All Boat controls in Skull and Bones explained

While the boat controls in Skull and Bones vary, depending on what platform you’re on, the general idea remains the same. Fans of games like Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag will likely feel right at home when controlling their ship along the waters of the Indian Ocean. Available on the Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PCs, players take command of a fully customizable ship in this game and take to the seas with the goal of being the most dangerous pirate in the water.

You will, however, need to know how a boat controls in Skull and Bones. Simply diving in and hoping it will control like any other vehicle would be a dangerous mistake. We’ll be going over the important notes of commanding a ship in Skull and Bones so that you’re ready to get to work.

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How boat controls in Skull and Bones works

The boat controls are easy to understand (Image via Ubisoft)

When it comes to boat controls in Skull and Bones, the basics are pretty easy. As you’ll see in the table below, you have pretty standard controls, regardless of what platform you play on.

You open the sails to speed up, close them to slow down, and can steer the ship left and right as you sail on the high seas. This is going to be the same regardless of what ship you use.

Sailing Actions	PC Button	PS5 Button	Xbox Button
Steer Ship Left	A	Tilt Left Stick Left	Tilt Left Stick Left
Steer Ship Right	D	Tilt Left Stick Right	Tilt Left Stick Right
Close Sails	S	Circle	B
Trim Sails	W	Cross	A
Crow's Nest	T	D-Pad Up	D-Pad Up
Spy Glass	R	R3	RS
Open Single Sail	W	Cross	A
Close Single Sail	S	Circle	B
External Camera	V
Rear Camera	B
Disembark	S	Circle	B
Combat Actions	PC Button	PS5 Button	Xbox Button
Aiming	RMB	L2	LT
Aim Down Sight	Left Alt	R3	RS
Fire Weapon	LMB	R2	RT
Swap to Aux. Weapon	Q	L1	LB
Brace	Space Bar	R1	RB
Crew Attack	RMB	Triangle	Y

The moment-to-moment boat controls are fairly standard, but in combat, things are significantly different from other games you’ve likely played. The angle at which you approach ship combat matters when it comes to Skull and Bones’ boat controls.

Aiming Down Sight (ADS) has its time and place in this game (Image via Ubisoft)

For example, aiming down the sights will give you access to the main front weapon on your ship. This will likely be one volley of shots, and in many cases, it won't be impressive. However, if you want to be more efficient, you must learn to steer your ship to the side and broadside people with a volley of far more weaponry.

Having a different combat angle than just steering straight toward your target gives you more shots per round and more attempts to deal major damage. A solid time to use your main weapon is when you want to slow a ship down. Aim up and blow holes in your opponents' sails to cut their speed.

Broadsiding is far more efficient in terms of dealing damage (Image via Ubisoft)

Learning to broadside - or steer your ship perpendicular to your opponent - is key when mastering boat controls in Skull and Bones. If you can get nice and close and smash them with a few cannon rounds from all your guns, you can swiftly sink an enemy or even board their ship.

When your goal is to sink or board someone, you want to fire at the hull - which is the main body of the ship. Boarding and sinking vessels not only increase your Infamy but are also a main part of the gameplay, so it’s a good habit to get into.

Other than that, boat controls are very standard and easy to understand. If you’ve played Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, you will have an easy time piloting your vessel.

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Check out our other Skull and Bones guides:

Skull and Bones ship tier list || How to fish || How to join friends || All damage types || Quickly increase Infamy || How to get Monstrous Tooth || Hullbreaker Brigantine || How to win at Cutthroat Cargo ||