How to play Battle of Pirates
- 1
Ships take turns. On yours, drag back from anywhere on the screen and let go. The direction sets the angle and the length of the pull sets the power.
- 2
Check the wind arrow first. The wind pushes every shot sideways for its whole flight, so a strong headwind needs more power or a higher arc.
- 3
Before you fire, pick one of the three ammunition cards dealt to you that turn. A fresh hand arrives every turn.
- 4
A hit on the hull does full damage and a hit in the rigging does less. A ship starts with 100 hull (more for the Tank class), and the last side still afloat wins.
- 5
Each attack that deals damage adds a charge to your special meter. With three charges you can spend a whole turn on a special instead of a shot.
The ammunition cards
Three cards are dealt every turn from a shared deck, and the plain Round Shot turns up most often.
- Round Shot
- The honest one: full powder, full range.
- Chain Shot
- Two linked cannonballs of 4 damage each. Every hit charges your special.
- Grapeshot
- A fan of five pellets. Forgiving to aim, light on damage.
- Mortar
- Steep shots only, 45 degrees or more, and it clears the mountain outright.
- Firebomb
- Sets the target's deck alight. It keeps burning for four of their turns.
- Bore Shot
- Punches straight through rock at the same range as any other shot.
- Patch Kit
- Repairs 12 hull, then fires a round anyway, so you never lose the turn.
- Twin Shot and Triple Shot
- Two 8-damage balls, or three 6-damage balls, fired together.
- Powder Keg
- A wide blast that punishes ships sailing close together.
Specials
Three charges unlock one of three specials. Each uses up all your charges and your whole turn.
- Torpedo
- Crosses the water and deals 25 damage to one enemy ship of your choice.
- Acid Rain
- A six-second storm that deals 15 damage to every enemy ship at once.
- Heal
- Repairs 20 hull on your own ship, up to its maximum.
Ways to play
- Single Player
- You against bots, 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3. Swab lands roughly two shots in five, Gunner three in four, and Captain nine in ten.
- Two captains, one device
- Pass the phone or share the laptop. Works with no internet at all.
- Online 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3
- Up to six friends in one room, split into two fleets. In team games the ships take turns in a fixed order, and bots fill any empty places.
If someone's connection drops in the middle of a battle, a bot takes over their ship so the game can finish.
The host picks the rules: the weather (clear skies, rain, a thunderstorm, sea mist, snowfall, or a random sky), whether there is a mountain in the middle and whether it can be broken, whether cards are dealt at all, a 15-second turn clock, and whether the aim line is shown.
Ships and hull classes
Before each battle every captain picks a ship and a hull class. The ships, from square-riggers and junks to galleons and stranger things, are looks only: three are free and the rest are unlocked with coins or gems earned by playing.
The hull class is what changes how you play, and every class is free: Balanced (even all round), Shooter (+18% cannon damage), Tank (+35% health), Critical (40% critical hits) and Aimer (a longer aim guide). Nothing you can buy makes a ship stronger.
Tips
- Use your first shot to find the range, then correct from where it landed.
- Mortar and Bore Shot are the answers when the mountain is in the way.
- Firing steeply into a headwind can bring the shot back onto your own deck, and your own hull takes the damage.
- Acid Rain is at its best in team games, where it hits every enemy ship at once.
Battle of Pirates questions
- Is Battle of Pirates free?
- Yes. It's free to play in the browser with no download and no adverts inside the game (any ads sit on the site's pages, never in a match), and the ships you can unlock are paid for with coins and gems earned by playing.
- Can I play Battle of Pirates alone?
- Yes. Play solo against a bot at Swab, Gunner or Captain rank, or share one device with a friend.
- How many people can play?
- Up to six in one room: 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3. Bots fill any empty places on either side.
- Do the ships play differently?
- The ship designs are looks only. What changes the game is the hull class, and all five classes are free for everyone.
- Can I play Battle of Pirates on my phone?
- Yes. Battle of Pirates runs in your phone's browser with nothing to install, on Android and iPhone. Turn the phone sideways to play. One finger is all it needs: taps, or drag and let go. Friends can join the same room from their own phones, tablets or computers.