Sea of Thieves: Cannons - how to use them? Sea Of Thieves guide, walkthrough
Last update: 13 July 2020
In this chapter of the guide to Sea of Thieves the player will learn how to properly use cannons during naval combat, how to train shooting, and what are the types of cannonballs available in SoT.
Shooting with cannons in Sea of Thieves can be very problematic, especially for beginners. Situations in which you must hit a static target (like an anchored ship) happen very rarely. Because of that, you must plan your move in advance. A cannonball shot from a cannon needs some time to reach the target - it won't hit it immediately when it was shot. Because of that, you must aim at the spot where your target will appear in a while instead of aiming at the spot where he is right now. It isn't a big problem when fighting ships that are nearby, but hitting a moving target that is far away might require many hours of training. Below you can find a handful of tips that will increase your accuracy and make shooting cannons in Sea of Thieves easier.
- Cannons in Sea of Thieves - general advice
- Cannons in Sea of Thieves - how to train shooting?
- Cannonballs in Sea of Thieves - types
Cannons in Sea of Thieves - general advice
Here the players can find a few pieces of valuable advice that might make using cannons more efficient and that might help in understanding this gameplay mechanic. These pieces of advice are mostly for beginners who are starting their journey with Sea of Thieves.
- Before you set sail for the open sea, make sure you have a supply of cannonballs. Replenish your ammunition whenever it is possible, for example while journeying to an island or while exploring a shipwreck. With no cannonballs you become completely helpless, you must avoid such situations at all costs. Try stocking from 80 to even 100 cannonballs before every expedition;
- After boarding the deck, load the cannons and set them horizontally, with the barrel set towards the prow of the ship. A potential target usually appears before the prow of the ship;
- When playing on PC, it is better to control the cannon with WSAD keys. Controlling the cannon with a mouse, especially one with low DPI, will be very troublesome;
- When the sea is rough and the ship moves up and down, you must take this into consideration while shooting cannons. A cannonball shot when the ship is at the top of the wave will fly in different direction that a cannonball when the ship is dropping down;
- From each shot you miss you can learn how to improve the position of your cannon. If the ball hit the water before the target, then you must raise your cannon up etc.;
- Cannonballs can fly through waves without losing their speed and with no reduction of the damage dealt to the target they hit. Bacause of that, you can shooting even when the waves are reaching the deck of the hostile ship;
- Cannonballs are so heavy that the wind doesn't change their trajectory;
- Cannonballs that hit the target generate an unique noise and make a special marker appear on player's screen - these two will inform you that you hit the target even during a storm;
- A direct hit of a single cannonball is capable of immediately eliminating player's character.
Cannons in Sea of Thieves - how to train shooting?
When starting your adventure in Sea of Thieves, you should focus on hitting static targets like rocks pointing from the water or shipwrecks. They won't be able to respond with fire and wound player's character. Gather a supply of cannonballs and then sail out of a port. Look for some rocks on which you can try your accuracy.
If you encounter a Megalodon while sailing, you might consider him as your training target as well. Megalodon is very agile, so it will be very hard to hit him. This can work for your advantage - you can additionally learn how to maneuver your ship on open sea and quickly change directions.
Skeleton ships are good training targets as well. You can encounter them literally everywhere. Regular skeleton ships have passive behavior until they are attacked. This means you can initiate combat with them on your own terms. However, keep in mind that provoked skeletons will fight until they die. Skeleton ships with black sails and a white skull are more aggressive - they usually appear from water next to player's ship and attack as first.
When starting a battle with such opponent, you can additionally train maneuvering your ship in combat, performing small repairs, and other routine activities. After such combat training you will be ready for a real naval battle against other players.
Cannonballs in Sea of Thieves - types
Players can use various types of cannonballs during naval combat in Sea of Thieves. Some of them deal direct damage when they hit target, greatly breaking the ship. Other can put curse on a ship and reduce its mobility. Some special cannonballs can influence crew members.
The following table features a description of all types of cannonballs players can use while playing Sea of Thieves. You will also find here information about how specific types of cannonballs can be used and how to find them.
