Sea of Thieves is a Player Vs Player Vs Environment game (PVPVE). An integral part of the gameplay loop relies upon the fact the loot you fight for is not really yours until you've handed it in. This gameplay loop is reliant on the fact that there is no vertical progression in Sea of Thieves. An account with 2000 hours has no inherent advantage over an account that was just made yesterday. The outcome of a battle then, is not decided by the pirate, but the player behind that pirate. The problem is, that for a lot of new players, the thought of losing hours worth of work to more experienced players is not exactly appealing. Whilst the advent of Safer Seas has somewhat improved the situation, if one truly wishes to experience Sea of Thieves, they must enter the dangerous, player infested waters known as: The High Seas. To best prepare new players for the High Seas transition, I have put together a little guide on combat in the sea of thieves, for as Sun Tzu writes in The Art Of War "If you know thy enemy, and know thyself, you need not fear the result of one hundred battles."

Communication

Alright, let's just rip this bandaid off as quickly as possible: the simple fact of the matter is that if you want to be at all successful in this game, you MUST communicate efficiently, deliberately, and concisely. At any given moment, everyone aboard your vessel needs to be kept up to date on the following factors:

1) State of all ships in an engagement
2) State of all pirates in an engagement
3) State of the world and any items in play

Lets break these factors down one by one:

Ship-state
Your ship is the most important asset you have in any engagement. An engagement can be considered as good as over once there is only one vessel remaining. Think about it, once a ship is sunk, the crew with a ship remaining only needs to kill their opponent ONCE to send them halfway across the map, whereas the crew without a ship needs to stay alive and kill their opponents far more often to get anything done. It should come as no surprise then, that your primary directive in any combat situation, is to keep your ship afloat. We will get into what this means for each of the different roles later in this guide, but keep it in mind for the time being. In order to keep your floating bastion...well...floating, your entire crew needs to be aware of the situation both above, and below deck. Information is the backbone to combat tactics in this game, so make sure your team has all the information they need to make the best plays at any given time. I will insert a particular note here for any non-bilge players: For the sake of all the bilges out there keeping your crew afloat, call out where the opposing vessel is relative to your own if you are in a spiral. The bilge does not always have time to check this themselves, and it makes repairing a lot harder if you do not know where you are taking fire from.

Pirate State
Has your TDM ended in a trip to the Ferry? Make sure your crew is aware which player is down! Has an enemy grabbed your ladder? Make sure your crew is aware! Particularly in the heat of combat, even seemingly obvious signs and sounds such as the ghost of a pirate rising above the deck or the splash of a boarding pirate can go overlooked. Call out your weapon hits, call out if the enemy is eating their last piece of fruit, call out if they are out of ammo. All these things can help make you a valuable crew mate, even if your PVP skills are not yet as refined.

World State
Are you approaching the boarder of your hourglass arena? Is there an emergent threat spawning on you? Where is that item you are trying to steal from your opponent? What is the state of resources on your ship? Again, the better informed your crew, the less likely you are to make a bad call when it matters the most!

Sun Tzu writes in The Art of War that "Victorious warriors win first then go to war, whilst defeated warriors go to war seeking to win." Likewise, the outcome of a battle upon the high seas can often be determined before two ships even meet. Whilst it can often be disheartening, having to restock your supplies after being sunk, that time is not wasted. The time you spend gathering supplies and preparing for your next fight is a moment of calm, so use it to steel your nerves, talk strategy, and refocus. Whilst how to ultimately organize gathered supplies is a matter of taste and preference, here are a few suggestions for where to place various items aboard your vessel for easy access.

Storage Crate and Ship Barrels
Though it is the most expensive of the resources you can buy at an outpost, the storage crate is well worth it, offering unparalleled quality of life improvements for your whole crew. First and foremost, you can use it to run around the outpost, gathering all the supplies from barrels in one go, saving you a lot of time as opposed to running around emptying barrels one inventory at a time. Do not forget to remove fireworks, flares and other undesirables such as earthworms from a storage crate regularly whilst siphoning to prevent it from being filled with junk. Aboard your ship,designate one cannonball barrel as your main barrel (typically the topmost cannonball barrel) and place all cannonballs, chainshots, and blunderbombs in this barrel. By picking the topmost barrel (which is easiest to access), your crew will be able to refill on these resources faster, without worrying about picking up the less valuable resources in the process. Curseballs can also be placed in this barrel, though they may also be placed in a separate barrel with fireworks and scattershot if desired. Likewise, the food barrel that is easiest to access (topmost barrel on brigantine and sloop, typically the leftmost barrel on galleon) should contain your best food (pomegranates, mangoes, pineapples, cooked meat), whilst the other should contain your bananas and coconuts. By organizing resources in this manner, you ensure that when under fire, your crew can access what they need, when they need it. Any storage crates you have leftover can be turned into extensions of your crews inventory, hence the term "main crate" for main cannoneer, "helm crate" for helm, and so on and so forth. The main cannoneer should be prioritized here, as they burn through resources the fastest, and benefit the most from having their refill close by.

