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Ship Types
April 15, 2026 at 09:40 PM
Append Brick/Brig/Frig unlock chain, hold capacity, and Blackbeard variants
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.
Official Steam store page confirms 3 playable ships at launch. The progression is a small starter boat, a mid-size combat vessel, and a larger flagship, mapped roughly to real-world historical classes.
Ship Class | Role | Source |
|---|---|---|
Sloop / Cutter (starter) | Small, fast vessel for early-game transportation and island-hopping; mounted with light armament | Developer FAQ, press releases, Steam store |
Ketch | Nimble mid-size combat vessel with good maneuverability; first purpose-built combat ship built during the Seafarer tutorial | Steam store page |
Brig | Versatile workhorse balancing speed, durability, and firepower; receiving additional crew-related gameplay mechanics during Early Access | Steam store page |
Frigate | Massive warship with heavy cannon capacity but slow turning; appears in late-game content | Steam store page, press releases |
The Early Access Steam store page lists "3 playable ships" at launch. Sources historically also mention a "colossal galleon" class, but windrosewiki.org noted this was incorrect pre-launch terminology; actual in-game ship names use Ketch, Brig, and Frigate tiers. A galleon-tier vessel may be added in later Early Access updates.
Each class has four distinguishing stats: speed, durability, maneuverability, and cannon capacity. Specific numerical values have not been published. The developer confirmed the game uses "predefined ship classes with unique characteristics" rather than player-built vessels.
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.
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").
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.
Brig: Mid-tier combat vessel, unlocked deeper into the main story. Receives gameplay mechanics additions during Early Access.
Frigate: Late-game flagship with heavy firepower. Details of unlock conditions not yet publicly documented.
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:
Equipment | Function | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
12-Pounder Cannons | Fire at enemy ships; the primary cannon type at launch | 10 Copper Ingots + 10 Wood |
Hull Bracing | Reduces damage taken, making the ship more durable | 5 Copper Ingots + 30 Wood + 5 Nails |
Boarding Rack | Improves NPC crew effectiveness during boarding actions | Recipe varies |
All three equipment types can be upgraded at the Shipwright's Workshop Upgrade tab with additional materials. The developer has hinted at future cannon variety (carronades, long cannons) but only the 12-Pounder is available at Early Access launch.
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."
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.
Ship customization is planned but only partially implemented at Early Access launch. The developers have confirmed plans for:
Type | Details |
|---|---|
Cosmetic | Sails, figureheads, and stern designs |
Functional | Swapping cannon types and adjusting armament ("sounds more or less in the direction we want to go") |
Crew | Crew customization is "very much on our radar" |
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
Three types of ship-related NPCs exist, confirmed at Gamescom 2025:
NPC Type | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Specialists | Enhance production and teach new recipes | Stationed at base or ship |
Workers | Automate tasks like tree-chopping and mining | Stationed at base |
Officers | Exclusive to ships; improve vessel capabilities | Cannot die during 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.
If your ship is destroyed (sunk in combat or sailed out of bounds), it can be rebuilt:
Build a Wharf on the shoreline within bonfire range (10 Wood + 10 Coarse Fabric)
Use the Wharf's Repair/Salvage option (costs 20 Wood)
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 is the central building for all ship management:
Function | Description |
|---|---|
Manage Ship | Equip cannons, hull bracing, and boarding rack via drag-and-drop into ship gear slots |
Build Ships | Construct new vessels (Ketch, Brig, and presumably Frigate) |
Repair/Salvage | Rebuild destroyed ships for 20 Wood |
Shipyard tab | Access vessel designs |
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.
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.
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.
Across the Early Access content, four functional tiers of player-controlled vessel exist. Each tier is a clear step up in hold capacity, cannon count, hull HP, and crew quarters. Maneuverability drops as size grows, so larger ships demand careful positioning in island channels and around reefs.
Tier | Class | Role | Acquisition |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Starter boat | Island hopping, no real combat | Given automatically by Doctor Galen after the first copper mining step |
2 | Brick / small vessel | Early combat, light cannon loadout | Buildable at the Wharf once crafting is unlocked |
3 | Brig | Mid-game workhorse, balanced speed and firepower | Design sold by Brethren of the Coast at high rep; Foothills resources needed to build |
4 | Frig / Frigate | Late-game flagship, up to 36 cannons | Design sold by Brethren of the Coast at the highest rep; crafting requires late-Foothills and swamp resources |
The Brick, Brig, and Frig each come in regular and Blackbeard variants. Blackbeard variants trade hull durability for hold capacity and are the only ships that can mount 24-pounder cannons without running into overweight problems. Only mount 24-pounders on a Blackbeard variant unless you enjoy dragging a sluggish, overweight hold through every fight.
A common Early Access mistake is to sink thousands of piastres into Brethren of the Coast reputation only to discover the unlocked Brig and Frig designs need materials that do not exist in the starter region. Both the Brig and Frig require meaningful quantities of Foothills-tier resources (iron ingots, hardwood, tumbaga), and the Frig also leans on swamp-zone materials that are gated behind a separate biome boss.
Order the progression correctly. Sail to the Foothills only after your gear is upgraded to at least average item level 4 and Thomas Richards is dead. Mine iron and hardwood. Then and only then spend Brethren rep on the Brig design. The Frig can wait until your swamp-zone foothold is established, because a half-built Frig sitting on the shore without the materials to finish it is just a pile of unspent piastres.
Each ship has a cargo hold with a hard weight cap. Crossing the cap slows the ship noticeably and, for mixed cargo like cannons plus naval supplies, can push maneuverability below what a contested fight can afford. 24-pounder cannons are the main culprit: a full set on a non-Blackbeard variant pushes the ship into permanent overweight. If you want heavy cannons, plan to buy a Blackbeard variant Brig or Frig alongside them.
Hold upgrades sold by faction provisioners increase capacity and, paired with upgraded hull bracing, let you carry heavy armament without sacrificing the speed you need to circle a convoy. Prioritize hull bracing first and hold capacity second; a sunk Brig carries no cargo, regardless of hold size.
The K-key summon is not limited to the starter boat. Every ship class, including the Brig and Frig, 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.
