Best ships in Skull and Bones, ranked

What’s a pirate without their ship? In Skull and Bones, getting the best ship you can will be a high priority. Every ship has its own advantages, but some are objectively better than others.

Keep in mind, though, that the ship is only one part of your arsenal. You also need to equip it with three weapons and armor to perfect your strategy and become more of a threat. Here are all Skull and Bones ships, ranked from to worst to best.

Every ship in Skull and Bones, ranked

There are 10 ships in Skull and Bones. To get a new one, you have to find its blueprint and then craft it. Every recipe includes a lot of ingredients, so usually this also requires a bit of farming, too.

10) Dhow

To be honest, the Dhow shouldn’t even be part of that ranking, because it’s a ship specifically tailored for hunting. It’s purposefully useless in combat and sailing. You can’t even sail in deep waters with it, as it will progressively lose its HP.

9) Bedar

The Bedar is the other ship you unlock as soon as you start your Skull and Bones journey. Needless to say, the purpose of this ship is to be replaced by a better one as soon as you can.

8) Cutter

The Cutter is the second-worst ship in combat. It’s not tailored for fighting on the high seas, anyways: Its main strength is the Unburden passive bonus, which regenerates HP over time.

It’s very useful in your early quests, when you have to sail all over the region to complete quests and might need to escape some challenging assaults. But it’s very situational.

7) Hulk

The Hulk is an overall upgrade of the Bedar, with more health and a lot more brace strength. It’s very good to resist the assaults of enemy ships. It’s also better than the Cutter for combat, but you’ll lose the handy regeneration passive.

6) Sloop

The Sloop is an upgrade from the Hulk thanks to its DPS potential. It’s less tanky, but has the Outburst passive for more explosive damage. You’ll usually unlock it when you’re discovering new kinds of weapons in the game, such as Bombards.

5) Barge

The Barge is more balanced than the Hulk and Sloop, which is why it’s a bit higher in the rankings. It can tank damage while still being focused on the DPS output. The Wildfire perk is also perfect as you begin to use incendiary weapons, making sure that Ablaze effect spreads to all of your nearby enemies. It’s the best ship you can get for your midgame journey.

4) Padewakang

This is where things start to get serious in the rankings. All the ships above where designed for leveling. The remaining ones in are all level five, which means they’re meant to be used in the endgame, starting with the Padewakang. Its perk, Detonate, boosts explosive hits and structural damage. It’s very strong for builds with Fire Bombards and Explosive Mortars.

It’s a good ship, but the Sambuk can easily best its DPS abilities while also having better speed. In addition, it has one less Furniture spot than the Sambuk and Brigantine, which is a big drawback.

3) Snow

The Snow is the tankiest ship in Skull and Bones‘ endgame. It has the slowest speed, but the highest base Brace Strength by far. It’s not the strongest endgame ship because of its lack of speed and DPS perk, but it’s still worth building.

The Snow is the best ship for Plundering installations and raiding Forts due to its ability to tank damage from towers and incoming ships.

2) Sambuk

What puts the Sambuk and Brigantine apart are their four weapon slots and five furniture slots, which are highly valuable due to the bonus they grant. The Sambuk’s perk, Scorched, is also incredibly strong, increasing your damage dealt when the target is on fire. The Sambuk has the highest DPS output in the game, but it’s still outmatched by the Brigantine.

1) Brigantine

Skull and Bones is all about sailing in long, challenging journeys. On the Brigantine, you can go up to 20 knots even without the wind on your side, and you’ll find speed is key in the game. You can escape from a losing fight, or use it with long-ranged weapons to damage ships that are on your tail without taking damage. It also has four weapon slots and five furniture slots like the Sambuk.

It’s especially strong for smuggling goods and improving your Refinery for valuable resources at the Black Market. It’s the best ship for endgame activity, and the most versatile thanks to its speed.