Skull and Bones best ship weapons tier list

Ship weapons and cannons are integral when battling in Skull and Bones. The game is all about eliminating hostiles and becoming a legendary pirate lord. Understanding which weapons to utilize and where to place them on your ship will determine your victory or defeat. You must understand the abilities of the different ship weaponry you have to navigate the dangerous seas.

Skull and Bones is an MMO, which means you’ll encounter other players as you set sail—some friendly and some not. Luckily for you, the game has various types of heavy machinery that can be used to sink your opponents. Here’s our ship weapons tier list that will serve as a compass for your journey.

Skull and Bones Best Cannons and Ship Weapons

S Tier

Bombards

The Bombard is in a class of its own. Thanks to its AoE splash damage, it can hit multiple parts of a ship—including its weak spots. Since it uses area-of-effect attacks, you don’t need perfect accuracy to deal damage. You can also use it to fire multiple rounds before reloading, making it viable for quick bursts.

Compared to other armaments, bombards require you to aim low to ensure that your shot hits close to the target. They excel in dealing with multiple ships; however, their slow projectile speed makes it easy to miss your enemies. We recommend the Fire Bombard III, which is especially devastating with its Burning I and Explosive II perks, capable of engulfing enemy formations in flames.

Demi-Cannons

Think of Demi-Cannons like shotguns; they excel in short to medium-range combat thanks to their spread shot. Maximize your damage by mounting them on the broadsides to attack vessels that are too close for comfort. While they’re useless in long-range combat, they can pack a hefty punch if you’re near a target.

As for what demi-cannon you should equip, the Flooring Demi-Cannon III is currently the best one you can equip in Skull and Bones. With its Flooding II perk, it can deal up to 1232 damage.

Mortars

To use Mortars, hold down the button/key to make the targeting outline appear on the water. Then, fire to lob a projectile. The mortar takes a few seconds to travel through the air before landing on its target. Because of that, you have to fire it before the enemy ship enters the reticle.

Since Mortars are auxiliary-type weapons, only medium-sized ships—like the Padewakang—can equip them. Considered as backup options, they’re treated as a last resort during combat. You’ll barely use them as primary weapons since they have a long reload time, but it’s handy for pushing enemies behind and supporting struggling allies.

Since AI ships (for PvE) tend to move closer to each other during combat, you can hit multiple vessels using only a single round. The sight of the explosive damage alone is a sight to behold.

A Tier

Long Guns

Long guns excel in sniping enemies from a distance. Think of it as tenderizing the meat before putting it in the oven. Much like Scurlock’s Chasers, they’re excellent if you want to initiate combat in a safe area. You can hit an opponent’s masts/sails from afar if you aim properly, or even the hull. Once enemies move closer, you can start shooting their weak spots since the long gun has sublime accuracy.

The only downside to long guns is that they can only fire a couple of cannonballs before they’re reloaded automatically. Because of that, you’d constantly have to switch to your broadside weapons before attempting to fire the long guns again.

The Scurlock’s Long Nines is the ideal long gun for disabling sails and masts from afar. With its Tearing II perk, it’ll chip off the vessel of your enemies substantially before they’re near.

Torpedoes

You might wonder why we put torpedoes on the A tier; they’re extremely hard to aim and use. Well, that’s because they’re the best option for the stern slot, aka the back of the ship. Considering how the AI moves whenever you attack, you’ll notice that they tend to follow you in a straight line. Provided that your ship is faster, there’s a chance that the AI will just trail behind your vessel, allowing you to arm and fire torpedoes. Direct hits from torpedoes can deal critical damage, and since they can predict the AI’s motions, you can sink the ships while they’re hot on your tail.

Ballistae

The ballistae might be a better option if long guns aren’t your thing. They can only be equipped on the bow slot and are limited to medium-range engagements, but they’re convenient draw-and-shoot machines. The kicker is that they have no reloading animations, so you can fire off an endless supply of projectiles. If you have an ally that already has the aggro, you can just sit back and shoot your oversized arrows.

B Tier

Culverin

Say you’re new to Skull and Bones and don’t know what weapons you should use. In that, novice captains like you should consider the Culverin. It’s a starter weaponry that can be placed toward the rear. The reason why they’re good options for newcomers is because of their decent damage and reload speed. Once you get to the late game, they unfortunately have nothing else to offer before having broad damage. While they function as you might expect, there are better options out there.

The Basilisk III is one of the best choices for the Culverin since it focuses on piercing hulls, thanks to its Raider II and Piercing II perks. If you’d like to concentrate on sail damage, the Tearing Culverin III works well with its Tearing II perk.

Sea Fires

Just like the ballistae, sea fires are limited to the bow slot. They’re essentially flamethrowers that shoot a continuous stream of flame that scorches everything in its front. While that may sound like the perfect way to down an enemy vessel, it’s also precisely why we don’t recommend it. You can only blast enemies up close, making it extremely risky to use since you’re likely to be vulnerable if other hostiles are nearby. Moreover, you can’t use sea fires if a target is behind you or off to the sides. We’d only suggest this if you prefer a ramming playstyle or have the Sambuk ship.

C Tier

Rockets

Rockets are less effective than mortars, so why would you choose this over that? While they’re okay for close to medium-range attacks, their limited reticle visibility and predilection for missing targets make them inferior altogether. Multiple projectiles will fly out at an arc once you fire toward your target, but if you turn or move slightly, several of those projectiles will miss.

Hunting Spear

The hunting spear can only be found on the Dhow—the smallest and weakest ship in the game. While technically a weapon, the spear is used mainly to take out sea animals like sharks. If you try to cannon fire a shark, it shreds their carcasses and renders them worthless. It’s a weapon with limited application, making it useless when brought into ship fights.