Pirates Online Player Question & Answers

BASIC MEMBERSHIP vs. UNLIMITED MEMBERSHIP
Q: “I was wondering, what do the different colors for the Pirates’ names mean? Mine is blue and I’ve seen other players with gray names. I’ve even seen gold names but I don’t know what they mean!”

A: Blue signifies that the Pirate is an Unlimited Access Member. Gray means the Pirate has Basic Access, and Gold identifies that Pirate is a Founder.

Q: “I’ve seen some Pirates in the game whose names are in gold and they have a gold coin next to their name. How can I get that?”

A: At its launch in October 2007, Pirates Online ran a Founder program. Players who ordered Unlimited Access to Pirates Online during this time received a Founder Title for each Pirate on their account to show that they have been with the game since its launch. Players can be recognized as Founders by their gold names and a gold Founder’s coin next to it.

The Founder program ended on December 1, 2007, and at this time gold is an unavailable color for your Pirate's name.

Q: “I’ve been using my weapons a lot, but now I’ve stopped gaining reputation points on them. Is this because I have Basic Access? I’m not getting the popup message telling me so that I get with other features.”

A: Fully leveled weapons and complete arsenals are features and benefits for Unlimited Access Members. In order to enjoy the higher level features, you’ll need to upgrade to Unlimited Access.

There are several options you can use to get Unlimited Access – visit our Membership Options page or Game Cards section of the website to learn more. We also offer Gift Subscriptions.

Q: “If my Unlimited Access membership goes back to Basic Access, what happens to all my weapons and clothes in my Sea Chest?”

A: You don’t need to worry about losing any of your items or progress in the game if your membership expires. When your membership goes back to Basic Access, any items that are Unlimited Access only including weapons and clothes will be locked for use until you renew your subscription. Once you become an Unlimited Access Member again, all of your items will be available for use again.

Q: “What weapons can Pirates with Basic Access collect and use from the loot drops?”

A: Pirates with Basic Access can collect all items from the loot drops but can only use Crude items. Keep in mind, there are no Crude Broadswords, Muskets, Bayonets, Daggers or Voodoo Staves. There are also no Crude jewelry or tattoos but there are Crude clothing items available in loot drops.

If you upgrade your account to Unlimited Access, you can use any and all items you collect from loot drops including Common, Rare, Famed and Legendary. This includes clothing, weapons, potions, jewelry, and tattoos.

TEST SERVER ACCESS
Q: “How do I get access to the Test Server? I want to try out the new features!”

A: To qualify for the Test Server, you must:

Be an Unlimited Access Member Have no violations, bans, or holds on your account. Any previous violations of the Terms of Use or the Pirates Online Member Agreement automatically prohibits you from Test Server access Have a current e-mail address on file with Pirates Online. Invitations are sent via e-mail if you meet all the qualifications above. To verify or update your account information, go to the Account Manager. Please visit our Test Server Access page for details.

Q: “I applied for Test Server access. How long before I get it?”

A: If you have not received any communication from us on your Test Server access, it may be due to one of the following reasons:

If you have a Basic Access or have any bans, holds, or violations on your account, you may not qualify for Test access. If your e-mail address is not up to date in our file, you may not be receiving any e-mails from us. Routinely, we experience max capacity on our Test Servers. In the case you apply during this time, you will be placed on a waiting list and when space becomes available, you will receive Test Server access from us.

CHAT OPTIONS
Q: “A lot of the time, friends in my Crew or my Guild are not able to see what I’m typing, even though I can still see what they are saying. Is there a setting somewhere I can turn on so I can chat with them?”

A: It sounds like you need to adjust your Chat settings. For complete details on Chat levels and permissions, visit our Friends and Chat page of the Player’s Guide, you’ll find full details on the settings there.

Q: “I think there should be some words added to the chat dictionary. Where can I send my suggestions to?”

A: You can send us your chat dictionary suggestions by using the Contact Us form. Remember to select “Chat Dictionary Suggestions” as the message category.

Please note that any words that can compromise the safety and privacy of our younger players will be screened out from any chat dictionary suggestions. With that mind, we’d greatly appreciate any help our players can provide in making our chat dictionary more robust. We’d also like to encourage players to send us suggestions for additional phrases that they’d like to see added to the Speed Chat drop-down menu.

Q: “Why when I am chatting can I not tell another member of my guild what ocean I am playing in without having “aaar” show up in its place? I do not have any restrictions on my chat options? If the word is a part of the game, why would it not be recognized?”

A: We have added Ocean names to the chat dictionary. They will no longer be replaced with an “aaar”. We will continue to refine this and other game elements. We really appreciate your feedback.

