I would like to thank Sohei for starting the discussion in the link below which inspired some of the ideas for this guide.

http://steamproxy.net/app/48700/discussions/0/619573787485246919/

Ship Stats

Byrding / 9 / 7 / 7500
Knorr / 7 / 11 / 8500
Snekkja / 17 / 27 / 21000
Karvi / 12 / 39 / 23000
Skeid / 20 / 55 / 34000
Busse / 16 / 90 / 49000

Descriptions

The smallest and cheapest vessel. Often found half-sunk after battles with peasants.







Historically these were trading ships. In this game however, no ship has increased cargo capacity which makes it seem kind of pointless.






Your first ship. The smallest of the war ships. Reduced crew size but functional and reliable none-the-less.






Traditionally used by fishermen and traders, it could be considered a lesser warship. Lacks the speed of the Snekkja but has an increased crew capacity.






The fastest war ship available. They are also narrow, making it difficult to move around and easy to fall overboard.






The King of the Sea. It makes up for reduced speed with its massive crew capacity and ample deck space.







Each type of ship can be made from Ash, Pine or Oak. The differences are cost-related and the less you pay, the more likely it is to take damage during sea battles or in foul weather. Since repairs can be terribly expensive, it is generally cost effective to save up for oak, despite the greater initial cost. In addition to being sturdier, oak is the only timber that will allow the player to make certain customizations to the hull.

Shortly after defending Doccinga in story mode, you will get your first Snekkja for free. It's a fine ship but it isn't nearly as grand as the vessels you can commission later in the game.

Take your crew of 27 and go out to find more ships.

For sandbox, you are on your own and will have to purchase your first ship.

When you get your first ship (in story mode), there is a short tutorial that teaches you how to manoeuvre your vessel. For the sake of completion, I'll add that in here. There may well be some players who bought a ship in sandbox mode who won't know this stuff.

During a sea battle, you can move your ship with the arrow keys. Fowards, backwards, left, and right; once for half-speed, twice for full-ahead. The Enter key will raise or lower your sails. The Backspace key will give you a tactical, bird's eye view of the area (hit it again to go back to the normal viewpoint).

There is a little flag in your compass that indicates wind direction but I find it almost impossible to distinguish between headwinds and tailwinds. By holding the LMB and moving your mouse, you will rotate the view (and compass) allowing you to see the wind indicator clearly.

It's worth noting that the other ships can sometimes get confused. Don't simply rely upon them everytime - they might not have troops who are as capable of rowing as well as your flagship can.

Each time you hit an arrow key, you'll see an arrow on your screen. Make the opposite movements to get rid of them. So double-tapping the left arrow is "hard to port". To straighten it out, you would double-tap the right arrow key for "hard to starboard". So moving from "hard to port" (<<) all the way over to "hard to starboard" (>>) would require hitting the > button four times. Same is true for forwards and backwards.

Also, movements at sea take a little bit of finesse, much like real sailing. To try small moves, you have to anticipate the lag time and even compensate with a counter-movement. Don't worry about such things at first, the four directions and the sail/rowers will get you where you need to be.

Once you come alongside an enemy vessel, the game will bring you in automatically. Take the helm off (get rid of the arrows) or your ship will continue trying to carry out those orders during the battle.

Oh and the game sometimes likes to start you out on the battle map with a default "hard to port" (or starboard) already on. To prevent your ships from crashing into one another, keep an eye out for that and give the opposite order straight away.

Buying ships is expensive and some would argue, pointless. Captured ships might serve you better while you save up for a commissioned vessel. Since capturing vessels is random, there might come a time when having options is more valuable than the gold itself. A higher Looting skill level increases your chances of capturing enemy vessels.

When you win a battle at sea, there is a small chance that you will capture the enemy's flagship. Some of these can be barnacled scows that will slow down your fleet and sink before you can get them to port. Some will be beautiful ships that you will be proud to sail. It's all seemingly random and somewhat rare but it's worth knowing about.

If you take the ship, you can choose to have it repaired at considerable cost or just sell it off for some pocket-change. Don't try to repair it with the intention of selling it because you are unlikely to get your money back from the repairs. All ships are sold for silver and bought with gold.

Taking a damaged ship can be dangerous since they may not be very sea-worthy. Since you cannot choose who to put on which ship in your fleet, you run the risk of losing some troops if that captured vessel sinks down to Davy Jones' locker. Since your entire fleet will only move at the speed of your slowest ship, accepting slow or damaged vessels could become a problem for you.

Morale is a notorious problem with sailing in Viking Conquest. Many players find that their crews are deserting them after just a short voyage. Sailing at night can be particularly problematic. Fortunately, the solutions are rather simple.

Sleep on land at night. You risk being attacked from the land and from passing bandits in ships, but it spares you the worst of the morale losses.