Cannonball Crate
The most important crate to buy before you set sail is the cannonball crate. This should come as no surprise, as in general, cannonballs are also the most important resource to have on mass. The reasoning is simple: to open a higher tier hole on an opposing vessel takes multiple cannonballs, but only takes 1 wooden plank to repair. Cannonball crates should be placed either behind or next to the main cannoneers primary cannon, in a location that is easy to access without giving up cannon control for more than a few seconds. Additional cannon crates can be placed by other cannons. If resources are abundant, forgo placing a cannon crate near the cannon, and instead create a storage crate containing cannonballs, chainshots, blunderbombs, and higher tier food items such as pomegranates, mangoes, pineapples, or cooked meat. Be sure to keep some of these items in your barrels as well though, the last thing you want is to be caught with no food and no cannonballs in the event this "main crate" gets dropped overboard by a boarder.

Wood Crate
The wood crate is the second most important purchase before you enter combat. Not only does it offer you more wooden planks, which is critical for keeping your ship afloat, but it also offers you a second source of wood pretty much anywhere on your ship. In general, it is a good idea to place the wood crate in a central location where it is easy to access, whilst also being safe from any splash damage. On a sloop, place your wood crate (or a storage crate containing wood) on the left side of the stairway when entering the back of the sloop. This gives your helm a protected location to resupply. Additional wood crates can be placed at the helm, or at the back of the sloop for easier repairs. On a brigantine, place the wood crate toward the front of the ship on the lower deck. This protects your helm and flex from taking preventable splash damage when trying to repair the front of your ship. Additional wood crates can be placed throughout the lower deck of the brigantine, or near the masts. On a galleon, place wood crates at the front of the ship on the lowest deck, and in the center of the ship on the lowest deck. Like with the brigantine, additional wood crates can be placed near the mast or helm for ease of repair.

Fruit Crate
If you had to skip any of these crates, this would be the one with the least impact (not including the bait crate which is of course, critically important and should always be bought for good luck). The food crate should be emptied into your barrels and then placed in a location aboard your ship where it might prevent an opponent from harpooning onto you. This is primarily done on a sloop, by placing empty crates on top of the ships railing, particularly in the cut-out for your cannon.

Most ship battles in Sea of Thieves can be separated into 4 distinct phases:

Phase 1: Engagement
The two ships are at quite a distance from each other, and are both attempting to get cannon angle before the other.

Phase 2: The Circle Fight
The two ships are circling each other, attempting to immobilize the opponent.

Phase 3: Immobilization
One or both ships are immobilized.

Phase 4: Payoff
Either the immobilized ship recovers (return to phase 1 or 2), or one of the two ships sinks.

I will be referring to these phases by number throughout the rest of this guide.

Understanding every players assigned role, including its goals and responsibilities, not only lightens the workload on the individual player, but is also critical in attempting to disrupt the enemy team. In general, there are four generally agreed upon roles aboard a ship:

Main Cannoneer

Ships: Sloop, Brigantine, Galleon
As Main Cannoneer, your job is to stand in the line of fire for you crew, to ensure the opposing crew do not get the chance to fire at you. This role may seem self explanatory, but there is a surprising amount of depth to being a truly good MC.

To fully understand and master this role, you must understand your goals throughout each part of the fight:
During Phase 1 The MC waits until they have angle, and attempts to kill opposing players to stop them from firing back. Once Phase 2 begins, the MC should prioritize getting as much damage on the enemy ship as possible whilst impeding the enemies ability to fire back.The MC is typically also tasked with taking down the opposing vessels mast(s), thus beginning Phase 3, at which point the MC should first aim to destroy the opposing vessels wheel, or attempt a board to anchor the opposing vessel. The goal in Phase 3 is to stop your opponent from being able to maintain an angle on your ship. When on your own ship, try to alternate firing at the opposing vessels cannon line to keep opposing players off cannons anytime they have an angle, and firing across the bottom deck of a ship when the opponent does not have an angle to maximize damage. If the MC loses cannon control, and is unable to fire back using the cannons (either due to angle or because of enemy fire) they should aim to damage enemy cannoneers with the eye of reach, aiming to force them off of the cannon (either to eat or because they are dead) so that cannon control falls back into your hands. Oftentimes the deciding factor in an engagement is which crew maintains the ability to fire without being fired upon the longest, and the MC is the pirate responsible for the upkeep of this important tactical advantage.

Helm

Ships: Sloop, Brigantine, Galleon
By far the most complex of all the roles, the Helm role also features the most variations out of all the roles, as your workload is strongly dependent on what type of ship you are on. That being said, the primary goal of the helm does not change from one ship to another: you are responsible for maintaining your crews ability to put pressure on the opposing vessel. This is achieved first and foremost, by maintaining the optimal broadside to an opposing vessel. On a sloop and brigantine, the left side of the ship is the stronger side, and should be pointed toward the enemy for as much of the fight as possible. This is because if the main mast is felled on a brigantine or a sloop, it falls to the right side of the ship, covering the cannons field of view. Furthermore, the the left side of the sloop takes fewer holes than the right side. Also of note: due to the location of the stairs on a sloop, maintaining a left broadside also makes it easier to bail water under fire, as you are protected from most of the splash damage from cannonballs. On a galleon, due to the mid mast falling left, the right broad side of the ship is superior.

