Windrose Ships Guide: How to Get, Upgrade, and Unlock Every Ship

What kind of pirate adventure would Windrose be without proper ships? Your vessel is just as important as your character, and in many situations, it matters even more. Sailing, upgrading, and managing ships can feel confusing at first, though. This complete Windrose ships guide explains everything you need to know, from unlocking your first ship to building the strongest frigates in the game.

Complete Windrose Ships Guide Quick Summary:

• Your first ship becomes available after progressing the main story until Doctor Galen gives you the quest called “I Need a Bigger Boat.”
• Repairing the first vessel requires 100 Wood, 20 Nails, 20 Fabric, and 10 Rope.
• Once repaired, you must complete “Rescue the Crew” and recruit 7 sailors to fully operate the ship.
• Windrose currently features three ship categories: Ketch, Brigantine, and Frigate, with Frigate being the most powerful option.
• Blueprints for Brigantines and Frigates are purchased in Tortuga and require Brethren Reputation Level 2 and 4.
• Blackbeard ships focus on speed and offensive power, while Brethren ships trade damage for significantly higher durability.

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How to Get a Ship in Windrose

You don’t start Windrose with a fully functional ship. Instead, you’ll need to progress through the main storyline until the game introduces naval gameplay properly. Eventually, Doctor Galen will assign you a quest called “I Need a Bigger Boat,” which marks the beginning of your sailing journey.

The first ship you obtain is a Ketch. It’s the weakest ship class in the game, but it serves as your introduction to naval mechanics and ship upgrades. Later on, you’ll gain access to much stronger options. Here’s the full process of getting your first ship in Windrose:

1. Continue the Main Story: Progress far enough until Doctor Galen offers the “I Need a Bigger Boat” quest.
2. Travel to the Second Island: The location of the damaged ship will automatically appear on your map.
3. Collect the Required Materials: You need 100 Wood, 20 Nails, 20 Fabric, and 10 Rope. You can start farming these before arriving at the island.
4. Repair the Vessel: Interact with the ship and use the gathered resources to restore it.

Once that’s done, congratulations — you officially own your first ship.

Of course, there’s still one major issue. A ship without a crew won’t get you very far. After repairing the vessel, speak with Doctor Galen again to begin the “Rescue the Crew” quest. During this mission, you’ll explore the island and rescue stranded sailors. Every rescued sailor joins your crew permanently.

Your starting Ketch requires a total of 7 crewmates to become fully operational. Once you complete the recruitment process, you’ll finally be ready to sail the seas and begin upgrading your ship.

How to Upgrade a Ship in Windrose

The starter Ketch isn’t particularly impressive in its default state, but upgrades can massively improve its effectiveness. While it will never compete with a Frigate, a properly upgraded Ketch can comfortably carry you through a large portion of the game.

Here’s how ship upgrades work in Windrose:

• Upgrade the Weaponsmith Workshop: After completing “I Need a Bigger Boat,” your Weaponsmith Workshop gains access to the Shipwright’s Workshop upgrade.
• Construct a Wharf: Press B to open the build menu, then navigate to Utilities and place a Wharf. Building one costs 10 Wood and is required for equipping ship components.
• Craft Ship Equipment: Use the Shipwright’s Workshop to create upgrades and modules for your vessel.
• Equip Upgrades at the Wharf: Visit the Wharf to install your crafted equipment, then return to the workshop to continue upgrading the ship itself.

My advice is simple: keep upgrading your ship consistently until you notice the required crafting materials suddenly changing into rarer resources. That usually indicates you’ve reached the next progression tier and should continue advancing through the game before investing further.

The upgrade process itself isn’t mechanically difficult, but it demands a huge amount of materials, especially once you move into higher ship classes.

All Ship Types in Windrose

Your first ship will always be a Ketch. It’s small, fairly fragile, and limited in combat potential, but you won’t stay with it forever. Moving from a Ketch to a Brigantine is one of the biggest power spikes in the entire game.

The difference between ship classes is enormous. For example, a basic Ketch only has around 50,000 HP, while a standard Brigantine jumps to roughly 160,000 HP. Movement speed improves slightly as well, but the biggest upgrade comes from cannon capacity and weapon size.

