cannonball interrupts the two-minute heal.
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9494 Restoration and Loss Recovery
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9696 A Frigate's restoration cost is listed as High, which translates to a meaningful material tax whenever the hull takes heavy structural damage or sinks outright. In-field repairs on foot require Wooden Plank, Nails, fabric, and Rope in stacks that scale up sharply from what a Ketch or Brig needs. If the hull sinks entirely, you respawn it at the Wharf for a lump-sum wood cost and trigger another set of consumables. Keep a reserve stockpile at your home port before taking a fresh Frigate into contested waters; losing one without a spare set of materials can stall a playthrough for hours.
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9898 Restoration time scales with damage state, not just cost. A Frigate at 10% hull will sit in the Wharf queue longer than a Brig at the same percentage, so even a shortage of Combat Repair Kits during a fight can compound into downtime afterward. Always dock with at least 30% hull health remaining if you want to turn around a second sortie the same play session.
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100100 How to Unlock
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102102 The Frigate plan is a late-game acquisition tied to faction reputation. To buy Ship Design: Frigate you must reach the required reputation level with the Brethren of the Coast faction in Tortuga, then purchase the plan from the faction vendor using Piastres. Players typically reach this point only after clearing most mid-game content, so expect to run a stock Brig or Blackbeard Brig on the approach. Reputation is earned through faction-aligned contracts, fleet engagements, and trade missions; plan your grind before you start the brig-to-frigate transition so the cost does not stall a progression night.
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104104 Once the plan is learned, any Wharf of sufficient level can build the hull. Build a stock Frigate before chasing the Blackbeard or Brethren variants; the stock hull is cheaper to insure against loss and lets you practice broadside cycling without the Blackbeard's fragile 110,000-HP pool or the Brethren's 16-knot top speed punishing small mistakes.
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106106 See Also
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108108 Ships: the top-level Windrose ship index.Blackbeard Frigate: fast, 36-pound-capable variant.Brethren Frigate: 200,000-HP tank variant.Brig: mid-tier class below the Frigate.Ketch: light class for raiders and traders.Wharf: where ships are built, rigged, and repaired.Naval Combat: the broader naval combat system.Ship Customization: the four-slot gear system that decides combat output.Ship Cannon Loadouts: full cannon and bracing reference tables.Boarding: crew-versus-crew boarding actions.
109109  
110110 Details
111111  
112112 Properties
113113  
114114 PropertyValueHitpoints160,000Max Speed18Cargo size40Main battery12 guns, 24 lbsSecondary battery6 guns, 12 lbsCrew50
115115 Build Cost
116116  
117117 IngredientQuantityNailsx300Foothills Iron Ingotx120Wooden Plankx320Timberx160Tarred Planksx80Linen Fabricx240Tarred Fabricx80Ropex80Shipwright's Toolsx50
118118 Taught By
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120120 PlanShip Design: Frigate
121121 Variants
122122  
123123 A complete list of Frigate variants in Windrose is shown below, with thumbnail, build cost, and comfort bonus for each entry. Click any name to open its dedicated page.
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125125 ImageVariantBuild CostComfortBlackbeard FrigateNails x300, Foothills Iron Ingot x120, Wooden Plank x320, Timber x160, Tarred Planks x80, Linen Fabric x240, Tarred Fabric x80, Rope x80, Shipwright's Tools x50-Brethren FrigateNails x300, Foothills Iron Ingot x120, Wooden Plank x320, Timber x160, Tarred Planks x80, Linen Fabric x240, Tarred Fabric x80, Rope x80, Shipwright's Tools x50-