Skull & Bones: 5 Best Tips for Beginners

After decades-long revisiting concepts with others being forced to walk the plank, Skull & Bones is finally here with us, yo-ho-ho! The long-awaited action-adventure game has you navigating the treacherous Indian Ocean as a buccaneer with a deep desire to rise the ranks. Now, this won't be an easy feat. With danger almost always being a steer away, you must know how to craft the ideal ship and beat other players or ships. So whether you're aiming for solo or co-op mode, here is Skull & Bones: 5 best tips for beginners for a massive head start.

5. Know the Lay of the Lan… Water

The open world in Skulls and Bones is filled with plenty of resources. The best way to leverage each is to set out with a keen eye. How do you do this? For starters, press the ‘M' key to view the entire world map. The map reveals essential locations, such as resources. Ideally, crafting forms a core part of the gameplay. You would want to know where to locate the materials for easy retrieval. To track resources, simply press the fourth tab titled ‘Knowledge.’' Once you've settled on what item to track, select it and press the spacebar. This action will reveal their locations on the map.

Besides tracking resources, you can also keep tabs on your quests. It's easy to get flooded or overwhelmed by too many activities and forget the quest you had set your sails for. But worry not. You can still get back on track. Pressing ‘G' while viewing the map opens up the quest log. This gives you an idea of the remaining objectives and locations. 

Exploring the map reveals the murky and rocky areas you should avoid. It also shows safe posts and outposts that give You access to fast travel (more about this in the next section) 

4. Leverage Fast Travel

Let's be honest, the endless expanse of the sea can eventually become monotonous, and zipping from one place to another at breakneck speed can significantly save you time that would otherwise be spent gathering resources. Fortunately, the game offers a fast-travel feature. To access it, you first need to make your way to the Sainte-Anne outpost. Once there, you'll need to explore the pirate hub to unlock additional outposts. Upon encountering the hub, slow your ship by holding down the ‘S' key, allowing you to disembark. Doing so will mark the area as a fast-travel location.

Notably, you can only fast-travel to areas you've been to before. So, if you want to revisit a location, ensure you disembark at its docking points. While fast travel certainly makes things easier, it does cost some silver. So, before you hit that button, you need to weigh your options. Is it worth sparing some silver, or should you just hit the open sea instead? Ultimately, the decision lies in your hands, but this is a no-brainer if you're troubled for time. 

3. Scavenge and Scavenge Some More

Like a gallant hero in battle is to his armor, so are resources to your chances of survival in the game and staying ahead of opponents. Therefore, every chance you get, buddy, collect all your materials. 

At the game's inception, you'll visit a wreckage in Exeter. The place holds plenty of flawed material, including nails, planks and metal salvage. While they may look like a bunch of crap, they are more valuable than you think. Take the metal salvage, for instance. Unlike other materials, these are useful even later in the game. Crafting this material using Cannonball Crates gives you 100 cannonballs. How about that!

Besides this, you'll need a certain amount of material for your weapons and ships. With NPCs unlocked, you'll have a steady crafting system, but you'll need to replenish it with supplies constantly. Your best bet is salvaging every material as you go. 

2. Switch on Subtitles

More often than not, subtitles play a crucial role in gaming, especially in cases where the language is foreign or not loud enough for the audience. In Skull and Bones, your crew will occasionally throw hints at directions. It indeed points to the linearity of the game. But hearing what your mates are saying is difficult when you're deep in battle plundering other ships. And since no one wishes to get lost at sea, it's best to heed your mates' advice. Besides directions, your crew will hint at upgrades and outposts—things you certainly don't want to miss. 

So, how do you do it? Simple. Just turn on the “My Ship” subtitles. Head on to the settings page, select Language, then Subtitle Settings. Here, you'll see the “my ship” tag. Once you switch it on, click confirm, and you're all set. 

1. Cruise Lightly

While it may be tempting to haul all the items you collect on board, it can hinder your progress. A heavily loaded ship moves slower, making it an easy target for enemies. As alluded to, the oven is home to plenty of dangers, and you need a ship that can get you from one point to another faster. This also comes in handy in case of a raid, and fleeing instead of fighting is a safe option for you.

Your best bet is striking the excess material in your warehouse. Since your crew has a stamina bar, it's best to constantly stock up on cooked food. Other essential items include cannonballs for your expedition and repair kits in case your ship sustains damage. 

It's advisable to only carry material you plan to sell. But items such as crafting and flawed material should be safely tucked in your warehouse. 

Bonus Tip:

Buy Blueprints

Blueprints are your ideal way of unlocking ships, weapons, and ammo. If you wish for a head start in the deadly seas, we recommend sparing some silver and purchasing blueprints from vendors and merchants.

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