Post Thy Cannon Build...

[Mr.LoveLocket]

My highest pirates are 21
(1/5) Shoot
(3/5) Round Shot
(1/5) Chain Shot
(1/5) Grape Shot
(4/5) Firebrand
(5/5) Thunderbolt
(1/5) Explosive
(2/5) Fury
(2/5) Rapid Reload
(1/5) Barrage
(0/5) Shrapnel
Is that 21? lol

[MacIronhawk]

Originally Posted by Simon Ye.S

Cannon

-=Combat Skill=-
(3/5) Shoot - to shoot Fury faster
-=Ammo=-
(1/5) Round Shot - 450 to 900 damage Maxed - hafta get to Fury somehow
(*/5) Chain Shot
(*/5) Grape Shot
(*/5) Firebrand
(5/5) Thunderbolt - 1050 to 2100 damage Maxed - hit that ship trying to disappear from sight
(*/5) Explosive
(5/5) Fury - 855 to 1710 damage Maxed - major damage to hull...sinks most ships in 2 turns
-=Passive Skills=-
(5/5) Rapid Reload - not as useful w Fury but really fun right after Thunderbolt
(5/5) Barrage - good for grenades also; 25% increase for 5 pts is a good deal
(1/5) Shrapnel - ey, y not
(25/26) Total - last skill pt for explosive or grape...haven't decided yet

How can it do 900 damage?
I'm on rank three for round shot and can get only 652 at the most. Or does it mean at the most at rank five?
Sorry I don't udnerstand how a rank one round shot is better than my rank three.

All my cannon build is teh same. I'm saving skill poiints. Round shot rak three and fireball rank two and all the others are rank one.

[Edward Edgemenace]

Originally Posted by Walker De Plank

How big of a difference is there from 2 to 4 points in shoot? I currently have shoot at 2/5 and I can usually get off all 3 shots with only the occasional misfire (click too early and have to make an extra click to fire off one of the 3 shots). Would 3 make it so that I would be all set and be able to pump all 3 shots out in a quick series of clicks? Would 4 be overkill where it would be pretty much humanly impossible to click that fast to fire off all three shots that quickly?

People tell me my cannon (rank 4 shoot on one, rank 5 on another) sounds like a machine gun. All three cannonballs leave in about one second. (Rank 4 a little more than a second, rank 5 a little less. Rank 2 shoots three cannonballs in about 2 seconds.)

How is Shrapnel? Is it worth the one point to unlock it? Depending on how many points I have left over (from deciding if I should go either 2, 3 or 4 in shoot) would I be better off unlocking another ammo type or sinking the extra points into shrapnel or maybe just one of those points into shrapnel and one into an ammo type?

Prior to SvS, I regretted sinking two points into it. Now I don't know.

How well does Grape Shot perform in ship PvP? Is it worth the 5 points if you plan on PvPing? Would one point suffice in PvP? Would one of the other 3 ammo types (Chain Shot, Firebrand or Explosive) be a better investment over Grape Shot?

Grape shot is invaluable in SvS. If you are close enough to use it, it stuns ALL crew members on the enemy ship (including the driver.) Most glitches break when the glitch perpetrator dies...so a few shots of grape, causes cheater boats to stop auto-repairing suddenly. They don't last long, once that happens.

Sorry for all the questions. I'm just trying to get a good idea on what I should and what I shouldn't take due to the lack of respecing that seems to be missing in this game. Has there been any hints as to a possible respecing quest of some sort in the near future?

I've been trying to start that rumor myself, but Big D doesn't seem to want to cooperate. "Delete and start pirate over" has been the modus operandi.

[Walker De Plank]

So I guess I'm stuck between 3 different builds. Which one looks the best in everyone's opinion?

Build 1
Combat Skills
3/5 Shoot

Ammo
1/5 Round Shot (default)
1/5 Grape Shot
5/5 Thunderbolt
5/5 Fury

Passive Skills
5/5 Rapid Reload
5/5 Barrage
1/5 Shrapnel
26/26

Build 2
Combat Skills
4/5 Shoot

Ammo
1/5 Round Shot (default)
1/5 Grape Shot
5/5 Thunderbolt
5/5 Fury

Passive Skills
5/5 Rapid Reload
5/5 Barrage

26/26

Build 3
Combat Skills
5/5 Shoot

Ammo
1/5 Round Shot (default)
5/5 Thunderbolt
5/5 Fury

Passive Skills
5/5 Rapid Reload
5/5 Barrage

26/26

Build 3 seems to be the least likely option that I would choose because I plan on PvPing and Grape Shot sounds like its a skill well needed. I guess the only question left is this:

Is...
Shoot 4/5 > Shoot 3/5 + 1/5 Shrapnel?

