Guide to the Burning Blade Ghost Ship Battles
Raided by the Sea of the Damned
With the Haunted Shores update, a spooky new enemy type has entered the Sea of Thieves. Ghost Ships have traveled from the Sea of the Damned and are causing havoc on the seas, lead by none other than Captain Flameheart’s vessel, the Burning Blade itself.
The Order of Souls will send you on voyages to fight off lesser fleets of these specters, so click here for our guide to these voyages. The greatest threat however is marked on the horizon by Flameheart’s Skull- this marks the location of an epic new world encounter that players will flock to, and is a permanent addition to the game. New threats, new loot, and new rewards await… if you’re brave enough to face down the Burning Blade…
How do Ghost Ships work?
There’s a number of key differences between Ghost Ships and other ship types.
- Ghost Ships don’t “take damage” or fill with water. Instead, they have a set number of “hit points”, and after sustaining enough cannonball hits to ANYWHERE on the Ghost Ship, it will vanish in a small explosion that rocks your ship. (Gunpowder barrels don’t work!)
- You can’t board a Ghost Ship, it has no visible crew, and it does not crash into rocks or islands
- Although an individual Ghost Ship is easy to defeat, they attack in large numbers, sometimes having as many as 11 present at the same time!
- Ghost Ships sail in circles around a single large island that they are haunting, either all in different paths, or in formations around a formation leader. Formation Leaders can survive more hits, and defeating them defeats all of the ships that flank them, and drops treasure in the water.
Ghost Ship Attacks
Ghost ships have a number of unique attacks that make them formidable. The encounter is essentially a “sailing challenge”, with many ships sailing in different paths, you will need to maneuver successfully to not sail into the ships and to avoid their cannon fire.
- Disastrous Collision!- You can’t collide with Ghost Ships, instead they will phase right through you as you’d expect a ghost to do. However, whenever they do this it deals MANY holes of damage to your hull- avoid this at all costs!
- Phantom Cannonballs and Flaming Phantom Cannonballs- these operate identically to regular cannonballs and firebombs, but are visually represented by a flying hooded spirit.
- Wraith Cannonballs- these are visually represented by the screaming face of a ghost. On impact, they do heavy damage, rocking the boat and potentially disrupting your course, and dealing multiple holes of damage (similar to a Megalodon bite)
- Ghostly Mines- If you sail in the path behind a ship, it will drop “mines” into the water. These explode when touched by anything (players, harpoons, and of course your ship) and act like a Gun Powder Barrel explosion. They also detonate automatically after several seconds.
The Burning Blade World Encounter
Now in the rotation of world events along with Skeleton Forts and Skeleton Ship Fleets, the Burning Blade Battle will appear marked by Captain Flameheart’s red skull in the sky above an island. If you sail in, Flameheart will call his ships to begin the battle, and will remain throughout the fight to egg you on and narrate the event.
This fight is longer than the Ghost Ship Voyages you can do for the Order of the Souls, and gives MUCH greater rewards.
Wave 1: Roaming Ships
The battle begins with 10 basic Ghost Ships appearing and sailing in circles around the island, all having their own unique paths.
- Each of these basic ships only requires 3 hits to defeat. Each ship will respawn shortly, so the total number of ships will not dwindle in this wave
- The wave ends automatically after ~10 total ships have been defeated. All the ships will teleport away
- Ships have a chance of dropping Supply Crates of the Damned upon defeat. You’ll see these marked at sea by ghosts circling above, and they contain wood planks and cannonballs to help you continue the fight
Wave 2: Formations and Leaders
The second wave consists of two Formations of Ghost Ships, with a Formation Leader being flanked by 2–3 basic Ghost Ships.
- Formation Leaders are marked by different sails from the basic ships, and they are always at the center of a group of several ships. They take 10 hits to defeat in this world event
- If you defeat a Formation Leader, the surrounding ships in their formation will retreat. If you are not close to the formation, they will teleport to bring themselves closer to you.
- Formation Leaders drop loot in the water upon defeat. Read more about this loot down below in the “Commendations and Rewards” section.
Wave 3: Roaming Ships
This is a repeat of Wave 1.
