Tackling is a PvP strategy in which one player attempts to catch and slow another player's fleeing ship.
Basics[]
In combat, a player may escape from combat by avoiding firing or being fired upon (or using certain skills) for 2 minutes. Because of this, when PvP combat is going badly, many players will attempt to run away. Well-organized groups entering into PvP combat will have one person designated as a tackler. That person's job is to keep ships from escaping. They can do this generally through the use of Dismantling Shot. The Tackler destroys the fleeing ship's masts and thus slows it to a speed that allows more damaging ships to overtake it.
Strategies for Tackling[]
Tackling relies on several basic fundamentals. They are:
- Bow chasers
- Dismantling shot
- Speed
- Ship slowing skills
A ship designated for tackling will need the highest possible speed for various wind conditions. For instance: if a 'Mediator' Cutter is attempting to flee, the player will likely choose a Close Haul angle in order to maximize his own speed and minimize the speed of any pursuing ships. For this reason, a ship with low close haul speed will not serve well as a tackling ship. The ship should be outfitted with choices that increase its battle speed and its maximum cannon range.
A tackling ship needs to have bow chasers. This is so that the ship can continue to chase while firing dismantling shot at the fleeing ship.
A tackling ship's captain should have Captain Skills to slow a fleeing ship, such as Disable Rigging (skill) and Deter Pursuit (skill). He/She should also have skills that boost speed, and should receive speed boosts from other captains on his/her team.
Finally, the ship needs Mast Brace, Quality and other similar repair tools to prevent it from being slowed by the escaping ship.
As the fleeing ship is slowed and the tackling ship can close in on it, the tackler should switch ammunition as follows:
- Bar Shot (long range)
- Chain Shot (mid range)
- Star Shot (close range)
Strategies against Tackling[]
Because a tackling ship's primary objective is to damage the masts of an escaping ship, a captain trying to escape can help himself/herself by:
- Having stern chasers loaded with dismantling shot.
- Using skills to slow the pursuing ship and speed your own ship.
- Knowing his own wind diagram and that of the pursuing ship, and find a more favorable angle.
- Using mast braces.
- Using skills such as Dump Guns (skill) as a desperate grab for speed OR
- Using skills such as Desperation Fire 2 (skill) to cause additional damage to the pursuing ship (if you get caught, your armor won't matter anyway).
List of ships[]
The following is a list of some ships that could be used for tackling. Each ship represents the "best ship" for some criteria related to tackling.
| Ship name | Level | Size | Max Speed | Bow Cannons | Bow Cannon Weight | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Couronne' Galleon | 50 | Colossal | 17.50 | 8 | 4 | Highest number of cannons |
| 'Abaddon's Will' Refit Galleon | 50 | Huge | 18.00 | 2 | 9 | Fastest ship |
| 'Algiers' Refit Polacre | 25 | Large | 16.00 | 2 | 6 | Highest acceleration, best Close Haul speed |
| 'Mordaunt' Sleek Fourth Rate | 50 | Huge | 15.75 | 2 | 12 | Longest cannon range |