One of the most interesting factors of Lost Ark is sailing. You can traverse the ocean using various ships and control where you want to go. Exploring ghost ships and gathering treasure filled with Lost Ark coins is part of the charm of owning a ship. Sailing across the seas won’t happen until you’ve finished most of Lost Ark’s campaign. However, once you’ve finally unlocked those capabilities, we won’t be surprised if you feel overwhelmed with the new content thrown at you.
The objective of maintaining a ship in Lost Ark is simple: you travel from one port to another while exploring various places on the map. You can hone in on this objective, but it would be a shame if you missed out on the other fun, such as participating in sailing-specific co-op events. If you want to learn about the basics of sailing in Lost Ark, how to unlock it, and the best ships you can buy with Lost Ark gold, we’ll tell you all you need to know.
Unlocking Sailing
First, you must unlock the sailing feature before getting your dream boat. If you don’t know how to sail yet, chances are you’re not far along in the quest line. Sailing will automatically unlock once you progress through the Set Sail quest. This quest will teach all there is to know about sailing and give you a starter ship for your Lost Ark account. It’s impossible to skip this quest or miss out on it, so rest assured; you won’t have to make a considerable effort to complete it.
The Set Sail quest can be triggered by going to the Wavestrand Port and talking to a couple of NPCs. These NPCs will teach you the ins and outs of sailing and give you your starter boat. It’s not great stat-wise, but it gets you from point A to point B. As a reference, your character level will most likely be around 30 or so before you encounter the quest.
Mastering the Basics of Sailing
On the surface, sailing looks simple—you get on your ship and explore the high seas. But make no mistake, there are some mechanics you need to be aware of.
For starters, each ship comes with a crew. You can check out your crew members by managing your ship at the docks. These members can be switched in and on regularly, and since you’re bound to run into some with different perks and abilities, it’s best to pair a crew with a task they excel in.
Ships also have a health bar known as durability. Keep an eye on your ship’s durability and execute repairs when necessary. If your ship reaches zero durability, you’ll only be capable of docking at major docks to do repairs. The cost of repairing a ship with zero durability versus one that only needs minor repairs is far apart, so it’s best to repair it as often and early as possible.
One tip we’d like to impart is the importance of auto sailing. Instead of manually going from place to place, you can set up your ship to auto-route a path. You can create up to four waypoints; simply Alt + Left Click on your map where the water is, and a path will automatically form to that location. This is an excellent method to get around the rough waters or where you want to be AFK.
A Crash Course on Ship Settings
Once you’ve finally got a ship and a set of crew ready, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty—that’s right, the Ship Settings menu. It’s understandable for first-time ship owners to feel gobsmacked by how much text they’ll be greeted with when entering the menu. We’ll break down each option and its meaning with that in mind.
- Ship Name & Level: You can check your ship’s level and change its name here.
- Ship Stats: You can check your ship’s stats here, such as speed, recovery, boost duration, and more. By using this section before buying a ship in the docks, you can determine if it’s right for you.
- Ship Skills: Houses four skills you can use for co-op quests. These include Dragnet, Treasure Salvaging, Harpoon Throw, and Stun Harpoon Throw.
- Ship Selection: This is where you can purchase the many ships available in Lost Ark.
- Ship Options: The place where you can customize your ship, such as its sails, skins, and crew members. It’s also the place for repairs.
- Crew List: This section shows all the crew members you’ve recruited.
- Docking Options: There are three options here: Dock, Set Sail, and Triport. Dock lets you enter a port, Set Sail lets you enter the sea, and Triport lets you teleport to a Triport.
- Hazardous Water Resistance: The place to prepare from the debuffs that might break your ship. Since there are various types of hazards on the sea, it’s best the always be prepared.
Time to Upgrade
When you think you’ve outgrown your ship, it’s time to upgrade or buy a new one. Upgrading your ship makes it faster and more durable. You can upgrade your ship at the docks; doing so will show the materials you need to complete the process.
The materials typically used for this are the following:
- Blueprints
- Ship parts (Normal, Uncommon, Rare, etc.)
- Timber (Lightweight, Uncommon, etc.)
Many parts you’ll need to upgrade your ship can be bought from the Auction House or merchants near ports. If you’ve got a stockpile of raw materials, you can choose to craft the items at the Professor NPC instead.
The Sailors Matter
Upgrading your ship isn’t just about making it faster and beefier—you can also choose to improve its performance by hiring Sailors. When docked at a port, go to the Sailors menu at the bottom of your screen.
You’ll see there that there are many available Sailors you can hire. Many of them can be equipped to any ship in your fleet, but if you want the cream of the crop, note that they’ll only ride on specific ships. To avoid wasting your resources by buying the wrong Sailors, it’s best to check their details before adding them to your ragtag crew.
Of course, hiring Sailors means spending money, and that currency comes in the form of Pirate Coins. You can get them by doing activities like Island Quests and Marine Events. Besides getting better Sailors, these can be used to buy items from merchants on the docks or upgrade your ship’s abilities.
The Cream of the Crop
Lost Ark provides various ships you can use to sail around the world. Each ship has its specialty, so choosing one that fits your play style is best.
| Ship | Resistance | Speed |
| Astray | Equal Resistances | 22 |
| Eurus | Kelp Bed | 21 |
| Estoque | Equal Resistances | 20 |
| White Wind | Sandstorm Seas | 19 |
| Brahms | Siren Seas | 18.5 |
| Elber’s Wound | Dead Waters | 18.3 |
| Sturmbrecher | Cold Snap Seas | 18 |
| Tragon | Tempest Seas | 18 |
There’s no “best ship” in the game you can buy using gold, but here are some tips on choosing the one that fits best for you:
- If you’re looking for the best ghost ship, Elber’s Wound is the way to go with Berlad as the Sailor.
- The fastest ship to get you from the opposite sides of the in-game world is Astray, with Barakas as the Sailor.
- The perfect all-rounder ship that can power through the trials and tribulations of the ocean is the Estoque, with Cals as the Sailor.
Take A Break From Your Adventures
Plowing through the main quests is excellent, but sometimes, taking a break from those adventures is essential too. If you’re looking for a way to farm gold while being able to relax a bit, the sailing co-op events take place three times a day. You can track these events in the alarm window or calendar on the top left of your screen. Sailing co-ops have set starting locations, depending on their continent.
You must be on time and in a pretty populated channel to join a sailing co-op event. That’s because you can only obtain the best rewards with the quickest times, which means you need a lot of players. The goodies you can get are typically keys used to gain access to Gate Events.
Gate Events are special sailing events that occur thrice a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays). The event divides everyone into two teams, and a school of fish will come in two directions. You have to kill as many fish as possible using your Harpoon Throw. The team that kills the most fish wins.
