Spying

Spying is how you turn a guess into a plan. A good spy report can stop you from wasting combat ships, show whether a raid is worth the travel time, and reveal when a port is vulnerable enough for Fire Ships or Flagbearers.

Spy Ships are not cargo ships and they are not mainline warships. Their value is information. Use them before important decisions, especially when the target might have hidden defenders, valuable resources, strong Port Defenses, or strategic value for your Armada.

When to spy

Spy before committing expensive ships. Unknown ports, full-looking Warehouses, border ports, conquest targets, and Armada objectives are all worth checking before you launch the real fleet.

Spying is especially useful before four kinds of action:

A raid, where you want to know whether there are enough resources to justify the risk.
A siege, where Fire Ships need the attack to win before they can pressure Port Defenses.
A conquest push, where Flagbearers are too valuable to send blind.
A defense call, where knowing the enemy’s setup helps decide whether to reinforce, rebuild, or move resources.

Do not spy every port forever. If a target is poor, too defended, too far away, or diplomatically awkward, move on. The point of spying is faster decisions, not perfect knowledge.

How Spy Ships behave

A spy-only attack is a spying mission. If the Spy Ships survive, the report can reveal useful details about the target port, including buildings, ships, and resources. This is the cleanest use of Spy Ships.

Mixed fleets behave differently. If Spy Ships travel with normal attackers, they are pulled into the battle instead of acting like a clean spying mission. They have low combat value, no cargo capacity, and can be lost like other ships. Only mix them into a battle fleet when you are willing to lose them.

Spy Ships unlock through Docks progress and currently become available at Docks level 5. They cost wood, cloth, metal, and population, so replacing them still matters even though they are not heavy warships.

Reading the report

After a spying attempt, look for the decision it supports. If the port has weak defenders and useful resources, prepare a raid with enough cargo. If it has strong Port Defenses, decide whether Fire Ships and escorts are worth the cost. If it has strategic position, ask whether the target matters for conquest or territory pressure.

A report is not a promise that the target will stay the same. Players can move ships, spend resources, receive support, or change plans while your fleet is travelling. Treat older reports as a clue, not certainty.

Use repeated reports when the target is important. One report may be enough for a small raid. A major Armada push should refresh information before the expensive ships launch.

Defending against spies

If you can spy, enemies can spy too. Protect important ports by keeping enough defense to make spying costly, avoiding obvious resource piles, and using Warehouse space wisely. A port that looks easy to read can invite raids, Fire Ships, or conquest pressure.

Spy Ship protection and strong Port Defenses can make spying harder. This matters most on ports that hold resources, anchor Trade Routes, guard borders, or sit inside a territory your Armada wants to keep.

Do not rely only on hiding information. If an enemy is serious, they may spy repeatedly or coordinate multiple players. The safer answer is a port that remains expensive to attack even after the enemy learns what is inside.

Armada spying

Armadas should treat spying as shared work. One player can check a target, another can prepare Fire Ships, another can hold Flagbearers, and others can cover defense or trade support. A spy report is more valuable when the group knows what question it is meant to answer.

Use Armada forum threads for important spying. Record the target, timing, what the report showed, and what the next decision is. A useful thread says whether the group should raid, siege, conquer, ignore, or watch the port.

For territory play, spying helps identify which ports change regional control. A weak port may matter more than a rich port if capturing it changes who leads the territory.

Common mistakes

Sending valuable combat ships before spying on a serious target.
Mixing Spy Ships into normal attacks by habit.
Treating an old report as current information.
Spying on a target but not acting before conditions change.
Forgetting that spying can reveal your interest in a port.
Ignoring diplomacy before spying or attacking around Armada borders.