Quests
Q: “I’ve just finished giving Elizabeth Swann information on the whereabouts of the Nine Rogues, but she didn’t give me another Quest to complete. How can I complete the Quest to obtain the Nine Rogues?”

A: The reward for giving Elizabeth Swann this information is the ability to unlock your Treasure Collection (which is located in your Sea Chest). You can now begin collecting treasure drops by defeating enemies.

Q: “In the Black Pearl quest, I’m having trouble finding the diamond on Isla Perdida?”

A: The diamond can be found in Queen’s Nest on Isla Perdida. When you dock at the island, follow the ray of light to Queen’s Nest. There, the diamond can be found in the dig spot by the waterfall, west of the rock bridge.

Make sure to take a crew with you when you go to Queen’s Nest because the area is filled with Terror Wasps and their nests. Have your mates watch your back as you search for the precious diamond!

Q: “I frequently see Plunder notices when defeating enemies, telling me I’ve earned a rare piece of treasure and how much it’s worth. I haven’t found a way to sell this treasure though, have I missed something?”

A: The game automatically converts the worth of the treasure for your Pirate in gold, so you don’t have to do or sell anything. Just sit back and relax on that pile of gold and jewels!

Sea Chest
Q: “I accidentally trashed a few of my weapons and clothes. How can I get them back?”

A: Unfortunately, once you trash or sell any of your weapons, clothes, jewelry or tattoos, we’re unable to retrieve them.

Q: “Where can I go to purchase a new weapon?”

A: There are different shops for different types of weapons. You can buy swords and daggers at the blacksmith shops, and you can buy pistols, grenades, and cannon ammo at the gunsmith shops. You can also get tonics, voodoo dolls and voodoo staves from gypsy carts. By pressing F8, you can see a map of the island which will help you locate any weapon shop.

Look for these specific symbols on the map to help you find the right shop: Please note: Not all shops sell the same weapons on every island. Some exploration is needed to determine whether you own the best of what each shop owner sells.

General Gameplay
Q: “I saw in the Release Notes that high level enemy ships such as the Death Omen and Juggernaut were put back in the game, but I still can’t find them anywhere. Are they just really rare and only sail around certain islands?”

A: The Death Omen and Juggernaut ships are extremely rare and only found in Uncharted Waters (near the very outer-most edges of the map). Aye, be warned, these ships are very tough to defeat, but the rewards they offer (when defeated) can be very lucrative.

Q: “My Guild has a debate going – which is better, playing on a Quiet Ocean or an Ideal Ocean?”

A: A Quiet Ocean is a game server that usually has lesser players playing on it than an Ideal Ocean. The Quiet Ocean could provide better game performance, while the Ideal Ocean can be more useful if you’re looking to Crew Up or join others on Quests.

Q: “Why am I still being attacked when I put myself in ‘AFK’ mode?”

A: The Away From Keyboard or “AFK” mode as it’s known should be used only to let people know you’re away from your keyboard. It does not make your Pirate invisible or invincible; it’s just an indicator to let other players know that you’re “AFK”. Before going into “AFK” mode, find a safe spot away from hostile areas and then go “AFK”.

Q: “I’m a really high-level Pirate, but the Leadership Sailing skill is not available. Why isn’t this skill unblocked for me?”

A: The Leadership Skill can only be earned by reclaiming the Black Pearl, and is only accessible by Unlimited Access Members.

Q: “How do you tell the difference between a flagship and a regular ship? Does a ship need to be a flagship in order to be boarded?”

A: Flagships have a flag icon above the ship’s name and yes, only flagships can be boarded. We would suggest that you Crew Up first before taking on a Flagship since they’re high level and a Crew is beneficial to defeat the enemies on board.

Q: “Is there a way to pause the game temporarily and come back to it later?”

A: Unfortunately, there is no in-game pause feature for Pirates Online. However, we do save all of your progress so if you need to take a quick break, log out to the Pirate Selection Screen and you can continue where you left off when you return.

Q: “I hear other players saying that shared attacks on an enemy take away from the amount of reputation points awarded to an individual player. If I were to attack a skeleton that is already being attacked by another player, does that mean we both would get less reputation points than if we had attacked it alone?”

A: Reputation points are awarded based on the amount of damage that you inflict on your enemy. The best way to increase the amount of Reputation you earn is to join a Crew and work together when defeating enemies. This will give you both Reputation points based on the damage you give to the enemy as well as a Crew Bonus! The more Pirates in a Crew, the higher the Crew Bonus.

Q: “I was wondering, seeing as there is some confusion: what is the total number of skill points a pirate can have on a weapon by the time he masters it? Is it 25, because at level 25 a pirate does not receive a skill point, or is it 26, 2 from when you receive the weapon and 24 from each level up until level 25?”

