We all know how that ended up, so I won't go into detail. Father Gio makes mistakes, too. He ain't the pope...
But this serves as a guide to the infamous and creepy Ghost Ship that lurks the Atlantic, preying on unsuspecting sailors traveling between the Old and New Worlds... I finally fell prey to an attack by this supernatural phenomenon.
And because I was sailing on The Standard (both times!), I was ready for it.
The Ghost Ship is marked by an eerie glow emanating from the whole of the ship, from top mast to waterline. Because it has superior numbers in most cases, it will usually go for melee, as evidenced by its immediate use of Aboardage and Evasion at the onset of combat. Some hints to stay alive...
1) Stay calm. It's freaky, yes, and at first glance a formidable opponent. But rattling your nerves is the quickest way to lose this battle if you don't opt to escape.
2) Come prepared. I had at least 75 lumber and 100 cannon shot on me. And I ran out of ammo. Be ready for an extremely grinding battle.
3) Score the crits. The ship is surprisingly maneuverable for a big galleon, so find a way to let him give chase, and when he does, you square up and cut loose. His bow, depending on your armament, will take anywhere from 50-200 per critical hit and slow down any progress it's made on boarding you.
4) Stay far away. There isn't a reason any galley-type ships would be this deep in the Atlantic, so I'm speaking strictly to those in warships that can handle deep-sea travel, which I understand are a few galley-types with the drainage pump attached. But anyway, keep your distance until you're ready to strike with close quarters.
5) NO SORCERY! Yeah, where a simple blast from the sun or a whirlwind from Calypso would do the trick, I tried a turn from my Amulet of the Dead, and it did a whopping 3 damage, the equivalent of what a full broadside volley did in my less than maneuverable moments.
6) Be patient. As mentioned, come prepared for a long battle, because that's what you'll get. Plinks of cannonballs against a tough broadside, a tough-as-nails crew that doesn't rattle easily, and a ship that puts repair in high gear after taking more than 600 damage. (+80-+90 durability recovery after going below 400 dur; +15 only before that threshold)
Here is a quick breakdown of what I observed.
Basic Attributes
Type: Galleon/Square Sail
Durability: 1000
Complement: 250
Guns: Unknown, except for 4-gun bow Pedrero
Skills used: Repair, Aboardage, Evasion (confirmed)
Items used: Master Craftsman's Carpentry Tools (unconfirmed)
Attack/Defense in melee: ~270/~160 base, 2x if your crew is in disorder (not a force to be taken lightly)
Locales
First encounter: Southwest corner of North Atlantic, near to San Juan, early afternoon of 26 April 2012
Second encounter: Approximately 500 clicks south of Azores, evening of 26 April 2012
Method of Killing and Loot
First encounter: (MYSTERY!), looted a Pillage Order
Second encounter: Got lucky with a hit that caused disorder among the crew of the Ghost Ship, moved in for the kill. Ghost Ship tried unsuccessfully to retreat 4 times, killed 60+ each time. Looted 6 diamonds.
I hope you've found this enlightening to say the least. I've also included a link to a picture that captured the final moments of my second encounter yesterday for posterity, in case the picture I uploaded here directly doesn't work out so well.
Respectfully,
Father Gio
http://tinyurl.com/7hcftuo
