Ship Types

Windrose features several ship classes, each filling a different role in naval combat and exploration. Ships differ in speed, durability, maneuverability, and cannon capacity. Choosing the right vessel for a situation matters as much as personal combat skill. The Early Access launch on April 14, 2026 ships with 3 playable vessels, with additional classes planned across the 1.5 to 2.5 year Early Access period.

Ships at Early Access Launch

The Early Access launch ships with three playable ship classes. The progression is a small starter boat, a mid-size combat vessel, and a larger flagship, mapped roughly to real-world historical classes.

Early pre-launch material referred to a "colossal galleon" class, but that name was not used in the final build. The in-game ship names use Ketch, Brig, and Frigate tiers. A galleon-tier vessel may be added in later Early Access updates.

Ship Stats

Each class has four distinguishing stats: speed, durability, maneuverability, and cannon capacity. Exact values for each variant (hit points, top speed, cargo size, cannon counts, and crew) are listed on the individual ship and variant pages. The developer confirmed the game uses "predefined ship classes with unique characteristics" rather than player-built vessels.

Ship Progression

1. Starter boat: A small dinghy-like vessel given automatically after completing the Islander tutorial. Doctor Galen is implied to have brought it. Summon it anywhere near water by pressing K. Not suitable for naval combat; purely for island-hopping transportation.

2. Repaired shipwreck: The first real ship, obtained through the "I Need a Bigger Boat" quest. Three shipwrecks on the second island must be discovered; only one is repairable. Repair cost: 100 Wood, 20 Nails, 20 Coarse Fabric, 10 Rope. Requires a crew of seven (rescued during "Rescuing the Crew").

3. Ketch: The first purpose-built combat vessel, constructed at the Wharf during the Seafarer tutorial. Crafting cost: 150 Wood, 100 Nails, 40 Coarse Fabric, 30 Rope Fiber.

4. Brig: Mid-tier combat vessel, unlocked deeper into the main story. Receives gameplay mechanics additions during Early Access.

5. Frigate: Late-game flagship with heavy firepower. Details of unlock conditions not yet confirmed.

Ship Equipment

Ship equipment is crafted at the Shipwright's Workshop and equipped via the Wharf's "Manage Ship" interface by dragging items into Ship Gear slots:

All three equipment types can be upgraded at the Shipwright's Workshop Upgrade tab with additional materials. The 12-pounder, 24-pounder, and 36-pounder calibers are all available at Early Access launch, each with Tempered, Devastating, and Perfectly Ordered modification lines. Carronades and long cannons remain hinted for later updates.

Ship Design Philosophy

Ships in Windrose use predefined models rather than player-built designs. Developer Yar_master confirmed: "We do plan to introduce a good degree of ship customization, but generally, we plan to keep ships pre-made. We don't plan to allow layout changing or building them from scratch." Ships are explicitly not built plank-by-plank. The approach is described as "predefined, highly detailed ship classes that can be personalized and upgraded over time" with a philosophy of "function first, but with plenty of room to grow."

Ship Summoning

Press K to summon your ship to your current coastal location. The developers describe it as "whistling for a horse, only it's made of wood and floats a bit better." This works with all ship classes and prevents the frustration of losing track of where you left your vessel.

Customization

Ship customization is planned but only partially implemented at Early Access launch. The developers have confirmed plans for:

Deck Crew

NPC crew members are visible on ship decks and have been actively developed:

• Crew members have visible animations on deck, including shooting cannons and reloading during combat

• Deckhands head below decks, sleep in hammocks, and follow day-night routines

• Crew sing sea shanties while sailing, a feature widely praised by the community

• Once recruited, crew members stay on the ship unless boarding an enemy vessel

• The Brig specifically is receiving additional attention with new crew-related gameplay mechanics

NPC Officers

Three types of ship-related NPCs exist, confirmed at Gamescom 2025:

Co-op Ship Combat

At Early Access launch (with the 8-player multiplayer cap), each player commands one ship. Developer Yar_master confirmed: "At this point, one player commands one ship. We will consider such features for the future." The developer FAQ mentions exploring "allowing multiple players to crew a single ship, with each person taking on distinct roles and responsibilities" as a future possibility.

Ship Repair

If your ship is destroyed (sunk in combat or sailed out of bounds), it can be rebuilt:

1. Build a Wharf on the shoreline within bonfire range (10 Wood + 10 Coarse Fabric)

2. Use the Wharf's Repair/Salvage option (costs 20 Wood)

3. Press K to respawn the repaired ship at your location

Ship destruction is not permanent. Rebuilding costs roughly three palm trees worth of wood. Combat Repair Kits can also be used mid-battle for emergency repairs.

