flag ships sinking.
 

Has anyone else had a problem with enabling a flag ship and it sinking without you boarding and getting no plunder? It has happened to me twice today!

It happened to me once today. I just hit it twice and it sunk, I was really surprised lol.

it happened to me too right now i was firing at a corvette (im by myself so no fire cannons) i get the messgae to shot grappling hooks next thing i know the ship is under water O_o

When I first got my firebrand I was sinking flag ships left and right til I realized that my massive firepower was sinking them and not giving me any rep or gold! Now I take it easy on the flagships in order to board them. Yours might be a bug, but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

it happens regularly cant say why though

i dont know if its the fire power i used with boradsides maybe i put too many into the ship there for sinking it bc i was sailing a galleon and i was attacking a EITC light frigate and the final broadside took out its last 10% (maybe) of life

Are you using Firebrand?
You don't want to use Firebrand on flagships, it makes them sink. This is probably because fire causes crippled flagships to sink, since fire comes out of the ship when you kill everyone on board. Firebrand might cause some sort of imitation of this effect, causing them to sink.

i never use firebrand and it still happens

It happened to me when I was just using broadsides. Today we were able to board ships no problem :)

Don't use firebrand or the passive skill that makes the stuff exlode. Those will sink the ship before you board.

i think it also has to do with hitting a low level ship with way too many broadsides

Every flag ship I've taken down solo with broadsides only has sunk. On ships with crews using cannon if the last shot to disable it has come from a broadsides it has sunk. So if you're going after flags just make sure the shot that disables it comes from a deck cannon and you'll be fine.

I often sail solo, and have taken down numerous flag ships using my broadsides without sinking them. I've done it with every type of ship except a war galleon, and have never had a problem. I accidentally sunk a couple using firebrand from the crew cannons before I figured out what was going on, but never with the broadsides.

If it's happening to you every time, you may have something else going on. I would grab a few screenshots with the coordinates, and submit a bug report.

I don't use fire. But I did notice if I sink small ships with strong broadsides, they sink more often than not. Small meaning lvl 15 or less ships. The larger ships aren't a problem. Also I was sailing with a friend yesterday who has a fairly low level broadside, and none of the flag ships sank using broadsides.

hmm interesting very interesting

This has happened to me, and I can't figure it out. I'll be able to hit, disable, and board a lvl 9 frigate, then go for a lvl 19 and end up sinking it. Lately I've always sunk the Centurion next to Kingshead, and can't get it to stop. Most flagships I can board, and I can't figure out why I sink some. I do about 90% solo, so just broadsides.

Ive had them sinking on me w/ just using broadsides too. I can understand if there are cannons using firebrands.. but this is just me alone on my ship w/ my broadsides. It gets close to where I would hop off the wheel and grapple.. and they sink. Its very odd and buggy.

From what I can tell the flagships that sink before you get to board them is because you (accidentally) killed the NPC crew with your cannons before you got a chance to board the ship.

Once the ship goes into "ready to be boarded" mode you can't damage the hull further. The ship is just waiting to sink based on the NPC crew being defeated and if someone happens to pick off the crew with the cannons prior to you boarding the ship will sink.

Similiarly if you have boarded a ship and are fighting the crew...a passerby can help you pick off the crew with their cannons and allow you to capture the flagship quicker.

I think I disagree with you on that. I shoot the guy on the helm before I board all the time, especially if i'm sailing alone, thats one less guy trying to kill me. Unless you mean kill the whole crew, in that case maybe you're right.

I shoot the guy at the helm with grape before I board any ship, that doesn't make it sink.

From what I've been experiencing lately, if I broadside it too close to the ship, usually it'll sink. If I broadside it from a distance, I have a better chance of it not sinking.

Ive been having the flags sink on me about half the time lately. Nobody is using firebrands or lightning either. You get squat for it too...

Shooting just the guy at the helm doesn't do it. When the ship goes into "ready to be boarded" mode then all of the crew members come out on deck. If they are all wiped out with cannon fire the ship will sink. If you and your crew haven't boarded yet you don't get credit (you may still get cannon rep but no treasure).

Of course we can't rule out that people may just be seeing plain old bugs in the game but I have noticed that once all of the crew comes out on the deck anyone can sink the ship with cannons from a distance if they use them to pick off the crew.

I haven't noticed any rhyme or reason to it. I think it's just a bug.

I agree gree. Only low leveled flag ships seem to sink for me and its only when I use my broadsides... which are to max. I tend to maybe shoot once and then finish it off with my round shot. I love having a galleon, I can just run over to my cannon and start firing.

I had a level 23 war sloop sink on me last night. All we used were broadsides and regular cannons.

I think it's just a bug.

Hasnt happened to me yet. Maybe Im just lucky.

LOL, i had something strange happen.

A flag was bugged and starting sinking as soon as my crew got the second grappel hooked,

The ship sunk and it still said we were ready to board! I clicked on the board button, and our entire crew was dragged under water and on the ship.

no NPCs, and after a min we were taken to jail and my ship was sunk. anyone else have this?


OH and BTW, the people who say that firebrand prevents you from being able to board are incorrect. I have boarded countless ships after using firebrand.