Combat

Combat connects fleets, ports, reports, resources, diplomacy, and conquest pressure. Different attack types produce different outcomes: information, loot, Port Defense damage, influence, or defensive losses.

Attack goals

A spying run is tied to information. A raid is tied to loot. A siege is tied to Port Defense damage. A conquest push is tied to influence. A defense response is tied to the incoming attack failing or costing more ships.

The fleet result depends on ship roles. Raids depend on attack power and surviving cargo capacity. Conquest pressure depends on Flagbearers surviving a successful attack. Fire Ship siege pressure depends on Fire Ships surviving after the attacking fleet wins.

Diplomacy can affect whether an attack is possible. Accepted alliances and ceasefires block attacks, while war, friendly, and unfriendly relationships can still allow conflict. If diplomacy changes while attacks are in flight, the situation can change quickly.

When you open a target port, the Attack flow lets you choose ships, preview timing, and see expected carrying capacity. Travel time depends on distance and the slowest ship in the fleet, so adding one specialist ship can change the whole attack window.

Spying with Spy Ships

Spy Ships are for information. A spy-only attack is a spying mission: if the Spy Ships survive, the report can reveal the target’s buildings and resources.

In a mixed fleet, Spy Ships fight with the rest of the ships instead of acting like a clean spying mission. They have no loot capacity, so their value is the report rather than return cargo.

Defenders can make spying harder. Strong Port Defenses and Spy Ship protection make a port more difficult to read, which can lead to failed spying attempts or incomplete information.

A successful spy-only attack with surviving Spy Ships can also discover a 24-hour weakness for the attacker against that target port. Later attacks can apply the weakness only when the matching action happens, such as ship attack, spy scouting, Fire Ship damage, influence gain, or loot capacity.

For a deeper spying workflow, read Spying.

Winning the battle

Normal attacks compare the attacking fleet against the port’s defenses: stationed ships, supporting ships, Port Defenses, and the port’s own strength. Combat ships such as Sloops and War Galleons are core attackers. Defensive ships such as Carracks and Turtle Ships add defensive value when stationed.

A slow specialist can change the whole fleet’s travel time. Trade Ships provide capacity and logistics, but they are weak in combat. Flagbearers provide conquest pressure only when they survive a successful attack.

If the attacker has an active discovered weakness, the battle can apply it when the fleet creates the right kind of result. For example, Breached Wall helps normal ship attack, Exposed Powder Store helps Fire Ship damage, and Open Channel helps influence gain.

Loot and cargo

Cargo capacity matters only if ships survive. Loot-focused attacks depend on surviving cargo. Defense damage and conquest pressure depend more on battle outcome and specialist survival than on cargo.

Successful raids can bring home wood, cloth, and metal, and they can also progress raid-related goals. Warehouse protection hides a per-resource amount from loot, so only resources above the protected amount can be taken. Failed attacks cost ships and time. Spy reports and previous battle reports show information that can change how a target is evaluated.

Fire Ships

Fire Ships are the siege tool. They can fight, but their special value comes after a winning attack if they survive and can damage Port Defenses.

Repeated Fire Ship pressure can matter because Port Defenses may take damage over multiple successful attacks before a visible level drops. One small Fire Ship attack may not produce an immediate visible result.

Fire Ships are not a replacement for the rest of the fleet. If the attack loses, the siege effect does not apply. If the Fire Ships are destroyed, they cannot apply their special pressure.

Flagbearers and conquest

Flagbearers matter when the goal is influence. A successful attack with a surviving Flagbearer can create conquest pressure. Flagbearers are expensive and slow.

Conquest outcomes depend on winning, removing defenders, and keeping a Flagbearer alive. Fortified ports can involve Fire Ship pressure before a later conquest attack. Influence fades over time.

Reports and follow-up

Battle reports are part of combat, not just history. They tell you whether the attack won, what returned, whether loot was taken, whether Port Defenses changed, and whether influence was created.

Returning fleets matter too. Ships and loot are not fully useful again until they return. Consecutive attacks can leave a port short on defense, cargo, or specialist ships during the return window.

Reports also show the battle’s luck swing, ships sent and lost, loot, defense damage, influence, spy information when gained, and attacker-visible weakness discovery or application. A close win or close loss can produce a different result if the same fleet repeats the battle.

Defending

Defense is not just Port Defenses. Stationed ships, supporting ships, stored resources, diplomacy, Armada support, and port value all affect defensive context.

Inbound attacks can signal different goals. A light spying run is tied to information. A raid is tied to resources. A Fire Ship group is tied to Port Defenses. A Flagbearer group is tied to influence. The result depends on the threat, the port’s value, and whether allies can support in time.

Supporting ships can join the defender’s side of the battle, and they can also take casualties. Timing matters because support that arrives after the attack lands cannot affect that battle.