Pillars Of Eternity 2: Traveling by ship Pillars Of Eternity 2 Guide and Walkthrough

Ahoy Sailor! The world in the Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire is divided into islands, so the travel system is based on seaborne transport. The basic information about the in-game ships can be divided into the following topics:

• When is it possible to use a vessel?
• What does ship travel look like?
• What happens during a storm?
• How do I change a ship?

When is it possible to use a vessel?

Although the game starts on board of the ship, you will quickly lose the ability to use it - the ship gets destroyed and your task is to find a way to repair it. This is closely related to the Stranded quest, which you will receive from Governor Claria in the location called Port Maje Harbor. The first entrance to this location will automatically start a scene where the governor invites you to his office. After that, he commissions you a visit to nearby excavations - for more information, check our description with the solution.

There is no option to voyage without a crew.

The reward for this quest is repaired ship, but before you can start sailing you need to hire the right crew - you can do it in the port, but also in an inn. First, you need to hire a minimum of five people (some of whom may already have been on board if you have done a task Helpful hands) - this will allow you to move freely through the water, but a larger crew offers many bonuses and is prepared to cope with random and difficult situations. More information can be found in the "Ship and crew management" section of this page. To make sure that everything works as it should, adequate resources must also be available on board - the basic are repair materials, cannonballs and medical supplies. You can buy them in a port or simply find them in the game world.

What does ship travel look like?

Sailing to the above icon will let you to go ashore.

Traveling by ship is very similar to walking on a map. What's more, these activities are interrelated and you can easily switch between them. All you need to do is to find an anchor icon at the edge [1] (as shown in the picture above). In such a place you can dock the ship and visit the uncovered area.

The icon marked with [2] on the picture, allows you to enter the ship. There you can control the character just like in exploration. On the ship, you can talk to the members of your party.

The ship is not only a means of transport, but also a full-fledged element of the game. You can find plenty of attractions while sailing the waters of Eora:

1. Abandoned resources - these are various types of goods used on board a ship which are marked with several barrels. All you need to do is direct your vessel toward them and the supplies will be added to your ship's equipment.
2. Shipwrecks - you will often find yourself on a ship whose crew was less fortunate than yours. Interacting with such a ship triggers a scripted interactions scene - you will have to make various decisions, which may result in gaining new items or even starting a fight.
3. Other ships - the ocean is not just a free roam area for individual sailing. You will often find a different crew that may have a negative or a friendly attitude towards you. The encounter with the enemy ends in a sea battle or in surrender and giving up part of the supplies (about which you can read more in the "Battles of the Sea" section of this guide). The friendly ships, on the other hand, are usually merchant ships with which you can exchange goods, just like with a land merchant or trader.
4. Random events - some situations are beyond your control. For example, sometimes your ship may catch a fire. This will be presented in the scripted interactions scene, and the effectiveness of dealing with the unpleasant situation depends on the experience of your crew.

It is also worth remembering that the speed of a ship is influenced by the depth of the water. Ships move a lot faster in the deep open sea and slower in the shoal.

This list makes traveling easier.

Then, by opening the Known Locations menu, you're able to go to previously visited locations, or a location that was added to the list during a quest. Just click the icon next to the name of the place, and the ship will start making its way there - it's not fast travel, though, and you can be attacked on your way - for example by pirates.

What happens during a storm?

The above image shows a stormy sea - if you don't want to struggle with a storm, you'd better stay away. Getting too close to the cloud, will trigger a paragraph scene, in which you will have to make many decisions - the choices will determine the condition of your crew and ship after escaping the storm.

First, you will see the above window - here, you can prepare for the fight against the storm. You can also skip this part, but that isn't advisable, as it will make you suffer great losses.

Option one - assign crew duties - allows you to do exactly that. You can order the mates one of the following things:

1. Secure cargo - this mitigates hull damage during a storm.
2. Lower sails - this command improves the ship's navigability in strong wind.
3. Take out rainwater barrels - allows you to obtain some water reserves, but endangers the crew.

You should opt for choice 1 or 2. The third one is least desirable - there's no point endangering the crew's life and limb for the sake of water.

Besides that, you can also secure the helmsman with a Rope with hook - this increases his chances for survival, which is important, as he's the most important member of the crew during a storm. You have to sacrifice that item in order to do this.

Option two - Ask a companion's aid. This will produce different possible choices, depending on the person you've chosen. For example - Maia is able to evaluate the power of the storm, while Xoti can say a prayer to increase the morale of the crew.

When the preparations are done, the only thing left is to face the storm. Now you will see some random events - you can react to each of them differently; the outcome is determined by experience or even owned spells. For example:

1. The ship starts leaking - you can order your men to pump the water or plug the hole. If you have a freezing spell, you can try using it.
2. Things are similar if a fire starts - you can order your people to put it out, but you can also try using a spell.

Apart from random events, you also have to navigate the ship. Such option will become active either at the very beginning of the fight with storm, or between random events.

1. Without control - the entire crew takes below deck. This allows you to minimize the risk of losing men, but it also endangers the ship, which may get severely damaged, or - in the worst case - may even sink.
2. Steady as she goes - the crew maintains default posts. This increases the chances of people getting injured or even killed, but this is the fastest way of escaping the storm.
3. Adrift - the crew is secured in this mode, but the sails are prone to be really damaged.
4. No sails - this lets you protect the crew and sails, but the hull and the helmsman are prone to injuries and damage.

Each option you choose may end in success or failure - this is determined by experience of the crew and just pure luck. If most of these choices end with a success, you will be able to quickly escape the storm. Otherwise, the struggle will linger on, and the crew and the ship will get more endangered.

How do I change a ship?

At some point in the game you may find that the initial ship is not enough for you. In this case, just go to the port and visit the "Resources" tab. There, in addition to supplies and resources, you can also buy a completely new vessel. Ship prices start with 20,000 coins, so it's not a cheap investment, but as you can guess, the better the ship, the better it can cope in combat and in difficult situations. You must also remember that a larger ship needs more crew to be employed.

In the port you can buy not only ships, but also equipment for your vessels.

The table below presents available ships, including their process and key characteristics:

Description of the characteristics mentioned above:

1. Hull Health - This is the "'health" level of the ship. The hull level is lowered during combat, and if it drops to zero, the ship will sink.
2. Sails Health - The sails are responsible for the speed of the vessel. If the sailing level falls to zero, the agility of the vessel in combat is significantly reduced.
3. Turn to starboard, Turn to port, and Prepare to jibe - These are the maneuvers used during sea battles. You can read more about this in the "Battles of the Sea" section.