Winning sea battles is the way to do it, however. If you make a point of hunting down every enemy in sight, you not only have an increased chance of capturing vessels but the morale bonuses will offset the problems of sea travel. If you also give your troops the loot from time to time, there will be no morale problems, allowing you to stay at sea indefinitely.

Of course, plentiful foods, drinks and Happy Widows can make up the difference, in a pinch.

Don't take my word for it but I believe that leaving the loot for the sea gods can give added experience to your army. It may well be confirmation bias at work but I have noticed messages about troops being ready for training immediately after making such sacrifices. Of course, I only toss garbage over the side but even so, it pleases my pagan soul to believe that the sea might reward such observances. I would encourage you to test it out for yourself sometime (why else include it as an option, if there were no effect in the game?).

Your fleet will use your army list for determining who gets to sail on which ship. Those at the top of the list will be on your flagship. The rest will be distributed amongst the other vessels, in turn, according to their ranking on the army list.

If your starting Snekkja is your flagship, you will have room for 27 soldiers on it. The first 27 guys on your list will be your flagship crew. These are the first to enter battle, typically, so make them count. They will have to be able to hold off up to two other ships that will try to come alongside and board your vessel. I put my strongest infantry units on the flagship with me.

Making an effort to organize your army list by alternating foot soldiers and archers can help ensure that no ship is left without capable defenders in the event they get boarded. With a little forethought, excess units can be left in a garrison or refuge.

Although archery has been severely nerfed in Viking Conquest, it is still possible for a determined player to become a skilled archer. For sea battles, in particular, ranged units of all types can be remarkably effective. Archers can take down enemy crews well before they come alongside for boarding and can target ships that are unable to get to them. This is an advantage that is worth noting as ships will often get tangled up together.

With this approach, your flagship will be fighting hand-to-hand while the others will come along after, providing support fire before boarding the enemy and hitting them from behind. Sometimes your other ships will have trouble coming alongside and will get stuck, circle the battle, etc. Having balanced crews means that they can still participate no matter what. They will also be able to defend themselves more easily if they get tangled up with other enemy ships that haven't come alongside your flagship yet.

Having sailors and certain Norse units in the crew can increase the speed of your ships. From what I can tell, it seems that all Norse units at Tier 3 and above, count as sailors (this doesn't include Svear Warriors).

I did hear one story that suggested smaller crews are less likely to pilfer goods en route. That might be something to consider if you are transporting precious cargo?

Infantry or archers, large crews or small ones, it all comes down to how you like to play your game. As long as you know how your ships' crews will be determined, the rest of it is up to you.

The simplest and most effective strategy I have used is to ensure that my flagship is out front so it can "take the aggro". One way to do this is to have your flagship be the fastest ship in your fleet. Another effective strategy is to use unit commands. The number 9 key will select your ships, F1 calls up your Movement Orders menu and F4 will order them to "Stand your ground". As you approach the enemy ships, using 9, F1, F3 will order them to "Charge", so they can join in on the fun and provide support.

While my crew is fighting furiously, my support ships arrive, firing arrows and javelins into the enemy's backs. When they come alongside the enemy vessels, the footsoldiers jump to the enemy ships and start attacking from the rear, while the archers continue to fire.



At this point, both fleets are tangled up and doing much of anything can become almost impossible. Raising sails, rowing, using directional buttons, etc. may or may not be helpful but it's best to try and get clear of the other ships as soon as possible to prevent the enemy from being able to single out any of your weaker crews who cannot defend themselves as well. I find that raising the sail (with no rudder) sometimes lets me slip out of the scrum of tangled ships.

Usually, it's the enemy who has entire ships filled with peasants and other victims. No ships go into combat empty so under-manned fleets will tend to have a few ships with useless crews aboard. As long as your fleet doesn't have this problem, you'll probably be just fine. Train your troops well and they'll take care of themselves for the most part.

It's worth pointing out as well that jumping around from one ship to another, especially in heavy armour, can be dangerous. Even ships that are stuck alongside your flagship might get jostled enough to make a gap large enough for your character to fall through and drown. It's a bit like real life in that sense, keep your footing, don't rock the boat and don't go jumping around like an imbecile. The sea demands respect and she will exact a heavy price from those who do not show her the proper deference.



I have heard tales of more complicated manoeuvres that involve circling enemy vessels with a ship full of archers. By keeping your fleet out of the action and operating a fast/manoeuvrable flagship, alone, it could concievably be done.

Another trick is to try and get the enemy ships all on one side of your vessel so you can tie up the enemy and fight them on a single front. Unfortunately, you cannot control your support ships and in a larger fleet, your own troops might wind up coming alongside you and be just as ineffectual.

There doesn't seem to be much sense in over-complicating sea battles in my mind. Fighting at sea is generally more straightforward than land battles, so my advice would be to keep it simple and stay alive.

