Windrose Ships Guide: Unlocks, Frigate Materials & Best Variants

If you are hoarding resources because you are afraid of building the "wrong" ship in Windrose, stop worrying. A core mechanic that the game poorly explains is that disassembling a ship refunds 100% of your materials. This means you should always upgrade the moment you can. However, picking the right variant is a matter of life and death. Do NOT fall into the trap of building the "Brethren" ships just because they have the highest Health pools. In advanced naval combat, speed and heavy artillery win out. You want to rush the Blackbeard Brig and eventually the Blackbeard Frigate, as it is currently the only ship in the game capable of mounting devastating 36lb cannons. Be prepared: the progression is heavily gated by Piastre costs and your Faction Reputation.

Early Game: The Boat & The Ketch

Before we dive into the massive warships, we need to establish the baseline. You get the basic sailboat automatically.

The "Recall Exploit" (If-Then Logic): If your main warship is destroyed or you just need to fast travel via recall, then ALWAYS recall the basic Boat instead of your massive Brig. The tiny Boat physically spawns much closer to the shore, saving you an agonizing swim.

Your first real crafted vessel is the Ketch (Unlocked via the 'Need A Bigger Boat' quest). There are three variants, but at this stage of the game, do not waste extra resources min-maxing. Build the Stock Ketch (50,000 HP, 19kn). It perfectly balances health and speed to clear the Coastal Jungle zones. The Blackbeard Ketch is fast, but 35,000 HP is too squishy for beginners learning naval combat.

Windrose Brig: The Mid-Game Power Spike

This is where the training wheels come off. The Windrose Brig (Brigantine) represents a massive leap in firepower, doubling your broadside capacity.

The Unlock Wall: You cannot simply farm materials and build this. You MUST raise your Reputation Level to 2 with the Brethren Of The Coast Faction. Only then will the Provisioner sell you the blueprints for a hefty 1,000 Piastre.

Windrose Brig Variant	Health Pool	Speed	Cannon Loadout
Stock Brig	70,000	20kn	6 x 12lb
Brethren Brig	90,000	18kn	6 x 12lb
Blackbeard Brig (Meta)	50,000	22kn	6 x 12lb or 24lb

The Meta Choice: Build the Blackbeard Brig. Yes, it has 40,000 less HP than the Brethren version. But it moves at a blistering 22kn and, critically, it allows you to mount 24lb cannons. Equipping 6x Perfectly Ordered 24-Pounders gives you the DPS to annihilate enemies before they can chew through your low health pool.

Windrose Brig Materials Breakdown

The sticker shock is real. Alongside the 1,000 Piastre blueprint cost, you must buy 30x Shipwright's Tools from the Provisioner (10 Piastre each = 300 Piastre). Total cash needed: 1,300 Piastre.

1. 200x Nails (Requires 40 Copper Ingots or 20 Iron Ingots)
2. 80x Copper Ingots (240 Copper Ore + 80 Charcoal)
3. 40x Timber (120 Hardwood)
4. 200x Wooden Planks (400 Wood)
5. 160x Fabric (40 Linen Fabric + 120 Coarse Fabric)
6. 40x Rope

Windrose Frigate: The Ultimate Glass Cannon Meta

The Windrose Frigate is the undisputed king of the Early Access build. To unlock it, you must grind your Brethren Faction Reputation to Level 4 and pay an absurd 3,000 Piastre for the blueprints.

Windrose Frigate Variant	Health Pool	Speed	Cannon Loadout
Stock Frigate	160,000	18kn	12 x 24lb + 6 x 12lb
Brethren Frigate	200,000	16kn	12 x 24lb + 6 x 12lb
Blackbeard Frigate (Meta)	110,000	20kn	12 x 24lb/36lb + 6 x 12lb/24lb

The Glass Cannon Argument: 200k HP sounds amazing on paper, but the Brethren Frigate is an unmaneuverable brick. You absolutely must build the Blackbeard Frigate. Why? It is the ONLY ship in the game that can equip 36lb cannons. The stopping power of twelve 36-pounders is unmatched. You compensate for the lower 110k HP by combining the Hull Bracing: Keelhold gear with Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply, giving you uninterruptible +60% Repair Kit durations.

Windrose Frigate Materials (The Heavy Grind)

You need an extra 50x Shipwright's Tools (500 Piastre) on top of the 3,000 Piastre blueprint. This is an industrial-level grind:

1. 300x Nails
2. 120x Foothills Iron Ingots (Requires 360 Iron Ore)
3. 320x Wooden Planks
4. 160x Timber (480 Hardwood)
5. 80x Tarred Planks (80 Planks + 80 Tar)
6. 240x Linen Fabric (720 Flax Fiber)
7. 80x Tarred Fabric (80 Linen + 80 Tar)
8. 80x Rope

The Ultimate Farming Bypass: If you are losing your mind farming 480 Hardwood and 720 Flax Fiber manually, then stop swinging your axe. Once you defeat the boss "Israel Hands" in the Foothills, you unlock Merchant Contracts. Use these contracts to passively farm Hardwood and Flax, saving yourself dozens of hours.

FAQ: Ship Unlocks & Costs

Q: If I disassemble my Brig to build the Frigate, do I lose the Shipwright's Tools?

A: No. Disassembling a ship refunds 100% of the materials used in its construction, including the expensive Piastre-bought Shipwright's Tools. You will not be penalized for stepping up through the ship tiers.

Q: Can I put 36lb cannons on the Stock or Brethren Frigate?

A: Absolutely not. This is why the Blackbeard variant is highly recommended. The Stock and Brethren Frigates are hard-capped at 24lb cannons for their main batteries. If you want max DPS, Blackbeard is the only option.

Q: Where do I get Tar for the Tarred Planks and Fabric?

A: Tar is an advanced resource primarily obtained by processing Quagmire Powder and other materials from the Cursed Swamps biome. You will need to heavily farm the Swamp Crypts to supply a Frigate build.