With just a few months before its launch, Skull and Bones really needs to get players on board — no pun intended — with its naval combat. To assist with this, Ubisoft walked fans through ship-to-ship combat in a new dev blog.
As might be expected as the meat-and-potatoes of this naval sim, Skull and Bones’ combat isn’t as simple as pressing “F” to fire broadsides. Players have to learn what type of weapon is most effective against specific armor types and weak points. Half of the battle is won in the preparation stage, while the other half is presumably fought by G.I. Joe and his amazing pirate frigate.
If a player gets the best of another ship, a choice is to be made: That player can either sink the ship and get reduced loot, or attempt a boarding for maximum rewards.
“Another factor to consider in combat, status effects can help your ship deal more damage or reduce incoming damage more effectively,” Ubisoft said. “Status effects refer to temporary buffs or debuffs such as heal-over–time (HoT), increased speed, or damage-over-time (DoT) that can be applied to your target. Status effects can be applied before combat, by consuming certain foods, using repair kits, or by using certain weapons and damage types.”
