Blackwake Blackwake - Useful Tips and Tricks

This guide is a list format on some tips and tricks that some friends and I have put together from what we have learned from our many hours in this game.

Tips And Tricks

Introduction

In this guide I will list many of the tips and tricks I and my former clanmates have found playing blackwake. Some might be outdated, but I looked over most of the tips to make sure they are still up to date.

General Tips

In my opinion the best feature bug in the game is that after you fix a hole, you get rewarded with a instant heal, if you have the healing beverage. To do it, simply fix anything, immediately after pull out and spam click to heal.
Set the button to pick your hammer (default is 5) on the button left of 1 (different on each keyboard), you will save lots of time. But you’ll have to get used to this control for a bit. Unless you already have it down to a split second to switch to it, then it might only be bothersome.
If for some reason you’re overboard and the ship is sailing away, don't tell the captain to come pick you up again but just suicide instead so you respawn on the ship. It is a lot faster and only takes away a single ticket.
After your ship has sunk, and you’re still swimming in water, suicide to prevent being killed by the enemy so they won't get extra score. Plus you’ll likely respawn faster.
Jumping can be handy to move around quickly, but remember that your jumping height will decrease after a few jumps.
Strafing in mid-air is possible in this game.
You can shoot through the enemy’s supply crates.
Useful if you are hiding behind them on certain ships.
When you see mortar fire incoming towards your ship, and you know that it will hit you then just jump in the water to avoid damage to yourself. Climb back up after its safe again.
Ramming a ship when it’s sinking has a very high chance to take it down completely.

Dont stand around doing nothing, there is always something to do:

Reloading empty cannons, this includes firing off ammo types that are no longer needed. i.e grapes and grapples. Ask the captain first though.
Spotting
Giving drinks
Repairing sails/holes/nose, pumping
Reloading your weapons
Putting cannon balls in the fireplace to heat them up
Assisting crew members or captain by calling out some advice

“Take cover from X side!”
“Puuummppp!”
“Holes over at X area!”
“I’ve got the lower sails, you go for the top!”
“Left/right cannon(s) loaded with X!”
“Fire shots ready!”
“A little bit more to the left/right so I can hit!”
“Enemy is at X distance!”

Always compliment your crew members, a good morale often boosts crew efficency. (Very important for captain!)

Captaining Tips

The best captains have a microphone, although you can still make use of ingame voice commands with C to inform and command your crew if you don't have a mic.

Some captains will use words such as “bow”, “stern” and so on. Learn them to optimize your usefulness with certain captains, or ask them to use more simple terms.

Bow: Front of the ship (Sometimes has cannons).
Stern/Aft: Backside of a ship (Often has cannons).
Starboard(side): Right side of the ship.
Port(side): Left side of the ship.

The captain is (usually) only allowed to leave the wheel in following situations:

Nose/mast is broken.
Grappling or being grappled.
6 holes or more.
Steering wheel on fire.
When Spotting.

You must remind your crew to repair and reload at all times, crew members forget. Keep an eye on your ships status on the top screen and command your crew on what to do.

Players can only load grapples on your command, if you have a grapple layout remember to select the command every time you want a grapple to be reloaded.

Grapples are available to pick up for about a minute or so starting from the command.

Repairing And Reloading Tips

When the mast is broken, multiple people can repair it. Keep in mind that everybody will probably go for the mast and drop whatever they were doing.

Repairing the nose can stack up to 3 people.
After the mast breaks and is repaired again, you’re not done yet. All the sails will be completely damaged as well, so get some people ready to jump on the ropes to get the sails up again.

When the sails are on fire, let them burn out. You won’t be able to repair burning sails.

If a fire just got igninted on your ship, you can put it all out in one bucket and possibly save your sails. If it is too late, then just let it burn out and do other more important tasks.

The Bomb Ketch has a topsail, it can set down your speed by quite a bit if left unrepaired.

It’s possible to load 2 cannons very quickly: Load powder in both, load your shot in both, then pump and push one, finish the last one. By the time you push in the last cannon, the first one is ready for firing.

There is an animation feature bug that will let you resupply two boxes for the cost of one! Right when you pick up a box, spam m1 to resupply a box, if you do this before the box equip animation is done, you can resupply two boxes! used to be unlimited if done correctly but devs nerfed the feature.

Reload your cannon instantly after you’ve fired it, this is always the most important thing to do to keep up the preassure, unless there is something critical happening on the ship.

Every ship has different bucket locations, some ships have 2. Find them when your ship spawns, and memorise the location.

If you see water spouts (aka tornadoes) grab a cannon or a pump. If you’re holding on to something you will not get sucked up.

Hiding in the cabin (or below deck on a big ship) will have same effect as grabbing onto something.

Boarding And Grappling Tips (PvP)

If an enemy ship is tilted while sinking, you can climb up onboard if you spam jump on the outer wall of the ship, very easy on the galleon and hoy.

When grappled, the enemies will swim towards your ship and attempt to climb the ropes in order to board you and fight, this also can be done by you and your crew.

If you hear the grapple sound and see the red grappled message on top of your screen, drop whatever you’re doing and get ready to kill them all. This is the only way to survive the grapple fight. Don't start to repair and never release the grapple unless told otherwise (looking at you new players).

Shoot one gun first, instantly swap to your second one and shoot that. If needed swap to your melee weapon Axe. If not then start reloading your guns again.

When sniping or hiding in the crowsnest, it is a good idea to keep your sidearm loaded if someone decides to climb up to you

Looking down can minimize your hitbox size. Can be exploited if hiding certain places.

If you are the last one alive and the enemy ship has multiple people, try to hide and wait for respawn wave. There are multiple hiding spots on most ships which often include:

Crows nest/mast
Ropes
Cabins
Behind boxes

Ship Specific Tips

On the Hoy, you can grab a resupply crate through the window at certain angles, it can save a few seconds of running (especially when the ship is tilted).

On the Junk, you can get on top of the captain’s roof, if the enemies haven't noticed you, then you can jump down and kill the captain. Very useful if you coordinate the captain kill with a friendly ship. Experienced players will quickly catch on to you and hunt you down.

The junk is great for breaking enemy ship noses, as it doesn’t have one for itself. Either by directly ramming into the nose, or by doing a drive-by and just swooping the nose right off. But beware, you get 1-6 holes from breaking a nose, depending on the size and speed of the ship.

The Schooner and the Brig are among the better ships when it comes to turning, and has a good offence with 5/7 cannons respectivly on each side, this can be optimised by changing firing sides after every salvo, dealing massive damage in short time. While staying out of enemy broadside if done correctly

Cannon Tips

When aiming your cannon, try to increase the range by an extra 50 meters or so, this way you’ll have a bigger chance to hit.

When you’re undermanned or many are dead, you can fire all the cannons by yourself by running from one side to the other and just lighting them off, aiming is not needed and will most likely hit all shots if the captain aligned up perfectly. (max range of blindfire is 350m)

Heating up fire shots takes 3 minutes and can only heat up 3 shots at a time, dont forget about them.

A grappled ship cannot be hit by anything that damages the ship (cannonballs, chain shots, bar shots or fire shots). You can only grapple more or use grape shots. This also applies to other friendly ships that are trying to help you.

If you’re not certain what shot needs to be loaded in your cannon, ask the captain. Or load a regular cannonball.

Remember to use A and D to slightly change the cannon angle in case the captain is not perfectly aligned.

Source: https://gameplay.tips/guides/10048-blackwake.html

Blackwake - Useful Tips and Tricks