Naval Action Beginner Quickstart Guide

You need money to pay your crew, buy your ship, and outfit it with cannons and supplies. As a new player you have a Basic Lynx, which is always free, but it is also the weakest ship in the game. Nonetheless, it is good for transportation, and the easiest way to make some money is to take cargo missions from port to port.

The in-game tutorials cover the basics of how to sail and fight your ship. By basic, we mean very rudimentary -- just enough to get you started, but you need to learn a lot more to be effective in the game. When you are ready to move beyond the basics, here are some recommended video tutorials that will help you develop the skills you need to progress in the game:

Don't treat the exams like a test that you have to pass. Treat them like practice sessions that you can do over and over to improve your skills. If a session isn't going well, feel free to end it by surrendering and start over. Learning everything you need to know in Naval Action is like sailing upwind. It can be slow going and not in a straight line, but you will get there.

We try to keep inexpensive 6th rate ships in stock for new players at Nassau. Purchase the cheapest ship on offer. Arm it with medium guns, load gunpowder, round shot and repairs, and you are ready to go to war.

Here is a suggested loadout:
Ball ammo: 600
Gunpowder: 3000
Hull repairs: 14
Rig repairs: 24
Medicine: 20

While completing passenger missions with you Cerberus, keep a sharp lookout for a Traders Brigs. Valuable trade goods can be captured and sold to make more money, and when you add a Traders Brig to your fleet, you can start to take cargo missions.

You need to sink ships to get xp to gain rank and command larger crews. The bigger the ships that you sink, the more xp you gain.

Once you have leveled up to command 400 crew, you can now purchase/equip an inexpensive Trincomalee. The Trinc is a free dlc that veteran players received some time ago, and it is the only dlc ship that can be traded among players. Look for a low cost Trinc at the ship auction in the capital, or feel free to ask in nation chat if someone has a ship to sell.

Naval Action is a challenging game to play. There are skills to be mastered and knowledge to be gained to play this game at a high level. Seek out other players and don't hesitate to ask for help. Join us here at NavalGaming.com -- our raison d'etre is to help people like you who are just starting out.