From reading other posts it seems that the DoT effects in this game is quite useless for most of the weapon skills but I am not sure if it holds true for Shrapnel.

The machine gun cannon fire does sound kinda cool though

[Dr. Zeppers]

I personally put 5 in shoot, and 5 in reload.

Regarding 5 in "Shoot". Your timing your shots with regular cannon balls, it may seem adequate, but the effect is generally more dramatic in my experience on the other forms of cannon shot. Similarly 5 in reload is a must as well. (IMO)

I try to hold off on applying points to Schrapnel or Barrage as I believe these also effect grenades and should be left alone until grenades are mastered (the hardest item to master).

[MacIronhawk]

I'd liek to ask.
How can someone with a round shot of rank two have 450 to 900 damage while my rank three round shot can only do 370 something to 650 + something.

Sorry but it seems impossible to have a rank two to out damage a rank three.

[Walker De Plank]

Originally Posted by OFxZeppers

I personally put 5 in shoot, and 5 in reload.

Regarding 5 in "Shoot". Your timing your shots with regular cannon balls, it may seem adequate, but the effect is generally more dramatic in my experience on the other forms of cannon shot. Similarly 5 in reload is a must as well. (IMO)

I try to hold off on applying points to Schrapnel or Barrage as I believe these also effect grenades and should be left alone until grenades are mastered (the hardest item to master).

If I went with build #1 then wouldn't that limit my options in PvP? Thunderbolt, Fury, Rapid Reload and Barrage all seem like skills you would want to sink 5 points into.

Does Fury shoot a lot less as rapid as regular Round Shot? Is that why 5/5 Shoot would be needed?

In response to holding off points, I understand waiting until everything is maxed to sink points into any skill that increases damage. I'm loving being able to sink some points early on into Shoot and maxing Rapid Reload to increase my overall damage, not my damage per shot.

[Dr. Zeppers]

Originally Posted by Walker De Plank

If I went with build #1 then wouldn't that limit my options in PvP? Thunderbolt, Fury, Rapid Reload and Barrage all seem like skills you would want to sink 5 points into.

Does Fury shoot a lot less as rapid as regular Round Shot? Is that why 5/5 Shoot would be needed?

In response to holding off points, I understand waiting until everything is maxed to sink points into any skill that increases damage. I'm loving being able to sink some points early on into Shoot and maxing Rapid Reload to increase my overall damage, not my damage per shot.

First, Im not a PVPer/SvSer. (although ive done some SvS)

One thing that applies to the SvS (and NPC battlers). Hitting the same spot multiple times increases your score and damage. Hit 3 different spots, it spreads out with smaller numbers. Shorten the frequency between shots, shorten the distance between where the shots strike.

Different cannon shots have different reload/firing rates. Even with lightning being one shot at a time, I found that "Shoot" still helped it.

[MacIronhawk]

It seems some people have decided that a rank one shot can do more damage than my rank four shot.

How is it that mine says I can only do 300 to 600?
It seems funny to me.
I still haven't gotten an answer, not to be rude.

I've noticed people putting 450-900 for shot.
Sorry but shot can do less than 450.
Mine does only 300 to 600 at rank four which seems funny when someone's posting taht their rank one shot can do more damage.

Am I the only one confused here?
Because my round shot can do 900 damage. Sorry i'm jsut confused.

[Edward Edgemenace]

What I have              What I wish I had, now
4/5 shoot                5/5 shoot
3/5 round shot           4/5 round shot
1/5 chain shot           0/5 chain shot
1/5 grape shot           1/5 grape shot
1/5 firebrand            0/5 firebrand
2/5 thunderbolt          1/5 thunderbolt
1/5 explosive            0/5 explosive
2/5 fury                 0/5 fury
5/5 rapid reload         5/5 rapid reload
4/5 barrage              5/5 barrage
2/5 shrapnel             5/5 shrapnel

When I first got it, fury was just fantastic. When I was first without it, I learned that it isn't so much the extra damage from fury, so much as the extra damage from my level (notoriety and cannon) that made the difference. Firebrand was great for leveling up, but later just an annoyance. (Convenient for triggering flagship glitches, but little else.) Explosive is...well, 'nuff said. Thunder is nice to have in a BB, nice for hitting really long distance NPCs and a cheat in SvS (that I hope is eliminated soon.)