Cannonball type | Description and advice |
Cannonball | A regular cannonball that deals area damage when it hits a target. At the start of a session, you should have from 40 to 45 pieces of regular cannonballs in barrels on your ship. You can find additional cannonballs while searching through supply barrels, equipment chests, or in special chests used for stocking cannonballs. |
Chainshot | A special type of cannonballs connected to each other with a chain. Chainshot is used for dealing damage to masts, capstans or wheels of the ship. When shooting with these balls, you should aim much higher than normally because the flight path of the Chainshot is lower than of the regular cannonballs. Chainshot balls can be found in supply barrels and in equipment chests. |
Limpball | A Limpball is a special type of cursed cannonball that after hitting the target causes limp effect on players. An opponent cursed with limp effect moves much slower and has severely limited jumping capabilities. What's very important is the fact that Limpball doesn't deal any direct damage to ships. Limpballs have very small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Venomball | A Venomball is a special type of cursed cannonball that after hitting the target causes poison effect on enemies. A poisoned character received 5% damage every second. The effect lasts for a few seconds. Venomballs don't deal any direct damage to ships. Venomballs have very small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Grogball | A Grogball is a special type of cursed cannonball. When it hits a target, it puts drunk effect on enemies. When a character is drunk, then player's screen begins to shake and the character starts to wobble and puking. Grogballs don't deal direct damage to the ships, but it is worth mentioning that a character that is wobbling cannot perform repairs of a damaged ship. Grogballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Wearyball | Wearyball is a special type of cursed cannonball. When hitting a target, it puts the enemies to sleep for a few seconds. Sleeping characters are unable to perform any actions. Wearyball doesn't deal any direct damage to the ships. Wearyballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Jigball | Jigball is a special type of cursed cannonball. After hitting a target, it forces all enemies to dance. Dancing characters are unable to perform any additional actions. Jigball doesn't deal any direct damage to the ships. Jigballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Riggingball | A Riggingball is a special type of cursed cannonball. After hitting the target, it curses the ship and lowers all of its sails. It is worth mentioning that lowered sails can be immediately raised back, but it will cost the crew a few valuable seconds. Riggingball doesn't deal any direct damage to ships. Riggingballs have a small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Anchorball | An Anchorball is a special type of cursed cannonball. After hitting the target, it curses a ship and forces it to drop or raise its anchor. It is worth mentioning that the anchor can be immediately lowered or raised after being hit by this cannonball, but it takes a few valuable seconds. Anchorball doesn't deal any direct damage to the ships. Anchorballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Ballastball | A Ballastball is a special type of cursed cannonball. After hitting a target, it puts a curse on the ship and causes it to sink deeper into the water. If the ship has some holes, it might even cause it to go underwater. The crew of a ship that is hit by a Ballastball is forced not only to defend itself, but to get rid of the water getting into the ship. Ballastball doesn't deal any direct damage to the ships. Cursed Ballastballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Peaceball | A Peaceball is a special type of cursed cannonball. After hitting a target, it puts a curse on the ship and raises all the cannons vertically up. It is worth mentioning that after a ship is hit and the cannons are raised, they can be then freely lowered. Peaceballs don't deal any direct damage to the ships. Peaceballs have small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Helmball | A Helmball is a special type of cursed cannonball. When it hits a target, it puts a curse on a ship, blocking the wheel for a few seconds. A unit that is hit cannot turn or perform any other maneuvers for a few seconds. Helmballs don't deal any direct damage to ships. Helmballs have a small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Barrelball | A Barrelball is a special type of cursed cannonball. When it hits a target, it puts a curse on a ship, blocking the crew from accessing the supply barrels for a few seconds. Barrelballs do not cause direct damage to ships. Cursed Barrelballs have a small chance of appearing in supply barrels. |
Phantom Cannonball | Phantom Cannonball is a special type of regular Cannonball with additional graphics and audio effects. Phantom Cannonballs are dealing same damage as regular Cannonballs. At the time of writing this guide, The Phantom Cannonball can only be obtained from The Cannonball Crate of the Damned. |
Flame Phantom Cannonball | Flame Phantom Cannonball is a special type of Cannonball that causes a fire when hitting a target. If a fire isn't extinguished, it will start spreading across the ship's deck and cause more and more damage. A character that walks into the fire will start receiving damage. At the time of writing this guide Flame Phantom Cannonball can only be obtained from The Cannonball Crate of the Damned. |
Wraith Cannonball | A Wraith Cannonball is a special type of Cannonball that deals great damage and creates large holes in the hull whenever it hits the target directly. When using a Wraith Cannonball, instead of shooting regular cannonballs, the player is shooting green wraiths. At the time of writing this guide, Wraith Cannonball can only be obtained from The Cannonball Crate of the Damned. |