In addition to maintaining the cannon angle with the opposing ship, the helm is also responsible for maintaining pressure by guarding against enemy pirates attempting to board, sniping at enemy cannoneers to waste the opponents time and food (or perhaps even getting a kill off of splash damage) and reviving the cannoneer. On a sloop and on a brigantine, the helm is also responsible for bailing water out of the ship, and repairing whenever possible. When repairing, the helm should prioritize the following items in the following order:
1) Wheel
Particularly important on brigantine and galleon as maintaining angle with a broken wheel is significantly harder on these vessels than on a sloop.
2) Mast
Mast should be out of the field of view of the cannons. If anchored, it is oftentimes not a bad idea to raise the mast so that the cannoneer can gain cannon control on the right side and prevent too much damage from being inflicted.
3) Anchor
Mobility is key to avoiding unnecessary damage, and maintaining constant pressure.
4) Hull
Though it may seem counter-intuitive, the hull is the last thing the Helm should repair. If repairing the hull, ensure you are repairing on a side of the ship not facing the enemy, and prioritize the holes filling up the ship the fastest.

Tip: As a helm, concise, clear communication skills are even more important than with the other roles. This is especially true when defending against boarders.

Flex

Ships: Brigantine, Galleon
The least clearly defined role, though nevertheless one of the most important. The Flex exists to lessen the workload of the other roles aboard the ship. That means helping bail water and repairing if the ship is too damaged for one player to maintain, helping snipe enemy cannoneers when not in cannon angle, repairing the masts if the other roles are preoccupied, and guarding against boarders alongside the helm. The Flex is also responsible for reviving the cannoneer or helm if they are killed, and is often the designated boarder aboard a ship. When boarding an enemy ship, the Flex's goal should be to disrupt enemy roles as efficiently and as long as possible. This means prioritizing staying alive, as just by existing on the enemy ship or in the enemy ships vicinity, you are putting pressure on the opponent to deal with you. Rule one of being a good boarder is staying alive.

Bilge

Ships: Galleon
The bilge is the final role we must discuss, and exists solely on a galleon. As a bilge, your job is simple: Keep the ship alive. In the event the bilge cannot maintain the water level below deck on their own, they should call down their crew to help bail in the following order: Flex, Cannoneer, Helm. As this role only exists on galleon, it is by far the most specialized, and as such features a lower entry point, but higher skill ceiling than the other roles. In general, any bilge must be able to proficiently wield a sword both in combat and for movement purposes, must be able to bail water through the grate of a galleon, and must excel at communicating the situation below deck to the people above deck.

Boarding:
- When boarding a sloop, players should seek to close the window next to the ladder on the sloop, as this prevents any player below deck from firing at you through the gap.
- When boarding a galleon, players are able to walk along the side of the galleon if it rocks to one side because of the waves. This can be used to unexpectedly appear seemingly out of nowhere near the anchor, which often results in initiation of phase 3 after the anchor drops.

Weapon Loadouts:
- Helm, Main Cannoneer, and Flex should all be proficient in the use of the Eye of Reach for Sniping, and should equip the eye of reach as their primary weapon when in combat.
- The Helms secondary weapon is dependent on the ship type. On sloop the blunderbuss is recommended. On brigantine, blunderbuss or cutlass (as cutlass may help in traversing the lower deck when flooded). On galleon: flintlock to two tap boarders, blunderbuss if not proficient in flintlock use.
- Main Cannoneer/Flex secondary is dependent on circumstance: blunderbuss or cutlass for defensive play, flintlock or blowgun for offense,
- Bilge: Cutlass is required to navigate flooded lower deck. Secondary weapon dependent on preference, blunderbuss is recommended for most situations.

Food:
- The MC and Flex should have the best food, as they are in the line of fire the most.
- Helm and Bilge benefit the most from cooked food as they are generally out of damage range long enough for the healing to activate.

Hole Repair Priority:
- In a parallel, or if both ships are in an immobilized state, the hole(s) directly underneath the cannon line should be prioritized last for repair. This is because, as stated in this guide, the cannoneer will often be aiming for the cannon line in these situations, and as such these holes will be almost permanently open so long as the enemy can maintain cannon priority.

Ship Sails:
- Sloop: Sail full right. Raise sail to half mast (though adjust as needed). Attempt to keep the sail facing to the right, as not only will this make it easier to see your enemy on the left side of your ship, but it also ensures slightly easier death spiral management.
- Brigantine: Back sail full right, front sail full left. Raise front sail completely and put back sail to half mast. Drop front in the event the back mast falls. The fastest way to do this is to have your flex and main cannoneer raise the front, then flex runs back to help raise the back sail alongside helm after helm has completed turn in to fight.
- Galleon: Completely raise the front and mid sail, use back sail for speed control. Back sail can either be straight, left, or right (may need to be adjusted by helm depending on the situation).