Shhh, don't tell the developers this, but attacking a port city from the sea is the easiest way to get yourself a town. The defenders never expect it and waste precious time weaving their way down from the cliffs above and spilling into the narrow streets and alleyways. Your infantry can disembark quickly and largely un-opposed, giving them ample time to form up.

Then you have defenders trickling in and facing your entire army on the beach. Don't let your troops get lost in the narrow streets and alleyways, keep ordering them back to the beach and let the defenders navigate through the maze instead. This prevents them from mounting a decent defence and forces them to act as individuals. By the time they have figured out their mistake, it will be easy for your troops to mop them up.

0, (Hold F1) is "Everyone, Hold This Position" and they will line up centered on the point where you position the flag. If you like, you can also keep your archers on the ships so they are elevated, protected and can fire down upon the enemy.

I lose fewer troops doing it this way than I would in a land-based siege during the set-up phase!

The only problem is that not all towns can be accessed by the water so your mighty sailors cannot win you the whole game.

By the time you are a mighty warrior and tales of your heroic deeds are being sung in feasthalls across the land by Bards, you will have earned enough wealth and power to commission your own ships. The best ships (Skeid and Busse) can only be made in the Pagan ports of Ribe and Tunsberg. The nailed-god does not permit his followers to have this sacred knowlege. Shipwrights in Dorestad and Dubh Linn can build you a Karvi, if you so desire.

You will need one unit of tar, one unit of wool and one unit of lumber. Do not assume that wool cloth will suffice, it must be the raw, unprocessed stuff as it will be used for caulking the planks of your hull, not making the sails. I've heard of more than a few players who made that mistake. In addition, you will also need a lot of peningas...about 50,000 of them, as I recall. The tar and lumber are readily available in the Northvegr lands but if you are desperate, raiding villages will sometimes yield such items, regardless of where they are located. The wool is plentiful and cheap. Obviously, you won't be buying it in Dorestad where it goes for more than twenty times what you can get it for elsewhere. Clever sailors already know this, which is probably why they want ships in the first place.

Once you have given the shipwright the raw materials and the gold, you will have to wait another month or so for the work to be done. You will be sent a magical instant message that will reach you no matter where you are when it is ready to be picked up.

If you are going to invest the considerable time and money for commissioning a ship of your own, why bother with anything but the very best? There are lesser options available in Ash or Pine but these decrepit barges take damage more easily and require more frequent and costly repairs. You also don't get the choice to personalize them with hull paint, etc.

Oak Busses are the most worthy vessels, and perhaps an oaken Skeid for your flagship. These special ships that were crafted just for you are the only ships that you can christen with a name. Make it a good name, one that is worthy of your renown and the trouble you went through to get the resources for it. I like to take names from history, names that will impress and intimidate my enemies and at least one will bear the name of my lady love, who I may or may not have married by that point. One legendary sailor I've heard of likes to name his ships after "pungent fish products".

You will get the chance to name your ship when you first pick it up. A ship's name cannot be changed once it is chosen - that would be back luck. It might be wise to consider choosing the name you want before you go back to see the Shipwright.

The world being what it is, you might find yourself being caught up in a war with the faction that owns the city where your new ship is waiting for you. In the event of such a tragedy, do not fret. You can just sneak into the city, go to the docks and sail away. If that doesn't work out for you, you can always besiege the city itself and then claim your property. Otherwise, going away and coming back when things have calmed down might be your best option.

The game tells you that you are limited to only seven ships, with maxed out Sea King skills. This is not true. A fleet is limited to seven ships but the player is not limited to only one fleet. In my last game, I kept one fleet of six ships in Cell Rigmonaid (for traveling the North Sea) and a separte fleet of six other ships in Dun Breatann (for traveling to Ireland). In this way, I could travel from Danmark to Eire more quickly than I could by sailing around Albion. The journey around Albion, either North or South, takes over one day of sailing and there are few places to stop and conduct trade, etc. I consider them "dead zones" that are best avoided.

Keeping your fleet limited to six ships allows you to always have the option of capturing an enemy vessel. The very idea of having to let an oaken Busse drift away and be claimed by the sea is almost enough to bring a tear to my eye. No sailor worth his salt would ever permit such a thing to happen.

Should you wish to split your fleet, it is possible to do by sailing near the shore and clicking on the "Camp" button. Then select "Fleet" and you will get the option "Leave ship at the shore". The ship you select to leave behind will be beached at that place until you return to pick it up. When you want to recombine your fleet, you have to bring your ships to the same port where you will be given the option to merge the fleets.

To get an overview of your ships and their current status, select "Character" then "Ships" and you will see a complete list with names, condition, and where you left them.

To customize your ships, designate your flagship or otherwise reorganize your fleet, you can "See Ships" while in a port. Clicking on the ship's name drops it one step down the list.

(I expect much of this information to change as things are constantly updated and patched. Most of it should remain basically true and helpful though)