Ships are one of the biggest progression systems in Windrose. You start with a simple Boat, unlock the Ketch through the main story, then move into the Brigantine and Frigate through blueprint purchases, faction reputation, and heavy material investment at the Wharf.
There are 10 ships in the game right now: the Boat, plus Stock, Blackbeard, and Brethren variants for the Ketch, Brigantine, and Frigate classes. Each new ship class changes your health, speed, cargo size, gun count, and how much naval pressure you can handle.
1. How Ship Progression Works
Frigate Ship Blueprint
Ship progression in Windrose follows two different routes. The Ketch comes from the main story quest I Need A Bigger Boat, where you repair a stranded ship instead of buying a full blueprint. The Brigantine and Frigate are handled through the Brethren Of The Coast faction, where you unlock recipes with reputation and Piastre, then build the ship at the Wharf using the listed materials.
Here’s how overall Ship Progression works in Windrose:
- Boat for emergency travel
- Ketch for early exploration and first real naval combat
- Brigantine for mid-game power and cargo
- Frigate for late-game naval dominance.
2. All Ships List in Windrose
All Ships
There are different variants across the ship classes: Stock is the balanced version, Blackbeard is the faster but lighter option, and Brethren is the slower but tankier one. If you want to learn ship combat, check out our Naval and Ship Combat guide.
| Ship | Class | How To Get | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat | Basic boat | Received very early after tutorial quests | Utility fallback ship for recalls and short crossings |
| Stock Ketch | Ketch | Complete I Need A Bigger Boat and repair the stranded ship | 50,000 Health, 19kn, 28 Cargo, 3 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Brethren Ketch | Ketch | Build at the Wharf after unlocking the Ketch class | 65,000 Health, 17kn, 36 Cargo, 3 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Blackbeard Ketch | Ketch | Build at the Wharf after unlocking the Ketch class | 35,000 Health, 21kn, 20 Cargo, 3 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Stock Brigantine | Brigantine | Buy blueprint for 1,000 Piastre at Brethren Of The Coast Reputation Level 2, then craft at the Wharf | 70,000 Health, 20kn, 28 Cargo, 6 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Brethren Brigantine | Brigantine | Same unlock requirement as Stock Brigantine | 90,000 Health, 18kn, 32 Cargo, 6 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Blackbeard Brigantine | Brigantine | Same unlock requirement as Stock Brigantine | 50,000 Health, 22kn, 24 Cargo, 6 Guns, 50 Crew |
| Stock Frigate | Frigate | Buy blueprint for 3,000 Piastre at Brethren Of The Coast Reputation Level 4, then craft at the Wharf | 160,000 Health, 18kn, 40 Cargo, 12 Main / 6 Secondary Guns, 50 Crew |
| Brethren Frigate | Frigate | Same unlock requirement as Stock Frigate | 200,000 Health, 16kn, 52 Cargo, 12 Main / 6 Secondary Guns, 50 Crew |
| Blackbeard Frigate | Frigate | Same unlock requirement as Stock Frigate | 110,000 Health, 20kn, 28 Cargo, 12 Main / 6 Secondary Guns, 50 Crew |
3. How To Get Ketch
Ketch
The Ketch is your first proper ship and comes from the early main-story quest I Need A Bigger Boat. You do not build it from scratch. Instead, you repair a marooned vessel and claim it as your first real ship. Use this route:
- Progress through the tutorial until I Need A Bigger Boat appears.
- Reach the stranded ship used in that quest.
- Bring the repair materials to the ship.
- Finish the repairs to receive the Ketch.
- Continue the follow-up objective to recruit crew.
Ketch Crafting Materials
The Ketch is not your best ship, but it is strong enough to carry you through the Coastal Jungle as long as you keep it upgraded and fitted correctly at the Wharf.
| Material | Amount | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | 100 | Chop trees in the Coastal Jungle. |
| Nails | 20 | Salvage ship and boat wrecks along the shore, or craft them from Copper Ingot or Iron at a workbench. |
| Coarse Fabric | 20 | Process Plant Fiber early at your Workbench; this is one of the first cloth materials you should stockpile. |
| Rope | 10 | Craft from Plant Fiber at a workbench. 3 Plant Fiber per rope. |
4. How To Get Brigantine
Brig
The Brigantine is the best mid-game ship class because it gives you a major jump in firepower, cargo, and durability without the massive late-game cost of a Frigate. If you only plan to make one serious upgrade before the endgame, this is usually the ship worth targeting. Use this route:
- Reach Brethren Of The Coast Reputation Level 2.
