Sea battles and boarding
In Black Crown fights happen right on the waves: the ship rolls, the wind decides who reaches broadside range first, and the loot is shared across the crew. Here is how multiplayer naval combat works — from the first shot to the boarding action.
Updated 12.11.2026Play for free
What to hunt in the open sea
Merchant ships sail the open sea, and they are your main prize. Look for their sails on the horizon through your spyglass, chase them down and hit them with a broadside. When a merchant strikes its flag, the loot is shared among everyone in your crew on board.
Players can fight each other as well — just not at Tortuga: the port is surrounded by a green zone where nobody shoots. Friendly fire is off: you cannot hurt your crew or your clanmates with a sabre, a bullet or a cannonball, so you can bring friends into battle without fear of hitting them.
Broadsides and single guns
A ship’s main weapon is the broadside: the Guns button, port or starboard. Take the wheel — a left mouse click fires the broadside in the direction you are looking, and the right button switches to aiming. After a broadside the guns reload, so it pays to turn and fire the other side.
Any gun can also be fired on its own, without a full broadside: walk up to the cannon, aim (C) and fire (E) — an aiming ring appears on the barrel. It is handy when you need one precise shot to finish an enemy off.
- Five kinds of guns: standard, long guns, carronades, chain shot and incendiary.
- Gun upgrades at the shipyard — up to three levels, and at level three the barrels become triple.
- Ship refits: a second gun battery, copper sheathing with armour, a tall rig for speed and an iron-shod ram for striking with the bow.
The bigger the ship, the heavier the broadside — the Black Crown fires 16 guns at once. Compare the classes in the Ships guide.
Boarding
Boarding is the heart of any pirate game. Come alongside the enemy at low speed and step across onto their deck. Every pirate carries a sabre from day one, the gunsmith “Powder & Steel” in Tortuga sells pistols, and Q switches weapons. In first person the sabre strikes in a combo of three, and the pistol is reloaded with a ramrod.
A downed pirate gets back up after a few seconds, so a deck fight lasts until someone wins rather than until the first mistake. Keep your crew together: while some fight on the enemy deck, others stay at the guns of your own ship.
Crew roles in battle
Whoever climbs aboard serves under you and wakes up on your ship. Crew ranks are sailor, gunner, bosun, navigator, first mate and captain. Ships are repaired with planks — the captain, first mate and bosun can do it, and planks are bought in shops or found on islands.
The ship’s bell sounds the alarm, and a marker on the sea chart is visible to the whole crew, which makes it easy to agree where to go. Proximity voice chat lets you hear everyone nearby, and text chat has separate ship and clan channels. How to build a regular crew is covered in Clans and crews.
Storms, wind and manoeuvre
Weather is shared by everyone: clear skies, rain or storm. In a storm the waves rise, the ship rolls harder and spray reaches the deck — shorten sail so the ship answers the helm. Wind from astern gives the best speed, so approach your target downwind and choose which side you will meet the enemy with.
A heavy ship takes punishment but turns slowly; a light one slips out from under a broadside and runs merchants down. There are dangers worse than merchants out there, too — sailors say a kraken sometimes rises from the deep. If your hull is nearly gone, head back to Tortuga: nobody can touch you in the green zone. New to the game? Start with How to play.
