Beginning Shipbuilding

This page is a work in progress and additional information is being added.

Basic Information
Shipbuilding is the crafting skill which allows you to build customized ships at a fraction of the cost of NPC ships. Shipbuilding must be done at an NPC, rather than anywhere using a book, like other crafting skills.

When constructing your own ship you can choose the material it will be made out of, as well as modify the ship's hold.

Once construction begins, you must leave the port and sail on the seas for a set number of days, after which your constructed ship will be available to pick up at any ship master.

How to acquire the skill
There are two methods to acquiring skills, and Shipbuilding is no exception.

The first method is to train the prerequisites, the second method is to change to a job which features Shipbuilding as a favored skill.

To meet the prerequisites, you must have a character Battle level of 7, and a skill Repair level of 3. Once you've met these two requirements the skill can be trained for 25,000 Dukats in one of three ports; Tunis in Western Europe, Istanbul in Turkey, and Calicut in India. The Maritime GM in each of these ports will train the skill.

There are 4 jobs that feature Shipbuilding as a favored skill; a trader Arms Dealer, a battle Shipwright, a battle Tactician, and a battle Guardian. By switching to one of these jobs you can train the skill at any Maritime GM.

How to Level
Of couse, getting the shipwright or other shipbuilding job is essential. You will be spending ALOT of money building ships, halve that money by having it as a favored skill.

The best method to level is to build low level ships until r3 shipbuilding. It really doesnt matter what ship you build at this point, the skillpoints you gain are based on ship total level. (i believe, please correct this if it is wrong.)

At r3 move on to beirut (arabic language is a help) Here you will be building dhows from r3 until r8. These are the most cost effective and highest skillups you can get. You will build ALOT OF THEM. I spent something close to 10million to reach r8 shipbuilding.

At r8+1 you can start building Sambuks. You need to go to india to do this of course, and a Teak sambuk will sell for a decent price. This is the first ship you can really potentially make money on. Of course, dragging them from india to europe will take you an annoyingly long time.

At r14+1 you can start building Xebecs. This is where shipbuilding really shines.

Beginning Shipbuilding
To begin building a ship, you must be in a port that has a Shipyard Master.

There are TWO constraints on which ships can be built. You can build ships that the character could not sail with. The constraints are your shipbuilding level, this constraint will be explained further below, and the size and nationality of the port, which will determine which ships would be available to be built.

How to construct a new ship
Once you have found a port that handles the type of ship you want built, you can begin construction.

First Selection
The first screen is similar to that for purchasing a new ship from an NPC, except you will notice there is a construction time listed.

Second Selection
The second screen will allow you to choose which type of wood you wish to make the ship from, these are typically a compromise between speed, durability, and cost.

Third Selection
The third construction page will allow you to change the cargo capacity of the ship. Within the middle ranges, which are labeled as "Effective Range" a change from the minimum to maximum will only affect the cargo hold size. Once you leave the effective range, you will impact sail performance, turning speed, row power (if applicable) and wave resistance, as well as increase the cost of the ship.

Fourth Selection
Finally you can name the deed you are about to produce, you will see a summary page, and clicking complete will charge your account (you must have the money on you) and begin construction.

Construction
Keep in mind that days only pass while at sea, so if a ship requires 10 days, you must spend 10 days at sea before it will be complete. Once the construction period is finished, the ship deed can be picked up at any Shipyard Master, it doesn't have to be the one you originally placed the order with.

Shipbuilding Levels
It would appear that the ships that are able to be built is based on the ships required levels combined. For instance, a ship that requires 0 adventure, 17 trade, and 10 battle, is just as hard to build as one that requires 8 adventure, 11 trade, 8 battle.

Adjusting cannon chambers and cabins
You can redesign your ship by talking to the shipwright if your Shipbuilding Rank is 5 or higher and your level is high enough to use the ship of your choice. When you redesign your ship, you can adjust the ratio of cannon chambers, cabins, and storage within the total volume of the ship.