- Save 1,000 Piastre.
- Buy the Brigantine recipe from the faction.
- Build it at the Wharf.
- Choose Stock, Blackbeard, or Brethren depending on whether you want balance, speed, or durability.
Brigantine Crafting Materials
The Brigantine recipes use the same class material list across the variants.
| Material | Amount | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Nails | 100 | Shoreline wreck salvage or workbench crafting from ingots. |
| Copper Ingot | 80 | Smelt Copper Ore from Coastal Jungle deposits. |
| Timber | 40 | Process wood into heavier construction material at the workbench; this is part of the standard building-material chain used for higher structures and ships. |
| Linen Fabric | 40 | Craft at a Spinning Wheel from 3 Flax Fiber. |
| Wooden Plank | 200 | Process wood into planks at your base crafting stations; this is one of the main bulk bottlenecks for shipbuilding. |
| Coarse Fabric | 120 | Early cloth processing from Plant Fiber. |
| Rope | 40 | Craft from Plant Fiber at a workbench. |
| Shipwright’s Tools | 30 | Buy from Brethren of the Coast for 10 Piastres. |
5. How To Get Frigate
Frigate Ship
The Frigate is the late-game ship class and the strongest normal step up in Early Access. It costs far more than the Brigantine, but it also gives the largest jump in survivability, naval firepower, and cargo. Use this route:
- Reach Brethren Of The Coast Reputation Level 4.
- Save 3,000 Piastre.
- Buy the Frigate blueprint.
- Build the ship at the Wharf.
- Pick Stock, Blackbeard, or Brethren depending on whether you want balance, speed, or the heaviest possible hull.
Frigate Crafting Materials
| Material | Amount | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Nails | 300 | Shoreline wreck salvage or workbench crafting. |
| Foothills Iron Ingot | 120 | Smelt from 3 Foothills Iron Ore + 1 Charcoal. The ore is mined from natural quarries in the Foothills. |
| Wooden Plank | 320 | Process wood into planks at your base crafting stations. |
| Timber | 160 | Processed building material made from wood for larger construction projects. |
| Tarred Planks | 80 | Swamp-tier processed wood material, Cursed Swamp Biome. |
| Linen Fabric | 240 | Craft from Flax Fiber at a spinning wheel. |
| Tarred Fabric | 80 | Swamp-tier processed fabric is used in higher shipbuilding and waterproofed crafting. |
| Rope | 80 | Craft from Plant Fiber at a workbench. |
| Shipwright’s Tools | 50 | Buy from Brethren of the Coast for 10 Piastres. |
6. Best Ship Gear Setup
24-Pounders Tempered Cannons
Every ship except the Boat has four gear slots at the Wharf: Cannons, Hull Modification, Boarding Party Gear, and Naval Tactics. These are not optional side systems. Good ship gear makes a bigger difference than just switching to a fancier hull without proper upgrades. This setup is the best overall ship build because it improves damage output, survivability, and repair efficiency all at once.
| Upgrade Type | Ketch | Brigantine | Frigate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Cannons | Perfectly Ordered Cannons (highest lb your Ketch can support) | Perfectly Ordered Cannons (highest lb your Brigantine can support) | Perfectly Ordered Cannons (highest lb your Frigate can support) |
| Best Hull | Hull Bracing: Keelhold | Hull Bracing: Keelhold | Hull Bracing: Keelhold |
| Best Naval Tactics | Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply | Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply | Naval Tactics III: Stretch The Supply |
| Boarding Gear | Upgrade your only Boarding Party Gear item as high as possible | Upgrade your only Boarding Party Gear item as high as possible | Upgrade your only Boarding Party Gear item as high as possible |
7. How To Upgrade Ship Gear
Shipwright’s workshop
Ship gear is upgraded at the Shipwright’s Workshop, not from the ship management screen. You need to remove the gear from your ship first, then carry it into the workshop before the upgrade option becomes available. Use these steps:
- Go to the Wharf and open your ship management menu.
- Remove the ship gear piece you want to upgrade from its slot.
- Move that item into your personal inventory.
- Travel to the Shipwright’s Workshop and select the ship gear piece from your inventory.
- Use the workshop to raise its level and improve its main stat.
- If the item can be upgraded from Rare to Epic, use the required materials there as well.
- Spend Tumbaga Ingots when ascending eligible ship gear into its Epic version.
There is one extra progression rule here: after you complete the Local Threat in each zone, you unlock the next five upgrade levels for ship gear. That means zone progression directly affects how far you can push your naval equipment.