At the moment, Windrose contains three main ship categories:

• Ketch
• Brigantine
• Frigate

Each class dramatically increases your combat potential, survivability, and customization options. Let’s go through them one by one.

All Ketch Ships in Windrose

Every ship category comes with multiple variations. You have Standard, Brethren, and Blackbeard versions of each vessel. Their differences are fairly straightforward:

• Brethren ships prioritize durability and have significantly larger HP pools.
• Blackbeard ships focus on aggressive combat setups and broader cannon options.
• Standard ships sit somewhere in the middle.

Here are all Ketch ships currently available in Windrose:

Ship	Cannon Space	Health	Speed
Standard Ketch	3 of 12lb	50,000	19 knots
Blackbeard Ketch	3 of 12/24lb	35,000	21 knots
Brethren Ketch	3 of 12 lb	65,000	17 knots

At first glance, the ability to equip 24 Pounder cannons on the Blackbeard Ketch may sound extremely tempting. Realistically, though, I wouldn’t recommend it. The Blackbeard variant sacrifices too much survivability, and at this stage of the game, your defensive options are still limited. You can get destroyed surprisingly quickly.

If you want the safest recommendation, simply stick with the default Ketch for a while. Upgrade it a few times, use it to progress through the early game, and then move into Brigantines as soon as possible.

Building a Ketch from scratch requires the following materials:

• 150 Wood
• 100 Nails
• 40 Fabric
• 30 Rope

The reason the crafting requirements are higher than the original repair quest is simple: during “I Need a Bigger Boat,” you’re only fixing a damaged vessel. Here, you’re constructing an entirely new ship.

All Brigantine Ships in Windrose

Unlike the Ketch, Brigantines are not tied to the main story. You’ll need to unlock them yourself through faction progression.

To get a Brigantine blueprint, travel to Tortuga and speak with the Brethren vendor. The blueprint costs 1,000 Piastre, but there’s another requirement many players overlook — you need Brethren Reputation Level 2 before the blueprint even becomes available.

Thankfully, gaining reputation is fairly easy. Completing faction quests and eliminating pirates both on land and at sea will steadily increase your standing.

Here are all Brigantine ships in Windrose:

Ship	Cannon Space	Health	Speed
Stock Brigantine	6 of 12lb	70,000	20 knots
Blackbeard Brigantine	6 of 12/24lb	50,000	22 knots
Brethren Brigantine	6 of 12lb	90,000	18 knots

At this point in the game, you should already feel comfortable controlling your ship during combat. Because of that, I strongly recommend trying the Blackbeard Brigantine if you enjoy aggressive gameplay.

It’s the only Brigantine capable of using 24 Pounder cannons, and the increase in firepower is immediately noticeable. Naval combat becomes dramatically easier when you can unleash that level of damage output.

However, the tradeoff is significant. The Blackbeard Brigantine has 40,000 less HP than the Brethren version, which is basically equivalent to losing an entire Ketch worth of health. If your mast gets damaged or you make positioning mistakes, things can go downhill quickly.

Still, the Brigantine compensates with mobility and devastating cannon pressure. In experienced hands, it’s an incredibly dangerous ship.

To build a Brigantine, you’ll need the following materials:

• 200 Wooden Planks
• 200 Nails
• 120 Coarse Fabric
• 80 Copper Ingots
• 40 Linen Fabric
• 40 Rope
• 40 Timber
• 30 Shipwright’s Tools

Shipwright’s Tools can be purchased from the Tortuga vendor for 10 Piastre each, meaning the full Brigantine investment totals roughly 1,300 Piastre.

All Frigate Ships in Windrose

Frigates represent the absolute peak of naval progression in Windrose. Just like Brigantines, they come in Standard, Brethren, and Blackbeard variations, and they also require faction reputation to unlock.

This time, you’ll need Brethren Reputation Level 4 before the blueprint becomes available for purchase in Tortuga. The Frigate blueprint costs 3,000 Piastre, which initially sounds expensive, but once you see the performance difference, the price starts to feel justified.