Wave 4: The Burning Blade
The Burning Blade itself will now appear as a Formation Leader at the head of 4 basic ships. In addition, two other Formation Leaders will appear, each flanked by 2 basic ships. That’s 11 total ships.
- Once again, basic ships take 3 hits and Formation Leaders take 10. The Burning Blade takes 25 hits to defeat.
- Formation Leaders drop loot in the water upon defeat. The Burning Blade drops the most when defeated. Read more about this loot down below in the “Commendations and Rewards” section.
- Once you defeat the Burning Blade, all other ships will retreat/drop their loot, and the battle will end.
Commendations and Rewards
You might be asking, what about the loot? Well don’t worry pirates, there’s plenty of coin to be earned from this World Encounter:
Loot
- Loot dropped by Ghost Ships will be marked floating in the sea by ghosts circling above it, so it’s easier to spot. They also take longer to sink than regular loot.
- Storage Crates of the Damned: These will drop occasionally from defeating basic ships in the roaming waves 1 and 3, or by defeating a Formation Leader. They contain wood planks and cannonballs, but unlike regular Storage Crates, they can be sold to the Merchant Alliance. ~2000 Gold
- Captain Skulls of the Damned: One of these may drop with each Formation Leader defeated. Can be sold to the Order of Souls for ~2400 Gold
- Skulls of the Damned/Chests of the Damned/Crate of Ashes of the Damned: These can be sold to the Order of Souls/Gold Hoarders/Merchant Alliance, respectively, for ~1200 Gold each.
Formation Leaders should drop ~4–9 of these items. The Burning Blade will drop ~15 of these items! - Cannonball Crate of the Damned: The most interesting prize of all- only one Cannonball Crate of the Damned will drop upon defeating the Burning Blade, and inside it is a small selection of the Ghost Ships’ special cannonballs. ~6 Phantom Cannonballs, ~6 Flaming Phantom Cannonballs, and ~6 Wraith Cannonballs. Use them wisely, as this is currently the only way to find these items.
Commendations
“Commendations” are challenges in the Reputation tab that will reward you for interacting with these Ghost Ship encounters. These Commendations can all be found added to the Order of Souls Reputation Tab, and will increase your Order of Souls reputation, and some earn exclusive Titles.
Scourge of the Damned Grade I-V: Defeat Ghost Ships
United Against the Damned Grade I-III: Defeat Ghost Ships whilst in an Alliance
Banisher of the Spectral Flame Grade I-V: Defeat the Burning Blade
United Against the Flame: Defeat the Burning Blade whilst in an Alliance (once)
Hunter of Damned Captains Grade I-V: Sell Captain Skulls of the Damned
Unleash the Damned: Hit another Crew’s ship with a Wraith Cannonball (25 times)
Locked Cosmetic Rewards
Temporarily in Duke’s Shop, but also permanently in the Shipwright’s shop on every outpost, there are two new sails locked behind commendations for these Ghost Ship encounters:
Ghost Captain Sails- Can only be purchased after completing the Hunter of Damned Captains commendation
Burning Blade Sails- Can only be purchased after completing the Banisher of the Spectral Flame commendation
Tips for the Battle
Here’s just a couple more bits of information you might want to keep in mind:
- Other ships will likely try to join you in the fight. If you want to form an alliance, raise your Alliance Offer Flag BEFORE you start the fight, so you don’t have to fiddle with it in the heat of battle
- Emissaries: Defeating Ghost Ships in the World Encounter will not raise your emissary grade, but the loot that is dropped and then put on your ship will. Be warned- being an Emissary during this battle may make you a target for the Reaper’s Bones or a last second alliance betrayal
- If a ship is heading towards your broadside and about to collide, keep firing! Some shots may count as hitting the ship even as it phases through you
- Try to gather supply crates whenever they drop- they don’t drop as often in this fight, and you’ll need them! Also make sure to stock up a bit before the battle starts
- ALL CANNONBALL TYPES EFFECT GHOST SHIPS THE SAME. That includes Chain Shots, Blunderbombs, Firebombs, and Cursed Cannonballs. They all count as “one hit” when fired from a cannon (and do nothing if thrown by hand!)
The seas tremble in fear at the apparitional armada that Flameheart commands… are you pirate enough to rise to the occasion and exorcise these entities?