So the only two ammo types that aren't infinite would be grape and thunder; nothing can substitute for them. Higher than rank 1? Bah. More damage, when the goal is to stun? More damage, when the goal is to bring that Juggernaut TO ME? More damage, when the goal is to harass a ship that is running away, by snapping its mast?

It's just that at some point, I had a realization about the "special ammo" types - all that running around to restock, was running around for the sake of running around. The "weak" ammo isn't so weak...its damage is a factor of your current level. And you get three separate chances to hit, instead of just one.


By the way, my rank 3 round shot deals "338 to 675 damage" but I've never seen anything greater in magnitude than "-360" in SvS, without Open Fire (usually WAY lower, like "-288" or "-24".) For NPC ships, damage is almost always "-482" for each cannonball; "-964" with open fire.

The "people" listing 450-900 damage for rank 1 shot, probably was looking at maximum NPC damage while under Open Fire. If instead, they used the skill panel numbers, I'm sure it would indicate something more palatable for you.

[MacIronhawk]

Originally Posted by Edward Edgemenace

What I have              What I wish I had, now
4/5 shoot                5/5 shoot
3/5 round shot           4/5 round shot
1/5 chain shot           0/5 chain shot
1/5 grape shot           1/5 grape shot
1/5 firebrand            0/5 firebrand
2/5 thunderbolt          1/5 thunderbolt
1/5 explosive            0/5 explosive
2/5 fury                 0/5 fury
5/5 rapid reload         5/5 rapid reload
4/5 barrage              5/5 barrage
2/5 shrapnel             5/5 shrapnel

When I first got it, fury was just fantastic. When I was first without it, I learned that it isn't so much the extra damage from fury, so much as the extra damage from my level (notoriety and cannon) that made the difference. Firebrand was great for leveling up, but later just an annoyance. (Convenient for triggering flagship glitches, but little else.) Explosive is...well, 'nuff said. Thunder is nice to have in a BB, nice for hitting really long distance NPCs and a cheat in SvS (that I hope is eliminated soon.)

So the only two ammo types that aren't infinite would be grape and thunder; nothing can substitute for them. Higher than rank 1? Bah. More damage, when the goal is to stun? More damage, when the goal is to bring that Juggernaut TO ME? More damage, when the goal is to harass a ship that is running away, by snapping its mast?

It's just that at some point, I had a realization about the "special ammo" types - all that running around to restock, was running around for the sake of running around. The "weak" ammo isn't so weak...its damage is a factor of your current level. And you get three separate chances to hit, instead of just one.


By the way, my rank 3 round shot deals "338 to 675 damage" but I've never seen anything greater in magnitude than "-360" in SvS, without Open Fire (usually WAY lower, like "-288" or "-24".) For NPC ships, damage is almost always "-482" for each cannonball; "-964" with open fire.

The "people" listing 450-900 damage for rank 1 shot, probably was looking at maximum NPC damage while under Open Fire. If instead, they used the skill panel numbers, I'm sure it would indicate something more palatable for you.

I agree with that 99%.
The 450-900 confused me as my round shot can only do 600 something at the most.(what a lie!) It says that's the most while I can do about 800 damage using it.
As far as explosive. It's gotten me out of getting sunk twice now. But the waiting so long is what gets me.
If it could shoot farther and you could hold more of it at a cheaper price I think it would be one of the most liked amos.

[Stormhawk]

-=Combat Skill=-
(1/5) Shoot
-=Ammo=-
(5/5) Round Shot - 450 to 900 damage Maxed
(1/5) Chain Shot
(1/5) Grape Shot
(2/5) Firebrand
(5/5) Thunderbolt - 1050 to 2100 damage Maxed
(1/5) Explosive
(5/5) Fury - 855 to 1710 damage Maxed
-=Passive Skills=-
(1/5) Rapid Reload
(0/5) Barrage
(0/5) Shrapnel
(26/26) Total