Here are all Frigate ships in Windrose:

Ship	Cannon Space	Health	Speed
Stock Frigate	12 of 24lb	160,000	18 knots
Blackbeard Frigate	12 of 24/36lb	110,000	20 knots
Brethren Frigate	12 of 24lb	200,000	16 knots

Honestly, the Standard Frigate isn’t really worth considering once you compare the specialized variants.

The real decision comes down to Brethren versus Blackbeard. The Blackbeard Frigate has lower durability, sitting around 110,000 HP, while the Brethren Frigate nearly doubles that amount. In prolonged naval wars, the Blackbeard version becomes increasingly vulnerable over time.

On the other hand, the offensive potential is absurd. The Blackbeard Frigate can equip 36 Pounder cannons, and those things absolutely obliterate enemy ships. If you catch someone in open waters before they react, the fight is usually over instantly.

Personally, I would still choose the Blackbeard Frigate. Massive fleet battles aren’t particularly common in Windrose right now, so the overwhelming firepower feels more valuable than the extra survivability.

Building a Frigate requires an enormous amount of resources:

• 320 Wooden Planks
• 300 Nails
• 240 Linen Fabric
• 160 Timber
• 120 Foothils Iron Ingot
• 80 Tarred Planks
• 80 Tarred Fabric
• 80 Rope
• 50 Shipwright’s Tools

Crafting a Frigate is one of the biggest grinds in Windrose, but the reward is the strongest ship class currently available in the game. If you’d rather skip the farming process entirely, you can always grab a Frigate directly from Gamer Choice.

Ship Battle Guide for Windrose

Naval combat in Windrose isn’t overly complicated, and most players naturally improve with practice. Still, there are several habits and mechanics that can massively improve your performance during sea battles.

Here’s a practical ship battle guide for Windrose:

• Use Grog Before Engagements: Grog boosts your cannon reload speed, which directly increases your overall damage output. In tougher battles, especially later in the game, this consumable becomes almost mandatory.
• Swap Cannon Sides Constantly: After firing one side of your ship, rotate and fire from the opposite side instead of waiting for reloads. Blackbeard ships excel at this strategy. Also remember that your ship’s front cannon can contribute extra damage.
• Use Chained Cannonballs Against Multiple Ships: Press 2 by default to switch to chained cannonballs. These shots slow enemy ships dramatically, making them easy targets. You can either circle them with regular cannon fire or temporarily disable them while focusing on another threat.
• Destroy Enemy Ships During Long Battles: If you’re constantly running out of repair kits, you’re probably spending too much time boarding ships unnecessarily. Unless the enemy vessel contains valuable pirate loot, it’s usually more efficient to sink it and collect supplies afterward.

These tactics may sound simple, but they make a massive difference once you start fighting stronger enemies. Use every advantage available, manage your positioning carefully, and don’t hesitate to fight dirty if it means winning the battle.

F.A.Q.

How do you get your first ship in Windrose?

Your first ship becomes available during the main storyline after Doctor Galen gives you the “I Need a Bigger Boat” quest. Once you reach the second island, locate the damaged vessel and repair it using 100 Wood, 20 Nails, 20 Fabric, and 10 Rope.

How do you upgrade ships in Windrose?

To upgrade ships, you first need to convert the Weaponsmith into a Shipwright’s Workshop. After that, build a Wharf through the Utilities section of the build menu. Ship equipment can then be crafted at the workshop and installed through the Wharf before continuing with further upgrades.

What ship types are in Windrose?

There are currently three ship categories available in Windrose: Ketch, Brigantine, and Frigate. Each new tier is stronger and offers better survivability, weapon capacity, and combat potential than the previous one.

How do you unlock new ships in Windrose?

New ship blueprints are unlocked through the Brethren faction in Tortuga. Brigantines require Reputation Level 2, while Frigates require Reputation Level 4. Once the reputation requirement is met, you can purchase the corresponding blueprint from the vendor for 1,000 or 3,000 Piastre.

What is the best ship in Windrose?

Frigates are considered the strongest ship class currently available in Windrose. The Blackbeard Frigate delivers the highest damage thanks to its 36-pounder cannons, while the Brethren Frigate focuses more on durability and survivability during longer naval battles.