Dev Blog: Ships

As Calradia’s coastlines open to trade, raiding, and full-scale naval warfare, it’s time to step aboard and take a closer look at the ships you’ll command in War Sails. This developer blog will dive into the variety of vessels, their design inspiration, their performance on the high seas — and how you can customize them to suit your own strategy.

Ship Classes & Sails

Ships in War Sails fall into three core classes — Light, Medium, and Heavy — each tuned for a different role in naval engagements.

Light ships are affordable and tend to excel in acceleration as well as maneuverability — making them the choice for flank attack. However, their lower crew capacity and hit points make them easy targets when caught off guard. Their smaller size also makes them less stable in rough weather and results in fewer potential upgrades.

Medium ships strike a balance between price, durability, deck capacity, and upgrade potential. They are versatile and able to adapt to a range of roles without specializing in any one area.

Heavy ships are built for staying power. Wide decks, large crew capacity, thick hulls, and a wealth of upgrades to pick from allow them to dominate in prolonged engagements — though all of this comes at a hefty price in denars. Their larger size tends to make them less responsive when changing direction, but enables them to power through rough seas in the heat of battle. Alongside these, some ships carry the Trade designation, a secondary characteristic that applies to vessels built for commerce and logistics rather than combat. Trade ships differ from warships in several key ways: they carry fewer troops, offer more inventory space, and require smaller skeletal crews to operate, making them the preferred choice for merchant convoys.

Trade Cog

A ship’s performance at sea is also shaped by its sail geometry, which governs how it handles under varying wind conditions. Square sails offer quick acceleration and perform well in calm winds, but struggle against the wind. Lateen sails catch wind from more directions, enabling higher peak speeds and better versatility, though they result in slower acceleration and lower responsiveness. Hybrid rigs blend both types for steadier control in changing winds. A ship’s sail type is fixed to its design and can’t be swapped, but sail upgrades improve performance within those limits.

Rig type, left to right: Square, Lateen, Hybrid

Ships

Ships in War Sails are inspired by real-world vessels that match the cultures of Calradia. From square-sailed cogs and roundships in the west to lateen-rigged galleys and sailboats in the east, each ship draws inspiration from historical designs. Every faction fields at least one unique ship reflecting its identity, while drawing the rest of its fleet from shared regional pools — bringing the total to 20 unique ships. However, not all factions have access to every ship class. For instance, the Empire employs vessels across all sizes, while the Nords use light and medium ships geared for boarding. Access to these ships depends not just on location, but also on infrastructure. Ports must be upgraded via settlement projects. A low-level shipyard might offer only a few light ships, while higher levels unlock medium and heavy ships, with more vessels for sale. The Empire’s navy is the most well-rounded in Calradia. Their fleet includes the Liburna, a medium vessel with a compact hull and sharp contours, built to withstand hits and even deliver ramming strikes. The Dromon, their heavy flagship, is