Dev Blog: Setting Sail

Welcome to the War Sails developer blog series. We’re excited to share our progress on the features taking shape, though as with all things in development, please note that details may shift as we navigate our course towards the release of the expansion in Early Fall 2025.

With War Sails, Calradia’s horizons have grown — quite literally. Today, we want to take you behind the scenes of the world map expansion and share how we’ve reshaped the land and sea to support the introduction of the newly added Nords faction and naval gameplay. We’ll also be diving into the systems that shape life at sea — from the flow of ship movement to the tactics of naval blockades, and the stormy hazards that test every voyage across Calradia’s waters.

New Shores, New Struggles

The world map in War Sails now stretches beyond its former borders with an expansion to the north. We can divide these additions into three parts, starting with a new rugged long strip of a south-facing coastline — the Nordvyg proper. Passing through this terrain often means crossing rocky mountains and pushing through valleys filled with dense forests, not to mention the icy, cold winters.

Nordvyg proper

To the west of Nordvyg and across the sea, we find a recently colonized Island of Beinland — the land of bones. This refers to either the walrus ivory that drew the original settlers there or the remains they left along its desolate shores.

Island of Beinland

To the east of Nordvyg, you may find yourself wandering through the Jumne river area, where mysterious burial pits left by some long-forgotten people lie scattered along the riverbanks. The river runs south, eventually reaching Khuzait lands, allowing Nords to raid and trade along the shores of lakes Laconis and Tanaesis.

Jumne river area

Strategic Considerations & Blockades

Adapting Calradia for naval travel meant more than opening the seas — it required reshaping the very veins of the continent. Certain rivers have been widened to support inland navigation, allowing ships to reach far beyond the open sea, while bridges have been reconsidered to maintain vital overland routes.

Widened rivers

Several towns have also been relocated closer to water, weaving them into the expanding maritime trade network. For settlements now hugging rivers and coasts, danger sails closer — rival ports are now just a voyage away. To meet this new maritime threat, both parties and armies can now travel by water, gaining access to naval movement and combat. Armies, in particular, are restructured into fleets once they set sail — retaining much of their land-based functions, though with some changes and limitations.

Parties with ships and fleets play a major role in supporting sieges of coastal settlements — not by storming towns from the sea, but by enforcing naval blockades that cut off reinforcements, trade, and escape. When a force besieges a coastal settlement and has ships available, a blockade is automatically formed once the siege camp is established.

Naval blockade

Maintaining a blockade introduces new risks and decisions. Enemy naval parties may attempt to aid the defenders — the besieging player must then choose to engage in a naval battle or withdraw. Victory keeps the blockade intact; defeat lifts both the blockade and the siege; withdrawing preserves the land siege, but allows enemies to reinforce the town by water.

The player can also attempt to reinforce a besieged town from the water — either by breaking through the blockade at the cost