A Flagship traditionally was the lead ship of a fleet or group of ships, normally carrying the highest ranking officer, like an Admiral or Commodore. To maintain control and impose influence in the Caribbean, factions like the Royal Navy and East India Trading Company have sent vessels to command groups of ships or protect high-value areas.
In Pirates Online, Flagships are special ships in that they CANNOT just be sunk. They must first be crippled or disabled and then boarded by the pirate and their crew in order to be defeated. They will appear with a flag above their ship class and level. They may be EITC, Royal Navy, or French and Spanish ghost ships, which are the only ghost ships that are flagships.
Originally, capturing a flagship successfully would result in standard rewards of plundered gold and perhaps a treasure chest or two. The Legend of Pirates Online have recently added Loot Container rewards - which may even contain a Legendary Item.
Unlike Mini-Bosses, a flagship will always respawn to replace another flagship and usually in the same place. This has often led some crews to camp near the spawn locations and farm flagships for their plunder.
Flagship Types[]
EITC[]
- EITC Sentinel - Found near Cutthroat Isle and Cuba. Crew made up of Thugs, Grunts, and Assassins.
- EITC Corvette - Found near Port Royal. Crew made up of Thugs and Grunts.
- EITC Barracuda - Found near Isla Perdida to Cuba. Crew made up of Hired-Guns, Mercenaries and sometimes Thugs.
- EITC Defiance - Found near Raven's Cove. Crew made up of EITC Landsmen, Gunners, Musketeers, Bombardiers, and Lieutenants. It is captained by Captain Clyne Culpepper. It is the only of the EITC Flagships to drop The Sea Beast Vanquisher.
Game Note: The EITC Behemoth used to be a flagship. All EITC Flagships have a chance to drop Beckett's Spyglass.
[]
- Navy Kingfisher - Found near Isla Perdida. Crew made up of Veterans, Sergeants, and sometimes Guards
- Navy Man O' War - Found launching at Kingshead and found around Ile D'Etable De Porc and Isla De La Avaricia. Crew made up of Veterans, Officers, Sergeants, and Guards
- Navy Colossus - Launches at Outcast Isle, and can be found around Isla Tormenta, or Cuba. Crew made up of Veterans, Officers and Sergeants.
- Navy Formidable - Found between Padres Del Fuego and Isla Tormenta. Crew made up of Navy Royal Marines, Cannoneers, Grenadiers, and Midshipmen. It is captained by Captain Benedict Bedford. It is the only of the Navy Flagships to drop The Sea Beast Vanquisher.
Game Note: The Navy Bulwark, Navy Greyhound, Navy Vanguard and Navy Centurion used to be flagships. All Navy Flagships have a chance to drop Norrington's Spyglass.
Pirate/Legendary[]
- The Queen Anne's Revenge - Found near Isla Cangrejos, Isla Perdida, and Isla Tormenta; look for alerts as to where she is sailing.
French Undead[]
All French undead ships can be found circling Isla Cangrejos. They can harbor the prized Bottle Rocket Cannon Ram.
- French Shadow Crow
- French Cerberus
- French Blood Scourge
Spanish Undead[]
All Spanish undead ships can be found in the treacherous waters around Cutthroat Isle. Spanish undead flagships can drop the Bottle Rocket Cannon Ram.
- Spanish Shadow Crow
- Spanish Cerberus
- Spanish Blood Scourge
Game Note - All French Undead or Spanish Undead ships are flagships
Capturing a Flagship[]
A flagship must first be crippled in normal ship-to-ship combat, reducing the ship's hull value to 0.
Once crippled, a pirate has 5 minutes to board the flagship. This gives the crew time to clear any other nearby enemies and prepare for their assault. If the ship is NOT board in that time, it will sink automatically.
Use the ship's cannons to launch a grappling hook (Ammo Option 8) at green target circles on the disabled flagship. After hook(s) are attached, the flagship will automatically be pulled into boarding position.
Then, the captain can order the crew to board in which they will swing over to attack the ship's crew. The captain may also Parley. The ship will sink, but no loot will be gained.
Game Notes[]
- Originally, pirates could attack members of the NPC crew with their deck guns (grape shot) before boarding.
- The levels of the enemies on the flagship are dependent on the class of vessel.
- If a pirate is knocked out while on a flagship, he or she can still be Revived.
- Should all of the pirates be knocked out, they will all wake up in jail and their ship will be sunk along with the flagship.
- If the captain dies while boarding, his/her crew can continue to sail his ship.
- If a pirate dies while on a flagship and all enemies are defeated, he or she will be automatically revived. (But he/she will be groggy)
- Loot containers are plundered before boarding flagships.
Flagship Tips[]
- On Your Marks! The captain should tell the crew to be ready before giving the Board command, so no one is caught off-guard.
- Big risk equals big gains. While fighting a shipload of officers may not sound like your cup of tea, hauling a boatful of Royal Chests back might.
- Bring a Healer! Have at least one Voodoo Doll user attune the weaker party members as soon as they arrive. They can heal during the fight. But, don't forget to keep them safe!
- Hide-n-Seek. Sometimes an enemy ends up inside parts of the boarded ship but still attacks from a distance. Be ready to use ranged weapons and voodoo to ferret them out.
- There was a common glitch where a flagship would TELEPORT away from your ship when it is grappled into boarding position, probably due to a laggy server.
- If after returning to your ship, you end up swimming in the ocean from a glitch you may need to relog. But, if you can swim under a cannon or repair spot, pressing Shift should bring you back above deck.