The Wharf

The Wharf is the central building for all ship management:

The Wharf costs 10 Wood + 10 Coarse Fabric and must be placed in water at the docks or shoreline within bonfire range. The Shipwright's Workshop (15 Wood + 10 Coarse Fabric + 5 Copper Ingots, requires a roof) is a separate building where ship equipment is crafted before being equipped at the Wharf.

Seamless Transitions

Ship-to-shore transitions are seamless with no loading screens. Sailing up to an island and jumping ashore happens in one continuous flow. Boarding enemy ships during naval combat also transitions seamlessly to on-deck melee combat.

Future Ship Plans

The Early Access roadmap includes additional ship classes and cannon types. The developers have specifically mentioned a galleon-tier vessel and new cannon variants (carronades, long cannons) as candidates. Ship customization and crew roles are both listed as "on our radar" for future updates.

Ship Class Summary

Across the Early Access launch content, three playable ship classes (Ketch, Brig, Frigate) ship alongside a starter dinghy that is given automatically and used only for island hopping. The three combat classes each scale up in hold capacity, cannon count, hull durability, and crew quarters. Maneuverability drops as size grows, so larger ships demand more careful positioning in island channels and around reefs.

Ship Variants

Each of the three combat classes (Ketch, Brig, and Frigate) ships in three variants Windrose ship guide: Stock, Brethren, and Blackbeard. The launch roster is three classes times three variants, with the variants differing in cannon weight compatibility, hull HP, and hold capacity rather than being purely cosmetic.

• Brethren variants, sold by the Brethren, lean combat, with stronger hulls and heavier potential cannon loadouts, at the cost of transport efficiency.

• Stock variants are the baseline option with no extreme specialisation; they read as close to the raw class profile.

• Blackbeard variants open up the heaviest cannon tiers (24-pounders on the Blackbeard Brig, 36-pounders on the Blackbeard Frigate) and are the target for players who want a raw firepower loadout.

Reputation with these factions is gained primarily by turning in Blackbeard Insignias to each faction's Bounty Agent. Each agent only accepts the insignias marked for their own faction, so the insignia pool must be collected with a specific target faction in mind. As rep climbs, new ship designs (and ship gear blueprints) unlock in that faction's trader's inventory at Tortuga.

Unlocking the Brig and Frigate

A common Early Access mistake is to sink a large sum of piastres into a single faction's reputation only to discover that the unlocked Brig and Frigate hulls require crafting materials from biomes you have not reached yet. Both the Brig and the Frigate require meaningful quantities of Foothills-tier resources (iron ingots, hardwood, tumbaga), and the Frigate also leans on Cursed Swamps materials that are gated behind that biome's content.

Order the progression sensibly. Clear your Coastal Jungle foothold, upgrade your gear to a reasonable average item level, and only then sail for the Foothills to mine iron and harvest hardwood. With Foothills materials stockpiled, a Brig variant becomes a realistic next purchase. The Frigate can wait until your Cursed Swamps foothold is established, because a half-built Frigate sitting on a shore without the materials to finish it is just a pile of unspent piastres.

Hold Capacity and Loadout

Each ship has a cargo hold with a hard weight cap. Crossing the cap slows the ship noticeably, and for mixed cargo like spare cannons plus naval supplies it can push maneuverability below what a contested fight can afford. The 12-Pounder is the only cannon type available at Early Access launch, with carronades and long cannons hinted at for later Early Access updates. Until heavier cannon variants actually ship, a full 12-Pounder set does not come close to overweighting any of the three combat classes on its own; the overweight risk comes from stacking cannons, repair materials, trade goods, and personal loot on the same return leg.

Hold upgrades sold by faction provisioners raise the weight cap, and paired with upgraded hull bracing they let you carry a contested cargo without sacrificing the speed needed to circle a convoy or disengage from a bigger hull. Prioritise hull bracing first and hold capacity second; a sunk Brig carries no cargo, regardless of hold size.

Summoning Larger Ships

The K-key summon is not limited to the starter boat. Every ship class, including the Brig and Frigate, can be summoned to any shoreline with no cooldown. The animation is the same as the starter boat, described in dev posts as "whistling for a horse, only it's made of wood and floats a bit better," and the larger vessels simply arrive from offscreen.

Brethren Brig Timing and Material Check

Launch-week creator testing paints the Brethren Brig as the first ship that really smooths out naval farming instead of merely surviving it. The practical appeal is straightforward: more hull, more cannons, more cargo, and fewer runs ruined by one messy broadside.

The trap is buying the design too early. Creator guides consistently warn against rushing a Brig purchase the moment reputation allows it. Wait until you are already producing Foothills materials, especially hardwood, linen inputs, and iron-side ship parts, or the design becomes an expensive promise instead of a usable upgrade.