A: You can receive a total of 31 skill points – 2 points are given when you first start the weapon and an additional skill point is given for each level after that.

Q: “I am trying to buy a War Frigate, but I need more gold. What are some quick and easy ways to get the gold I need?”

A: One of the best ways is befriending someone with a War Galleon. War Galleons can hold the most cargo, up to 18 crates. They will yield the most gold when you return to port after sinking enemy ships.

Q: “I am a level 7 player and I wanted a flintlock pistol, so I bought one. When I went to the ‘weapons’ section to equip it, it was red and said “need pistol training to use” – I figured I would get pistol training later in the game. Later on, I saw a level 5 member using a pistol! I just want to know how I get pistol training so I can use it. Please help me!”

A: Before you can purchase a pistol, you must learn about the Pirate Code and complete pistol training. In order to do this, complete the quest in the tutorial that sends you to visit Barbossa on Devil’s Anvil. Upon completion of this quest, Barbossa will give you your first pistol – the Flintlock Pistol. Other types of pistols can be purchased in stores, but keep in mind, they have minimum level requirements.

Here are the current minimum level requirements: Q: “At what level do notoriety and weapons “max” out on?”

A: Currently, the notoriety level cap is 50 while the weapons max out at level 30.

Invasions
Q: “Why is Jolly Roger invading? When? Where?”

A: Jolly Roger and his Undead Army are attempting to take over the Caribbean. He started with Port Royal and then invaded Tortuga and Padres del Fuego. But only Jolly Roger knows when and where he’s planning to strike next.

Q: “What can I do to stop the invasion?”

A: When an invasion starts, Jolly’s Undead Army will attack the island from several different locations. Ultimately, his goal is to take over all the islands and to rule the Caribbean with an iron fist!

To offer some defense against the undead invasion, townsfolk have set up barricades around town. Spread your crew out and keep Jolly Roger’s forces at bay by protecting the barricades and keeping them from falling. When all the barricades fall, Jolly Roger himself will make a final assault on the town … destroying whatever stands in his way – including you.

Q: “The game runs really slow during invasions, what can I do to fix this?”

A: Invasions require a significant amount of your computer memory. If you have a less powerful computer, you will want to adjust your settings before taking part in an invasion. Here are a few things you can do to improve your gaming experience:

Try lowering your graphics settings. To do this, press F7 or the “Esc” key while playing. In the Options Menu, select Graphic Options, select the “Display” tab and change your settings. If you have your settings set on “High,” a “Medium” or “Low” setting may help improve your computer performance greatly. If you are still having problems, adjusting your Custom Settings under the Graphics Settings option can also help. Turn on “Compressed Textures” and “Aggressive Memory Conservation.” Turn off “Shaders” and “Rendered Shadow,” this along with lowering any of the individual graphics options will also help. Hide any menus or other displays such as your compass. Having your Sea Chest open will not only block your view of the action, but slow down the game during an invasion.

GUILDS & CREWS
Q: “How do you start a Guild? I found information on how to join a Guild and how to invite people to join your Guild – but I can’t find out how to start one.”

A: In order to create a Guild, follow the instructions below:

Click on Friends icon in your Sea Chest to bring up the Friends Panel. Click on the Guild tab located on the bottom right of the Friends Panel. This will bring up Guild Options. Click on Create Guild and then click OK when the pop up appears. Submit a Guild name and you have now created a Guild! Please note: You must be an Unlimited Access Member in order to create a Guild.

Q: “How can I pass the leadership of my Guild to an officer? Is that possible?”

A: It’s not possible to do at this time. However, we are working on a lot of additional Guild features for the game and have discussed adding this feature at some point.

The Guild Officers and Veterans can continue leading the Guild if the Guild Master chooses to leave. To learn more about different Guild Ranks, please visit our Players Guide.

Q: “Every time I log out after gathering a Crew, I lose my entire Crew when I log back in! Why does this happen?”

A: Pirates Online Crews are just like real Pirate crews, they’re only temporary. Why? Well, often Pirates would sail with a Crew for one or two cruises then go off and find another Crew for a different adventure. If you’re part of a Crew and enjoy the Pirates you’re playing with, make Friends with these crewmates and Crew Up with them the next time you log back into the game.

TECHNICAL
Q: “Some Apple keyboards have predefined settings for the function keys for swapping weapons. Will it be able to reconfigure these keys in the game?”

A: You can also hold down the “Fn” key on your Mac keyboard to enable the function keys for in-game use. For example, Fn+F1 will take out the weapon equipped in your first slot. Also, if you have a mouse wheel, you can scroll the wheel to cycle between weapons.