This is the builder's guide. If you have not set up your island yet, read the beginner guide and the personal island guide first; most of the savings here come from the island workshop. The World of Sea Battle hub has the overview.
How the shipyard works after B21
B21 rebuilt the shipyard around three factions: Antilia, Español, and Kai and Severia. Each faction has a main branch up to rank I and two side branches ending at ranks II and III. A branch is one horizontal row of ships of one faction and class, and researching a branch gives a 7.5 percent bonus.
What that means for a builder:
- Research before you build. A ship you have not researched carries a stat penalty, even if you buy it finished at auction.
- Several former unique ships are now built from resources: Bonhomme Richard (Antilia transport, II), Iberia (Español fast, III), Montanes (Español combat, II), Qing Long (Kai and Severia fast, IV) and Tie Long (Kai and Severia heavy, V).
- Unique ships such as Sovereign, La Royale and Azov are bought with Battle Marks, not crafted.
- The shipyard interface (layout, filters, zoom) was reworked in B21, so screenshots in older guides will not match.
Materials and the crafting chain
Ships need raw resources and crafted parts. Raw resources come from mines, loot and the exchange; parts are crafted in a workshop on your island or in a port.
| Item | Type | Made from or found | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | Raw | Iron mines, smelting ore with coal, loot | Almost everything |
| Wood | Raw | Wood mines, loot, dismantling | Beams, hulls |
| Coal | Raw | Coal mines | Smelting and plates |
| Resin, fabric, copper | Raw | Loot, exchange | Bulkheads, canvas, bronze |
| Beam | Part | 100 wood and 5 iron, or dismantling | Hull structure |
| Bulkhead | Part | 70 iron and 1 resin | Hull structure |
| Plate | Part | Iron, resin and coal | Ships and island buildings |
| Canvas | Part | Fabric and resin | Sails |
Check the exact recipe in your workshop before a big batch. Recipes for consumables changed in B21 (the smoke screen now uses 10 resin instead of 40 iron, the Rum ration now needs 30 rum), so parts can change too.
Where to craft and where to build
What to do first: UI, port tour and first ship build (ShotgunBerry)Two discounts stack up over a full ship, and they apply to different steps.
- Craft heavy parts on your island. The personal island workshop uses about 20 percent fewer resources (the gold cost does not drop). Beams, bulkheads and plates are where this saving is biggest. The island runs one workshop type at a time, and switching type costs manpower.
- Craft light parts anywhere. Canvas and small consumables are easy to carry, so craft them where it is convenient.
- Haul the parts to a port of the ship's faction. The ship card shows its faction. Building there gives a 20 percent discount on materials (B19 cut it from 25 percent; older guides still say 25).
- Build, then level it. From rank V up, the ship starts gaining Elite status experience from the moment you sail it.
Cheap beams: capture and dismantle
Beams eat 100 wood each when crafted. Early on, dismantling captured ships is the cheaper source:
- Board an NPC ship (below half health, and you need more boarding crew than it has).
- Invite it into your squadron instead of taking captives.
- Sail to any port and dock.
- Empty its hold into your warehouse first. Anything left in the hold is lost when you dismantle.
- Choose Dismantle on the captured ship and collect beams, wood and fabric.
Boarding mechanics are covered in the PvP guide.
Other ways to source parts
- Floating merchants and ferrymen sell beams, bulkheads, plates and canvas for gold. Pricey, but fast when you are short of one item.
- Fishermen trade fish for iron and wood, which beats selling fish for gold.
- The exchange. Other players sell parts. Compare their price with the raw cost plus your time before you buy.
- Imperial forts. Since B21 forts drop fewer heavy resources and more fragments, so they are no longer the place to farm iron.
After the build: integrity, repairs and Elite status
A finished ship still costs money to keep. B21 set base maximum integrity at 6 for ships outside the imperial branch. Repairing integrity takes 30 seconds plus 2 minutes 30 seconds per point, and repair and overhaul costs rose by 25 percent (except for Octopus and Huracan). Elite status helps: level 2 adds 2 integrity, level 4 makes integrity repair 20 percent cheaper and level 5 makes it 35 percent faster.
New ships start with a sail slot and two upgrade slots, and two more unlock with the ship's experience. The full upgrade system is in our upgrades and skills guide.
A builder's checklist
| Step | Check |
|---|---|
| Before collecting materials | Is the ship researched? Is its rank and class still what you expect after B21? |
| Crafting | Heavy parts on the island, light parts anywhere |
| Transport | Route to a port of the ship's faction, not through the PvP circle |
| Building | Faction discount applied, crew and guns budgeted |
| After | Fill upgrade slots, start levelling Elite status, keep the old ship until the new one is fitted |
Need gold to fund the build? See how to make money.
Common builder mistakes
- Building outside the ship's faction port and paying full price.
- Crafting beams early when captured ships give them for free.
- Dismantling with cargo aboard, which destroys the cargo.
- Collecting for a ship whose stats changed in B21. Look at the current card first.
- Selling the old ship before the new one is fitted with crew, guns and upgrades.
FAQ
Where should I build ships in World of Sea Battle?
At a port of the ship's own faction, which gives a 20 percent discount on materials since update B19. Craft the heavy parts on your personal island first to save about 20 percent more on resources.
How do I get beams cheaply?
Capture NPC ships, invite them into your squadron, dock, empty their hold and dismantle them. Crafting a beam costs 100 wood and 5 iron.
Can I still build Bonhomme Richard?
Yes. Update B21 moved Bonhomme Richard from the unique ships into the Antilia transport branch at rank II, so it is built from resources.
Why does my bought ship have worse stats?
Ships you have not researched in the shipyard carry a stat penalty, even when you buy them finished from another player.
Is the faction discount 25 or 20 percent?
It is 20 percent. Update B19 lowered it from 25 percent, so older guides that quote 25 percent are out of date.