Battle navigation tactics

Brigands
The AI behind brigands ranges in difficulty and their crew rank should be made note of before battle so you have some idea of what you're up against. In most brigands, the AI is quite simple, and there are key factors commonly known that should be noted about brigand behaviour.

Most brigands tend to use the board to their advantage. If the board is saturated in obstacles, the brigands will likely head toward wind and whirlpools. In reverse effect, if there is less wind, whirlpools and rocks on the board, brigands will be more likely the to come directly at you for a quick grapple, in an attempt to end the battle early.

PvP
A major part in PvP navigation situations is to constantly remind yourself that your opponents are human and don't have an automatic response for what you are doing. There are literally hundreds of possibilities of what your opponent is going to do. Some basic examples of playstyles (covered below) are aggressive, semi-aggressive, and timid. Knowing your opponents play style ahead of the battle can be a good advantage.

Aggressive
These opponents tend to take no spare time and come at you cannons a'blazin', they're not going to be afraid to take a little damage to max you out and grapple. A good counter-strategy is the timid strategy.

Timid
A common timid opponent uses distance as their forte, keeping a maximum distance from you, drawing you into their direction and moving away again, still firing at you. Here's where rocks are a good deterrent for your opponent. Try your best to utilize every aspect of the board to potentially force your opponents to come close, leaving you with some good opportunities to fire back.

Semi-aggressive
The semi-aggressive play style combines the aggressive and timid play styles. The semi-aggressive players are also referred to as "average" players. These players tend to keep a medium distance between you and them, and use your front and rear ends of your ship as their "safe-zones". They are most likely to hide there, out of your firing range and fire a few shots at a time. This strategy is usually easy to combat by turning and moving frequently.

Attritional
This player attempts to win by attrition- wearing down the opponent. They will allow their opponent to chase after them or run away until they run out of move tokens. Then, they will pull in front or behind of their opponent and fire on them. This strategy is generally only effective against weaker opponents, as a well-staffed ship will not run out of move tokens. However, against undermanned ships or less-experienced opponents, this strategy generally involves the least risk.

Pyrrhic
This strategy (referring to a Pyrrhic victory) involves mutual damage to both sides. The player may attempt to "trade shots" with the opponent, that is, move to a spot where he or she knows that the opponent will hit them, but where they in turn will be able to hit the opponent. This strategy will often lead to a "max-max" fight, one where both ships have sustained the maximum possible damage. Thus, this strategy is the most useful to a navigator who thinks that the overall quality of swordfighters on his or her ship is superior of that to those on the enemy ship, and therefore, a large damage advantage is not necessary.

Blockade
Navigating in a blockade is a very large role that should not be taken lightly. Every move you make can be crucial to the outcome of the blockade. It is suggested you read the blockade article before continuing.

When navving in a blockade, it is recommended that you keep in constant communication with your coordinator for instructions on what you're to be doing. A large part of your abilities is your cannons. If you have the chance, fire off some cannonballs at an opponent and hope you sweep them out of battle.

Usual strategies
Buoy sitting: "Buoy sitting," also known as "flag sitting," requires you to stay in the range of influence of an uncontested buoy or cluster of buoys to act as a constant point flow. Usually used while your other team mates are contesting other buoys and keeping points away from your opponents

Buoy contesting: Used in conjunction with the "buoy sitting" strategy, buoy contesting can pack a solid punch. This strategy is used to hold buoys captive from your opponents, making them neutral and worth no points to your opponents.

Sometimes you're left with nothing but to lure an opponent to you, this is a last resort tactic. Hopefully the opposition will move away from a buoy or a suffering teammate in need of repairs. Try to take as little damage as possible from them, and fire back if necessary.