Best Ships Tier List

Find out what are the best ships you can use in Skull and Bones with our Best Ships Tier List. Read on to learn the best ships for beginners, as well as the best DPS, Tank, and Support ships you should save up for in the game!

Best Ships Tier List

S Tier	・Pyromaniac (Sambuk) ・Hullbreaker (Brigantine) ・Bombardier (Padewakang)
A Tier	・Vanguard (Snow) ・Firebrand (Barge) ・Sentinel (Cutter)
B Tier	・Blaster (Sloop) ・Rammer (Bedar)
C Tier	・Defender (Hulk)

Best Ships Rankings Explained

Best S Tier Ships

Ship	Explanation
Pyromaniac	・ Scorched perk deals an additional 5000 Burning Damage when applying Ablaze to an enemy ・ Ablaze spreads to enemies in a 150m radius ・Has 30% increased damage against ships that are Ablaze ・ Best DPS ship for World Event Bosses and Elite Captains
Hullbreaker	・Bullhorn perk increases ramming damage and reduces Torn Sails effect when accelerating ・ Applies Flooding damage when ramming ships ・ Best DPS ships for hunting down Elite Captains ・ Best generalist DPS ship for hunting other ships
Bombardier	・ Detonate perk has a 70% chance to trigger an explosion that deals 1000 damage to ships and structures in a 125m radius ・ Boasts increased damage to structures and weapon damage radius ・ Boasts the highest Hulll Health out of all DPS ships ・ Best DPS ship for plundering settlements

Best A Tier Ships

Ship	Explanation
Vanguard	・ Tenacity Perk boots its Brace Strength and Brace Strength Recovery ・ Boasts the highest Hull Health out of all ships ・ Great choice for drawing aggro and tanking Elite Captains and World Event Bosses
Firebrand	・ Wildfire Perk applies the Ablaze perk to surrounding enemies in a 125m radius ・ Has 10% increased Weappon Damage ・ Great intermediate choice for taking on Elite Captains and World Bosses
Sentinel	・ Unburden Perk restores ship health even during battle ・ Healing affects ally ships when in a group ・ Small size makes it very maneuverable and can outspeed larger ships when turning

Best B Tier Ships

Ship	Explanation
Blaster	・ Outburst Perk has a 50% chance of causing an explosion that deals 1500 damage in a 150m radius ・ Increased structure damage by 20% and exploside damage by 15% ・ Small size gives it better maneuverability but has less overall health
Rammer	・ Lancer Perk grants the ship 25% increased ramming damage ・ Perk also reduces Torn Sails effect by 50% when accelerating ・ Ramming applies the Flooded effect to enemy ships

Best C Tier Ships

Ship	Explanation
Defender	・ Ironclad Perk reduces Brace depletion by 20% when hit by enemies ・ Perk grants increased Brace Strength and Brace Strength Recovery ・ Slow ship speed and limited gunports

Best Ships for Beginners

Sentinel is the Best Beginner Ship

Ship	Explanation
Sentinel	・Unburden Perk restores ship health even during battle ・ Self-healing reduces the cost of purchasing or crafting Repair Kits ・Small ship size makes it easy to maneuver ・Only requires Rank 2 and is cheap and easy to craft

A combination of high speed, easy maneuverability, and self-healing make the Sentinel the best ship for beginners. Although a Support ship, it can deal the same amount of damage as the starting Rammer DPS ship.

Its self-healing passive works during battle, which means it's easy to stay health against even groups of enemies by simply evading their attacks!

How to Get the Sentinel Cutter Ship

Best DPS Ships

Pyromaniac for Taking on World Bosses

The Pyromaniac relatively high speed and amazing Scorched Perk makes it currently the best DPS ship for taking down World Event Bosses such as Kuharibu.

The increased fire damage and the faster Ablaze status effect that this ship inflicts can quickly cut the sea monster's health by just focusing your fire damage at it!

The sheer firepower the Pyromaniac can inflict also makes it one of the best choices for taking down Privateers who have notoriously high health and armor despite their size.

