It’s time to take to the high seas in style as new boats have made their way to Black Desert. Whether you’re looking for a quick island hopper or looking to carry enough firepower to fire a whole through a sea monster, there is a boat for you.

Ships

The Epheria Cog is a ship capable of high speeds across the high seas. The Cog has 1 inventory slot which is less than ideal for many who are looking to start trading across the open seas. It also lacks offensive options as it has no cannons on its deck. But where the boat shines is speed. The boat is able to zip across the water and get you from point A to point B faster than nearly any other ship in it’s class. The Epheria Cog is relatively easy to craft, however it does have a limited duration (much like Fishing boats, rafts and row boats).

But if you are looking to start your sea faring adventures with a boat that is more permanent, the Bartali Sailboat is an excellent option. While the boat has been in the game for a while, this update brings the ability to upgrade your boats, including a way to turn the Bartali Sailboat into either an Epheria Frigate or an Epheria Sailboat. If you’re looking for an excellent starting boat, the Bartali Sailboat can be purchased from Proix in Velia for 10,000,000 silver, which will give you access to a boat that can be repaired, boasts 3 inventory slots and also has a couple of player controlled cannons on board!

While the Epheria Sailboat and the Epheria Frigate are known entities, they also have new upgrade paths to make your boats even better. The Improved Epheria Sailboat and the Improved Epheria Frigate are side upgrades that slightly improve your ship, and give access to Captain controlled cannons meaning one player can man a ship on their own if they wish. The improved versions of the Sailboat and Frigate are great ways to begin your bartering or sea monster hunting journeys as they boast more fire power and quicker reload speeds on the cannons. Both are also relatively easier to obtain than their bigger upgrades as they do not require special materials earned through bartering.

The Epheria Caravel is the big upgrade to the Epheria Sailboat. It has more weight, more cabins and most importantly, more Inventory slots than the Epheria Sailboat/Improved Epheria Sailboat. It is one of the best ships for bartering due to the weight and inventory slots, but also packs a punch as it has the same cannons as the Improved Epheria Sailboat. Upgrading to the Caravel can be tough, as it requires both items from sea monster hunting and a lot of level 2,3 and 4 bartering materials. You will also need to upgrade all the Epheria ship enhancements (Old Prow, Old Plating, Old Cannon, Old Wind Sail) to + 10, so getting the Caravel may take time.

The Epheria Galleass is the big upgrade to the Epheria Frigate. The boat is faster and easier to handle than the Caravel, but the down side to it is that it has less Inventory. It also packs an absolute massive punch with 4 captain controlled cannons (similar to the Improved Frigate), and has 30 cabins so you can have a much larger crew of sailors on board. This boat is perfect for those looking to go Sea Monster Hunting or pirateering across the high seas. Again, much like the Caravel, the Galeass requires you to sea monster hunt and barter in order to obtain the materials for the upgrade.

The Epheria Caravel can then be upgraded into the Carrack (Advance) or the Carrack (Balance), and the Epheria Galleass can be upgraded into the Carrack (Volante) or the Carrack (Valor). These ships require a considerable amount of resources from both sea monster hunting and bartering, but they are the highest tier of ships available at this time. All the Carracks boast 9 powerful cannons to lay siege to anything unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire. The Carrack (Advance) and Carrack (balance) offer huge holds capable of holding enough items for even the most complex of barter routes, and have massive weight limits. The Carrack (Volante) and Carrack (Valor) are massive war ships built more for speed, while also packing massive punches when it comes down to fighting your enemies.

Sailors

With ships now having cabins, you can hire sailors to help manage your boat through your Voyage. Sailors add different benefits depending on their personality (Speed, Acceleration etc) and consume cabin space depending on their type.

In order to begin hiring sailors, you will need to complete the quest ‘[The Great Expedition] Oquilla’s Eye’ that can be found in your suggested quest tab. Through this quest you will earn Sailing EXP, but most importantly for sailors is that you will be given your first sailor contract. This will then give you the ability to purchase more contracts to offer to other sailors.

Unlike workers who need to be rolled through a worker manager, Sailors are independent contractors and you will need to first find the sailor, then offer him a contract. Sailors appear as normal NPC’s in the following locations:

Sailors are easily recognized as they have the sailor name that appears above their heads, as well as their characteristics. These characteristics will let you know ahead of time what kind of stats that particular sailor can offer. Once the sailor accepts the contract, he will make his way to your boat where he will begin his new life under your captainship. 

To hire a sailor, you will need to first purchase a contract for 3,000,000 silver, then talk to the sailor that you want to hire. Once the sailor accepts the contract, he will make his way to your boat where he will begin his new life under your captainship. 

Sailor Upkeep

Being at sea is a perilous life. Sickness is a very real possibility on the waves, and as captain it is up to you to make sure that your sailors are healthy and in working shape. Sailors have a meter called condition, which works very similar to the way you fed workers to keep working. Unlike workers, sailors need a healthy diet in order to not get sick. The prefered meal for sailors is Chowder, made through the following recipe:

This dish is enough to keep even the biggest of sailors healthy and in good condition. However if these resources are scare, Sailors can also eat Raisin Bread, available from Wharf Managers or Islin Bartali at the Lunar Halo Inn. While not as filling as the chowder, sailors will happily chow down loaves of Raisin Bread to keep their spirits up!

If a sailor’s condition reaches 0, they can get sick. While sick, any bonus that they apply to the ship will be deactivated, so it is imperative to keep them healthy. If a sailor does come down with sickness, there is no need to throw him off the ship in the middle of the Ross Sea. Luckily alchemists of Black Desert have developed the ‘Elixir of Regeneration’ which helps cure this sickness. Through simple alchemy, you can combine the following ingredients:

Once crafted, this elixir is enough to cure the sailing sickness which may plague your low condition workers!

Other Sailor Benefits

While you are out bartering and dealing with the NPC’s of each island, you can send out your Sailors to perform tasks. 'Supply' option will restore some of the rations on board your ship while 'Explore' sends the sailors off on the island to see what they can scavange. They can return with things like rations, repair or damage ships, or even find rare treasures. It does consume rations though, so it’s worth being smart about how to approach each individual island.

Remember that the May 27th Update for Black Desert Console will include new boats, the new life skill ‘Bartering’ and more! Make sure to check out the full update details once they are released.

Thank You