Armadas

Armadas are the main way players turn individual ports into a coordinated force. An Armada gives players a shared identity, a member list, private forum threads, invitations, diplomacy, and a way for conquest pressure to combine between members. In the late game, Armadas also compete through territory control, where holding ports across named map areas turns local victories into world-level pressure. The value is not just having more ships; it is knowing who can spy, who can reinforce, who can move resources, and which targets matter enough for everyone to support.

Why join one

Joining an Armada makes the game less isolated. Members can coordinate spying, raids, defense, trade routes, and conquest attempts instead of guessing what everyone else is doing. It also gives newer players a place to ask what to build next, request resources, and learn which nearby ports are safe, contested, or important.

Armadas are especially useful once the map becomes crowded. A single player can win small raids alone, but holding valuable ports, protecting trade routes, and finishing conquest pushes usually rewards shared planning. The strongest groups use members with different strengths: some focus on production, some on spying, some on defensive ports, and some on attack fleets.

Membership and leadership

An Armada has a name, a three-letter tag, a flag image, members, and pending invites. Owners can invite players, revoke pending invites, remove members, and leave the Armada. If the owner leaves while other active members remain, ownership needs to pass to another member so the group can continue.

Good leaders keep the group easy to understand. Use the Armada description, member list, and forum threads to explain goals: who is building trade capacity, who is preparing combat ships, which ports need defense, and which enemies should be avoided. A quiet Armada can still be useful, but it will never be as strong as one where players know what help is needed.

Forums and planning

Armada forums are for plans that should not vanish in chat. Use threads for target lists, trade requests, defensive coverage, conquest plans, and new-player advice. A good target thread should say what the goal is: spying only, loot, Port Defense damage, conquest influence, or holding a captured port.

Keep plans practical. A thread that says “attack this port” is weaker than one that says who will spy, what defenders were seen, whether Fire Ships are needed, who can send Flagbearers, and who can reinforce after the attack lands.

Diplomacy

Diplomacy is between Armadas inside a world. The main statuses are Alliance, Friendly, Ceasefire, Unfriendly, and War. Some relationship changes need the other Armada to accept before they become active, so a proposal is not always the same as a finished agreement.

Alliance is the strongest cooperative state. It supports planned cooperation such as trade routes and prevents allied Armadas from attacking each other once accepted. Ceasefire also blocks new attacks once accepted and can turn an active conflict into a pause. War marks a hostile relationship and allows attacks. Friendly and Unfriendly are useful signals on the map and in planning: they tell members how to treat another Armada even when the relationship is not a full alliance or ceasefire.

Use diplomacy deliberately. Breaking an alliance can cancel trade plans and change the map situation for every member. Declaring war can make intentions clear, but it also tells the other side to prepare. Ceasefire is useful when both sides need time to recover, negotiate, or redirect attention elsewhere.

Armada economy

Armadas are powerful economic networks. One port might have spare wood, another might be short on metal, and another might be preparing a Docks upgrade or defensive rebuild. Trade Ships and Trade Routes let members support the port that matters most instead of waiting for local production.

Resource support works best when the group agrees on priorities. Send resources to the port that unlocks the next useful fleet, restores defense after an attack, or supports a conquest attempt. Do not drain every Trade Ship into routine support if those ships may be needed for market offers, emergency movement, or larger route plans.

Conquest and defense

Armada conquest is stronger than solo conquest because members can add pressure to the same target. Successful attacks with surviving Flagbearers build influence for the player or Armada involved, and coordinated follow-up keeps pressure from fading. Members should plan the whole sequence: spy, clear defenders, weaken Port Defenses if needed, send Flagbearers, then defend the captured port.

Defense also works better as a group. Ports that hold resources, anchor trade, stage attacks, or sit near enemy pressure should be called out early. Defensive ships, Port Defenses, spying warnings, and resource support matter more when everyone knows which ports are strategically important.

Territory control is the endgame reason to care about groups of ports rather than isolated captures. A port may be worth defending because it keeps your Armada ahead inside a named territory, or worth attacking because taking it breaks an enemy hold. Treat territory goals as Armada goals: the group needs spies, attackers, resource support, diplomacy, and follow-up defense working together.