How to Get Pyromaniac Sambuk

Hullbreaker for Hunting Elite Captains

The Hullbreaker is one of the fastest ships currently available in the game despite being a medium-sized ship, and is a great choice for players who prefer ramming enemy ships as an opening attack!

Its Bullhorn perk not only boasts its ramming damage by 45%, it also inflicts Flooding damage which is a damage over time status effect that irreparable and inflicts slow.

This makes the Hullbreaker the best ship for taking on Elite Captains from bounties, as well as the best generalist DPS for hunting down NPC ships for their loot!

How to Get Hullbreaker Brigantine Ship

Bombardier for Plundering Settlements

Ship	Explanation
Bombardier	・Detonate Perk grants explosive hits a 70% chance to trigger an AOE Explosion that makes it ideal for taking on groups of ships ・ High health and large cargo size makes it great for plundering settlements ・Boasts a total of 14 Gunports and 4 Furniture Slots

The Bombardier is one of the most powerful ships currently available in the game thanks to its Detonate Perk which grants it a 70% chance to deal AOE damage with explosive attacks.

Boasting high health, cargo, and multiple gunports, this ship is currently the best DPS ship for plundering settlements due to the sheer AOE damage you can inflict against defending ships

How to Get the Bombardier Padewakang Ship

Best Tank Ships

Vanguard

Ship	Explanation
Vanguard	・ Tenacity Perk increases its Brace Strength by 50% and Brace Strength Recovery by 150% ・ Recovers 4% of its Brace Strength when bracing against attacks ・ High health and large cargo size makes it a great tank for plundering settlements and escort missions ・Boasts a total of 13 Gunports and 4 Furniture Slots

The Vanguard is currently the best Tank ship in the game, boasting high health and brace strength thanks to its Tenacity Perk despite being only a medium-sized ship. Thanks to its defensive perk and high health, the Vanguard is a great choice for plundering settlements and escort missions if playing more defensively.

This ship also has a niche as the tank against World Bosses like Maangodin when playing with a group. Thanks to the Vanguard's high health, it can tank the ghost ship's attacks and give your teammates an opening to hit Maangodin's weak points!

While it requires Rank 5 and more materials, it's the superior Tank ship to the smaller Defender Tank ship. The Vanguard is noticeably faster despite being larger, and can actually take out enemies thanks to its multiple gunports!

How to Get Vanguard Snow Ship

Best Support Ships

Sentinel

Ship	Explanation
Sentinel	・Unburden Perk restores ship health even during battle ・ Self-healing reduces the cost of purchasing or crafting Repair Kits ・Small ship size makes it easy to maneuver ・Only requires Rank 2 and is cheap and easy to craft

The Sentinel is currently the only support ship available in the game and is a must-have for group play due to its Unburden Perk also restoring the health of friendly ships within a 100m radius.

Thanks to its self-healing and respectable damage output, it also makes a great scouting ship when plundering settlements or taking on groups of enemies!

How to Get Sentinel Cutter

Best Small Ships

Firebrand

Ship	Explanation
Firebrand	・Wildfire applies the Ablaze effect to nearby enemies within a 125m redius ・ Ship Perk grants a 10% weapon damage increase ・Small ship size makes it easy to maneuver

The Firebrand is a powerful DPS ship, boasting great speed and maneuverability thanks to its small size. This ship specializes in inflicting fire damage, with its Wildfire Perk spreading the Ablaze effect to nearby enemies.

What makes it a stronger option than the similarly sized Blaster is that its perk doesn't have a percent chance to activate. Simply inflicting fire damage will always spread the Ablaze effect to nearby ships.

This makes the Firebrand a surprisingly powerful ship that can take on larger ships, with its small size giving it greater maneuverability while you chip the enemy's health with the Ablaze status effect.

How to Get the Firebrand Barge Ship

Skull and Bones Related Guides

List of All Ships and Ship Types

All Ships Guides

All Available Ships

Exeter's Jolly Dhow	Rammer Bedar
Defender Hulk	Sentinel Cutter
Firebrand Barge	Blaster Sloop
Bombardier Padewakang	Vanguard Snow
Hullbreaker Brigantine	Pyromaniac Sambuk