Sea of Thieves ship speed adjustments explained

Sea of Thieves ship speed adjustments.
Ship speed adjustments in Sea of Thieves explained (Image via Rare)

Sea of Thieves ship speed adjustments are coming soon, with changes that will buff the Sloop and Galleon, while slightly nerfing the Brigantine. Ship speeds have been a crucial aspect of the game that is required in both the PvP and PvE. In most scenarios, the brigantine used to be the best ship out there, however, that might change with the new ship adjustments being introduced.

In this article, we will explore the Sea of Thieves ship speed adjustments that the developers are bringing to the game. We will also explain how these changes are going to affect the players and the ship meta following this change.


What are the ship speed adjustments in Sea of Thieves?

The Sea of Thieves ship speed adjustments have brought nerfs to the Brigantine, and buffs for the Sloop and the Galleon. These adjustments make the ship more reliant on the angle of the sail and "direction of the ship with respect to wind," rather than the amount of wind being caught by the sails.


How wind now affects ships

The sail's angle will now determine a ship's speed in Sea of Thieves (Image via Rare || Gnarfield on YouTube)
The sail's angle will now determine a ship's speed in Sea of Thieves (Image via Rare || Gnarfield on YouTube)

Sail angle is the most important factor that determines a ship's speed. Earlier, the number of sails catching wind used to be a deciding factor. Simply having all your sails raised used to do the trick pretty well.

However, the angle of your sails relative to the wind will significantly impact the ship's speed in Sea of Thieves. For sidewind and crosswind scenarios, changing your sail's angles to the direction of the wind should now impact the speed more, allowing the shipto travel faster.

In actuality, this is how sails should work, and the balance just makes it closer to how the developers intended for the feature to work from the beginning.

Also read: How to scuttle ship in Sea of Thieves


Dummy Sail mechanic is gone for good

Dummy Sail exploit required positioning the sails perpendicular to the direction of the wind (Image via Rare || NitroHouse.com on YouTube)
Dummy Sail exploit required positioning the sails perpendicular to the direction of the wind (Image via Rare || NitroHouse.com on YouTube)

The "Dummy Sail" was a common exploit players had been using for ages in Sea of Thieves. It provided an unfair advantage, often being a deciding factor in naval encounters.

In this mechanic, raising your ship's sails perpendicular to the wind direction provided a slight speed boost. With the new adjustments, this mechanic is gone for good, finally allowing the sails to function properly.


How do the speed adjustments affect ships in Sea of Thieves?

The adjustments bring in significant buffs to the Sloop and Galleon while nerfing the Brigantine:

Galleon

Galleon will be the fastest in a tailwind (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)
Galleon will be the fastest in a tailwind (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)

With three sails catching the wind, the Galleon becomes the undisputed speed champion when sailing with the wind. In case of a crosswind or a sidewind, the Galleon still holds the advantage with proper angling. However, it also becomes the slowest ship and faces a significant challenge in headwinds, owing to maximum sail resistance.


Sloop

Sloops are now the fastest in a headwind (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)
Sloops are now the fastest in a headwind (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)

Sloop players can finally rest in peace, as the Brigantines or Galleons will not be able to catch you in a headwind with the dummy sail mechanic. This ship is now truly the most nimble option, making it the fastest one in a headwind scenario. In a tailwind and crosswinds, the Sloop remains the slowest, however.

Read more: Crossplay in Sea of Thieves explained


Brigantine

Brigantines now stand in the perfect middle ground for all scenarios (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)
Brigantines now stand in the perfect middle ground for all scenarios (Image via Rare || Ghost Admiral on YouTube)

The Brigantine has dominated the ship meta for a long time, and it now truly finds a middle ground. In a tailwind scenario, the ship gains speed over the Sloop, but cannot outspeed the Galleon's speed boost with its two sets of sails.

Similarly, in a headwind, the Brigantine experiences a speed decrease due to wind resistance from its two sets of sails, making it faster than the Galleon but slower than the Sloop.

The Brigantine is hit the most with the removal of the dummy sails mechanic, as it can no longer catch sloops in a headwind scenario. The developers have acknowledged that this balancing can potentially make it difficult for the Brig to find a space in the current meta, and will continue to monitor this change for the foreseeable future.

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Edited by Sijo Samuel Paul
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