How to board enemy ships in Skull and Bones

Boarding enemy ships in Skull and Bones is a crucial part of making your plundering efforts on the high seas even more rewarding. There’s just something about taking control of a ship by force that makes pirating feel more personal.

When you board an enemy ship, you have the chance to earn extra loot and plunder, so if you have the time and want to put in the effort, it’s more than worth it. Boarding enemy ships is also a key part of some early quests.

How do I board enemy ships in Skull and Bones?

To board an enemy ship in Skull and Bones, you’ll first need to weaken a ship down to below half health. If you’re just starting out and you’re still in the makeshift raft you start in, you won’t be able to board an enemy ship (or even survive a fight against one) until you build your first ship.

After you’ve weakened an enemy ship to below half its health, it will do its best to turn and avoid being boarded. You’ll need to maneuver to the side of the ship without sailing past it, then aim at the ship as if you were firing again, but then hit the prompt to board the ship (the R key on mouse and keyboard, or Y/triangle on controller).

Your crew will fire grappling hooks off the side, but you’ll need to be close enough for them to latch on. It will be harder to grapple with the enemy if you’re at the maximum speed, so slow down once you’re next to them. As long as one hook connects and sticks to the ship, you’ll successfully board them.

As a tip, you should really only be boarding enemy ships if you are solely in naval combat with just one ship. Boarding an enemy ship while another enemy is in range could leave you vulnerable to a massive cannon volley. In the early game, boarding an enemy ship is key to looting extra valuable Bog Iron, which you’ll need for some key early ship upgrades. You can also find extra currency and items like Cogwheels or Tabacco.